NIT Tuesday OVER the total in Seton Hall Pirates vs Georgia Bulldogs @ 9:30 ET - The Bulldogs and Pirates are both rolling and scoring well. Both teams allowing in the mid-70s as well this season when they are on the road and this one is in Indiana. Neutral site venue and again, away from home this season both teams have certainly not been strong defensively. Couple that with both teams coming in rolling with confidence on the offensive end and you have a solid match-up for expecting big points here. The Pirates have scored, not including OT of course, 78 ppg last 5 games. Also, Seton Hall has allowed 83 ppg in last 5 games away from home including 91 at MSG against the Red Storm. As for Georgia, they have scored 75 ppg last 6 games and allowed 76 ppg last 6 games. This one had mid 150s written all over it but we are dealing with a posted total in the 145 range so we will grab the huge line value here. OVER the total in Seton Hall

NCAA Tourney Sunday OVER 128.5 in San Diego State Aztecs vs Yale Bulldogs @ 9:40 ET - While I certainly respect the Aztecs defense, I also respect a Yale team that seemingly can hang tough with most anyone. Remember early in the season they faced Gonzaga when the Bulldogs were #11 in the country and faced Kansas when the Jayhawks were #2 in the country. Those games each totaled at least 135 points and the Bulldogs scored an average of 65.5 ppg in those 2 games. San Diego State is favored by 5.5 points at the time of this write-up. So that puts this game in the 71 to 66 range which is nearly double digits above the total if the Bulldogs perform as they have against other strong teams. In fact, they also scored 65 against a Vermont team that made the tourney and, of course, just scored 78 against a #4 seed Auburn in their upset of the Tigers. This is a confident Ivy League club that can hang tough in this game. At the same time however, with all the talk about the Aztecs D, this San Diego State team can score quite well also. When they faced ranked opponents in the regular season - Utah State twice and Gonzaga once - the Aztecs averaged 84 ppg and won all 3 games! Now they just scored 69 games in beating UAB to advance to face the Bulldogs. Also this is the type of match-up (expected to be a rather tight margin late) that often results in late fouling and quick threes at the other end. Essentially some "scramble points" if needed. However, I expect a solid winner here without the "scramble points" as this one is destined for at least the 130s based on the above. OVER 128.5 in San Diego State

NCAA Friday OVER 131 in St Mary's Gaels vs Grand Canyon Lopes @ 10:05 ET - Grand Canyon has quite a resume this season even though they come from a weaker conference. The Lopes scoring numbers are no fluke. This team can run and gun. They only had one OT game this season and that one was 78-78 in regulation so, the point is, their scoring average has not been overly inflated by OT games and this team is averaging 80 points per game on the season! Now of course they are not expected to get to that range facing a tough St Mary's team that is sound defensively, to say the least. However, Grand Canyon should certainly score quite well here. This is what I was referring to when I mention their "resume" or "body of work" this season. Note that the Lopes put up 76 on San Francisco, 68 on South Carolina and 79 on San Diego State! They won 2 of those 3 games and the lone loss was by just 7 points. 2 of those 3 teams made the Big Dance and the other made the NIT after a very solid season. The point is that Grand Canyon is no weakling even though they come from one of the weakest conferences in college basketball. The fact is that the Lopes have proven they can score on solid teams too. The trouble for them is they will not be able to stop St Mary's here. The Gaels are a solid West Coast Conference team that only had one OT game this season and they averaged 74 ppg on the year. They also have been red hot with wins in 18 of last 19 games! The Gaels averaged 81.5 ppg in their last 8 wins. They are as hot as ever on the offensive end and Grand Canyon has enough scoring production up and down the lineup that they will remain competitive here. The spread on this game is only about 5 points which tells you the odds makers expect a tighter game but this Lopes team is not going to hang around because of their defense it will be because they have solid offensive production. Grand Canyon has scored at least 67 points in 32 of their 33 games this season. St Mary's favored by 5 for a reason and that would put this total in the 140 range. 72 to 67 for example. I just can not see the Gaels failing to get to the 70 mark here and feel this spread is a rather small one for a reason. This one goes down to the wire which also means plenty of opportunity for late fouling as well as jacking up threes. OVER 131 in St Mary's

Rotation #659: CBB Wednesday OVER 138 in Kansas Jayhawks vs Cincinnati Bearcats @ 9:30 ET - Both teams have averaged scoring about 75 to 76 points this season and allowed about 68 to 69 points this season. We have good value with the low total posted on this game. The key is that the Jayhawks are without a couple of top players and that will weaken them in the paint some. At the same time however, Kansas is loaded with talent and is going with a "small ball" lineup here. I expect this to result in a high-scoring game. Their defensive presence around the rim is not going to be as strong as usual and now here they face a Cincinnati team that has added confidence from B2B wins in which they scored 90+ points in each game. Granted the games were against a bad West Virginia team but it still helps in terms of confidence on the offensive end. Here the Bearcats will be able to attack more than usual with success against a smaller than usual Kansas lineup. At the same time, the Jayhawks are out to prove they can win without a couple of their top players and I expect a huge effort from Kansas in this one. The Cats, not including OT points of course, averaged 81 points in their final 3 games this season. The Jayhawks, prior to an ugly season-ending loss to Houston (which means even more motivation for Kansas here) had averaged 77 points per game their last 3 games. Cincinnati is a 3 point favorite here which, with a total of 138, would put this game at about 70-67. I feel strongly that both teams are fully capable of topping those numbers in this one. Particularly true given the small ball style that Kansas will be playing in this one. They certainly are going to respond on offense after scoring just 46 points in most recent game. OVER 138 in Kansas

Rotation #705: Saturday College Basketball: OVER 140.5 in Providence Friars vs Connecticut Huskies @ 8 ET - Providence needs a big upset win here to boost their chances of a shot in the Big Dance this season. The Friars will absolutely go all out here but the defending champ Huskies are again one of the top teams in the country and they will be tough to stop. UConn has averaged 81 ppg this season and they are about a 9 point favorite in this one. So that would put this game in the 81-72 range so we have quite a bit of flexibility compared to this posted total. Also, the Friars are off a dominating win over Georgetown but the Hoyas are horrible. This followed Providence, not including OT points of course, allowing an average of 75 points over their 10 games leading into that one. They are just not that strong defensively. I look for big points here as they are averaging 73 points per game this season and must go all out here at home in this season finale. The Friars will do just that but the Huskies scoring onslaught continues. UConn, in their last 11 games, has 10 wins and just 1 loss and averaged 84 ppg in the 10 victories! OVER 140.5 in Providence

Rotation #815: CBB Sunday OVER 138.5 in Connecticut Huskies vs Seton Hall Pirates @ Noon ET - The Huskies will be relentless in this game. They lost at Seton Hall again this season, just like last season. Now they get revenge at home as a win here locks up the Big East regular season title for them. Connecticut then does not even have to worry about next week's game at Marquette. Of course the Huskies are pretty well locked into winning the title thanks to the Golden Eagles loss yesterday but why not make it official now? Of course the Huskies want to do that and, of course, they are about a 15-point favorite here with good reason. Connecticut shot very poorly against the Pirates earlier this season. That is not happening here at home! The Huskies will score very well here but the Pirates have enough scoring to hang around in this game. Let say Seton Hall only gets to 65, that still puts this game at about 80-65 per the spread on this game and that is mid-140s and we have a posted total that has come down to the upper 130s. Lets take advantage! Seton Hall is off a loss at Creighton but this followed wins in 5 of 6 games and the Pirates scored an average of 76 points in the 5 wins. The Huskies are averaging 81 ppg this season. I like the odds on them getting their average in a revenge spot in which they will be relentless in attacking on the offensive end. The Huskies have averaged 84 points scored in last 8 wins. More of the same here. OVER 138.5 in Connecticut

Rotation #831: CBB Sunday OVER the total in Michigan Wolverines vs Purdue Boilermakers @ 2 ET - This total in the 151.5 range as of 6 hours before tipoff. The Wolverines will have point guard McDaniel back for this one. Also, they do not have the interior defense to stop Edey. No one does really but the Wolverines are particularly lacking inside. That means he can have a huge day plus when the defense collapses inside to Edey, the phenomenal outside shooting game of Purdue is opened up as well. I could see the Boilermakers defense being a bit lax here. Remember they were off a loss before they faced Rutgers so they gave a little more effort there defensively. But now with Michigan State on deck and with Boilers off a huge bounce back win and now facing the worst team in the Big Ten, this one could be a bit relaxed. The Wolverines will score decently at home but not be able to stop this juggernaut offense. Keep in mind, the Boilers are favored by 14 points. They have averaged in mid-80s this season and why would they not get there against the worst team in the Big Ten. My expectation is they get to 90 which puts this in the 90-75 range. Coincidentally, the Wolverines are scoring 75 ppg this season and so this one getting to mid-160s is certainly possible and we only need to top low 150s to get a winner here! I like our chances! OVER the total in Michigan

Rotation #747 CBB Thursday OVER the total in Purdue Boilermakers vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 7 ET - This total is in the 138.5 range as of about 8 hours before tipoff. Note that this total is kept lower because of Rutgers being a strong defensive team. However, the game at Rutgers still totaled 128 when these teams met even though combined for just 9 of 35 from 3-point land. Now, at Purdue and with the Boilermakers angry off a loss, guess who controls the tempo in this one? Exactly! The home team is going to push hard here after the loss at Ohio State. Note that Purdue has scored an average of 91 points this season when off a loss. Those two games were big wins and, overall, the Boilermakers have been scoring big at home all season long. Purdue is averaging 89 ppg (not including OT of course) in their 13 home games this season. Also, Rutgers is expected to lose SU here of course and even though they are strong defensively, look at the numbers they have allowed in losses this season. They have allowed 77 ppg in losses away from home this season. Now they are going to lose away from home to the best team in the country! Of course the Boilers, given all of the above, should get into the 80s here and this line is around 15. Even if it is only an 80-65 type game that puts this in the mid-140s but truly I expect much more given all of the above and this one should blow away the total as the Boilers respond at home! OVER the total in Purdue

