Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Sacramento Kings @ 8:05 ET - Non-conference match-ups tend to lack defensive intensity and this particular one has an incredible run of overs as a result. Keep in mind, non-conference foes meet only twice a year so it is tough to build up a lot of animosity toward one another. Games can tend to be a little more free-flowing with plenty of offense. This one has been nothing short of amazing in that regard as the over is a perfect 14-0 in the last 14 meetings between these teams. Considering that factor as well as the fact that the Kings are 4-0 to the over the last 4 times they have been a dog of 6 or more points, you can see why I like the over here. Overall Sacramento has shown sharp trending to the over the past 5 weeks. The Bucks are 3-0 to the over their last 3 home games against Western Conference opponents. Milwaukee averages 121.5 points per game at home this season. Sacramento has averaged 115.7 points per game their past 7 games. Look for this to fly over the total and it supported by combined trending of 21-0 to the over as noted above. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #866 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Duke Blue Devils vs Florida State Seminoles @ 7 ET - I used this same angle (short rest) to successfully cash with the Noles UNDER last Monday and I expect it to be successful again here. Both Duke and FSU are off high-scoring wins on Saturday and now playing on short rest. The Blue Devils situation is made even tougher as their victory came in dramatic fashion and included overtime. Florida State wants to utilize their defense to try and stay close to Duke throughout this game and then swoop in late for the upset win on the road. Keep in mind the Seminoles allowed only 59 points to North Carolina last Monday. In fact that was the 3rd straight game in which the Noles allowed 63 points or less. As for Duke, they had allowed 67 points or less in 3 of 4 games prior to the wild win over the rival Tar Heels. With both teams on short rest I expect to see a bit more of a half-court battle in this one and the result should be this one falling well short of the big total posted on this match-up. We're getting line value after the wild wins these teams just had on Saturday plus because these teams have been trending to the over for many weeks. This one is all about the situation and, specifically, the situational value that has been created. 10* UNDER the total in Duke

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - Off an ugly loss at Phoenix by a count of 127-91, the Rockets will respond here at home. Look for the over to improve to 8-4 the last dozen times that Houston was off a loss by a margin of 15 or more points in a game in which they were a favorite. Indeed that was embarrassing and the Rockets will explode with plenty of offense here at home. Yes, Utah has revenge against Houston from last year's playoff exit as well as this year's home loss to the Rockets. However, the fact is that the Jazz struggle to slow down the Rockets. Not only that, Utah has been getting involved in higher-scoring games now for many weeks. This is not the old plodding, defensive-minded Jazz we were use to seeing. Utah is off a high-scoring win over Portland. That went over the total at home. How about recent road games? The over is 7-1 in the last 8 road games involving the Jazz. Given the situation, look for that trend to continue here! 10* OVER the total in Houston

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #831 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Connecticut Huskies vs Cincinnati Bearcats @ Noon ET - The first time these teams met Cincinnati won 67-51 despite making just 13 of 24 free throws. The teams combined to hit just 6 of 28 three pointers and, Connecticut shot a horrific 32% from the field overall. None of these stats are likely to be repeated in this one and I am expecting this game to get into the 140s. UConn tends to score much better at home and the Bearcats also have shown that, many times, they tend to leave their high intensity defense at home when they are traveling. Cincinnati, not including OT points of course, has allowed 74.4 points per game in its last 7 games away from home. The Bearcats have scored an average of 70.4 points per game in those 7 contests played away from home. Cincy has averaged 84.5 points per game in its last two road games. The Huskies, again not including any OT points of course, have scored an average of 72 points per game in their last 6 home games. This will be a fierce battle in this game but look for more scoring than many are expecting as the first match-up this season had a total impacted by unusually low shooting percentages. 10* OVER the total in Connecticut

Divisional Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors are red hot. With their win at Indiana last night, Toronto has won 13 straight games. This is a tough spot for them however as they are now in a back to back and Brooklyn comes into this game with plenty of confidence as they have won 4 of 5 games. When teams are confident they tend to shoot the ball well and, of course, the Nets also like to run and gun. The Nets will look to take advantage of the Raptors in a back to back spot as Brooklyn has had two days of rest heading into this game. That means we should see a good pace to this game and I feel the total is too low when you consider how hot each of these teams are. The Raptors have scored an average of 120.2 points per game during their 13-game winning streak. The Nets have scored an average of 122.6 points per game in their last 5 games. None of these games for either team were OT games either. In other words, just great pace and solid shooting and I look for more of the same here on Saturday. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

TV Total Smash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #707 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in La Salle Explorers vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 5 ET - A battle in Philly and this rivalry will bring plenty of showmanship from the players. Both teams are enduring rough seasons but facing each other as part of the Big 5 in Philadelphia is going to turn this into a run and gun wide-open affair. The Hawks can't stop anyone. They are allowing 84 points per game on the road this season and this game is at La Salle. The Explorers have allowed 72.4 points per game in regulation time during their current 7-game losing streak. One could easily expect a game (based on the 8 point line) ranging anywhere from 81-73 to 84-76 given the above numbers. The fact is that neither team is very polished or disciplined at all when it comes to defense but each team has a combination of guys that can drive the paint or knock down open jumpers. The most recent match-up between these teams resulted in an under but the 3 prior meetings all went over the total and averaged 153 points per game. The over is 7-2 in La Salle's last 9 games and 3-0 in St Joseph's last 3 games. This total opened up at 151.5 points and has already dropped 4 points from there. The Explorers won't take their foot off the gas after losing to the Hawks in March in their most recent meetings. They want to take advantage of St Joseph's in a down season as they've won just 4 games. That means plenty of points here as the Hawks defense continues to be non-existent. 10* OVER the total in La Salle

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Detroit Pistons @ 8:05 ET - This total dropped big this morning when it was announced that the Pistons would be without a few players. News flash folks...none of the guys on the injury report played in Detroit's game versus Phoenix on Wednesday and the Pistons scored 116 points in that win. Certainly Detroit is a bad team and they have issues but they can score some points and, at the same time, their defense so often leaves a lot to be desired! That said, Oklahoma City is a huge double digit favorite here with good reason and the Thunder should pile up the points but don't be surprised when Pistons players like Drumond, Jackson, Wood, and Galloway have big scoring games again tonight just like they did against the Suns. The Thunder enter this game red hot as they have won 8 of their last 9 games. Oklahoma City has averaged 118 points per game in those 8 victories. I am looking for a 120-105 type game here and that crushes this total by nearly a double digit margin. Grab the value. The over is 14-5 in Detroit's last 19 games. Before their non-covering win versus Cleveland Wednesday stayed under the total, the Thunder had seen the over go 5-1 in their last 6 games versus Eastern Conference opponents. That over trending resumes here. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Early TV Total - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #875 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes @ 7 ET - The Golden Flashes jumped out to a 17-5 lead versus Ball State Tuesday. They then proceeded to have their worst shooting stretch of the season and ended up with only 54 points on their home floor in an embarrassing loss. You can bet (literally) that Kent State will respond here. The Golden Flashes have revenge from a 76-69 home loss to the Huskies a few weeks ago. Also, Kent State has a bye week on deck as, after this game, they won't play again until the 15th. In other words, there is every reason to expect the Golden Flashes to go all out for the full 40 minutes. They want to do a better job in the rebounding department (Northern Illinois dominated in first meeting) and use those boards to break out quickly in transition for easier scoring options. It is all conducive to an over because the Huskies aren't going to be push-overs at home either. Northern Illinois enters this game having won 5 straight games. The Huskies are averaging 69.4 points per game at home this season. The Golden Flashes are averaging 72.5 points per game on the road this season. I know the Huskies have had some strong defensive performances of late but their not stopping the Golden Flashes in this situation and Kent State isn't going to shoot 1 of 20 from three point land again like they did against the Cardinals Tuesday. Take advantage of the low total here as these teams should again get into the mid-140s in this one. 10* OVER the total in Northern Illinois

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #628 Thursday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Wichita State Shockers vs Cincinnati Bearcats @ 7 ET - This one should be an ugly low-scoring grinder and yet the total has made an upward move in early market activity. That is adding to the value here with this one. The Bearcats are off a big home win over the Cougars. For the 6th time in 7 games Cincinnati held an opponent to 62 points or less. In those 6 games the Bearcats have allowed an average of only 53.3 points per game. The Shockers are off a loss at Tulsa but they were very solid defensively. It was the 4th time in 5 games Wichita State held an opponent to 65 points or less. In those 4 games the Shockers allowed only 56.8 points per game. Each of the last 4 meetings between these teams have totaled 134 points or less. The average points scored in these 4 match-ups is 126.8 and yet this total is in the mid-130s. I like the value with the under here as the Shockers are hell-bent on revenge after losing each of their last 4 meetings with the Bearcats. At home and playing with a ton of emotion, Wichita State will bring a very intense effort on defense. Of course Cincinnati is known for their solid play on defense as well and that should turn this key AAC meeting with the Shockers into a low-scoring grinder. 10* UNDER the total in Wichita State

Ugly Beauty - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #579 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Atlanta Hawks @ 8:05 ET - Sometimes the ugliest games produce the prettiest results when it comes to sports wagering. That is what I expect here with an easy over. The Timberwolves are favored by a half dozen points in this game despite having lost a dozen straight games. How can that be? Well is the road-adverse Hawks that are in town and I expect Minnesota to put the hammer down early in this one against Atlanta. However, the Hawks (especially with Trae Young in the mix - probable here) can score plenty of points! The Wolves will be happy to run and gun and look to run Atlanta right out of the arena. Both teams are woeful defensively and we should see an absolute track meet here in Minneapolis tonight. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. The Hawks are 9-2 to the over in their past 11 games. The Wolves have allowed 126 points per game in their past 3 home games. Atlanta has allowed 131 points per game in its last 3 road games! This game should get well into the 240s and might even hit the 250s as it is simply the style these two teams play. The Timberwolves are desperate for a win and will push the tempo all night long in this one to impose their will at home. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #785 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Pittsburgh Panthers @ 6:30 ET - The Fighting Irish are going to dictate the tempo of this game on their home floor and that means plenty of points. The over is 5-0 in Notre Dame's last 5 games. The Irish have scored 78 points or more in each of their last 5 games. Also, Notre Dame has allowed 72 points or more in 6 of their past 7 games. In other words, the Panthers will "get theirs" in this game too. Pittsburgh is off a tight low-scoring win at home against Miami. However, prior to that game the Panthers had allowed 73.3 points per game their 3 prior games. The over is 5-1 this season when Pittsburgh is off a game in which they allowed 25 or less points in the first half. Watch what Notre Dame does to them in the first half of this game after that very unusual performance versus Miami for the Panthers. The over is 6-3 this season in Fighting Irish games with a posted total in the 130s. 10* OVER the total in Notre Dame

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #605 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kent State Golden Flashes vs Ball State Cardinals @ 7 ET - The Golden Flashes are off a hard-fought emotional 1-point win over the biggest rivals, Akron, in their most recent game. Don't be surprised if Kent State is lacking in defensive intensity after a win like that over the rival Zips. That said, I expect Ball State to score better than the normally would in this game. We've seen this total be on a bit of an uptick early this morning. That is despite the fact that Cardinals games are on an under streak of 6 straight games. Rest assured, when a team is trending under but their total is then moving toward the over, it is usually with good reason! That said, I do like the over here given this situation as I am sure the Golden Flashes are going to "get theirs" at home but I look for the Cardinals to take advantage of some lax Kent State defense and this one should turn into a bit of a run and gun track meet. The Golden Flashes were on an 8-4 run to the over prior to their game against the Zips staying under the total. Look for the trending toward the over to quickly resume in this one given the situation. The over is a perfect 6-0 in the last 6 meetings between these teams! 10* OVER the total in Kent State

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are off a rare low-scoring win. The over was on a 5-0 run in Washington's games prior to the tight win over Brooklyn. Now the Wizards host a Warriors team that also is off a win and which also has been getting involved in plenty of high-scoring games of late. Golden State games are on a 5-1 run to the over and the Warriors have averaged 116 points per game in their past 4 road games. Golden State has allowed an average of 122.2 points per game in their past 6 games. The Wizards have allowed 124.5 points per game in their past 10 games. That is why, despite the big total posted on this game, it will prove to not be big enough. A match-up of two bad teams, but both off wins, means a drop-off in defensive intensity here. The over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between these teams and that trend continues here. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #862 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Florida State Seminoles vs North Carolina Tar Heels @ 7 ET - The Tar Heels last 6 games featured an OT game and a double-OT game. That has skewed the perception of their totals higher than it should be. Note that UNC has allowed 73 points or less in regulation time of 7 straight games. The average points allowed by North Carolina in this 7-game stretch was 68 points. The Seminoles are favored by about 10 points here. No matter how you look at it...if the Heels allow their average of 68 or their 7-game regulation high of 73...if the odds makers are right about the spread here you're looking at a game ranging from 68-58 (126 points) to 73-63 (136 points) and we've got a total in the mid-140s here! I'll gladly take the under here because Florida State has a history of struggles against the Tar Heels and will most definitely take advantage of facing them in a down year. The Noles can turn up the heat on defense. FSU has allowed just 62 points per game in their past two games. Also, in 2 of their last 3 home games Florida State has allowed 58 points or less. Look for a lower-scoring game than many are expecting as, even though the Heels welcomed back Cole Anthony recently they now have senior Brandon Robinson dealing with an ankle injury. The season of frustration continues for North Carolina as the Seminoles turn up the heat on defense in this one. 10* UNDER the total in Florida State