CBB Monday OVER the total in Virginia Tech Hokies vs Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - The Cavs are off a 49-47 win and one thing comes to mind first when most people are asking about Virginia ... defense! Yes this Cavaliers team, as has so often been the case in recent years, wins games with defense. However, that is truly skewing the posted total on this game as it is only a 126.5 as of about 11 hours before tipoff. Note that Virginia's stellar defensive play tends not to travel! Indeed, the home / road dichotomy is huge on the season. The Cavaliers in true road games this season have allowed an average of 69 points per game! No OT included! Those are per game regulation average points allowed by this stellar Virginia defense. Being on the road has made a huge difference for them all season long. Now they face the rival Hokies at Virginia Tech and the hosts are getting love from the marketplace and up to a 3.5 point favorite in this one. The Hokies want revenge for a 65-57 loss at Virginia earlier this season. If you look at their past 14 games, that is THE ONLY ONE for the Hokies that has totaled less than 132 points and, at Virginia Tech the points will pile up in this one unlike the first meeting at Virginia. Even that one got to the low 120s but on the season Hokies games are averaging 145 points. I am not saying we get to that level but the point is we have a lot of wiggle room here in a game that should get to at least the mid 130s the way I see. 69 to 66 sounds about rate based an all of the above statistical support. OVER the total in Virginia Tech

Rotation #657: CBB Saturday OVER the total in Duquesne Dukes vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 2:30 ET - Duquesne scored 59 in their most recent loss on the road and coincidentally they are now back home where they also scored just 59 points in their most recent game. That is helping to give us line value with this total here because both teams are going to emphasize offense here. More about St Joseph's impact on that in just a minute but, first off, note that Duquesne's other two recent games saw them win both and average scoring 80 and allowing 70. Now, about those Hawks, St Joseph's loves to run and gun and pays little attention to defense. The Dukes will also be looking for big production on the offensive end considering they have scored just 59 in most recent game and also in most recent home game. The Hawks also off a loss in which they did not shoot well at all. This was a rare ugly game for them on the offensive end. Prior that, and in the Hawks last 6 games since a 71-69 win over this same Duquesne team, all 6 St Joe's games totaled at least 148 points! The total on this one, as of 5 hours before tipoff, is 146.5 points and I love the value here with both teams off ugly performances offensively. Those 6 Hawks games after the win over the Dukes averaged 164 ppg. This why I am projecting no problem getting to the 150s in this one. OVER the total in Duquesne

Rotation #735 CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in East Carolina Pirates vs Wichita State Shockers @ 7 ET - These teams last met in Wichita State and it was a 54-52 Pirates win. The total opened up on this one at 137 but is ticking up to the 138.5 range even though their recent meeting totaled 106 points? Exactly! Someone knows something and we are going to cash in on that too. For one thing the teams hit a combined 8 three pointers in that game and East Carolina had a horrible shooting night overall. The Pirates had 68 shots from the field but managed only 54 points. They will be even stronger in terms of creating scoring chances on their home floor but this time they cash more of them in too. At the same time, the Shockers are out for revenge and they have averaged 75 ppg, not including OT, in their other 8 games since mid-January. In other words, that game against EC was an outlier. Also, the Pirates are generally not a high-scoring team but they are off an 84-72 win on the road and carry momentum home here plus the Shockers have not been known for defense this season for sure. OVER in East Carolina

Rotation #777: CBB Thursday OVER 137.5 in NC-Wilmington Seahawks vs Drexel Dragons @ 7 ET - Drexel is a slower paced team but, even with that, their games have averaged 137 points this season. I expect NC-Wilmington on their home floor to dictate the tempo in this one. Seahawks games averaged 153 ppg this season! Also, this is a revenge spot for the Seahawks and the first game totaled 141 points despite the Seahawks making just 6 of 30 from three point land! Speaking of 20% three-point shooting, the Dragons are off a horrible 4 of 20 performance from downtown in their most recent game, a tight loss at Monmouth. Drexel has done a great job bouncing back from losses this season but the Seahawks are out for revenge on their home floor. I expect a back and forth high-scoring battle here given all of the above. The Dragons have gone 6-1 this season when off a loss and scored an average of 75 ppg in the 6 victories. The Seahawks have won 7 of 8 games and scored an average of 77.4 ppg in the 7 victories. We don't need 75 to 77 apiece here in this one but the fact is solid odds on each team reaching the 70 mark in this one and that puts this one into the 140s. Drexel has scored an average of 77 ppg L6 road games even including the poor shooting effort at Monmouth in most recent game. The Seahawks have allowed 69 ppg L7 games (not including OT of course) so Drexel getting to 70 here is not a big ask and yet the home team is also favored with good reason. Value on the over with this low total. Each of last 3 meetings between these clubs have totaled over 140 and each of Seahawks L3 home games have totaled over 145 points! OVER 137.5 in NC-Wilmington 

Rotation #725: CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Michigan State Spartans vs Maryland Terrapins @ 5:30 ET - These teams recently met and the game total just 120 points but it was on pace for 152 points based on a 44-32 score at the half! That said, I feel we have a lot of value here with the posted total on this around 130 points as of about 5 hours before tipoff. I do respect both defenses. However, you must also keep in mind that the Spartans are off a big win over their biggest rival, Michigan, and their defense may not be their best here. Also, MSU is averaging 76 ppg this season and Maryland is averaging 70 ppg this season. As you can see, we have some "wiggle room" with this total when you consider scoring numbers like that. The Terrapins have scored at least 69 points in 4 of last 5. As for the Spartans, against teams not named Maryland, they have scored 66 points or more in 12 of last 13 games! Most of those saw Michigan State reach at least the 70 point mark also. I look for both teams to get well past the mid-60s in this one given the above and that gets this team well into the 130s. 10* OVER the total in Michigan State

Rotation #735: CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Green Bay vs IUPUI @ Noon ET - This total in the 134 range as of about 6 hours before tipoff. Green Bay a heavy favorite with good reason here but don't be surprised if IUPUI scores well enough to hang around in this one for awhile and that will help push this one over the total. The Jaguars have averaged scoring 75 ppg in their last two road games. However, the issue with this team is they continue to allow far too many points. IUPUI has allowed 81 ppg their last 9 games. So if the oddsmakers are correct, as they so often are, about GB being a 12 point favorite here, that would put this game finishing at 81 to 69 Green Bay if IUPUI allows their typical average. That means we have a lot of wiggle room when you consider this total is in the mid-130s. I do believe GB can get to the 80 point range here. The Phoenix have played 11 games since an ugly loss to Oklahoma back in mid-December. In those 11 games they have gone 9-2 and had only 1 ugly loss. In the other 10 games they averaged 77 ppg and now they face one of the worst teams in the Horizon League. Indeed 81 to 69 sounds about right here! The Phoenix tend to play with a little more tempo on their home floor and I expect that to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Green Bay

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 153.5 in New Mexico Lobos vs Nevada Wolfpack @ 10 ET - The MWC has a lot of strong teams with solid overall records. Certainly the Wolfpack are better than their 3-3 conference record shows. However, this Lobos team is red hot and so strong at home. The way I see it the best way to get involved in this game is the over! New Mexico has already scored 84 points or more in 60% of their games this season. The Lobos enter this game on a 4 game winning streak in which they have averaged scoring 92 ppg! The Wolfpack have struggled a bit in recent games but they still have scored an average of 77 ppg this season. Keep in mind, if Nevada hits their average here and the spread is correct on this one with Lobos about a 9 point favorite, you are talking about a game that gets into the 160s! The Lobos are red hot but have allowed 76 ppg last 5 games. They are not afraid to get in up-tempo games at The Pit in Albuquerque and I look for this one to be an absolute track meet! 10* OVER 153.5 in New Mexico

CBB Rotation #663: Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Drexel Dragons vs North Carolina AT & T Aggies @ 2 ET - The Dragons off the tough loss at Towson in a game in which they did not shoot well. Now they are back home in Philly and ready to explode on offense. They are known for shooting much better here and they will be able to run and gun against a NC AT & T team not known for defense. The Aggies can stop no one but they do have a big scorer in Glasper. The key here is he was one of 4 guys in double digits in their most recent game but that was a loss at Delaware in which they allowed 90 points. Drexel will win this one big and they are a huge favorite for a reason, but the value rather than laying about 18 points here is certainly on the over the way I see it. Drexel will be anxious to have a huge game at home and will push the tempo against a bad defense. They will get much better looks than they did against Towson. However, the key here is the Aggies have some scoring power and will at least be willing to run and gun here even at their own detriment. This total has dropped to the low 140s and, for example, if the Aggies only get to 65 points but the spread posted on this one is about right, that still puts this game in the upper 140s. I am looking for a 90-70 type game given the situation and the defensive struggles of NC AT & T continue here. 10* OVER the total in Drexel

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 153.5 in California vs Stanford @ 10 ET - The Cardinal shoot the ball so well and the Golden Bears are on their home floor and are also a high-scoring team. So you have two higher-scoring teams and the team with the lower FG % is on their home floor where they tend to be at their best. That is the perfect ingredients for an over and I believe this total will prove to be too low. Stanford is shooting 48% from the field and they have one rare exception, a 59-53 win, that if it was included in their stats their numbers would be even more impressive in terms of point totals. In their other recent 6 games they have averaged scoring 85 ppg. The Cardinal have allowed 81 ppg in their other 5 recent games played away from home. I would truly not be surprised to see this one get into the 160s and we have a total in the low 150s here. California  also has won recent outlier versus UCLA but their other 7 recent games have averaged 157 points. Last year when Cal hosted Stanford, the game totaled 162 points and I expect something similar tonight. 10* OVER 153.5 in California 

Rotation #873: CBB Monday: 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Joe's vs LaSalle Explorers @ 4 ET - This total in the 149 range. The Hawks just a lost a game in which they led by 9 points with a little over 6 minutes to go but never scored a field goal again the rest of the way! That said, the emphasis will be on offensive production here and La Salle is a team they can dominate against in that regard. The Explorers have allowed an average of 77 ppg last 6 games against Div 1 competition. La Salle has averaged scoring 76 ppg this season but St Joseph's is favored by double digits for good reason. The Explorers should get well into the 80s in this one after what just happened in that tough defeat to Loyola Chicago. I mentioned above. They will push the tempo here and the Hawks have averaged scoring 83 points last 6 games! 10* OVER the total in St Joseph's