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Denver Nuggets @ 12:35 ET - This is a bad scheduling spot for the Nuggets. The result should be plenty of points. I don't expect a lot of defensive intensity from Denver here. They are off a huge win (at Milwaukee) Friday. The Bucks are the #1 team in the NBA this season. On deck for the Nuggets are divisional battles versus Portland and at Utah. In other words, this is an ideal "flat spot" for Denver. Normally that would mean to fade the Nuggets but there is no way I can fade them with a team playing as poorly as Detroit. The Pistons enter this game on an 0-5 SU/ATS run. What I do expect here is plenty of offense. Detroit is off a rare low-scoring home game. Prior to the ugly home loss to Toronto, Pistons games were on a 14-4 run to the over. Detroit had averaged 114.1 points per game their 9 previous games. The Nuggets enter this game having scored an average of 115 points per game their past 10 road games. This total opened up at a 218 and has dropped to 215 as of early game day morning. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the line move but, as always, it is not without reason. Per the analysis above, a bit of a sub-par defensive game expected from Denver here but they can (and will) come roaring back on the offensive end against a bad Pistons team. That helps send this one flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Detroit 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #831 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Panthers vs Miami Hurricanes @ Noon ET - Big mistake right? The odds makers kept this total (138) in the same range as the first meeting this season even though that game totaled just 124 points. The odds makers don't know what they're doing, right? Long-time followers know how I feel about that philosophy! That said, I am happy to fade the early line move on this one as it already came down to a 136.5 as of early game day morning. The fact is that the Panthers had a horrific shooting effort at Miami in their meeting last month. Note that Pittsburgh took 64 shots from the field so certainly the proper pace was there for an over. Of course I expect the Panthers to shoot much better from the field here. Note that Miami is allowing 78 points per game on the road this season. Also, prior to a strong effort on defense in their most recent game, the Canes had allowed an average of 86.5 points per game their 4 prior games. Their most recent game stayed under the total but that was preceded by 3 straight overs. As for the Panthers, the over is on a 6-3 run. The Panthers have scored an average of 73.2 points per game in their past 6 home games. Miami has scored 71 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games. The Hurricanes can score well here against the Panthers but, they've proven time and time again this season that they are not a very good team defensively and this has proven particularly true on the road. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets @ 8:05 ET - Neither team known for its defense. Bradley Beal currently red hot for the Wizards. The Nets Kyrie Irving is off a game in which he scored 54 points last night. Also, in his most recent road game, Irving tallied 45 points. Even though this is a back to back for Brooklyn, they were able to rest guys thanks to winning by a blowout margin. Irving only had to play 32 minutes and no other Net played more than 30 minutes. That sets this one up well for Brooklyn to still have plenty left in the tank! That spells trouble for a Wizards team that has allowed an average of 137 points per game in its last 3 games. But Washington certainly scores well at home and the Nets have allowed 117 points per game their last 9 games. This total may seem "big" at 239 but folks you have to look at the numbers and Beal is "feeling it" right now for the Wizards and the Nets are coming off a huge win last night and are certainly "feeling it" too with their shots right now. Brooklyn has now scored more than 120 points in 3 of its last 4 games. More of the same expected here. The over is 7-2 in the Nets last 9 games. The over is 5-0 in the Wizards last 5 games. Those trends continue in DC on Saturday. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #717 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Fresno State Bulldogs vs New Mexico Lobos @ 5 ET - The Lobos get involved in high-scoring games no matter whom they're playing. The Bulldogs are coming off a momentum boosting road win at Air Force in which they shot the ball very well. That certainly can continue here at home as Fresno State has knocked down 37.3% of their three pointers this season when at home. Also, New Mexico is simply a very poor team defensively. By the way, in terms of the Lobos production on offense, I am aware they are missing a couple guys right now but those guys have been out for the last few games and it was not a huge impact. Yes, New Mexico did not score well against San Diego State but the Aztecs are 22-0 this season for a reason. Prior to that, the Lobos scored an average of 80 points in two games without JaQuan Lyle and Vance Jackson. That continued a season-long trend as New Mexico is averaging 79 points per game this season. The Lobos simply don't play defense though and they are allowing an average of 97 points per game in their last 4 road games! As for the Bulldogs, they are looking to atone for a very ugly performance offensively in their most recent home game. They have struggled in recent home games against Boise State and San Diego State. Look for them to bounce back at home against the run and gun Lobos and this should turn into a wild high-scoring game. The over is 9-2 in New Mexico's last 11 games. The over is 3-0 in Fresno State's last 3 games. The Bulldogs have allowed an average of 80.3 points per game their last 3 games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Fresno State

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:35 ET - The over is 6-2 in the Nets last 8 games. Brooklyn is averaging 110 points per game this season but also allows 112 points per game. Speaking of sub-par defense, the Bulls are allowing 110 points and 47.3% from the field in their road games this season. The over is on a 3-0 run in Chicago's games. Granted the Bulls most recent game did involve overtime. However, prior to that one Chicago had allowed an average of 110 points per game over their past 7 games away from home. The key to the over here is that the Nets are happy to play at a fast pace at home and the Bulls have been scoring well when facing teams with a losing record. There has been only one exception for Chicago in recent weeks when facing a team with a losing record and that is when they had a horrific shooting effort at home against the Kings. Other than that, in their last 5 games against teams with a losing record, the Bulls have averaged 115.6 points per game! You can see why I am expecting both teams to eclipse the 110 mark in this one and that will send this one flying over the total. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #851 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pennsylvania Quakers vs Harvard Crimson @ 5 ET - This total opened up at a 146 and has dropped to a 142.5 in early market activity. Of course the market activity is telling the odds makers they don't know what they're doing. Long-time followers know how I feel about that. I am grabbing the value on the other side of this move and expecting plenty of points here. Yes, the Quakers are finally off a win (versus Temple) in their most recent game but the fact they allowed only 59 points in that victory was definitely an aberration. Penn actually allowed 75 shots from the field for the Owls! Also, in the Quakers prior two home games they had allowed an average of 82.5 points per game. Penn will struggle to stop Harvard here. The last two meetings between these teams stayed under the total but, prior to this, it had been 5 straight overs in this series. Also, each of the last 3 meetings between these teams in Philly have gone over the total. Look for this one to as well. The Quakers have struggled with their 3-point shot this season but normally do shoot it better at home and note that the Crimson have allowed 38% shooting from beyond the arc in road games this season. Also, before scoring just 66 points versus Temple, Penn had averaged 77.8 points per game in their 5 prior games. The Crimson enter this game having averaged 74 points per game in the 7 games since their star guard Bryce Aiken got injured. Look for both teams to get well past the 70 mark here and that sends this one flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Pennsylvania

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets tend to play lower-scoring games and the Wizards tend to play higher-scoring games. Something has to give here. I feel strongly that Washington, at home and off back to back losses, is going to dictate the pace here. That will mean plenty of points in this one. Note that Charlotte was happy to be coming off a win but certainly not happy about being held under 100 points. They do have fresh legs because of their recent road trip to Paris, France to take on the Bucks. Though that resulted in a lot of travel for the Hornets it also has resulted in plenty of rest. Charlotte's offensive production is likely to enjoy a huge uptick here as they have averaged 118.2 points per game in their last 6 games against Washington! The Wizards, in regulation time of their last 4 games, have scored an average of 126.5 points per game. The over is 4-0 in Washington's last 4 games. The Hornets are well rested and no that they can afford to be in a higher-paced game here and get plenty of good looks against a Wizards team that is one of the worst in the league defensively. The result is plenty of points in this one. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #617 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in James Madison Dukes vs College of Charleston Cougars @ 6:30 ET - Two slumping teams and James Madison is bad overall and the College of Charleston is on an 0-5 ATS run. That means plenty of points here as the Dukes have allowed 78 points or more in 7 of their past 9 games. James Madison simply doesn't focus much on the defensive end (and allowed 85 points to Cougars in first meeting) but one thing the Dukes do better at home is score plenty. James Madison is averaging 80.6 points per game at home this season. The Dukes can't stop anybody but they do score well as a host and that should lead to a very high-scoring battle here. Don't be surprised if the Cougars again eclipse the 80 point mark here but, with James Madison at home for this rematch, the Dukes should be hanging around all the way in this one. As a result, I am expecting the 160 range here and yet this total is down closer to the 150 range. I'll grab the value here as the over is 6-3 in Dukes home games and also 6-3 in Charleston conference games this season. 10* OVER the total in James Madison

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are off games yesterday in which they allowed less than 100 points. Memphis held Denver to just 96 points in a big win over the Nuggets and so I am fully expecting a more lax defensive effort here after that big home win. As for the Knicks, though it was surprising they allowed just 97 at Charlotte last night it was also surprising that they scored just 92 points. Look for a huge bounce back on the offensive end now that they are back home for tonight's game. New York averaged 111 points per game in their past two home games. The Knicks also are allowing 112 points per game this season and the Grizzlies are allowing 116 points per game on the season. After last night's unusual results, look for normalcy to return tonight. Memphis has allowed 112 points or more in each of its last 6 road games. The over is 7-3 in the Grizzlies last 10 non-conference games. The over is 4-2 in the last 6 road games for Memphis. More of the same expected here after last night's unusual results for each team. 10* OVER the total in New York

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #803 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Massachusetts Minutemen vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - Two bad teams thanks in large part to horrific defense. These teams focus on scoring points and are generally very lax on the defensive end. I know UMass is off a game in which they allowed only 64 points but that is certainly the exception rather than the norm for them. The Minutemen had allowed an average of 78 points in 7 games leading up to that one. The Hawks are allowing 83.5 points per game on the road this season. St Joseph's has struggled defending the 3-point shot this season and Massachusetts is known for success from beyond the arc, particularly at home. Two of the last 3 meetings between these teams, including the most recent one here, have totaled 158 points or more. This total opened up at 154 and dropped to a 151.5 in early market action. The Hawks have averaged scoring 80 points per game in their last 3 road games. UMass is averaging 76.5 points per game at home this season where they are also knocking down 39% of their three pointers this season. The over is 7-1 in St Joseph's road games this season. The over is 4-1 when the Minutemen are off an outright upset win as an underdog. Look for these trends to continue in a high-scoring game here. 10* OVER the total in Massachusetts

Central Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #527 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Both teams enter off losses by a double digit margin in Saturday's action. The Pistons game did go to OT but Detroit already was on a hot run in terms of "overs" prior to that game. The over is now 14-4 in the Pistons last 18 games. I like looking for overs when two struggling teams are matched up. Neither team has been too focused on the defensive end. Note that Cleveland's games are on a 10-3 run to the over! When these teams are matched up the over is now a perfect 6-0 in their last 6 meetings. Pistons home games are on an 8-1 run to the over. The Cavaliers over is 8-3 when they enter a game on a losing streak of 7 or more games. The over is 12-4 this season when Cleveland enters a game off a home loss. The over is 11-1 this season in Detroit's home games with a posted total of 220 points or more. The Pistons have averaged 116 points per game their last 7 games. They should get even more than that here (against a struggling team) and this game should get into the 230 range and yet is currently in the 220 range as of early Monday morning. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Xavier Musketeers @ 4 ET - The Musketeers are off a win over Georgetown but what was surprising was how low-scoring the game was. Don't look for a repeat here and, yes, I know the history of unders between these teams. The last 7 meetings between these teams have stayed under the total but look for this one to snap the trend. Creighton has gone over the total in each of their past 3 games. Each of the 3 games totaled more than 150 points and I expect this one too as well. The Bluejays have shot 48.3% from the field at home this season including 39.6% from three point land. Creighton is averaging 82 points per game at home this season and is a 5-point favorite in this one. So if the Bluejays hit their average here and the spread is in the right range you're looking at an 82-77 type game which blows this total away. The Musketeers, prior to holding the Hoyas to 57 points had allowed an average of 82 points per game their 3 previous games. Look for a lot of points here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #721 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Richmond Spiders vs Dayton Flyers @ 6 ET - The Spiders lost leading scorer Blake Francis to injury recently. However, the over is 2-1 in the 3 games since he has gone out and Richmond has scored an average of 81 points per game in those 3 games. On the season the Spiders are averaging 80.4 points per game when at home. On Saturday they're hosting a red hot Flyers team. Dayton enters this game having won 8 straight games and they are a scoring machine. The Flyers have averaged 83 points per game on the season and are very consistent in terms of scoring. In their 8 game winning streak Dayton has scored at least 77 points in all 8 victories. This game being played at Richmond certainly is likely to continue the trend. The over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these teams here and the most recent meeting saw the teams combine for 168 points. We're getting some line value here because of Francis being out. Richmond has plenty of scorers other than Francis as they have shown in recent games. At the same time, Dayton likes to play fast and is more concerned with piling up points than playing lockdown defense. That said, the Spiders should score plenty here on their home floor but the Flyers also should remain red hot. Dayton enters this game on a perfect streak of 4-0 to the over their last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Richmond

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - A big total but definitely justified. The Rockets are off a big win versus the Nuggets and have a rematch at Denver on deck too. After holding the Nuggets to 105 points don't be surprised if Houston suffers a bit of a letdown on defense in this one. The Rockets certainly aren't known for defense in the first place! The same holds true for Minnesota. The Wolves have allowed 114.6 points per game this season and the Rockets have allowed 114 points per game this season. Minnesota has allowed an average of 127 points per game in its last 3 games against Houston. The Rockets most recent visit here stayed under the total but that was preceded by a 5-1 run to the over in meetings between these teams in Minneapolis. These teams have jacked up an average of 87 three pointers per game in their last 3 meetings and, of course, that lends itself well to plenty of points. The Timberwolves are fired up as they have lost 7 straight games and also have not been shooting well of late. Even with that, the over is still 7-3 in Minnesota's last 10 games and I am expecting a bounce back here in a game in which the Rockets will absolutely be willing to run and gun throughout this one. The over is 5-2 this season when Houston enters a game having lost 2 of their 3 prior games. The over is 23-12 when the Wolves are a home dog. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #555 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are off an OT loss at Miami last night. However, when you look at minutes played, Washington actually spread the workload quite well. You don't see excessively heavy minutes for anyone really and, in essence, that makes this a normal back to back situation. The over is 22-12 (including 4-1 this season) when the Wizards are playing the 2nd game of a back to back. As for the Cavaliers, they are off an embarrassing home loss on Monday in which they had a horrific shooting night and scored just 86 points. Note that the over is 10-4 this season when Cleveland is off a home loss. Also, prior to that under, the Cavaliers had been 8-2 to the over so far this month. The Cavs are fired up after their embarrassing performance against an equally bad Knicks team. Their game plan tonight, coming in rested and with the Wizards in the 2nd night of a back to back, is to try and run Washington right out of the arena. Of course the Wizards do like to play fast so the result is a game with a ton of points that will look like a track meet with guys running up and down the floor and trying to get quick open shots in transition. Yesterday's Washington game had a total of 229 and that flew over the total (in regulation too) and plus the Wizards entered that game having gone 8-2 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 230 or more. Tonight's Cavaliers game falls into that category and I look for another high-scoring match-up. Washington plays this game with revenge from a home loss to the Cavs and the over is 8-4 this season when playing with same season revenge. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

CAA Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Hofstra Pride vs Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens @ 6:30 ET - The Fightin' Blue Hens shoot the ball very well including on the road. The Pride are not a good team defensively. Delaware's games are on an 8-2 run to the over in their past 10. Hofstra has averaged scoring 87 points per game in its last 3 meetings with the Fightin' Blue Hens. Additionally, the Pride have scored an average of 90.5 points per game in their last two home games against Delaware. Hofstra enters this game having averaged 76.5 points per game in its last 4 games and 3 of those were on the road. At home this season the Pride are averaging 81.9 points per game. Delaware is making 47.3% of its shots from the field on the road and even is hitting 36% of three pointers on the road as well. The Pride are hitting 45.6% of their shots from the field at home and they like to play with pace and will dictate an uptempo game here on their home floor. The Fightin' Blue Hens have allowed an average of 79 points per game in their past 3 games. The Pride have allowed 81.5 points per game in their last two home games. Hofstra's shooting is red hot their last 4 games. Delaware has also been shooting the ball well (as their shot has traveled well this season) in road games including knocking down 57.4% of its shots at Villanova last month. Last 5 road games the Fighting Blue Hens hitting nearly 50% from the field. When Delaware is off an ATS loss they've gone 24-11 to the over including 6-1 this season. When the Pride are off a loss they've gone 14-6 to the over including 3-1 this season. 10* OVER the total in Hofstra

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Sacramento Kings @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons total burned me Monday at Washington when the teams had a great first half but then both teams struggled to score in the second half. With Detroit back at home for this one, I expect to get immediate payback here as they host the Kings. Note that the Pistons are 5-1 to the over in their last 6 home games. Overall Detroit was on an 11-3 run to the over before their ugly low-scoring loss to the Wizards Monday. As for Sacramento, they enter this game having recorded overs in 5 straight games overall. Also, in Kings road games, the over is on a 5-1 run. Both these teams struggle defensively but have also been scoring well of late. It is the perfect recipe for a non-conference match-up with very little defensive intensity to fly over the total. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Xavier Musketeers vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - These teams are known for playing high-scoring games and the set-up here is perfect for another one. Not only is the over 7-1 in the last 8 meetings between these teams, the lone under did total 153 points. That means that, at the current total (148) posted on this game, the over would be on a perfect 8-0 run in this series! The reason the set-up is ideal too is because the Musketeers are at home and have lost 3 straight games. In the past two they scored just 65 points in each game and they enter this game after a week off. Xavier can't wait to get on the floor and run and gun against a Hoyas team that certainly is not known for its defense! One thing that Georgetown can do, however, is score very well as they are averaging 79 points per game on the season. The Hoyas have scored 80 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games. However, Georgetown also has allowed 80 points or more in 3 straight games. I would not be surprised to see this game get into the 160s and we only need 150s to be a winner. Recent trending toward the under over the last few weeks overall has led to a lower total here than we would have otherwise seen and I won't hesitate in taking advantage of it. 10* OVER the total in Xavier

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #611 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in LSU Tigers vs Florida Gators @ 7 ET - This total has dropped from an early opener of 146.5 to a 143 and there a few reasons for that. One is that the Tigers are without guard Charles Manning, Jr. However, they already won their first game without him and he is a solid player but certainly his absence is not a huge one for the team. Another reason for the downward move on this total is because Florida has allowed an average of just 51 points per game in their last two games. However, those games were at home and now the Gators are on the road and they allowed 91 points in their most recent game away from home. Florida has allowed an average of 78 points per game in its last 3 true road games. As for the other end of the floor, the Gators have averaged scoring 83.7 points per game in their last 6 games. LSU has averaged 80 points per game this season and I am looking for plenty of points here. The over is 4-1 in the Tigers last 5 games and the over is also 4-1 in the Gators last 5 games played away from home. The last 3 meetings between these teams have all gone over the total. Look for this one to fly over the total as well and we'll take advantage of the downward line move here. 10* OVER the total in LSU

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons @ 2:05 ET - The over is on an 11-3 run in Pistons games. Detroit scored 136 points at Atlanta on Saturday. The Wizards allowed 140 points at Toronto on Friday. Now two teams that are both content to play at a fast pace and that focus very little on the defensive end are matched up in what should be a track meet. The over is 3-1 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. Washington averages 116 points per game at home this season but the Wizards also are allowing 120 points per game. That is why, though this total is a big one, I have no hesitation in grabbing the over in this match-up! The line is right around a pick'em in this game and in a match-up where the Wizards have a chance to win it generally means to expect a ton of points because this team simply does not play defense! In games with a posted total of 230 or more points, the over is 13-6 in Wizards games this season. Washington is playing this game with road loss revenge and that is a situation that has seen the over go 11-3 this season. Detroit is 4-1 to the over this season when off a game in which they scored 120 points or more. Indeed, expect a track meet style of play in this one. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat @ 3:05 ET - The Spurs are off back to back losses and they continue to respond off losses with more offense rather than defense. San Antonio games are 8-1 to the over the last 9 times they've been off a loss. Also, when off a loss by 6 or less points this season the Spurs are 8-0 to the over (1 push). In non-conference action this season, San Antonio's games are 13-4 to the over with one push. The Spurs enter this game have averaged 117.5 points per game their last 10 games. The Heat have been red hot on the offensive end and have averaged 116.5 points per game their last 6 games. Both of these teams, overall, have trended over the total this season. They just met in Miami on Wednesday and that game stayed under the total but that has been the exception, rather than the norm, for both of these teams of late. Heat road games with a total posted at 220 points or more are 4-1 to the over. Miami's games against teams with a losing record this season have gone 13-5 to the over. You can tell by the line (roughly pick'em) on this game that it is expected to be a tight battle. That said, I have no hesitation in expecting each of these teams to get to at least 110 points here and, of course, that would result in an over in this match-up. 10* OVER the total in San Antonio

Atlantic Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:35 ET - The Knicks will be in "run and gun" mode as they are at home and catching the Sixers in the 2nd night of a back to back situation. Philadelphia allowed just 89 points in their home win over the Bulls last night. However, Philly used a lot of defensive energy in holding Chicago to just 18 points in the 4th quarter and to 24 points or less in each of the other 3 quarters as well. Sometimes a team needs a "night off" from the defensive intensity even when they're playing. In other words, the 76ers still have another game to be played tonight but don't be surprised if it is a much more open-floor affair after last night's grinder game with the Bulls. The Sixers have allowed an average of 112 points per game in their last 5 road games. The Knicks have allowed an average of 124 points per game their last 8 games. 76ers Saturday games are 6-2 to the over this season. New York is off an embarrassing home loss to the Suns on Thursday and they are 4-2 to the over this season when off a home loss by a double digit margin. Plenty of points in this one! 10* OVER the total in New York

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #649 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Georgetown Hoyas vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 2 ET - The Hoyas are averaging 82.5 points per game at home this season. The Golden Eagles are averaging 77.2 points per game this season. Trouble here because they are on the road? Not so fast my friend as Marquette actually is hitting an incredible 41.1% of their three pointers when away from home this season! Georgetown is horrible at defending the arc and the Eagles love to run and gun. The Hoyas also love to run the floor and get quick points in transition and this is particularly true when they are at home. That said, I love the over in this match-up. The Golden Eagles are off a big win versus Xavier and the over is now 7-2 in their lat 9 games as Marquette continues to pile up big points in recent weeks! The Golden Eagles most recent road game was a rare exception (at Xavier) and they make up for that effort here as they take advantage of facing a weak defense. 10* OVER the total in Georgetown

Eastern Conference Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The over is a perfect 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these teams. The Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA defensively as they are allowing 120 points per game on the season. The Raptors are a big favorite here with good reason and they won't take their foot off the gas in this one. Toronto's games are 7-2 to the over this season when they are a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points. Washington's games are 12-4-1 to the over this season when they are playing against a team with a winning record. Also, the Wizards are off back to back non-covers and that is a situation that has seen the over go 7-0-1 in Washington's game this season. When these teams get together it has been a track meet in recent match-ups and I am expecting another one tonight with plenty of run and gun action. Will gladly test the perfect trends noted above. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

A10 Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #857 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Billikens vs Dayton Flyers @ 7 ET - I have had my eyes on this match-up for awhile as one that is likely to lead to plenty of points. The Flyers lost to St Louis in the Atlantic 10 Tourney last season and it is payback time here. That said, I expect Dayton to score plenty in this one but the Billikens are a strong home team that can put up big points as a host. St Louis is averaging 74.5 points per game at home this season. The Flyers, even on the road, are a huge scoring team as they are averaging 81.6 points per game away from home this season. Dayton enters this game on a 6-game winning streak and has averaged 81.5 points per game in these six victories. The Billikens most recent home game was a low-scoring win but that was preceded by 3 games as a host which saw St Louis average 80.7 points per game. The over is 12-6 in Dayton's last 18 games. The over is 6-3 in the Billikens last 9 games. Also, in the last 6 meetings between these teams, 4 have gone over the total. More of the same here. The Flyers were held to just 55 points in their last match-up with STL and that means Dayton will not take their foot off the gas no matter how big their margin in this revenge game. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #639 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles vs North Texas Mean Green @ 8 ET - Looking for games that are a bit "off the radar" often lead to some top value situations and that is precisely the case here. A 4-13 Southern Miss team is certainly not going to have most people lining up at the betting window but I love spots like this. The Golden Eagles should score well here at home but they are a very bad team defensively and North Texas will take advantage. The result here should be an absolute shootout and yet we have a rather low total to work with on this one. The Mean Green have averaged 82.3 points per game in their past 6 games. The Golden Eagles are off a 70 point effort at UTSA. In terms of their recent home games they had a rare dud in their most recent game as a host. Look for Southern Miss to make up for that here as, in their 3 preceding home games, the Eagles had averaged 79 points per game! On the season Southern Mississippi has averaged 73 points per game at home. But the Golden Eagles have allowed 75 points per game this season and I am expecting this game to get well into the 140s. The over is a perfect 3-0 in meetings between these teams in which the Eagles are the host. North Texas enters this game on a 6-3 run to the over. 10* OVER the total in Southern Mississippi