Rotation #887: CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 135.5 in Villanova Wildcats vs DePaul Blue Demons @ 8:30 ET - The Blue Demons have been getting hammered so far in Big East action but 3 of their 4 games have been against tough foes including this Villanova team. Though they lost 84-48 in the first meeting with the Wildcats this season, they actually had just as many shots from the field and also took two more three-pointers. The difference in that game was that DePaul was way off with their shooting in that game. The Blue Demons only made 30% from the field overall and only 4 of 24 from beyond the arc. Statistical odds give a strong factor that, of course, DePaul will shoot much better in this game. The problem is they can stop no none and Nova is coming off a loss too plus playing at home. So the Wildcats will be fired up for a strong performance at home and I expect the end result to be plenty of points scored in this one. 10* OVER 135.5 in Villanova

CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Longhorns vs Texas-Arlington Mavericks @ 2 ET - UT Arlington is talented but off an ugly shooting game in which they totaled just 52 points. That sets this one up nice for an over. The Mavericks were averaging 75 ppg this season before the ugly game against North Texas. They will make up for that here but of course they are not going to stop the Longhorns. UT is favored by 18 points in this one for a reason of course. That said, with this total in the 147 range and, if the odds makers are right about the spread, that would put this one at about an 83-65 type game. Given that the Mavs were averaging 75 ppg before the most recent disappointing effort, you can see why we have good value here. Also, the Mavericks recently got Phillip Russell back on the floor and he was a big scorer for SE Missouri each of the last two seasons. Texas will be unstoppable here as they are a strong ranked team but the Mavs are going to hang around in this game for a while too. That sets this up well for plenty of points and the number is 146.5 or 147 as of about 2 hours before tipoff! 10* OVER the total in Texas

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in California Golden Bears vs Arizona Wildcats @ 10:30 ET - The Wildcats are angry off a double-OT loss prior to Christmas. Arizona is one of the top teams in the country and will respond in a huge way here. However, California is on their home floor and they have scored quite well this season so I would not be surprised to see a strong effort from the Golden Bears in this one. The problem for Cal is they are not strong on the defensive end and the Cats are going to run and gun in this one and leave no doubt after that disappointing double-OT loss. Of course that is why Arizona is favored by double digits on the road in this Pac-12 opener and I expect plenty of scoring and pace to this game. Cal averaging 76 ppg this season but Arizona is averaging 92.5 ppg on the year! Given the line on this game is in the 14 range, certainly 91 to 77 sounds about right and, though I expect much more, a total of 168 is double digits in front of this total which is in the 155.5 to 156.5 range as of about 10 hours before tipoff. Looks like a shootout is on the way here! 10* OVER the total in California 

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 147.5 in Connecticut Huskies vs St John's Red Storm @ 8 ET - The Huskies are off a loss but had won 10 of 11 games prior to that. Connecticut will bounce back here and they averaged 88.5 ppg in their 10 victories. Of course UConn expected to win this game as they are a big favorite for a reason in this one. Look at the Huskies as 11 point favorites here and note they average 88 points in their victories. So, the law of averages says this game ends 88-77 and that means totaling 165 points which is way above the 147.5 total currently posted on this game. That said, you are looking at quite a bit of wiggle room on this one in terms of playing the over. Note that the Red Storm do struggle defensively but they do score well. They had one low-scoring game but in their other 10 games this season they scored an average of 83 points per game. I like the odds of this one being an over easy given all of the above. 10* OVER 147.5 in Connecticut

Rotation #680: CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Iona Gaels vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - This one in the 142.5 range and St Joe's had one ugly game this season but really has scored very, very well in their other games. They have been consistent with their other games featuring only 1 loss and that was at Kentucky and was a game the Hawks nearly won in regulation before losing in OT. St Joe's has averaged 77.4 ppg in those 9 games! Iona has not been scoring quite as well but the Gaels are generally known for high-scoring games and 7 of first 8 this season totaled at least 140 points. Now off B2B low-scoring games, Iona will join in on a fast-paced non-conference match-up as the Hawks are loaded with scorers and will push the pace here. 10* OVER the total in Iona

Rotation #639 - CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 151.5 in UNLV Rebels vs Creighton Bluejays @ 9 ET - The Bluejays are huge road favorites here and I feel the big numbers is justified. However, I also feel that the Rebels will score well at home and so you are looking at a match-up that should get well into the 150s. Creighton, other than one game in which they were surprisingly held to just 48 points, has scored extremely well all season. They scored 79 points or more in each of the other 8 games (all wins) and actually averaged 84 ppg in those 8 victories. The Rebels have scored more than 70 points in all but one of their games this season. Of course if they get to at least 70 points here (and on their home floor against an offensive-minded team they should do just that) then notice the line on the Jays is about a -13 and so you are already into the low 150s and that is just looking at the minimum type result here the way I see it and based on all of the above. That is why the reality is you have a game that should get into at least the 160 range. Neither team has played any OT games yet either so the ppg stats are certainly not over-inflated either. Look for a wild one in another non-conference match-up involving teams that have consistently put up solid offensive numbers early this season. 10* OVER 151.5 in UNLV

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 143 in Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Oral Roberts Golden Eagles @ 9 ET - The Red Raiders have scored well this season with one exception. If you take that one outlier out of the equation, Texas Tech has scored at least 69 points in all the other 7 games. Not including OT points, the Red Raiders averaged 76 points points in those 7 games. Now look at Oral Roberts and they have averaged 76 points per game this season as well. I feel the Golden Eagles are going to hang tough in this game as they have played some tough teams this season and already and held their own. Yet Texas Tech is a large favorite here for a reason and basically if we get Oral Roberts to 65 and the odds makers are right about the -13 here than we are already in the 143 range but I expect Oral Roberts to get into the 70s here and hence the solid value with this total. 10* OVER 143 in Texas Tech

Rotation #711: CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 127 in Villanova Wildcats vs UCLA Bruins @ 7 ET - Justin Moore is out for Villanova but sometimes when a solid veteran guard like that is out for a team it can result in more scoring. That's because perhaps the defensive rotations are thrown off a bit. Perhaps the guy coming in is willing to jack up a lot of shots. In this case, Jordan Longino played a lot of minutes against Kansas State because Moore got hurt after playing only 8 minutes in that game. Longino was 5 of 17 from the field including 3 of 9 from three point land. You can see the style he played in that one. I am looking for Nova, now off 3 straight losses, to be very aggressive at home in this one. They may have a more aggressive attacking style in this situation and I feel this low total is offering us exceptional value. The Wildcats are averaging 74 ppg this season. The Bruins are averaging 71 ppg this season. UCLA has scored at least 65 points in every game this season and that includes facing Marquette and Gonzaga and none of the Bruins games have gone to OT this season! Villanova has had two duds on the offensive end in which they scored 57 and 55 points but even eliminating the OT points against Kansas State they reached the 63 mark. Considering the importance of this game I look for a big effort at home but this Wildcats defense is not what it was under Jay Wright. The Wildcats are just not the same level of team but they are quality and they have scorers and the shots are going to start to fall. Take advantage of a total that is too low in the 127 range here in this one. 10* OVER 127 in Villanova

Rotation #887: CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 130.5 in Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 7 ET - As I mentioned in my write-ups earlier this season on UIC, the Flames have been developing well in recent years. They are well-coached and now the coach has been able to assemble the type of roster he wants here. It has been a process for sure but this Flames team looks stronger this season than they have been in a long time. Now Illinois-Chicago is coming off B2B losses in which they did not score well and this is the perfect spot for an over. I am sure that UIC is going to push the pace here as their 5-game winning streak saw them average 83 ppg while their 2-game losing streak has seen them allow just 63 ppg but also score only 60 ppg. That is not working for the Flames. They will resume with an up-tempo attack here plus I expect better shooting against a Gamecocks team that has played a rather weak schedule. I do like the fact that Jacksonville State is at home in this one and they had scored 71 ppg in a 3-game winning streak prior to losing their most recent game. So both teams off losses, both teams had been hot recently and scoring well, and now we have a rather low total to work with here. I look for a solid over here as both teams should get into the upper 60s here if not into the 70s! 10* OVER 130.5 in Jacksonville State

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Iowa State Cyclones vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7:30 ET - This is a rivalry game and a revenge match-up for Iowa State as they got hammered at Iowa last season due to poor shooting while the Hawkeyes shot lights out in that one. Look for a strong push from the Cyclones here as they look to get payback for that one. This should lead to a very high-scoring game as Iowa is scoring very well this season but also giving up huge points. Iowa has allowed 80 ppg last 6 games but also is scoring an average of 88 ppg on the year! Iowa State is scoring 83 ppg this season. I realize the Cyclones have a solid number in terms of points allowed but as their schedule has toughened up, they have now allowed 78 ppg last 3 games. This one should fly over the total and I like the drop here as it gone from nearly 160 to the low 150s as of about 6 hours before tipoff! 10* OVER the total in Iowa State

Rotation #709: CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Vanderbilt Commodores vs San Francisco Dons @ 8 ET - This total has dropped a little from its opener and is in the 138 range as of early gameday morning. Vanderbilt is off a 78-59 win but against a much weaker foe and, keep in mind, this followed 6 straight Commodores games topping more than 140 points! San Francisco is off a 72-61 loss but this followed averaging 80 ppg in their first 7 games. Even if you eliminate that first huge win of the season when the faced a completely overmatched foe, the Dons had scored at least 70 points in 4 of last 5 games prior to the low-scoring loss at Arizona State. Based on all of the above and what we have seen from these teams so far this season, I just can not see this one ending with anything less than 70 points for each team! The Dons have shot well overall this season and I know the Commodores will get their shooting percentages back up soon and they can build off scoring 78 points in their most recent game even though it was against a weaker foe. Take advantage of the line value here as neither club is particularly strong on defense either. 10* OVER the total in Vanderbilt

Rotation #613: CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas State Wildcats vs Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - Villanova has too many good shooters to continue struggling from outside. Their outside shots, particularly threes, will start to fall with much more regularity. Don't be surprised if that starts here as Kansas State, not including OT points, has allowed 70 ppg this season. Here they face a very talented Nova team that has underachieved so far. In other words, Kansas State very likely to give up more than their season average in this one. Villanova had been scoring decently this season before that ugly low-scoring loss to Drexel. Villanova's block and steal numbers are not good this season and this shows the level of defensive play has dropped. Kansas State has not been great on the defensive end either but, not including OT points, is averaging scoring in the upper 70s this season. I am looking for both clubs, per the above, to get into the 70s here and that means excellent value with this one in the 142.5 range as about 5 and 1/2 hours before tipoff. 10* OVER the total in Kansas State

CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 132 in Oregon State Beavers vs Cal Poly Mustangs @ 10 ET - This total dropped from mid-130s and is offering excellent line value. Cal Poly average games are in the 145 range so far and Oregon State games are in the low 140s so far this season. Look for this one to get past the low 130s as the Beavers are off a 71-59 win but this was preceded by allowing an average of 83 ppg last 3 games! The Mustangs have allowed 67 points or more last 4 games and that trend certainly will continue here as they face a Pac-12 foe in this one. They are a 14 point dog for a reason. Of course, if Cal Poly just gets to 60 and odds makers are right about this line, it gets to the mid-130s. I like our chances! The Mustangs averaging nearly 70 per game this season. 10* OVER 132 in Oregon State

Rotation #847: CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 140.5 in Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 6:30 ET - This total has come down some from its opener and I am grabbing the value on the other side of the line move. The Buckeyes are 6-1 this season and the Golden Gophers are 5-2 this season and neither team has been involved in any OT games. Now look at their point totals and note that they each have averaged in the 145 point range. Now consider that Minny has won 2 of 3 and scored at least 86 points in each win and the Buckeyes last 3 wins in their 5 game winning streak have seen them total at least 86 points in each game. Granted this is a Big Ten opener for each team and defensive intensity might pick up some but both teams are playing well in the offensive end and playing with a lot of confidence. The point is that we have some healthy wiggle room with this total when you consider that each team is averaging 80 ppg this season. Don't be surprised if each team gets into the 70s here. 10* OVER 140.5 in Ohio State

Rotation #715: CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 147.5 in Temple Owls vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7:30 ET - The type of games each of these teams if off of entering this Big 5 match-up make it the perfect spot for an over. The Owls off a triple-OT win over fellow Philly foe LaSalle. St Joe's off the huge upset win over Villanova in their Big 5 match-up. That sets this one up well for plenty of points. Keep in mind it was not the triple-OT that forced Temple's game over. It did have a good pace in regulation. As for St Joe's, they have been scoring well and that is even with recent games against Villanova and Kentucky. This one projects to get into the 150s the way these teams have been going and of course both of them comfortable playing here in Philly. Look of another exciting high-scoring battle between two teams not afraid to play at a brisk pace. 10* OVER 147.5 in Temple

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boise State Broncos vs St Mary's Gaels @ 10:30 ET - This total in the 129.5 range. The Broncos and Gaels average around 70 points per game this season but I can see why this total is lower than that. The fact is that each have been involved in some low-scoring grinders this season but I like the value here on this lower total in this game played in Idaho Falls. The fact is that St Mary's has faced some tough defensive-minded competition. The Broncos are just not on the same level as those teams St Mary's struggled to score against and I expect things to open up here. Boise State definitely has the edge here in terms of this game being played in their home state and they were scoring an average of 72 points per game their first 5 games prior to a low-scoring loss to Butler. Look for them to bounce back in the offensive end after scoring just 56 against the Bulldogs. The Gaels are also off a loss and will bounce back and they have their confidence back in the offensive end after averaging 80 points last two games! More of the same here! 10* OVER the total in Boise State

Rotation #657 CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Temple Owls vs La Salle Explorers @ 7 ET - This is part of the Philly Big 5 tourney and I love the fact that this total has gone from the upper 140s to the low 140s. The current number is in the 143 range as of early game day morning. The Explorers and Owls both play at a decent pace. Both shoot a lot of threes. Both are comfortable, of course, playing here in Philly. La Salle is the road team here but it is no big deal as Fran Dunphy just got his 600th career win and the Explorers coach was the head coach here at Temple for many years too. I like the fact that LaSalle has seen 4 different leading scorers in its last 5 games. It shows you they do not have to rely on just one guy. The Explorers have averaged 75 ppg in the  5 wins in their 5-1 start to the season and they even scored 66 in their loss to DUKE! La Salle should score very well here but I am on crazy about their defensive capabilities. Though the Owls rely more heavily on their top scorer Hysier Miller. They have other solid scoring options too and will make their way through this defense without a problem, especially with confidence in their own arena! The Owls have been held below 73 points just once this season and are allowing 70 ppg but averaging 75. This one should get into the 150s given all of the above and so I do feel we have solid line value in a game that should be back and forth and reach at least the 150 mark. These guys push hard in this Philly Big 5 games and I expect exciting game here! 10* OVER the total in Temple

Rotation #867: CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 133.5 in St Mary's Gaels vs Utah Utes @ 11 PM ET - The Gaels are off an 89-55 win and will carry momentum after scoring big on their home floor. The Utes continue to score big early this season but have not been great on the defensive end so I am expecting plenty of scoring here. Utah is off a game in which they scored 82 points but lost as they gave up 91 to St John's. However, they also faced a tough Houston team, known for defense, and they managed to score 66 points in that loss. They are averaging 82 points per game this season but have allowed 71 per game. All their games have totaled at least 135 points and the Gaels have scored well in 2 of their 3 home games and enter this one with confidence after a hot shooting effort. That carries over into this one plus the Utes continue their high-scoring style. 10* OVER 133.5 in St Mary's

Rotation #677: CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Temple Owls vs Ole Miss Rebels @ 3:30 ET - This total is in the 137 range as of early gameday morning. Based on the tempo with which these teams play as well as the situation here, I fully expect 140s as an end result. Temple is coming off a 78-73 loss to Columbia after starting the season a perfect 3-0. The Owls had an off shooting performance but played with plenty of tempo and they are now averaging 75 points per game this season. Yes, Ole Miss is an SEC team and they have started this season 4-0 but they are coming off a down season and of course the power of SEC basketball is nothing like it has been in SEC football on the national landscape. Of course that is why the spread is a very small one with Rebels a light road favorite here. Look for this one to be tight late too which helps lead to late fouling, quick three point shots and "scramble points" if you will. I am expecting a back and forth battle played at a good tempo as Ole Miss is averaging 71 points per game this season but also has allowed upper 60s in each of last two games. This will be a tough test facing the Owls in Philly with Temple coming off a loss. The Owls have plenty of scorers and I expect a much better scoring performance here after the horrific shooting against Columbia. Keep in mind, the Owls still scored 73 points despite that tough shooting. Here they will force the tempo and note that Ole Miss has shown they are willing to play fast too. 10* OVER the total in Temple

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 143.5 or 144 in La Salle Explorers at Duke Blue Devils @ 7 ET - Duke just crushed another PA team (Bucknell) 90 to 60. Now the Blue Devils face a Philly team, La Salle, that recently beat that same Bucknell team. The point is that if Bucknell can shoot only 37% from the field and still put up 60 points on Duke, than you know that La Salle should be able to top that! The fact is the Explorers are 4-0 this season but, of course, a heavy dog to Duke with good reason. La Salle will not be able to slow down a Blue Devils team that is piling up big point totals this season under new head coach Jon Scheyer but, at the same time, the Explorers enter this game with some added confidence on the offensive end. When you start a season 4-0 and averaging 73.5 ppg you'll have some confidence. The fact is they should get into the 65 range here given all of the above but then note that Duke is favored by around 27 points for a reason. That is why I am projecting a 90 to 65 type game here that puts us double digits in front of this total so we'll take it! 10* OVER 143.5 or 144 in Duke

Rotation #821: CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kentucky Wildcats vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - This total in the 150.5 range as of early game day morning. St Joe's is coming off an ugly 57-54 loss in which they trailed all the way. Longtime followers know I love totals with bigger numbers when a team is coming off a game like that. This Hawks team has talent and is coming off an ugly, ugly game. That will bring out a solid scoring effort here after they were so "off" with their shooting in the defeat. However, now they face a Kentucky program that - as per usual - is one of the best in the country this season. The Wildcats will run all over this St Joe's team. Now look at the numbers here. UK is about a 16 point favorite. They have averaged 88 ppg so far this season. If the Cats hit 88 and win by 16 that puts St Joe's at 72. That puts this game at 160. I feel we have solid value with the over here because the emphasis for the Hawks will be better production on offense here but, at the same time, they will not be able to slow down this uber talented Wildcats team. With this game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, the Cats might again erupt for 100 like they just did in most recent game. 10* OVER the total in Kentucky

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Cougars vs Dayton Flyers @ 8:30 ET in Charleston, SC - We get a low total in the 128 range to work with here because the Cougars are known for defense. However, they also had played some weaker scoring teams early this season and then Utah showed them what a stronger scoring team is capable of doing against them. That said, now Dayton faces Houston for the Championship game of this tourney. The Flyers are a solid scoring team too and, though tourney Championship games can be grinders, I do not think Dayton wants to allow this game to play out at that type of pace. The Cougars are a young team in terms of new faces and so this roster is still evolving a bit in terms of their style and the Flyers are going to force the issue here. This one will play out at a solid pace and we are not asking for much to get this into the 130s. Note that the Flyers are averaging 72 points per game but have allowed 73 ppg last 3 games. The Cougars offense has been solid scoring 77 ppg but they just allowed 66 points to the Utes at the other end. We should see 130s here. 10* OVER the total in Houston

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Towson Tigers vs Houston Cougars @ 6:30 ET in Charleston, SC - This total is as low as a 124 as of mid-day. The Cougars have averaged 82 ppg so far this season. Why would they score less than 80 here? They are one of the top teams in the country and can cause Towson all kinds of trouble in this one. Of course that is why they are favored by about 20 points in this one. But that puts this game at 80-60 range which is well above the 124 total. Even if we see 75-55 that gets the job done here. The fact is Towson is averaging 64 points so far. I know that, with much tougher competition here, they do not get to that range but at least mid-50s is reasonable and I am expecting a solid over here as a result. The fresh legs of the Cougars and depth of this team could easily get this one well into the 130s. 10* OVER the total in Towson 

Rotation #702: CBB Wednesday UNDER the total in Texas Longhorns vs Rice Owls @ 9 ET - This total is just too high. It is because Rice put up some big points in their first two games but now the Owls face a Horns team that has held each of their first two opponents under 60 points. Note that the Owls are facing a Texas team that will be fully focused here since they have a Louisville team on deck that had a horrible season last year. That game is at Madison Square Garden too so UT does have a road trip on deck. Here at home they play a strong defensive game and they are about a 20 point favorite in this one. If they again hold another opponent in the 60 range, that puts this game in the 80-60 range and that means it falls well below the 157 that is the current number posted on this game. Last year's meeting was high-scoring but because of OT and that was after a  72-72 score in regulation and UT learned their lesson from letting the Owls hang around in that one. They will turn up the heat on defense in this one!  UNDER the total in Texas 