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Celtics are known for being a solid team defensively. They have earned that reputation. But sometimes that helps lead to value going the other way when certain situations arise and that is precisely what we have here. It is hard for Boston to be be excited about facing a slumping Pistons team when they have a huge game tomorrow night at Milwaukee! Undoubtedly these are the types of games where the superior team - in this case, the Celtics - has a drop-off in defensive intensity. That said, don't be surprised when the Pistons score very well in this game. However, Detroit leaves much to be desired on the defensive end. That said, I look for a solid over in this match-up. Overall, 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams have gone over the total. Also, 3 of the last 4 times they have met in Boston, the games have gone over the total. The over is 9-3 in the Pistons last dozen games. The Celtics have averaged 119 points per game in their past 4 home games. Look for them to get at least that here and for the Pistons to eclipse the century mark as well and, as a result, this flies over the total. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #789 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Georgetown Hoyas vs Creighton Bluejays @ 7 ET - I am aware of the fact that Creighton does not shoot the 3-ball as well on the road as they do at home. However, specific to playing at Georgetown, that stat has not held up! In their last two visits here, the Bluejays have shot a combined 29 of 65 for 44.5% three pointers! Georgetown is not a very good team defensively and this is particularly true when it comes to defending shots from the beyond the arc. That said, I like my chances in terms of Creighton scoring plenty in this one. Keep in mind, the Bluejays have scored an average of 87 points per game in their last 4 meetings with Georgetown. The Hoyas are happy to play at a fast pace and they are known for putting up big numbers when on their home floor. In fact, Georgetown has averaged 87 points per contest in their last 5 games on their home floor. Now you can see why the big total posted on this game is absolutely justified. The Bluejays enter this game having seen each of their last 3 games stay under the total while the Hoyas are on a 5-game under streak. Yet we see a big total posted on this game. Now you know why so don't be fooled here...this one should fly over Wednesday. 10* OVER the total in Georgetown

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #575 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - These are two of the fastest teams in the league in terms of possessions per game. The opening total of 238 will scare many away but the fact this game should be an absolute track meet going both ways. Memphis is a very young team and they want to play fast and look to score plenty of points in transition. Of course the Rockets are one of the top teams in the league for efficiency on offense. That said, I have no hesitation in expecting these teams to combine to average 60 or more points per quarter in this one. Memphis is playing with a lot of confidence thanks to a 5-game winning streak. The Rockets sit atop of the Southwest Division standings and enter this game having rolled to big point totals in 4 of their last 5 games. They're looking to make up for that one dud (on the road) by coming up with a huge effort in their first road game since then. In the other 4 games the Rockets have averaged 127 points per game. As for Memphis, they have averaged 127 points per game during their current 5-game winning streak. You can see why I would not be surprised to see this game get into the 255 range. The over is 4-2 in Houston's last 6 games. The over is 12-4 in the Grizzlies last 16 games. Look for the high-scoring trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Memphis

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ohio State Buckeyes vs Nebraska Cornhuskers @ 6:30 ET - Buckeyes games have stayed under the total in 4 straight games. Cornhuskers games have stayed under the total in 6 straight games. Yet this total is climbing higher in early trading action. Why would that happen? Sharp money! The fact is that the Buckeyes need a breakout game on offense as they are mired in a 4-game losing streak in which they have been held below 60 points in all 4 games. Tuesday Ohio State will take advantage of facing a Cornhuskers team which has allowed 78.4 points per game in match-ups played away from home this season. As for the Huskers offense, note that they have averaged 72.7 points per game this season. The Buckeyes offense will be in run and gun mode here and they are happy to be back home for this one. Ohio State has averaged 79.1 points per game in home games this season. The Buckeyes have hit 41.5% of their three pointers at home this season while Nebraska has hit a solid 34.5% of their three pointers on the road this season. We're getting some value here because Ohio State's most recent home game was a plodding affair against Wisconsin (Badgers like to play that way). Note that, prior to that, the Buckeyes had averaged 92 points per game in their 3 preceding home games. Look for plenty of points here! 10* OVER the total in Ohio State

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 8:05 ET - Paul George is out for this game but of course that is factored into the side and total. Look for a higher scoring game than many are anticipating here as the Nuggets are off a home loss yesterday to Cleveland. Of course that is in an inexcusable loss and I look for Denver to respond by looking to run the Goerge-less Clippers right of the arena tonight. The Nuggets will push the pace and, prior to back to back unders (including yesterday just barely staying under) Denver had gone over the total in 6 straight games and 11 of last 13. Los Angeles. prior to their low-scoring win over Golden State Friday, had gone over the total in 3 straight games. The Clippers have allowed an average of 122 points per game in their last two visits to Denver and the Nuggets are only a 2 point favorite in this match-up. Would a 122-120 Denver win surprise me here? Not in the least! In other words I feel this total is set too low and I look for others to again step up for LA (like they did versus GS) with George being out. Plenty of points in this one. 10* OVER the total in Denver

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #841 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Illinois-Chicago Flames vs Wright State Raiders @ 4:12 ET - The Raiders bring an 8-game winning streak to Chicago for this match-up. However, when they last visited here the Flames got the win and held Wright State to just 53 points. That game will be but a distant memory after this one goes into the books. The Raiders have averaged 84.8 points per game during this 8-game winning streak. The Flames are not a very good team on the offensive end but they will put up a decent number of points here considering they are at home and facing a team that will force them to score. Wright State will push the tempo here and, keep in mind, the Raiders have allowed an average of 72.3 points per game their past 6 games. Wright State has NOT held an opponent below 69 points in ANY of those games. The Raiders last 2 games stayed under the total but this was immediately preceded by a run of 7-1 to the over in Wright State games. That type of run will resume here. While the Raiders want to make up for their 53-point effort here last time, UIC is looking to make up for a 52-point effort in their most recent home game! The Flames had averaged nearly 70 points per game over the 9-game stretch that preceded that dismal effort. 10* OVER the total in Illinois-Chicago

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Joseph's Hawks vs Duquesne Dukes @ 7 ET - The Hawks are not a good team defensively and the Dukes will take advantage. Though St Joseph's has unimpressive numbers on offense this season, they are a better team when at home. The Hawks average 73 points per game when at home this season.  The issue for St Joseph's is they allow 82 points per game! Now the Hawks take on a Duquesne team which scores an average of 73 points per game. The last 3 meetings between these teams have averaged 168 points per game and the over went a perfect 3-0 in those contests. Look for the over streak to reach 4-0 with another high-scoring shootout here. The Dukes have scored at least 71 points in 7 of their last 9 games. The Hawks have allowed 80 points per game in their last 5 home games. Duquesne is favored by about 8 points for a good reason but I don't see St Joseph's going down without a fight. That said, the Hawks are going to have score plenty to "hang around" in this game and I absolutely expect them to do just that. 10* OVER the total in St Joseph's

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #555 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:35 ET - Both teams in a back to back spot and coming off losses yesterday. The Thunder gave up 120 points at Philadelphia but did score 113 and should get at least that here tonight. As for the Nets, they were at Orlando and struggled but I expect a bounce back tonight at home after being held to just 89 points by the Magic last night. This was an embarrassing effort for a Brooklyn team which has averaged 110 points per game this season. The Nets should get at least that tonight after last night's poor effort but the Thunder are favored here for a reason. In other words, based on simple math you can see why I am expecting this game to get well into the 220s. The over was 3-0 in the Nets last 3 games before last night's snooze-fest at Orlando. Now playing at home and facing a Thunder team that is also happy to play at a faster tempo, look for the pace of this game to be conducive to a high-scoring battle. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:05 ET - This total's first move saw it drop a couple points from its opener and I feel too much weight is being given to Orlando by the betting markets. The fact is that, although the Magic tend to play lower-scoring grinder type games, the Nets "average" game this season totals 222.5 points this season. Also, Brooklyn enters this game having gone over the total in 3 straight games and 5 of their last 7. The Nets last 3 games have seen the totals average 221 points per contest (adjusted for OT in the Wolves game). Brooklyn has allowed 121 points or more in each of its past 2 games. Orlando is off B2B unders but that had a lot to do with facing Miami and Utah. Both these teams are better defensively than the Nets. I look for this game to be played with a better tempo and Brooklyn - losers of 5 straight - will be working hard to push the pace in this one. The over is 4-1 in Nets last 5 January games. 3 of the last 4 games between these teams totaled 215 or more and this one, given all of the above, should too. 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Thursday OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are mired in a 5-game losing streak both SU and ATS. During this 5 game stretch Detroit has allowed an average of 120.6 points per game. The Wizards have allowed 121.7 points per game on the season! That is why this total opened up at 233.5 (which still wasn't high enough in my opinion). Now with the total dropping to as low as 229.5 points early this morning, I won't hesitate to step in on the over in this one. The last two meetings between these teams in Detroit have both gone over the total and have averaged 242.5 points per game! Overall, the Wizards enter this game with the over having gone 5-1 in their last 6 games. The Pistons enter this home game with the over having gone 7-2 in their last 9 games as a host. With both teams in action on Monday, that means they come into this game rested but NOT rusty as they have had just 2 days off between games. Both teams will be ready to go here and I again expect a ton of points in this match-up. The over is an incredible 16-6 this season when the Wizards are an underdog. The over is 5-1 this season when the Pistons are at home and the posted total on their game is 220 or more. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Wednesday 10* OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics @ 12:05 ET - The Celtics most recent road game stayed under the total by the slimmest of margins! Prior to that the over was a perfect 3-0 in Boston's 3 previous road games. The Raptors enter this game on a perfect 3-0 streak to the over. Toronto is 8-4 to the over in their past dozen home games. The Raptors last half dozen games have averaged 117 points per game. The Celtics last eleven games have averaged 112.6 points per game. I know in an Atlantic Division battle we should see a little more defense but you can see why I going with the over here based on the above. Also, the over is 4-1 this season when the Celtics are off a blowout win by a margin of 20 or more points. The over is 5-0 this season when Toronto is revenging a loss in which they allowed 110 or more points. With the Raptors having lost at Boston in October it is payback time here and I am looking for plenty of points. They score well at home (11-5 to the over this season) but won't be able to stop the Celtics. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #737 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ohio State Buckeyes vs Kentucky Wildcats @ 5:15 ET in Las Vegas - I understand the respect for these two defenses as it is certainly deserved. However, in my opinion, not enough respect is being given to how potent these two teams are on the offensive end and I am taking advantage of the low total posted here. The Wildcats have not shot threes well this season but they've certainly done just fine inside the arc on the year. The Buckeyes have shot the ball very well from all over the floor including inside the arc. Both teams have trended under this season but Kentucky is averaging 75.4 points per game game and Ohio State is average 80 points per game. Now I am not expecting those types of point totals here but I am expecting each team to get close to 70 in this one and that would make this ticket a winner! Kentucky has scored 66 points or more in 9 of 10 games this season. Ohio State scored "only" 64 points in their opener but they have since scored 71 points or more in 10 straight games. The last two times the Buckeyes have been a single digit favorite the game has gone over the total. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Ohio State (game played in Las Vegas)

East-West Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #541 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:05 ET - After opening up at a 224 we're going to see some downward movement on this total. The betting markets are wondering how the odds makers can "screw up" and set this total so high. But I will tell you why we have a big total here. Both the Grizz and the Cavs are having rough seasons but are playing with more confidence of late. Both teams are willing to push the tempo here and neither team is known for their defense. Look for a shootout in this one. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the Grizzlies last 4 games. Memphis is scoring an average of 117 points per game past 7 games. The Grizz have allowed 116 points per game their past 7 games. Memphis is off a loss but had won 4 of 5 prior to that defeat. The Cavaliers are off their 2nd win in 4 games and feeling a little more confident as a result. Though that victory stayed under the total it ended a 3-0 streak to the over for Cleveland. The Cavs have had one recent OT game (at San Antonio) but even subtracting out the OT points, the stats are impressive if you're looking for an over tonight! Cleveland has allowed an average of 118 points per game, not including OT points, in its past 7 games. The Cavaliers had averaged 108.5 points per game in their 4 games prior to the low-scoring win over Charlotte Wednesday. That game died late in terms of scoring. But this one won't...not with high-scoring Memphis in town. Non-conference battles have a tendency to be played with a little less defensive intensity and neither one of these teams likes to "D up" much anyway! 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - Two bad defenses matched up here and I like the value we're getting here with the total having dropped a little from its opener as well. The Hornets are in the 2nd game of a back to back and they are allowing 111 points per game this season while the Cavaliers are allowing 114 points per game this season. Cleveland has one OT win in recent games but other than that it has been nothing but losing. A big reason for that is the Cavs don't get defensive stops. Even removing the OT period from the equation, Cleveland has allowed 121.3 points per game its last 6 games! As for Charlotte, they had a recent ugly low-scoring win at Chicago but in their other half-dozen recent games the Hornets have gone 3-3 and allowed an average of 107 points per game. Given the season to date averages and recent averages in terms of the points these two teams have been allowing, you can see why I am expecting this game to get into the 220s. In terms of technical support for this play, the over is a perfect 3-0 the last 3 times Charlotte has played the 2nd game of a back to back. The over is 9-5 this season when the Hornets are a road dog. The over is 6-2 this season when Cleveland enters a game having allowed 105 points or more in 3 consecutive games. The Cavs are off an ugly loss and the over is 49-28 when the Cavaliers are off a game in which they allowed 115 points or more. With Charlotte having tired legs on defense after last night's upset home win, and the Cavs continued defensive ineptitude, this game should fly over the total. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