Rotation #306525 Tuesday CBB 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Joe's Hawks vs Stonehill Skyhawks @ 7 ET - This total is in the 141 range as of very early gameday morning and I feel that will prove to be far too low in this one. Stonehill is now in the Northeast Conference in Division 1 basketball for just its 2nd season after being a Division II program. They just got hammered by UConn and even though the Huskies are defending champs, the fact is the Skyhawks could do nothing to stop them. They tried to switch to a zone defense and that still did not help in the 107 to 67 loss. I like the fact that they scored 67 points and Stonehill has seen their scoring tick upward in each game thus far. However, they have now allowed 98 points per game in their two losses and St Joseph's will be ready to run and gun in this one! The Hawks only have Texas A & M Commerce on deck so certainly they are fully focused here and they just put up 69 points on a Penn team that just shocked everyone by getting an upset win over Villanova last night and holding the Wildcats to 72 points. The point is that these Hawks roughly equaled the Nova point-scoring against the Quakers. St Joe's should certainly get 80+ here given all of the above. They have solid guard play plus too much size inside and they will dominate. But the Skyhawks will continue their improved scoring trending and this line is around an 18. I am projecting an 85-67 type game which put this one double digits about the current number in the 141 range. 10* OVER the total in St Joe's

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Rhode Island Rams vs Fairfield Stags @ 7 ET - Two teams working in a lot of new players and, as their first games showed, both teams willing to run and gun and throw caution to the wind. Fairfield is a MAAC school and that conference is known for higher scoring. As Rhode Island, they are off a disappointing campaign and have a re-tooled roster and, of course, they are a big favorite with good reason as the A-10 team should take care of business here. However, the Stags will push them for sure and this game should have a great tempo and end up near the 150 mark. With a current total in the 141.5 range, this one gets my best bet status for Thursday. Fairfield lost their first game 89-70 and the Rams won their first game 81-70. Look for this one to get into the 150s as well. 10* OVER the total in Rhode Island

NIT Tuesday Top Play OVER 151 in UAB Blazers vs Utah Valley Wolverines @ 9:30 ET - The Wolverines have allowed 69 points or less in 7 of last 8 games. So how can this total be set so high? Exactly! One of the keys is that Utah Valley has averaged scoring 84 ppg last 7 games. But another key is their most recent game. The Wolverines allowed only 68 points but Cincinnati actually had 79 shots from the field! The only reason the Bearcats did got into the 80s or even 90s in points is because they shot 34% overall and 24% from beyond the arc! Similarly, the Blazers are off a game in which they allowed only 59 points but Vanderbilt had 75 shots from the field! The problem for Vandy was they made only 33% from the field and just 26% from 3-point land. Also, the Commodores scored only ONE point from the free throw line the entire game. NONE of these stats are likely to be repeated here and I expect an absolute shootout here with plenty of back and forth quick buckets. UAB averaging 81 ppg this season and Utah Valley 77 and I am expecting, for the reasons note above, this one gets well into the 150s after both defenses were fortunate in terms of points allowed in their most recent game and both these teams very confident in the offensive end and full of scorers! Top Play OVER 151 in UAB

NCAA Tourney Thursday OVER 144 in Arkansas Razorbacks vs Illinois Illini @ 4:30 ET - I just do not trust either team defensively here and I like the pacing with which both these teams should play here. Note that Illinois was 3-5 in final 8 games of the season and, not including OT points, allowed at least 69 points in 7 of 8 games. In fact, those 8 games saw the Illini allow an average of 74 points per game. As for the Razorbacks, they lost 4 of their last 5 games and allowed an average of 78 points per game in those 5 games. Also, Arkansas did score at least 76 points in 5 of 6 games before bowing out in the SEC Tourney against Texas A & M. Given all these numbers and this line right around a pick'em, you can see why I am projecting a game in which each team gets into the 75 point range and that pushes this game into the 150s this afternoon. OVER 144 in Arkansas

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 134.5 in Purdue Boilermakers vs Penn State Nittany Lions @ 3:30 ET - I wanted to play Penn State here because they are playing with a lot of confidence and want to make up for the two ugly regular season losses to Purdue that were each by double digits. However, though I do expect this confident PSU team to score well as they are playing without pressure (this is Boilermakers game to not lose rather than Nittany Lions game to win), I just feel that they have no one to stop the 7'4 300 lb beast that is Zach Edey. No one really has anyone to stop this guy but the fact is Penn State is built for small ball. Unlike the prior match-ups though, PSU has now learned their lesson and will worry less about stopping him and more about simply looking to get super hot and outscore these guys with speed and quick passing and a killer outside game. It is their only choice here. The result should be plenty of points in this one in my opinion as the Nittany Lions hang around in this one and score very well but fail to stop the red hot and big bad Boilermakers. 10* OVER 134.5 in Purdue

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 126.5 in Cleveland State Vikings vs Northern Kentucky Norse @ 7 ET - This is the Horizon League Championship Game and there was some very ugly shooting in the two regular season meetings between these clubs. However, that is simply serving to keep this total lower than it should be. The first meeting saw the Vikings make just 10% of their three pointers plus both clubs struggled at the free throw line. Then the 2nd meeting got to 127 points even though there was more unimpressive shooting in that one. The key to the value though is the first very low-scoring game saw some unreal shooting numbers at the free throw line. So the opportunity was there for each of the two regular season meetings to get well into the 130s and yet the fact those games did not has led to line value here because both of these teams are coming into this game with plenty of confidence on the offensive end. The Norse have won 6 of 7 games and scored an average of 73 ppg during this stretch. The Vikings have won 10 of 13 and, not including OT points of course, have averaged 74.6 during this stretch. That would put this game into the 140s but yes is a conference championship game and should feature some solid defense too but that still only pushes this one down into the 130s in my opinion. Both teams loaded with confidence right now. 10* OVER 126.5 in Cleveland State

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 139 in Detroit Mercy Titans vs Northern Kentucky Norse @ 7 ET - The Titans continue to be involved in high-scoring games and just allowed 68 to a bad IUPUI team. The point is that facing a respectable Northern Kentucky team is likely to lead to even more points being scored in this one. The first meeting did go to OT but, even without the OT, the game hit 142 in regulation time. That said, we have excellent line value here as Detroit enters this one averaging 77.4 ppg but allowing 75.8 ppg on the season. I know the Norse have lower-scoring trending but the Titans will dictate the pace of this game on their home floor. Northern Kentucky is facing a Detroit team that, not including OT points of course, has seen nearly ever single one of their games total at least 140 points this season! The Titans have been putting up huge points and, other than one outlier versus IPFW, they have allowed an average of 78 points last 14 games. That does not include OT points either. This game is priced right around pick'em so, given Detroit's knack for finishing in the 70s and 80s for points scored in most games, you can see why I love the over in this spot. 10* OVER 139 in Detroit

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 129.5 in Maryland Terrapins vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 7 ET - Minnesota is 1-14 in Big Ten action and has lost 10 games in a row! But this total is simply too low. You know the Golden Gophers are going to do better than the 46 points they just scored in the home loss to the Terrapins earlier this month. At the same time, you know the Minnesota defense is highly likely to struggle here again, particularly on the road! This Gophers defense has allowed an average of 79 points last 6 losses. That means if the odds makers are right (this line is in the -16 range) and Minnesota allows their recent typical average of 79 points, that puts this game at 79-63 which is more than double digits above the current posted total on this game. As for Maryland, I was very fortunate to win the over in their most recent game as they lost 70-66 at Nebraska in OT. However, in that game, the Terrapins took 69 shots but made only 23 of them! The Terps should have had much more than the 58 points they had in regulation time of that game. Maryland has averaged 72 points per game in their 8 Big Ten home games. Keep in mind, that included home games against 4 ranked Big Ten teams. Here they face the league-worst Gophers and they will pile up the points again. Look for a rather free flowing game here with a ton of points. 10* OVER 129.5 in Maryland

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 135.5 in Michigan State Spartans vs Indiana Hoosiers @ 9 ET - The Spartans will have an emotional night tonight in their first home game since the school shooting. Their first road game after the on-campus tragedy was an 84-72 loss at Michigan. I believe this high-scoring trend will continue here. When these teams met at Indiana the game finished 82-69. That was a double digit loss for the Spartans and they will want revenge here. Michigan State has played some ugly low-scoring grinders this season for sure but in the right match-ups, we have seen points aplenty. The loss to Michigan was the 3rd time in recent weeks that the Spartans have allowed 77 points or more. Indiana's game versus Illinois stayed under the total because the Illini were without their leading scorer and had some long scoring droughts in the 2nd half of that game. Indiana has gone through a recent under stretch but the game against the Illini never should have stayed under the total and is giving us some line value here. Prior to the recent under stretch, the Hoosiers had scored 79 or more in 4 of 6 games. They can put up big points again here. Indiana has won 9 of 11 games and averaged 73 points in last 8 victories. Hoosiers score well but of course Spartans are expected to get their revenge. They are favored for a reason. This one will be quite the battle and should also be tight enough late to see both teams scoring well. The one in the lead and the one battling back. Plenty of late points too. A lot of line value here. 10* OVER 135.5 in Michigan State 

CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 143 in West Virginia Mountaineers vs Oklahoma State Cowboys @ 7 ET - With both teams off recent losses and giving up plenty of points, this one already had my attention. Then, when I looked at it even closer, it really stands out as a great spot for a play on the over in my opinion. The first meeting had a posted total about 5 points less than this and still went under the total by double digits! That said, why would this game have a total more than 15 points above where the first game finished? Well, it is because the odds makers are expecting the same thing I am here...an absolutely fast-paced shootout. Note that the teams both took a lot of threes in the first meeting but combined to make only 29% of them. Also, that 67-60 Oklahoma State win featured horrible shooting from the Mountaineers from the field overall and even at the free throw line too. West Virginia will be much better here at home in terms of scoring plenty. However, do note that WVU has lost 3 straight games and allowed an average of 84 points per game in those 3 defeats! As for the Cowboys, they have lost B2B games and allowed 93.5 ppg in those 2 losses. However, OSU has scored an average of 74 points last 8 games. The Mountaineers are about a 5 point favorite here so that would put this game at 79-74 which is a full 10 points above the current posted total on this game. I'll take it! 10* OVER 143 in West Virginia

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 133.5 in Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Maryland Terrapins @ 5 ET - The Cornhuskers off first win at Rutgers since 2018. The Terrapins off big win over the top team in the Big Ten as they just beat Purdue. That said, this game is set up perfectly for plenty of confidence from the scores and plenty of lax defense on the other end. It is simply a natural reaction after big wins like that and I feel we will see a good flow with this game. In terms of pure numbers, the Huskers have seen 6 of last 8 games (not including OT of course) total at least 135 points. Also, Nebraska has allowed 75 ppg last 8 games and, again, no OT points included in that. At home, the Cornhuskers should score well here but they are not good defensively and the Terps already hung 82 on them when these teams met in Maryland. The Terrapins enter this game having won 6 of 7 games and averaging 74 points in the 6 victories. Maryland favored by about 5 here and based on the above numbers that puts this game at around 75-70 which is more than 10 points above the early posted total. I feel we have good value with the over given the confidence level of each of these teams right now and their ability to get big buckets when needed. Both teams have been playing well lately in that regard as Tominaga is on fire for the Huskers and has come out of nowhere to be a huge scorer and they had 4 guys in double digits at Rutgers. Young continues to be the go to guy for the Terps but they also are getting big games from Scott, Hart, and Reese plus had solid bench support in the win over Boilermakers. 10* OVER 133.5 in Nebraska

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 131 in Loyola-Chicago Ramblers vs Dayton Flyers @ 7 ET - This is a tricky spot for the Flyers that should translate to big points. Dayton should still find a way to win and they are a 7-point favorite with good reason here. But note that the Flyers, since they faced the Ramblers in an OT win in Dayton recently, have played 3 straight games against stronger teams including the last two against solid teams in VCU and St Louis. That sets this game up well as a letdown spot. Also, the Flyers and Ramblers combined for 144 points in regulation time of Dayton's 85-81 win two weeks ago. Dayton is fully capable of playing solid defense but I feel their motivation will be a little "off" in that regard after facing VCU and St Louis in the last two games. So here you have a last-place Loyola-Chicago team lying in the weeds so to speak. The Ramblers can, and have, scored well at home this season but the reason they are at the very bottom of the A-10 standings is because they are not exactly known for defensive prowess! Loyola-Chicago is off a 64-62 win over a bad UMass team but, prior to this allowed 80 ppg in regulation time of the 11 defeats in the 2-11 stretch that preceded that! If they give up 80 here and the odds makers are right about the spread that puts this game at 80-73 for 153 points! By the way, not including OT points, the Ramblers are averaging 70.6 ppg at home this season. So again, you can see why I would be projecting at least 140s here for the final score and yet anything in the 130s basically makes us a winner too. I feel given the numbers here as well as the situation (bad team off rare win, good team in a flat spot) it sets up well for lackluster defense and a lot of scoring. 10* OVER 131 in Loyola-Chicago

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 136.5 in Wichita State Shockers vs SMU Mustangs @ 4 ET - The last time these teams met the Mustangs won 92-67 at SMU. That said, do you think Wichita State will take their foot off the gas here if they have the chance to return the favor and run up the score on their home floor? No, of course not! The Shockers will run and gun here given the chance and the fact is the Mustangs have allowed an average of 79 points last 6 games and have allowed more than 70 points in all 6 of those! As for Wichita State, if you look at their last 8 games and remove the one against Houston (such a strong team), all of the other 7 games totaled at least 140 points! That is more than this total and, not including OT points of course, the average points totaled has been 152 points! I feel we have truly exceptional line value with this total given all the of above variables. Also, the Shockers have allowed at least 66 points in 11 straight games! They are a 7 point favorite here. So if they allow at least 66 which is the LEAST they have allowed in last 11 games plus if the odds makers are correct about the 7 point spread here, you are talking about a game getting to 139 and again, that is at a minimum! The point is you can see why I am expecting at least 140s here and feel we have a better chance of 150s than 130s too given all of the above! 10* OVER 136.5 in Wichita State

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 150.5 in Buffalo Bulls vs Kent State Golden Flashes @ 6 ET - The Bulls and Golden Flashes met at Kent State two weeks ago and that game totaled 142 points despite the teams combining to make 12 of 53 from three point land! The point is that, despite poor shooting, thanks to an overall strong pace to the game the teams still totaled over 140 points. We can easily get past the 150 mark with normal shooting in the rematch. In fact the total should get close to a 160 with a normal performance on offense. Both teams recently faced Akron - a strong defensive team - and they each struggled with shooting. However, other than that, Buffalo has scored points like crazy this season. Overall on the year the Bulls are averaging 80 points per game but they also allow 78 points per game! As for Kent State, other than struggling at Akron recently (eliminating that from the equation), they have averaged 78 points per game last 10 games! Also, they have allowed an average of 70 points per game last 4 road games and the Bulls are known for firing away (and connecting!) when on their home floor. Unlike the game played at Kent State, the rematch sees much more normal shooting and - as a result - an absolute shootout expected here! 10* OVER 150.5 in Buffalo

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 134.5 in Purdue Boilermakers vs Penn State Nittany Lions @ 6:30 ET - The Boilermakers are the #1 team in the country and at home and do have some lower-scoring grinder type games on occasion. However, there is no need for that here. They already beat the Nittany Lions when these teams met in a game played in Philly earlier this season. So Penn State was not in their true home for that game and yet they still scored a respectable 63 points despite unimpressive shooting. Purdue scored 76 points in that one and now are at home where they have scored at least 73 points in 8 of last 10 victories. In fact, in those 10 home wins the Boilermakers have averaged 76 points per game. So based on the current line on this game of 10 points that would put this game at 76-66 if Purdue just hits their typical home victory average and that totals 142 points. Not only is that already above the 135 we need for a win here, I do not expect this to be an "average" home game for Purdue. The Boilermakers can score a pile of points on the rather unimpressive defense Penn State plays plus the Nittany Lions come into this game with some confidence on the offensive end so they will be will be willing to play with tempo here. Even though that will prove to be a mistake as the Boilersmakers are so superior to the Lions but the point is PSU will get caught up in a bit of an uptempo game. To their credit, Penn State has scored big in games against Indiana, Iowa and Illinois and won all 3 and the latter was a road game. Even lumping that in with other tough Big Ten they have faced (this Purdue team) it means those 4 games (only 2 of which were played at State College) saw the Nittany Lions score an average of 76 points per game! Also, Penn State enters this game off a win versus Michigan in which they scored 83 points. This Nittany Lions team is playing with some confidence right now and will hang around long enough in this game to make sure it gets over the total in my opinion. I am projecting at least a 75-65 type game though I expect to get well into the 140s actually. 10* OVER 134.5 in Purdue

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 145.5 in Creighton Bluejays vs Providence Friars @ 2 ET - The Friars are loaded with confidence and on a 9-game winning streak. The Bluejays love playing at home in Omaha and are known for putting up big point totals at home and shooting lights out in games here! The Friars, however, will not back down in this one and are loaded with confidence. I look for Creighton to prevail but not sure about laying a half-dozen points here. I think the game is close enough late that we will also see some late fouling and "scramble points" with a late push from the trailing team. The fact is that Providence is averaging 80 points per game this season. Creighton is averaging 77 points per game. I expect this game to get into the 150s. I know it is a big game and so the defensive intensity will be up for this one. However, I just can not ignore the fact that both these teams are loaded with scoring options and that makes them each very difficult to defend. The Bluejays don't mind playing at a fast pace, particularly when they are at home, but this Providence team very comfortable in running right along with them and putting up big points. This should fly over the mid-140s total. 10* OVER 145.5 in Creighton

Rotation #881 CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 161.5 in New Mexico Lobos vs Oral Roberts Golden Eagles @ 9 ET - This non-conference battle is intriguing and should see plenty of points. Defensive-minded Houston shut down the Golden Eagles early this season but in their other games Oral Roberts is 13-2 and has averaged scoring 87 points per game! That is why should not let the big number scare you away from this total. You know the Lobos are going to get their points here. New Mexico is a ranked team that is angry off B2B losses after starting the season 14-2. The Lobos are averaging 88 points per games  this season. This one should be played at a very fast pace with plenty of scoring throughout and I look for it to be "raining threes" in this one! 10* OVER 161.5 in New Mexico

CBB Sunday 10* OVER 144 in Georgetown Hoyas vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - The two teams currently at the bottom of the Big East are matched up here. Though Butler is a respectable defensive team, I feel certain the Hoyas are going to score very well on their home floor here. The problem for Georgetown is they can stop no one! The Bulldogs enter this game on a 3-game losing streak and have allowed 73 ppg last 3 games. The Hoyas enter this game on a 4-game losing streak and have allowed 88 ppg last 4 games! Georgetown known for scoring very well at home but they just do not play good defense and the Bulldogs will take advantage and this flies over the total as a result. 10* OVER 144 in Georgetown 

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 136.5 in Washington State Cougars vs George Washington Colonials @ 9 ET - This is part of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic being played in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Cougars are off a tough loss in a defensive-minded game against Baylor but this one should play out much differently with a more open style as they take on the Colonials. Note that George Washington has allowed 75 ppg last 3 games. The Colonials also have averaged scoring 75.4 ppg last 5 games so you can see why I am expecting this game to get into at least the 140s here. Washington State had scored an average of 74 points last 6 games before the low-scoring loss to the Bears. Also, the Cougars are known for scoring big against teams from weaker conferences. George Washington is certainly on powerhouse and the Cougars scored more than 80 against Texas State, Eastern Washington, and Detroit Mercy. Look for a breakout game here from WSU after losing B2B games. GW averaging 76.6 ppg this season but will not be able to stop the Cougars here. 10* OVER 136.5 in Washington State

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 155.5 in Georgetown Hoyas vs Xavier Musketeers @ 6:30 ET - This is a big total but actually dropped some from its opener and this one should get crazy with a ton of points. The Musketeers are averaging 83 points per game this season. The Hoyas are averaging 74 points per game but just can not stop teams. Other than bad teams, and Xavier certainly not one of them, the Hoyas give up tons of points! So Georgetown is at home and will score just fine but Musketeers will score like crazy in this one. I know this total is big but this one set up to get into the 160s or 170s. 10* OVER 155.5 in Georgetown 