TV Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Providence Friars vs Florida Gators @ 7 ET @ Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY - Florida is off a long layoff and sometimes that can lead to poorer shooting results with teams. However, the Gators are actually a long-term 12-6 to the over (including 3-1 in recent seasons) when they play a game after having had at least 7 days of rest between games. Look for fresh legs to lead to plenty of points in this one. As for Providence, they do like to play higher-scoring games and they worked off the rust from their layoff by scoring 82 points in a win on Saturday. The Friars are facing a Florida team that is not afraid to D up but note the following: Providence is 3-1 to the over in recent seasons when facing a team that allows an average of 64 points or less per game. Also, Providence is on an ATS losing streak but they are hungry to snap it and will push hard in this contest. That will help the over as the Friars like to push the pace and are 9-3 to the over long-term including a perfect 3-0 to the over in recent seasons when they are on an ATS losing streak of 5 or more games. The over is also a long-term 10-5 including 3-0 in recent seasons when Providence is facing an SEC opponent. The Friars are scoring an average of 75 points per game this season. The Gators are off an ugly effort in which they were held to 62 points in their most recent game but they are still 4-0 to the over in their last 4 games. Also, Florida entered that game having scored 70 points or more in 4 straight games. The Gators have allowed 65 points or more in 3 straight games. The Friars have allowed 75 points or more in 3 straight games. I see this game climbing into the 140s. 10* OVER the total in Providence (game played in Brooklyn, NY)

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Morehead State Eagles vs Marshall Thundering Herd @ 7 ET - Last year these teams met and the total posted on the game was nearly 170. The game ended up totaling only 140 points and was an easy under. However, that meeting was at Marshall and this one is at Morehead State. I expect the Eagles to score much better at home in this one and, in terms of line value, this total is posted at just 145 as of early gameday morning. I know the Eagles are coming off some ugly low-scoring games but they will be a different team at home tonight and after having had a layoff to hit the "reset button" for this one. Their most recent home game was an ugly low-scoring win but prior to that Morehead State had averaged scoring 86 points per game in its first 3 home games. As for Marshall, they tend to score a lot but also allow a lot no matter where they play. It has simply been the way the Thundering Herd are known for playing. They push the tempo and aren't too focused on defense. Marshall has scored an average of 78 points per game in its past 5 games. They allowed a very low point total in their most recent game but that was against a clearly outclassed small college team. Prior to that, the Thundering Herd had allowed 78.4 points per game in its last 7 games. You can see why I am forecasting this game to get well into the 150s. The over is 4-0 in Marshall's last 4 lined games. The Thundering Herd are 17-7 to the over when coming off a blowout home win by a margin of 20 or more points. The over is 22-9 (including 3-0 in recent seasons) when the Eagles enter a game having failed to cover the spread in 4 of their last 5 games. This situation brings out the best in the home team but the Thundering Herd strong scoring ability means these teams are trading buckets all night long. 10* OVER the total in Morehead State

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #676 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Colorado State Rams vs Colorado Buffaloes @ 8 ET - Look for better defense in this one than many are expecting. This is a rivalry match-up. The Rams are a home dog. Don't look for a lot of easy buckets here as Colorado State will have to try to scratch and claw their way to a home win over the superior Buffaloes here. Colorado enters this game off back to back losses but they faced a couple of tough match-ups. Keep in mind, the Buffaloes had started the season a perfect 7-0 and had allowed just 53.8 points per game in the final 6 games of that win streak. Hungry for a win here against their in-state rivals, and coming off back to back losses, look for Colorado to turn up the heat on the defensive end. Colorado State does have a tendency to get involved in higher scoring games but I feel the Buffaloes are not going to allow that to happen. Colorado will be buckling down on defense and note that the Rams, prior to a win in their most recent game, had been held to an average of 60.5 points per game in the back to back games (both losses) that preceded the win at South Dakota State. Also, in 5 of their first 7 home games this season, Colorado State had allowed 65 points or less in regulation time of those games. In fact an OT loss in which New Mexico State scored 18 points in OT certainly skewed their numbers a bit. 11 of Colorado's last 16 games have resulted in an under. In the month of December, Buffaloes games have stayed under in 7 of their last 9. When these two rivals square off, 5 of the last 7 meetings have resulted in an under. Considering all of the above as well as the total having been driven up from the mid-130s to now being in the 140 range, I love the value here with going against the line move on this one. 10* UNDER the total in Colorado State

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:35 ET - The Hawks have been an over machine. The over is 15-3 in their past 18 games. The Pacers are off a high-scoring win versus Boston. Off a big win against a strong team, this is the type of letdown game where you're likely to see Indiana lacking a bit in defensive intensity. The Pacers have allowed 108 points per game their last 11 games. You can see why, especially given the situation, I would not be surprised to see the Hawks put up 110 points here. Keep in mind, Atlanta is particularly hungry because they are playing at home for just the 3rd time in about a 3-week span. The issue for the Hawks, again, will be their defense, so the Pacers getting into the 120 range here certainly would not be a surprise in the least. That puts this one into the 230 range and I like the value here with this total in the low 220s. The over is 6-3 this season when the Pacers are off a home win and, again, that was a very satisfying one for Indiana. The over is perfect 13-0 this season when the Hawks enter a game after losing 5 or 6 of their past 7 games. Look for that trend to remain perfect here as plenty of points expected in this one. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:35 ET - After having to battle in a divisional match-up with a hard-nosed Pistons team yesterday, the Pacers will now take advantage of facing the porous defense of the Knicks in this one. Additionally, I look for New York to respond on the offensive end here after being held to just 92 points on their home floor by the Nuggets on Thursday which followed a similarly poor effort at home against the powerful Bucks too. That sets this one up well for plenty of points. New York has allowed an average of 130.5 points per game their past two games. The Pacers are allowing an average of 108 points per game in the first four games of this lengthy road trip. The over was on a 5-1 run in Indiana's last 6 games before their last two match-up stayed just under the total. This one makes up for those in a big way. 10* OVER the total in New York

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #511 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - The Cavs were held to just 94 points in their most recent game but, in typical contrarian fashion, I am playing their very next game to go over the total. Cleveland, prior to the ugly home loss to Detroit, had scored at least 100 points in 7 straight games and had averaged scoring 105 points per game during this stretch. The Cavaliers have allowed at least 100 points in 10 straight games. In fact they have allowed an average of 118.6 points per game during this rough stretch. Taking on a Magic team that scored 116 points against them last week won't help matters for the Cavs struggling defense. Also, Orlando scored 116 without Aaron Gordon in the lineup. He is back now from his ankle injury and Gordon scored 32 points in Wednesday's big win for Orlando over Phoenix. Now the Magic have won 4 of 5 games and have averaged 118 points per game in those 4 victories. The over is 9-3 in Orlando's last dozen games and I look for another high-scoring game here as the over improves to 6-3 in the Cavaliers last 9 games. Cavs will respond with stronger game tonight after being embarrassed and scoring just 94 points at home on Tuesday but they won't be able to stop the hot-shooting Magic as they are red hot from all the floor right now. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #557 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:05 ET - With the Warriors off a game in which they scored a season-low 79 points Monday and the Hornets off a game in which they were held to just 39 points in the first half Monday, it may seem enticing to take the under in this match-up. However, in typical contrarian fashion I am backing the over in this one as it is actually those low-scoring results that are leading to excellent value with this total. Both teams are determined to bounce back on the offensive end in this one and will be willing to push the pace all game long. Golden State was averaging 108 points per game their past 11 games on the road before that awful effort against the Hawks. Charlotte is averaging 109 points per game at home this season. The over is 9-5 this season when the Warriors enter a game having lost 3 of their last 4 games. The over is 6-3 this season when the Hornets enter a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. Two teams hungry to bounce back here and you'll see that first-hand here with good tempo and plenty of scoring in this match-up. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #541 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - The Magic are off a rare win and the over is 5-1 the last 6 times when Orlando enters a game off a SU victory. Though known as a lower scoring team, the Magic saw their first meeting with Washington this season fly over the total as it reached 246 points! The Wizards enter this contest off allowing 150 points to the Clippers in Los Angeles over the weekend. Washington continues to ignore the importance of playing defense as they simply try to just outscore teams. That may work against the Magic but I am not playing the Wizards as I just can not trust them to get defensive stops. The value that is created here by the way this one should play out is the situational value that is clearly available with the total in Washington. The over is now 7-3 in the Wizards past 10 games. The over is also 4-1 in Orlando's last 5 road games. With the Magic off a rare win and trending over when in that situation this season, don't look for much defense in this match-up as the Wizards will simply try to again run and gun their way past Orlando. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #741 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana State Sycamores vs North Dakota State Bison @ 5:30 ET - Both teams weakness is the frontcourt. That means more opportunities for points in the paint with drives to the bucket and also 2nd chance opportunities off the glass on offense. I am well aware of the fact that the Bison have been trending under all season long but that has had a lot to do with the match-ups they faced. Now they go on the road and face a Sycamores team that has been knocking down the 3-ball extremely well this season. Indiana State is hitting 44% of their threes this season. North Dakota State is allowing 37% from beyond the arc on the season. The Sycamores overall defense has been sketchy for sure as opponents are hitting 46% from the field. You can see why I am expecting plenty of points here and I am taking advantage of an early downward line move on this total. It opened up at 138 and is now down to 135.5 as of early game day morning. Indiana State has scored an average of 76 points per game in its last 3 lined games. The Bison have averaged 70 points per game their past 7 games. Each team is capable of reaching double digits in three pointers made in this one and I look for plenty of points with the game also close enough late (line on this game is a -5) to encourage fouls and free throw shooting for the team in the lead with the team playing catch up jacking up (and making plenty of) three pointers! 10* OVER the total in Indiana State

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:35 ET - The Knicks are off an ugly loss at Toronto where they were held to 98 points. New York head coach Fizdale was talking more about the lack of execution and hesitation on offense that was plaguing the Knicks in that game. In other words, it was not so much about the fact that New York gave up 126 points but the fact they scored just 98 points that has his attention. I am looking for a high-scoring game here. These teams put up 213 points when they recently met in Philly and the Knicks should score better here at home. We've got a low total to work with because of the market move here - first numbers globally posted on this game were in the 210.5 range. Particularly after the drop on this total I feel we have great value here. The Knicks are averaging 102 points per game this season and the 76ers are favored by as much as 8 points in this game as of early game day morning. A 110-102 Philly win gets us well above the posted total here. The over is a long-term 24-12 when the Sixers are a road favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points. The Knicks have trended under this season but there has been an over-adjustment on this total in my opinion and keep in mind New York's last 7 meetings with the Sixers have all totaled at least 208 points! 6 of the 7 totaled at least 213 points and this one should as well. 10* OVER the total in New York

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #799 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Golden Gophers vs DePaul Blue Demons @ 3 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Golden Gophers have seen all 6 of their games stay under the total this season. The result, however, is great value here with the over. This total has dropped down to a 134 and Minnesota is hosting a Blue Demons team that has good defensive numbers on the season but has struggled a bit when facing tougher competition. DePaul has allowed 67 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games. The Blue Demons have scored at least 70 points in all 7 of their games this season. DePaul is undefeated on the season but will face a much tougher challenge here. The Golden Gophers have played the tougher schedule this season but come into this game averaging 77 points per game their last 3 games. The key to Minnesota's solid scoring early this season is they are shooting the 3-ball much better than last season. Speaking of hot shooting, DePaul is hitting 50% from the field this season and also doing a solid job from beyond the arc. This match-up features a pair of confident teams that both have been shooting the ball well. I expect plenty of points in this one and will take advantage of the low total posted here. The over is 6-1 when the Gophers are at home and their line ranges from a pick'em to a -6. The over is a perfect 5-0 when the Blue Demons enter a game on an ATS run of 3 or more consecutive covers. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Antonio Spurs vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:35 ET - The over is a perfect 6-0 in the last 6 meetings between these teams. Also, each of the last 4 meetings in San Antonio have gone over the total. Minnesota has scored 120 points or more in 6 of its 8 road games this season! The Spurs are off a home game in which they were held to 104 points by the Lakers but consider that Los Angeles has been one of the best teams in the league this season and has already frustrated the Spurs twice this season at San Antonio. Against the rest of the NBA, the Spurs home games have seen them average 117 points per game. San Antonio is a small favorite in this game and there is reason to believe that each team will be in the 120 range in this one based on the above as well as their history of getting involved in shootouts. The Timberwolves have knocked down 14 or more threes in 3 of their last 4 games while the Spurs have knocked down 10 or more threes in 3 of their last 4 games. They hit 10 of 25 against the Lakers and had knocked down 12 in 2 of their 3 prior games - all on the road. With the Spurs at home and shooting better and the high-flying Wolves in town, this game should feature a ton of points. as the over goes to 7-0 the last 7 times these two teams have squared off. 10* OVER the total in San Antonio

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #663 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in South Carolina Gamecocks vs Wichita State Shockers @ 6 ET in Cancun, MX - The odds makers have no idea what they are doing to they set this total at 136 when it opened. Of course I say that in jest as we all know the odds makers are pretty sharp and now that this total has been crushed down to the 131 range as of game day morning it is time to step in on the over. Yes both these teams have some pretty impressive numbers on defense this season but lets not forget that the Shockers are averaging 76.4 points per game and the Gamecocks are averaging 75.4 points per game. I feel we've got good value here after the move on this total. Also, South Carolina has allowed an average of 70 points per game their last 3 games and all 3 of those have resulted in an over. The Gamecocks have scored at least 70 points in 4 of their 5 games this season and Wichita State has scored at least 68 points in all 5 of their games this season. Both teams have a lot of confidence in the offensive end too because that is a direct product of winning games and scoring plenty of points. The Shockers have averaged 82 points per game their last 3 games. The over is 6-2 when Wichita State enters a game on a winning streak of 5 or more games. The over is 16-6 when the Gamecocks play in a game with a posted total in the 130s. 10* OVER the total in South Carolina (game played in Cancun, MX)

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #831 Friday OVER the total in Rhode Island Rams vs North Texas Mean Green @ 4:30 ET in Jamaica Classic Arena in Montego Bay - This total is simply too low. It has been overadjusted downward due to some unusual results for the Mean Green early this season. Keep in mind, both North Texas and Rhode Island averaged about 70 points per game last season. Not much has changed with either program as they head into this season. Now of course this is a neutral site game and that can effect shooting percentages but this is simply an over-adjustment in my opinion. The Rams have scored 70 points or more in 3 of their 4 games this season and they have allowed at least 65 points in all 4 games. North Texas is the team that has had some strange results but that has had a lot to do with the teams they were matched up with. In this one the Mean Green are matched up with a Rams team that is not known for defense nor is it known for playing a plodding style. In other words, we should see a good pace with this game. Even with some grinder games early this season the Mean Green have allowed an average of 60 points per game their last 4 games but they are facing a much different style of play in this one and the results will be reflected on the scoreboard. North Texas will also enjoy a breakout game on offense as they take advantage of more open court in this game (based on the way the Rams play). So we should see some quick transition points in this game and the Mean Green have erupted for 79 or more points twice already this season. North Texas put up 80 in their most recent game and faced a weak foe but still it is a confidence booster for offensive production. Speaking of confidence, the Rams have now averaged 81.5 points per game in their last two games, both victories! Winning leads to confidence which leads to strong play in the offensive end with shots falling! 10* OVER the total Rhode Island (game played in Jamaica)

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #524 Thursday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 8:05 ET - The Blazers are so banged up right now that they are going to struggle to score well here. However, they got blasted and gave up 143 points in their last visit to Milwaukee. They have been reminded of that heading into this contest. I feel very strongly that the Trail Blazers are going to play some tough D in this one! The Bucks are off an easier than the final score looks 135-127 win last night at Atlanta. That means this is the 2nd night of a back to back plus travel is involved. Milwaukee absolutely should win this game handily but I don't see them wanting to turn this into a track meet given the situation. This is the Bucks 5th game in 8 nights. This is the Blazers 4th game in 6 nights. Given all of the above factors, this total is shaded too high in the 230 range! When the Trail Blazers enter a game having allowed 110 points or more in 4 straight games, the UNDER is PERFECT with 5 straight wins when in this situation. When the Bucks are off a game in which they scored 122 points or more this season, the UNDER has cashed in 4 of the last 5 times in this situation. 10* UNDER the total in Milwaukee

PA Insider - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - The opening line on this game had Philly -13 with a total of 213. Assuming the odds makers are correct in their assessment that means the forecast here is Philadelphia 113, New York 100. Giving consideration to that, I love the over in this match-up. The reason is because I feel there is adequate support to believe the Knicks will do better than 100 points here and, at the same time, the Sixers are ready for an offensive explosion at home. Philadelphia has had a tough road-heavy schedule to begin this season so they are excited about this opportunity to finally play again at home and improve on their perfect 4-0 mark. First, about the Knicks, they have scored 102 points or more in 6 of their 7 road games this season! In those 6 games New York has averaged 105.3 points per game. The 76ers had averaged 112.7 points per game at home in their first 3 games before a rare dud in their 4th one. But they are also finally healthy again with all hands on deck for this one plus Tobias Harris is heating up. That means plenty of scoring options with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in addition to two guys each averaging 15 points per game in Al Horford and Josh Richardson. Both the Knicks and Sixers enter this game having had yesterday off and also having tomorrow off as well. There will be no hesitation to run and gun here and I expect plenty of points. The 76ers were on a 6-2 run to the over before their most recent game stayed under the total. Look for the Knicks to get to 105 here which will put Philly at about 120 in this one. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #577 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors @ 8:05 ET - I am aware of the Warriors injuries but lets not forget that Golden State is allowing 119 points per game this season and the Grizzlies are allowing 118.8 points per game this season. Neither one of these teams do a good job defending. The Warriors have allowed 48% shooting this season including 39% from beyond the arc! Memphis had one good defensive effort in their last 6 games (against defensive-minded Utah) but allowed 46.7% or more from the field in their other 5 games. In those five games the Grizzlies 122.6 points per game! The Warriors come into this one having stayed under the total in 3 straight games but this was preceded by a 5-0 run to the over. Golden State is off a low-scoring loss at New Orleans but the over is 4-1 this season when the Warriors are off a road loss. Both teams view this game as a winnable game and I see the Grizzlies young guns pushing the pace in this one and we see a back and forth high-scoring game in this one as a result. 10* OVER the total in Memphis

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #635 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Marshall Thundering Herd vs College of Charleston Cougars @ 7 ET - I had the over when Marshall played Notre Dame on Friday. The teams combined for 141 shots from the field but the game stayed under the total. Sometimes stupid things happen. In other words, the pace was absolutely there for an over but the Fighting Irish made only 24 of 76 shots! Even with that horrific shooting effort from ND, the Thundering Herd have allowed an average of 85 points per game their past two games. At home for this one, I expect Marshall to have a much better performance on the offensive end but look for the Herd to continue giving up a lot of points. The College of Charleston comes from the Colonial Athletic Association and that conference has led the nation in offensive efficiency the past two seasons! The Cougars are one of the top teams in the CAA and the only reason their numbers on offense are down a bit early this season is because of their most recent game as they faced a tough match-up with Oklahoma State. Prior to this one, Charleston had averaged 79 points per game in their first two match-ups this season. The Cougars have allowed 76.5 points per game their past two games. The over is 10-3 when Charleston is on the road with a line ranging from a pick'em to a six point favorite. The over is 6-3 when Marshall enters a game having played each of past two games as an underdog. Look for the Thundering Herd to tear it up on the offensive end after back to back tougher match-ups. This one will be a run and gun affair with the Herd shooting better courtesy of playing at home. 10* OVER the total in Marshall

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #609 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Evansville Purple Aces vs SMU Mustangs @ 7 ET - The Purple Aces want to play fast this season and are disruptive on the defensive end of the floor too. They proved that in their monumental upset of #1 Kentucky and Evansville scored 67 points at Rupp Arena in that one which is certainly not easy to do! That said, the Purple Aces can absolutely control the tempo here at home against SMU and that will mean plenty of points here. The Mustangs have big scorers in their playing rotation and will have no problems matching Evansville here in a run and gun game. SMU has averaged 77 points per game this season and the Purple Aces have scored an average of 84 points per game this season in their other two games this season. Both teams are 3-0 on the season and playing with a ton of confidence. Both of these teams are expected to make a move up in their respective conferences this season. That said, I look for this to be a back and forth battle that flies over the total as each of these teams is "feeling it" right now in terms of execution on offense. The Purple Aces are making 50% of their shots from the field at home this season and Southern Methodist is knocking down 47% from the field this season. Look for easy buckets at hot shooting throughout this one with a lot of quick transition buckets as these teams fly up and down the court. 10* OVER the total in Evansville

Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #833 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Wisconsin Badgers vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 1 ET - Marquette has given the Badgers D some trouble in recent seasons. That is why the over is a perfect 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams. Also, Wisconsin has averaged 75 points per game in the last 3 meetings and plus they are out for revenge after losing each of the last two meetings including one here in Madison. The Badgers have payback on their minds here but they have allowed 40% from three point land this season and the Golden Eagles come into this one knocking down 44% of their shots from beyond the arc. Also, while the Eagles give the Badgers trouble outside the arc on one of the floor look for Wisconsin to give Marquette trouble in the paint on the other end of the floor. The result will be a lot more points than many are expecting here and with the line dropping from 131 to 128 I am grabbing the over in what also should be a close game which means we're seeing plenty of late game opportunity for points with this one with trips to the free throw line while quickly firing up threes on the other end of the floor. The Eagles are 10-3 to the over when off B2B games in which they allowed 55 points or less. The Badgers are 8-3 to the over when off a home blowout win by a margin of 20 or more points. 10* OVER the total in Wisconsin

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - A helluva lot of defensive intensity in the 4th quarter led to New York getting the win Thursday over former Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis and Dallas as the Mavericks were in town. That game was practically like "winning it all" for the Knicks as they wanted that game against their former star and also got the win at Dallas earlier this season too. What that will lead to here is a very flat effort on the defensive end and that means the Hornets, in a back to back, will score plenty. I like taking the over (when the situation is right) in a back to back spot because it is tough to play solid defense back to back nights and Charlotte is off a hard-fought home win last night. Note that this total opened up at a 215.5 and then dropped a couple buckets from there and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the move and grabbing the over in this one. The over is 3-1 this season when Charlotte is a road underdog. The Hornets are allowing 113 points per game this season. New York is allowing 110 points per game this season. The Knicks have trended under this season but this is the right situation, off winning a huge home game that was practically like a championship game, for that trend to be reversed. 10* OVER the total in New York

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #687 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Marshall Thundering Herd @ 7 ET - Notre Dame had a tough season opening game as they faced North Carolina. But since then the Fighting Irish have exploded for an average of 85.5 points per game their past two games. The Irish are likely to continue their high-scoring ways here as they take on a Marshall team that just got torched for 96 points by Toledo. The thing I like about that game as the Thundering Herd were down big at halftime but that didn't keep them from pushing the tempo and scoring throughout the 2nd half. We could see a similar result tonight as a big favorite, Notre Dame, gets a sizable lead on the Herd by half-time and then the game plays out very "loose" in the 2nd half too with plenty of scoring from both teams. Marshall has a solid back-court tandem and they each scored 20 in their loss to the Rockets. The Thundering Herd wants to prove that, even though they lost some key contributors from last season's team, that they can still run with the big boys. Well, as the ugly loss to Toledo proved, they may run up and down the floor all they want but they're still going to give up a ton of points in the process and I expect a similar result in this one like we saw in the Rockets game. When off a game in which they were a home underdog, the Thundering Herd are 3-0 to the over. When off a home blowout loss by a margin of 20 or more, Marshall is 7-1 to the over! While the Herd are off an ugly loss, the Irish are off an easy win. That is noteworthy in this spot because the over is 13-6 when the Fighting Irish are off a game which they led by 20 or more points at the half. 10* OVER the total in Notre Dame

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #579 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:05 ET - Perfect situation here. The Hornets are at home and hungry off a loss but can't play defense. The Grizzlies are on the road off a huge upset win and that sets this one up well to see very little defense. I had Memphis as a double digit dog when they upset the Spurs on Monday and now I want to make note of the fact that the Grizzlies are 6-2 to the over when off an outright upset win over a division rival. Charlotte has allowed an average of 114 points per game their past 4 games and that is not a huge surprise given the fact that the Hornets have allowed opponents to shoot 53% or better in 3 of those 4 games! As for the Grizzlies, they are allowing an incredible 119 points per game on the season! Charlotte enters this game having lost 3 straight games. The over is 13-7 when the Hornets enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more consecutive games. More of the same expected here as, given the situation, this one should fly over the total with the defensive inefficiencies I am expecting in this one. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:05 ET - Both these teams are coming off unders so immediately I was looking at potential for playing the over here as teams tend to bounce back off low-scoring losses. The Pelicans were held to just 104 points at home against the Raptors last night. The Hornets were held to an embarrassing 87 points at home versus Boston on Thursday. Now you have a situation where two bad teams are matched up and both of them are coming into this one looking to explode on offense after being bottled up by superior defenses in their most recent game. In terms of additional situational support here, the Hornets have yet to have consecutive unders this season. The Pelicans also have yet to have back to back unders this season and, in fact, the over was 6-1 in their 7 games that preceded last night's low-scoring defeat. New Orleans is allowing 126.5 points per game in road games and the Hornets are allowing 118.5 points per game in home games this season. Don't be surprised if this one indeed gets into the 240s. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #504 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Washington Wizards vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - These teams each come in struggling and are off to 2-5 starts this season. That means each is viewing this game as an important game and a winnable game which means you're going to see some defensive intensity in this one. In fact, the Wizards come into this game talking about needing to get some stops and, lets face it, the Cavaliers are not exactly an offensive powerhouse. As for Cleveland, they want the same thing, they are a young team with guys trying to prove themselves and so they're willing to give strong effort on defense. With that said, lets also give credit to the odds makers as they are pretty damn sharp. That being said, I love the fact that this total opened as low as 226.5 and then shot up to as high as 232.5 and I am happy to grab the value on the other side of the move and play the under. The fact is that the Wizards had a 3 game stretch of some crazy games but their first two games this season and their most recent two games heading into this one have averaged a total of only 208 points per game. That is two dozen points below the number that is posted on this game as of mid-morning Friday. As for the Cavaliers, they have scored an average of just 97 points per game in their 3 road games. Keep in mind, young teams tend to struggle to score on the road. The Wizards are only favored by 4.5 here too. So that means a low-scoring home team win is quite likely and even if the game gets "a little crazy" at times I still would see it struggling to get over this big of a number. A lot of value here in my opinion as I forecast this game to stay below 220 so we've got a lot of cushion here. Cleveland games have stayed under in 17 of 29 when they are a road dog of less than 6.5 points. Wizards games against teams with a losing record (3 this season) have all stayed under the total. 10* UNDER the total in Washington