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 127.5 in Seton Hall Pirates vs Drexel Dragons @ 7 ET - Love this spot as both teams off tight, low-scoring games but that sets this one up well for a much different style of game. Keep in mind that Drexel just played a Philly rival and got the OT win over LaSalle. They put a lot of defensive effort into that game. The same holds true for Seton Hall. The Pirates are off a hard-fought 45-43 win over Rutgers. Seton Hall was scoring an average of 72 points per game before that low-scoring win. The Dragons averaged about 67 points per game before the low-scoring OT win. That said, this game is destined to get to at least the 140 range. I am sure each team is not going to have the defensive intensity they both just had in most recent games. This one sets up much better to be a higher-scoring game as a result and we get great line value with the low total. 10* OVER 127.5 in Seton Hall

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 148 in Gonzaga vs Washington @ 9 ET - The Bulldogs did not shoot well from long-range in recent game and neither did their opponent yet that game still got to within single digits of the current posted total on this game. We should see plenty of points here. Gonzaga can score like crazy when at home and is averaging 80 ppg this season but also allowing 74. Washington is averaging 70 points per game this season but is a huge 17 point dog here for a reason. Look for a rather free flowing game with plenty of scoring as the Bulldogs game prior to barely squeaking by Kent State was a tight low-scoring loss to Baylor. So Gonzaga is really looking for a breakout game on offense and that is what I fully expect here. The Huskies also have plenty of capable scoring and will contribute nicely to this total which should get well into the 150s and I am actually predicting 160s as the more likely result. 10* OVER 148 in Gonzaga

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 139.5 in Villanova Wildcats vs Pennsylvania Quakers @ 7 ET - This is a Big 5 match-up in Philly as Nova and Penn join with St Joseph's and Temple and La Salle as the informal "Big 5" association in Philly. These games always mean a little something extra and these teams try to one-up each other and in this case I feel that is going to lead to a lot of offense here. Pennsylvania has seen Dingle go on a major hot streak right now and he is such a big scorer. Overall the Quakers continue to pile up points. Yes, we must eliminate the OT points from the equation but, even after doing that, the Quakers have averaged 75 points scored per game last 5 games in regulation time! The Wildcats though are, of course, favored by a big double digit margin here for a reason. The thing about this Villanova team however is they are different without Jay Wright behind the bench. This season, with a new coach, the Wildcats continue to put up big points but have not been the same on the defensive end. Look for that to continue here. The Cats have scored an average of 69 points per game last 5 games, not including OT of course. However, the Wildcats also have allowed 72.6 points per game last 5 games. Penn has allowed at least 69 points in regulation time of last 4 games. Again, they have averaged 75 too last 5 games. So look at the line on this game and you can envision a game getting into the 160s but at least 150s and certainly should reach 140s at a minimum. This one should have high entertainment value for sure if you like scoring! 10* OVER 139.5 in Villanova

10* Top Play OVER 141 in Temple Owls vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - Don't look for much defense here! This is a Philly battle but both teams simply will be looking to outdo each other on the offensive end. Note that St Joseph's is off a 97-80 loss and this was preceded by an OT win what was 74-74 at end of regulation. The Hawks have now allowed at least 74 points in 5 of their 7 games this season. They can score well though too, they just do not get many stops! As for Temple, they have won 3 straight games and score an average of 74 points per game in those 3 wins. They just allowed 73 points in most recent victory and they are seeking revenge here for a ridiculous 68-49 loss to the Hawks last season in which they took 64 shots but made only 20 of them plus they went just 2 of 20 from three-point land! The Owls get their revenge here but I am not laying double digits with them. To me the value play here is an over that should get into the 150s! 10* OVER 141 in Temple

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 135 in Connecticut Huskies vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 10 ET - This total came down some from its opener and I realize it is a tourney championship game and we could see better defense here as a result. But still these are two red hot teams that have been scoring plenty of points. Iowa State just knocked off top-ranked North Carolina and, not including OT points of course, has scored at least 67 points in all 5 of their game this season. The Cyclones are 5-0 this season. The Huskies are 7-0 this season and have scored at least 82 points in each games this season. Iowa State averaging 74 ppg this season and UConn averaging 85 ppg this season. Even if each team misses their average by a half-dozen points or so this game still goes over by a double digit margin! Just feel we have great value here because these teams are playing with so much confidence right now on the offensive end. 10* OVER 135 in Connecticut

CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 149.5 in Illinois-Chicago Flames vs Stonehill Skyhawks @ 4 ET in Bronx, NY as part of the Tom Konchalski Classic - I know many of you may not have heard of Stonehill but they are in the Northeast Conference. That is the conference that sent Bryant to the Big Dance last season where they lost to Wright State (another Horizon League team just like the UIC Flames) in the First Four. The key here with the Skyhawks is they give up a ton of points and we successfully used an over involving Illinois-Chicago over the weekend on Saturday and I like our chances at another success here. This total actually opened up at 151 and dropped a little so I like fading the early move. Note that the Skyhawks have allowed an average of 89 points per game in their 5 games this season! Stonehill has averaged 83.5 points per game scoring in their last 4 games. UIC is off a 79-65 to Fordham so they will want to respond here. Illinois-Chicago entered that one having scored 71 ppg 1st 3 games. They have now allowed 70 ppg last 3 games. This total may seem too high given those numbers but look again at how Stonehill plays. Now consider that UIC is off a loss and is the better team in this match-up. You can see why this game has a great shot not only at 150s or 160s but even 170s given the above numbers involving the Skyhawks coupled with the fact UIC will be happy to use their skilled edges in the transition game to win this one. 10* OVER 149.5 in Illinois-Chicago

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 147.5 in Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Murray State Racers in Myrtle Beach Invitational in Conway, SC @ 10:30 AM ET - Both teams off losses that failed to go over the total. This is a consolation game in this tournament and there is little incentive to play strong defense. Murray State gives up a lot of shots so teams realize they can "race" against the Racers and get plenty of good looks. Other than a game against over-matched Lindsey Wilson, Murray State has allowed more than 70+ field goal attempts in each of their other 3 games. The Racers are scoring an average of 79 points per game this season but in those 3 games I just mentioned, they allowed an average of 80 points per game. Tulsa had scored an average of 80 points per game first three games this season before the tight loss to Charlotte failed to follow the prior high-scoring pattern. Look for the Golden Hurricane and for Murray State to simply play out a fast-paced entertaining game here and I do like the fact that Racers allow a lot of shots and Tulsa shoots a lot of threes. The Golden Hurricane are knocking down 42% from downtown this season and will score plenty here but Murray State answers them bucket for bucket in a wild one here. 10* OVER 147.5 in Tulsa

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 138.5 in Fordham Rams vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 5 ET - The Rams were known for defense last season but they really focused in this off-season on how they would increase scoring in the new year. They want to play faster and score a lot more. Yes, they did not fare well when over-matched against a ranked Arkansas team from the SEC. However, in their other games they averaged 83.5 ppg. Also, they are allowing 70 ppg this season. They take on a Flames team that is averaging 71 ppg on the season season. I see this one pushing well into the 140s as this is the first road game of the season for UIC and I see them getting pulled into a track meet in this one as the Rams want to play at the faster pace and this will force the scoring of Illinois-Chicago here. 10* OVER 138.5 in Fordham

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 132.5 in George Mason Patriots vs Boston College Eagles @ 8 ET in Paradise Jam in St Thomas, VI - This one takes place in the tourney in the Virgin Islands. The Eagles got back DeMarr Langford, their 2nd leading scorer from last season, in their most recent game. Though Boston College was done in by poor shooting in the upset loss to Maine, the game still totaled 133 points and I am certainly expecting at least that here with much better shooting. The Eagles will be hungry off the upset loss and push the tempo here after losing to the Black Bears. The Patriots enter this game having averaged 78 points per game last two games so George Mason certainly has plenty of confidence entering this match-up. Though the Patriots allowed only 56 points to American University, those Eagles shot very poorly just like the Eagles of BC did against Maine. The point is that the pacing was there for a higher-scoring game. So pace plus better shooting plus a situational factor with Boston College off a loss should translate to a much higher scoring game here. Take advantage of the low total. 10* OVER 132.5 in George Mason

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 144.5 or 145.5 in Detroit Mercy Titans vs Ohio University Bobcats @ 7 ET - We lost an over with Detroit when they faced Boston College and the game was 62-60 with 8 minutes to go and then it was 64-60 with 2 minutes to go. Yes there were only 2 points scored in 6 minutes of play in what could go down as the bad beat of the year when it comes to totals losses in CBB as that one ended up just short. Now we get payback here as the Titans will score just fine at home in this one and have averaged 79.5 ppg so far this season while the Bobcats have no hesitation in getting involved in a high-scoring contest. Ohio University has averaged scoring 75 points per game this season but also allowed 70 points in each game. The Bobcats are shooting very well from three point land early this season and Mercy will push the tempo in this game. 10* OVER 144.5 or 145.5 in Detroit

CBB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 138 in St Joseph's Hawks vs Lafayette Leopards @ 7 ET - This follows the pattern of other recent totals plays that it is all about pace. Lafayette wants to run and gun and the situation is perfect for that here because St Joseph's is off a loss versus a very good Houston team. Having lost to a highly ranked team and scoring only 55 points, the Hawks will take advantage of taking a big step down in class to face Lafayette. The Leopards will be willing to play fast because that is the system they play in now. They should knock down a lot more shots here than they did against Miami in the season opener and they did score 68 against St John's in their next game but allowed 83 points to the Red Storm. That is the type of result I am looking for here as well. The Leopards will get their points but they will not be able to stop the Hawks especially since they are coming off an ugly loss entering this one. 10* OVER 138 in St Joseph's

NCAAB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 143.5 in Cincinnati Bearcats vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels @ Noon ET - The Colonels want to play fast and, with their revamped roster, they will be able to do just that. The Bearcats were not happy the way their offense stagnated late in the season. They have a solid backcourt so they will be able to fully focus on improving that stagnation this season and the better production should be seen immediately. Cincinnati is averaging 83.5 ppg this season. Eastern Kentucky went crazy with points in their first game this season but that was against a completely over-matched opponent. Their 2nd game they scored only 60 but the Colonels had an off-shooting night. It was horrible as it 33% from the field and 8 of 17 from the free throw line! Eastern Kentucky took 62 shots so the proper pace for an over was there and it will be here again for this one and the Bearcats will run and gun right along with them as they are favored by about 18 points for a reason. The Colonels shot just fine in their first game including from the free throw line and from downtown so it was not just about easy buckets inside and they will bounce back after then struggling against the Hilltoppers. 10* OVER 143.5 in Cincinnati