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #557 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Sacramento Kings @ 7:35 ET - The Kings are off a blowout win but it came against a bad Knicks team. It is a confidence-booster nonetheless because that followed an upset win for Sacramento over Utah. In fact the Kings have now played well on the offensive end in 3 straight games as they have shot 48% from the field in their last 3 contests. That is why I am projecting a high scoring game here because the Raptors are off a loss and rested here. Toronto won't take their foot off the gas in this one. Not including OT points of course, the Raptors are averaging 115 points per game at home this season where they are 3-0. Hungry for a bounce back win after losing at Milwaukee on Saturday, Toronto brings a huge effort in this one. Each team has another non-conference match-up on deck so the full focus is on this game and I like the way the Kings have been playing. The point is Sacramento will be able to hang around in this game better than they normally would and that means, with the Raptors scoring plenty in a spot like this, we're looking at a very high-scoring game. The over is 13-6 the past two seasons when Sacramento entered a game on a winning streak of 2 or more games. The over went 6-1 the past two seasons when Toronto was off a game they had trailed by 15 or more points at the half. The over also went a solid 8-4 the past two seasons when the Raptors were playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #541 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - Contrarian here as Boston is known for defense. I don't see the Celtics D being too "amped up" about this game though as they face a downtrodden Cavaliers team that is much different than the Cleveland team they were facing in the LeBron James seasons here. That said, what I like about the over here is that I expect this game to play with a good pace. The Cavs are not a very good basketball team but they have gone 2-1 at home and they have averaged 112.7 points per game here. The Celtics are a good team and they enter this game on a 4 game winning streak in which Boston has averaged 112.5 points per game. If both teams simply hit their "average" performances this game should land double digits higher than the posted total. The fact is the Cavaliers are going to bring a strong effort after starting the season 2-0 at home but then getting blasted by 20 points in their most recent game. They will come out looking to push themselves to a much better performance and they will have to score plenty to hang around in this game. That's because the Celtics enter this game with fresh legs as they have not played since Friday. When they have played a game with no rest or with more than the usual 1 day of rest between games (so an atypical rest situation) they have scored 118 and 116, respectively. I am looking for another big game here as the over improves to 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between these teams. The over is 24-16 when Boston is off a divisional game and note that the last 36 times that the Celtics have been a road favorite of 6 points or less, only 13 of the 36 games have stayed under the total. After getting blasted in their last game you might expect some defense here but the over is 12-6 when the Cavs are off a game in which they allowed 130 points or more. Another high-scoring one here. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - This is contrarian because with Karl-Anthony Towns out for a 2nd straight game (suspension from fight with Joel Embiid) many might be looking under here because of his production on the offensive end. However, don't forget how important he is on the defensive end and now the Wolves go from facing one of the worst teams int the league (Wizards) to one of the best (Bucks). Don't be surprised if Milwaukee puts up a ton of points here. They have scored an average of 119 points per game this season. The issue for the Bucks could be a lack of defensive intensity in this one and that will open up things in the offensive end for Minnesota here. Milwaukee is coming off a huge revenge win over the Raptors (beat Bucks in Eastern Conference finals) and they dialed up the intensity for that one. The game stayed under the total but the Bucks have not been involved in back to back unders yet this season and I don't expect that streak to come to an end here either. The Timberwolves are averaging 118 points per game this season and coming off a confidence-boosting blowout win at Washington on Saturday. Both teams were off yesterday so we'll see rested legs in this one and both teams happy to play at a fast pace in this one. The Bucks should score plenty in the paint too with the Wolves missing Towns down low. As a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points, Milwaukee is 10-5 to the over. Off an upset win as an underdog, Minnesota is 18-7 to the over. The Timberwolves are also 18-9 to the over as a home underdog. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #519 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets @ 6:05 ET - The Heat are expected to have Dion Waiters make his season debut in this one. He is a key contributor. I am aware of Miami's Jimmy Butler being listed as questionable on the injury report. He generally plays through injuries like the one he is currently dealing with and I expect him to play tonight. Even if he doesn't, keep in mind the Heat played the first 3 games of this season without him. I like taking the over here with the Rockets off a loss that stayed under the total. Houston had a rare poor game offensively on Friday at Brooklyn (we cashed the under here in that game) and I like coming back with the over after a game like that. Note that these teams both have been putting up big point totals early this season. Also, Miami's defense is going to be in "shock mode" as they try to adjust to the Rockets quick-firing offense after facing the struggling (and injured) Hawks in back to back games. I look for the Heat to struggle with the Houston attack here. The over is 8-4 when the Rockets enter a game after allowing 110 points or more in 4 straight games. Miami has not lost ATS in any of their games this season (one push) and the over is 6-1 when the Heat enter a game on an ATS undefeated streak of 4 or more games and they are now 4-0-1 ATS after covering versus Atlanta. The over is also 5-2 when the Heat enter a game having scored 105 or more points in 5 straight games. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #568 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Houston Rockets @ 7:05 ET - This total is up in the 242 range which I fully understand based on the over-reaction of the market place after Houston's most recent game was a 159-158 win. Of course this crazy result in the Rockets win at Washington Wednesday has led to an over-adjustment in this game. Brooklyn has played 4 games so far this season and 2 of them went to overtime. Of course that holds some significance when looking at their numbers as half their games have had extra time. When you back out the overtime periods for the Nets, Brooklyn has not had a game total more than 240 this season. Also, the average of their 4 games in regulation time is 229.5 points scored. As for the Rockets, prior to their wild game against the Wizards, they had played 3 games and 2 of the 3 totaled 228 points. Even including the other game (a high scoring one) those 3 games averaged 235 points. Again, the point being that if these teams play their "average" game we're looking at a point total that is about 10 points below the current number posted on this game. As a result, I am going under the total in this one. After a close win (by a margin of less than 4 points), the Rockets have stayed under in 10 of 14 games. Also, in a game with a posted total of 230 or more, Houston has stayed under the total in 27 of 43 games. The Nets were favored in their most recent game and yet lost by a double digit margin! The last 5 times they are off a game like that, the under has cashed in 4 of 5 times! More of the same here. 10* UNDER the total in Brooklyn

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - The Hawks game had 128 points at halftime last night and yet still went under the total. That's because Atlanta allowed the game to slow down in the second half and the 76ers took it to them and got the win. The Hawks won't make the same mistake here at Miami and that means we should see plenty of run and gun in this one. Speaking of mistakes, the Heat led by 7 going to the 4th quarter at Minnesota Sunday and then allowed the Wolves to outscore them by 14 points in the final stanza and Miami lost by 7. The Heat won't make the same mistake here as they know they need to keep their foot on the gas when they get a lead like that. As a result of the types of games both these teams are off of as well as the fact this total has dropped about a bucket to 223 as of early game day morning, I am going with the over in this match-up. Look for the over to improve to a perfect 4-0 on the season in Heat games. As for the Hawks, the over was a perfect 2-0 in their two visits to Miami last season. Also, the over is 16-7 when the Heat are installed as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points. The line is in that range for this one and I look for both teams to favor a fast tempo in this game per the above reasoning. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #513 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - Both these teams are off embarrassing low-scoring performances in their home openers. Each team faced a tough foe though and now, after that ugliness, each team is ready for a breakout game offensively and will take advantage of facing a weak foe that struggles on the defensive end. That is going to lead to an absolutely shootout here in New York in my opinion. Keep in mind, the Bulls are 18-7 to the over when off a game in which they scored 90 or less points. The Knicks are off back to back losses to divisional foes and I look for the over to improve to 3-0 when in this situation (off B2B losses to Atlantic teams). Note that New York's only game against a non-divisional foe this season totaled 231 points and flew over the total. The Knicks are allowing an average of 117 points per game this season. As for Chicago, they are allowing an average of 112 points per game this season. Prior to getting stifled by Toronto, the Bulls did average 117.5 points per game in their first two games. The Chicago offensive production bounces right back here but the Knicks answer them bucket for bucket in a game that goes down to the wire as both teams respond well after each having had a very poor shooting performance in their prior game. 10* OVER the total in New York

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #555 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are already playing their 3rd game of the young season and it is a back to back for both clubs as each was in action last night. That said, I don't expect much defensive intensity for either team here as the Celtics are off huge divisional match-ups with the 76ers and Raptors. As for the Knicks, they failed to score in the final 3:41 of their loss to Brooklyn last night. With that type of late game failure on the offensive end, you know where New York's focus is heading into this game. Also, both teams have injuries to big men. This means each team is lacking some interior defense and, as a result, there will be more scoring opportunities in the paint that what you would typically see. With this total also dropping from as high as a 215.5 to a 212, the value is clearly with the over in this one. The over is 11-6 when Boston is off a home win against a divisional rival. The most recent game between these teams stayed under the total but, prior to that, Knicks games against Celtics were on a 3-1 run to the over. That type of trending resumes here. 10* OVER the total in New York

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors @ 9:05 ET - Monday's game died in the 4th quarter in terms of the scoring. I don't expect a repeat of that here. It is yet another elimination game for the Warriors but this time they are at home. Golden State will be ready to make up for the Game 4 debacle on their home floor when they scored just 92 points! Prior to that game the Warriors had scored an average of 118.6 points per game in their 14 home games since the last time they were held under 100 points on their home floor. In other words, the Game 4 result was highly unusual and I am expecting a break out game from Golden State on the offensive end in this one. However, the Raptors have plenty of confidence too. Despite the Game 5 loss, Toronto still has the Warriors on the ropes here and the Raptors have averaged 112.8 points per game in their last 5 games at Golden State. Don't be surprised if this one turns into a see-saw battle with plenty of points! The over is 10-4-1 when Toronto is playing with home loss revenge this season. There have been back to back unders in this series but lets not forget that, prior to those two games, the over was 8-3-1 in the Warriors last 12 NBA Finals games. Look for that high-scoring long-term trend to resume Thursday as the Warriors get their outside shooting going in a big way on their home floor in this crucial Game 6 match-up. 10* OVER the total in Golden State

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors @ 9:05 ET - The Raptors are looking to bounce back after taking a dozen more shots from the field than the Warriors took and yet still losing Game 2 in Toronto. Note that the over is 24-13 (including 9-4 this season) when the Raptors are playing with home loss revenge. Golden State's Klay Thompson played solid defense in Game 2 and that was considered a key catalyst in the win. It is likely he will play in Game 3 even though he is dealing with a hamstring issue but don't be surprised if that injury makes Thompson a little less effective on the defensive end. Speaking of holes defensively, the Warriors continue to be without Kevin Durant and he has already been announced as out for this game. So I am expecting a much better shooting performance from the Raptors in this one and, at the same time, I expect Steph Curry and company to have a huge shooting night on their home floor. Golden State will rally around the fact that this is their first home game since mid-May! In this post-season Warriors games are 11-6-1 to the over. In NBA Finals games Golden State is on a 7-3-1 run to the over. The Warriors have scored 109 points or more in 7 straight games. The Raptors had averaged 112 points per game in their 5-game winning streak that preceded the tough loss on Sunday. Look for this one to get into the 220 to 225 range. 10* OVER the total in Golden State 

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Golden State Warriors @ 9:05 ET - This total opened up at a 215.5 and has dropped to as low as a 213 as of early game day morning. Certainly line value is on our side here. The Warriors are 5-1 to the over in their last 6 road games. When playing with 3 or more days of rest this season Golden State is 3-1 to the over. The over is 6-3 in the Warriors NBA Finals games the past two seasons. When on a winning streak of 3 or more consecutive SU wins, Golden State is 18-11 to the over this season. Toronto is 19-11 to the over this season when on a winning streak of 3 or more consecutive SU wins. The Raptors, when hosting the Warriors, are a perfect 4-0 to the over in their last 4 meetings. The Warriors have allowed 110 points or more in 5 of their last 6 road games. The Raptors, before being held to 100 points in their series-clinching Game 6 win versus Milwaukee last week, had averaged 114 points per game in their 4 prior home games. Yes there was some OT impact in those numbers but you can see from the type of numbers I am giving you here we certainly have some "wiggle room" with this low total. Keep in mind that a total as low as 213 means we just need to get each team to 106 points and we can't lose our play. With fresh legs for both teams and the Raptors playing fast in front of an electric home crowd and looking to take advantage of a Warriors team still without Kevin Durant, I look for plenty of points in this one as you know Golden State is going to "get theirs" too in this one! 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:35 ET - The markets often believe there is a certain magic to the numbers that, in reality, just isn't really there. After those holding under tickets in Game 3 absolutely did suffer a very bad beat because the game went to double OT that does not automatically mean that now the under comes in with this Game 4 match-up. That said, I am happy to grab the extra value being offered here. The books tried to hang a 220 on this game (and they were smart and logical in doing so) but the markets quickly bet it down. Now, as of early game day morning, the total is all the way down to a 216. Keep in mind, as ugly as the Sunday game was in the 2nd half and in the overtime periods, the game was on pace to go over as of halftime. What happened was unreal horrific shooting performances from a number of players and that led to ridiculously low-scoring in the 2nd half of Game 3. Do you really think those numbers are going to be repeated? There is no basis for that. Check these out: Bucks STARTERS Mirotic, Middleton, Bledsoe and Antetokounmpo combined for 14 of 59 - that is 23.7% shooting from the field! How about some Raptors numbers? Toronto's Green, Ibaka and VanVleet combined for 4 for 29 - that is 13.8% shooting from the field! Keep in mind, in the case of the Raptors, that is on their home floor no less! I expect some much better shooting performances in Game 4 and I expect that this game is going to have a much different flow than many are anticipating. The over is 7-1 in Milwaukee's last 8 road games. The over is 6-2 in the Raptors last 8 games against a Central Division opponent and the over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these teams. 10* OVER the total in Toronto 

Playoff Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - The Bucks most recent road game stayed under the total but that ended a perfect 6-0 streak of overs in Milwaukee road games. The fact is that the Bucks are truly proving very difficult to stop as they have scored 28 points or more in 6 of the last 7 quarters in this series. In addition to Milwaukee piling up the points, I also like the fact that the Raptors are now back home and they did score 64 points in the 2nd half of Game 2 which gives them some momentum and confidence on the offensive end despite being in an 0-2 hole in the series. Also, Toronto jumped on the Bucks in Game 1 of this series with a 59 point first half. They just couldn't sustain it. But, at home, the Raptors are likely to sustain a strong performance on offense and, at the same time, I just don't see them stopping Milwaukee considering how potent their production on offense has been. The Bucks are not only 6-1 to the over in their last 7 games away from home, they are also 8-4 to the over this season in games in which they are an underdog. Toronto is 19-11 to the over when playing with revenge this season. The Raptors are averaging 114 points in home games this season while Milwaukee averages 117 points per game in road games this season. Yes this is playoff basketball but we've seen huge scoring stretches from both teams already in this series and I like the fact the Raptors are on their home floor and need to respond with a huge performance on the offensive end but also won't be able to stop the Bucks. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #548 Saturday 8* UNDER the total in Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors @ 9:05 ET - Game 2 did go over the total but the Trail Blazers knocked down nearly 50% of their threes and it still barely eclipsed the number. We have another big total to work with here in Game 3 and, keep in mind, Game 1 stayed under the total even though the Warriors knocked down over 50% of their threes. The point is, barring a ridiculous shooting performance from both teams here, we should see this one stay under the total. Of course Golden State remains without Kevin Durant and, with the host in an 0-2 series deficit, Portland is very likely to do their best to turn up the heat defensively in this one. The Blazers know they were done in by lapses on defense that led to some big scoring runs for the Warriors and, at home, they'll be extra cognizant of tightening those things up. 8 of 13 Trail Blazers conference finals games have resulted in an under. The Warriors have stayed under in 14 of 20 games against Northwest Division opponents this season. Also, 16 of 25 Golden State conference finals games have stayed under the total. The Trail Blazers have averaged just 84.5 field goal attempts per game so far in this series and the Warriors have averaged only 83 field goal attempts per game. Those types of numbers are more conducive, in terms of pace, to games landing closer to 210 than to 220 and the fact is there is great value with the big total posted on this game. 8* UNDER the total in Portland

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors @ 8:35 ET - Inexplicably, the Raptors fell apart in the 4th quarter Wednesday. Inexplicably, Toronto has shot 38.2% or less from the field in back to back games. Of course the result has been back to back unders but Game 1 of this series totaled 208 points even though neither team shot above 39.8% from the field and that tells you quite a lot! The fact is that with even just a slight uptick in shooting percentages (and certainly an improvement is likely given the long-term history of these teams) we should easily get past this total. The Game 2 total is now lower than the Game 1 total even though one could easily argue that it should be higher given how bad the shooting was Wednesday and yet the game still totaled 208. I see this one flying over the total. The Bucks will be going for the kill as they can sense blood in the water and a chance to go up 2-0. The Raptors hungry to atone for their horrific 4th quarter in Game 1 and Toronto will be very aggressive in transition and in the offensive end as they bounce back from B2B poor efforts offensively. There have only been 4 other times this season that the Raptors have been held to 41.6% or less from the field in back to back games. ALL FOUR times their next game has gone OVER the total. Also, Toronto is 11-4 to the over in Friday games this season. Milwaukee has now recorded 3 straight unders. Dating all the way back the Christmas, when the Bucks enter a game off 3 or more consecutive unders, the over has gone 5-1 and I expect these situational trends to continue to be spot on! 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors @ 8:30 ET - The Raptors Game 7 against the 76ers was a very ugly game as it seemed all the Toronto players (other than Kawhi Leonard) were tentative as they avoided being aggressive in terms of shooting the ball or driving to the hoop. Everyone just looked to get the ball to Leonard. The strategy eventually paid off (barely) and the Raptors won the game on the already infamous last season quadruple bounce shot from Kawhi. The fact is that ugly result is helping lead to some line value here as this total has dropped to as low as a 216.5 early this morning. This one is likely to play out much differently as the Raptors will be more aggressive all over the floor on offense but I don't foresee them stopping these Bucks either. Milwaukee, of course, is entering this game with plenty of rest and their fresh legs will be happy to push the pace as they look to run Toronto up and down the court all night long. The Bucks know the rest factor is strongly in their advantage. Milwaukee had that one ugly game against Boston in Game 1 but that is the only time in their last 16 games that the Bucks have been held to less than 113 points! Talk about consistency on offense! Milwaukee has averaged 123 points per game in those 15 games! So if they were to hit their normal average over the past 7 weeks and the odds makers are right about the line on the side here, this final scored would be 123 to 117 and total 240 points. Now I am not saying it will hit that high but I am saying that based on the way the Bucks have been playing and the likely style they will play tonight, we have a lot of value with the rather low total posted on this game! Milwaukee's final two games with the Celtics in the second round stayed under the total but truly Boston was horrific on offense. Note that, prior to that, the over was 11-3 in the Bucks last 14 games. The Raptors are playing this game with home loss revenge and that is a situation that has seen them go 26-12 to the over including 10-3 to the over this season! 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets @ 8:05 ET - The first game in this series stayed under the total because the Sixers shot an unreal 3 of 25 from three point land on their home floor! The next two games went over the total and then Game 4 stayed under the total as both teams shot less than 32% from beyond the arc. In other words, that was a statistical anomaly and a repeat of that is unlikely. In fact, I like that fact the Nets averaged 117 points per game in the two games played here in Philly while the 76ers have responded very well since the Game 1 loss. Not only has Philly won 3 straight games, they've averaged 129 points per game in the last 3 games. The Sixers are hungry to close this out but also feeling a lot less pressure since they were able to eke out a tight win at Brooklyn in Game 4. The point is that I look for a very loose Philadelphia team (no pressure) to be shooting the ball very tonight in Game 5 but I also would not be surprised to see them also playing loose on defense. After all, defense is certainly not the strength of the Sixers. Couple that with the fact that these teams are both comfortable playing at a fast pace and that both teams shot less than their typical 3-point shooting percentage in Game 4, and you have the perfect recipe for an over here. The over is 8-3 this season when the 76ers enter a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games. The over is a long-term 13-5 in Sixers games since mid-March. Also, the total on this one has dropped from 231 to 229.5 and that adds some value as well. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Game #573 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - Even though the Pistons have been held to 38.5% or less from the field in all 3 games of this series, 2 of the 3 have gone over the total. Of course part of the reason for that is the fact Detroit has been struggling to stop the Bucks but the other reason is that the pace has certainly been there for an over as well. The Pistons have averaged 96 field goal attempts per game so far in this series. With tonight being "now or never" for Detroit, I look for another game to again feature a good pace for an over. The Pistons will go "all out" here at home and note that the over is 8-2 in the last 10 games for Milwaukee and also 3-1 when the Bucks are leading in a playoff series. The fact is Detroit can't stop the Bucks but I also don't expect the Pistons to go away without a fight tonight as they look to avoid suffering a sweep and having it occur on their home floor. The over is a perfect 4-0 in Milwaukee's last 4 road games. The Bucks have averaged 124.1 points per game in their last 10 games. If Milwaukee hits their average here and the odds makers are correct about the line (Bucks by a dozen) you have a 124-112 type game and that has this one ending well above the current total of 217.5 as of early game day morning. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #559 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets @ 5:35 ET - The Nuggets Murray, Barton, and Harris combined to make just 8 of 25 from the field and only 2 of 6 from the free throw line in Thursday's loss. Even with those horrible numbers Denver still scored 108 points and the game easily went over the total. Now we're seeing Saturday's total having dropped from an opener of 211 all the way down to a 207.5 and the value is with the over here. The Spurs have been getting strong guard play and the Nuggets had strong guard play in Game 2 before faltering in San Antonio in Game 3. Both those games went over the total and I expect that trend to continue here as Denver's backcourt responds after a poor game Thursday but they continue to struggle to stop White and DeRozan for the Spurs. The Nuggets don't want to get into a half-court game here with the Spurs as that plays right into the strength of San Antonio. Denver, facing a nearly insurmountable 3-1 hole with a loss here are going to try and play this game at their tempo and "force the issue" with quick buckets in transition and not allowing the Spurs defense to get fully set. Denver has scored 108 points or more in 6 of its last 8 games. SA has scored an average of 113.5 points per game in their last 17 home games. Take advantage of the line move here and expect another very entertaining battle with big scoring runs from each team at points throughout this game just like we've seen in the last two between these foes. 10* OVER the total in San Antonio

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Game #513 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 3:30 ET - Of course it is well known that the Blazers are without Jusuf Nurkic but the good news is that they have got CJ McCollum back. The key about Nurkic is that he had 6 blocks and 7 steals in the 4 games against the Thunder this season. His replacement is Enes Kanter who can match Nurkic's scoring but not his defense. An example of that is that Kanter has had 0 blocks in 12 of his last 14 games. The point is that the situation for Portland with their big men is a help to the over here. The 4 games between these teams this season averaged 228 points in regulation (took the OT period out of the equation). That means it seems like we may not have that much value with this total at 225. However, keep in mind Nurkic played all 4 of those games. It will be a little different for the Trail Blazers without him. Also Paul George has had huge success against Portland this season as has Russell Westbrook. On the flip side Damon Lillard has been huge against the Thunder this season. There is a great pace to match-ups between these teams and I expect a tight ball-game but one that is played fast and with plenty of scoring and transition points. All 4 games Saturday stayed under the total but you know that is not going to be a trend that lasts and the odds makers have this as the biggest total on the board Sunday with good reason. Additionally, both teams wrapped up the season going 8-4 to the over their last 12 games. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Portland

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Orlando Magic @ 5:05 ET - This total opened up at a 216 but has dropped to as low as a 212.5 as of early game day morning.  I love the value with the over here.  The Magic are a very confident underdog here and I expect that to lead to plenty of points as they hang around in this game. Keep in mind, Orlando wrapped up the season winning 11 of their last 13 games. The Magic have scored an average of 116.5 points per game in their last 13 games! The over is 7-0 in Orlando's last 7 games. The Raptors final game of the regular season totaled 220 points which resulted in an under but would be an over given today's line. Either way, prior to that game, Toronto had only 4 unders in their 16 prior games! The Raptors have averaged 116.6 points per game their last 17 games. I know this is playoff basketball but I still the odds makers had it right and if any movement at all occurred with this total it should have been the other direction. A similar move in the other direction would have had it up near 220 and based on the way these two teams have been shooting and scoring as well of the pace of their games, I do expect at least 220 here. In other words, we've got very strong line value in this one. 10* OVER the total in Toronto