NCAAB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 144/144.5 in Georgetown Hoyas vs Green Bay Phoenix @ 11 AM ET - I wanted to wait some to see if this total would come down some and sure enough it has. I know the Phoenix did not score well in their first game but they allowed 80 and will score much better here against a Hoyas team that is known for giving up a ton of points. I know Georgetown's first game went into OT but, even taking that out of the equation, the game was 83-83 before it went to OT! Keep in mind that was against Coppin State too. This match-up features two teams off very bad seasons and they each have a lot of transfers in. That can make a game play out more like a pick-up basketball game than a structured hoops match-up. That said, I am looking for a ton of points here. Green Bay has to shoot better than they did in first game but the Hoyas will continue to run and gun and also, along the way, will continue to forget about playing much defense too! So let's take advantage of the downward line move on this total. 10* OVER 144/144.5 in Georgetown

CBB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 139 in Boston College Eagles vs Detroit Mercy Titans @ 1 ET - The Eagles first game totaled 156 points and it was no fluke. Boston College and Cornell University combined to make just 17 of 53 threes and both shot poorly from the free throw line yet the game still flew over the total. Why? Well the pace was there and that is a key with hoops totals and I expect another fast paced game here. Detroit comes to Chestnut Hill with added confidence after they scored 93 points in winning the first game of the season. Yes, they played Rochester University so they were supposed to win handily but, to put up 93 points is big for the Titans confidence. Keep in mind Antoine Davis is back for Mercy and he is a tough match-up and an elite scorer. He'll get his points for the Titans here and takes so much focus that it opens up the scoring for others on the floor. So this game should fly over the total. 10* OVER 139 in Boston College 

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 140 in Purdue Boilermakers vs Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers @ 6:30 ET - How will UW-Milwaukee play with a new head coach? Fast and firing up 3-pointers and willingness to press on defense. How will this effect the Panthers. We already got a taste of this in their first game. Yes it was against Milwaukee School of Engineering in an Exhibition if you will but last year UW-Milw won it by a count of 69-63. This year they won it in a rout and topped the century mark. Now of course the Panthers will now being scoring huge points against Purdue but their willingness to press on defense, fire up threes, and play a fast pace means they should get into the 60s here and, keep in mind, the Boilermakers are a 27-point favorite for a reason! So I look for this one to play out at a fast pace and with a margin getting to the 20 to 30 point range that means no pressure and guys can fire up 3's and play fast which is exactly what coach Bart Lundy wants. He is coming back to the area (previously was an assistant at Marquette) after a great run at a division II School. Queens College (Charlotte, NC) had 7 Div II NCAA Tourney appearances during his 9 seasons there and last season they averaged 85.5 points per game. Again, the pace the Panthers will play with will be fast and Purdue's concern heading into the season is their backcourt so the pressure D could result in turnovers and points in the transition game. Of course Purdue is the much better team and the Boilermakers frontcourt will dominate this game. The end result, in my opinion, is plenty of points here! 10* OVER 140 in Purdue

CBB Earliest Cash Monday 10* Top Play OVER 137.5 in South Alabama Jaguars vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers @ 8 ET - This is a rare set up in a semi-final game of a non-conference post-season match-up. I say that because these two teams are each from the Sun Belt Conference but managed to win out so far in this tourney and now meet with a chance to go to The Basketball Classic Championship Game. No team ever wants their season to end but this is particularly true when that game comes against a foe from the same conference. That said, no matter who is up late in this game there is likely to be late fouling and a huge effort for desperation points if needed to keep the season going. This is particularly true because each team knows the other is certainly not exceptional at the free throw line. Putting the opponent on the line late will likely allow the trailing team to get back in the game. With all of that said, I like the over quite a lot in this one in what should be a back and forth power struggle. Keep in mind these teams have met 5 times since January of last year so this will be their 6th game in 15 months. None of those games have totaled less than 136 points. The posted total on this one is currently 137.5 which means we are likely "right there" for the win in this one late given the recent history between these teams. I just don't see this one falling short of the 140s given all of the above and, in fact, the last 5 meetings have totaled an average of 141 points. Jags averaging 75 points last 3 games. CC averaging 72 points last 8 games. 75-72 S Ala win would put this right at the current number of -3 on this game and also would put this game about 10 points over the posted total. I am expecting this game to get to at least upper 140s. 10* OVER 137.5 in South Alabama

NCAA Total of the Week Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 142.5 in Auburn Tigers vs Miami Hurricanes @ 7:45 ET - The Tigers one of the best teams in the country and just 1 under last 5 times they have been a favorite. Auburn has scored 80 or more in 3 of last 4. Miami will struggle to try to slow down the Tigers and will be forced to score well in this game to keep up. The Hurricanes are off an under but this followed overs in 6 of last 7 games. The Canes off a 68-66 win over USC but this followed scoring an average of 75.4 points the 10 games leading into that one. 10* OVER 142.5 in Auburn

NCAA Top Total Friday 9* Top Play OVER 156.5 in Arizona Wildcats vs Wright State Raiders @ 7:27 ET - The Wildcats have had a huge season and will pile up the points. Arizona's last 10 wins have seen them average 86.7 points per victory. Keep in mind, those victories were against tough Pac-12 competition. Now the Cats can take advantage of facing a weaker foe in Wright State. The Raiders will not be able to slow down Arizona but, at the same time, I do expect they will score well also. Wright State has won 6 straight games and have scored an average of 79.5 points per game. I am looking for a 95 to 75 type game here and that puts this one in the 170 range. 9* OVER 156.5 in Arizona 

CBB ESPN Smash Pass Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Akron Zips vs Kent State Golden Flashes @ 7:30 ET - I understand the under trending in this series as well as the fact each of these teams comes into this game trending to the under. However, this total seems too low as it has dropped into the 123.5 range as of early Saturday morning. The Zips and Golden Flashes last 4 meetings all stayed under the total. However, 3 of those 4 unders totaled at least 128 points! Also, Akron enters this game having scored 70 or more points in 5 of last 6 games! Kent State enters this game having won 14 games in a row and they scored 70 or more points in 11 of 14 games. Keep in mind, we are talking 70 points! If each team just gets to 60 we have a shot at winning this play and I feel strongly that the winning team is going to score at least 70 in this one and, as a result, this one should fly over the total. I lost here with the over in Akron's game yesterday but sure felt like it should have got there for us. This one will not let us down and we get immediate payback. 10* OVER the total in MAC Championship

CBB MAC Total of the Month Friday 10* Top Play OVER in Toledo Rockets vs Akron Zips @ 5 ET - This total opened up in the 141 range and has dropped to the 138 range. We have excellent line value here because the over is 4-0 in last 4 meetings between these teams but each team is coming off a game which stayed just under the total yesterday. Each of last 3 Zips games have stayed under the total and 5 of last 7 Rockets games have stayed under the total. However, when Toledo and Akron meet the results have been nuts including 160 points scored in the meeting earlier this season. Also, before back to back lower-scoring wins, the Zips had averaged 84 points last 3 wins. Overall they have won 6 straight and are feeling it right now! As for the Rockets, they are averaging 81.2 ppg on the season and enter this game red hot with wins in 6 straight and 17 of last 19 games. Plenty of points in another great battle between these two on Friday in the MAC Tourney. 10* OVER

CBB ACC Total of the Year Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 134.5 in Louisville Cardinals vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 7 ET - Not including OT points, the Yellow Jackets have allowed 71 points per game their last dozen games - a 3-9 stretch. The Cardinals have allowed 75 points per game their last dozen games - a 1-11 stretch. So this match-up features a pair of struggling teams but a lot of their struggles have been due to ineptitude on the defensive end of the floor. With mid-140s a very reasonable total of points to expect here given the above coupled with the fact this posted total is only in the mid-130s we have excellent line value here in this ACC Tourney match-up. 10* OVER 134.5 in Louisville 

CBB CAA Total of the Month Monday 10* Top Play OVER 137.5 in Towson Tigers vs Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens @ 6 ET - Total dropped from opener after both these teams involved in low-scoring grinding wins yesterday. Also, both meetings between these teams in regular season were also grinders as well. So, of course, that means odds makers blew it with the high total set on this game, right? You know how I feel about odds makers being "off the mark" as usually their numbers are the best around. So, we'll take advantage of the added line value here as the markets are a bit fooled on this one and it is actually going to prove to be high-scoring with a good pace just as the odds makers are projecting here. Both these teams have averaged scoring in the mid-70s this season and this one should fly over the total in this neutral-site meeting in the CAA Tourney. 10* OVER 137.5 in Towson

CBB Daytime Dominator Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 123 in Temple Owls vs South Florida Bulls @ 2 ET - The last time these teams met the game totaled only 101 points in a ridiculous display of shooting ineptitude. That will not be repeated here and I am taking advantage of the low total here. The Owls have allowed at least 70 points in 5 of 6 games since the tight 52-49 loss at South Florida last month. In fact, in those 5 Temple games, the Owls allowed an average of 79 points! The Bulls come in to this one having allowed 64 points or more in 7 of 8 games since the win over Temple. USF allowed an average of 70 points per game in those 7 games. This game is going to have much stronger flow and much better shooting than the first meeting and I am taking advantage of the low total here. The last two times these teams met away from South Florida, each game flew over the total and this one will too. 10* OVER 123 in Temple

CBB AAC Total of the Year Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 140.5 in SMU Mustangs vs Cincinnati Bearcats @ 7 ET - This is a chance for both teams to have huge breakout games offensively after each team was stifled in their most recent game because they faced league-leading Houston. Keep in mind, the Bearcats are still on a 6-3 run to the over which included a recent 5 game stretch in which they scored an average of 75.4 points per game. After a string of match-ups that were defensive-minded grinders this one will be a much more wide-open affair. SMU is a high-quality team hungry to bounce back after the disappointing result versus the Cougars. The Mustangs have scored an average of 78.8 points per game at home this season and they are favored by 7.5 here. That put this game at a 79 to 72 estimated final which totals 10 points above the current posted total on this game. I feel we have good value with both teams coming off games in which they were held to 61 or less points. 10* OVER 140.5 in SMU

CBB A-10 Total of the Month Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 141.5 in Massachusetts Minutemen vs Fordham Rams @ 7 ET - This match-up flew over the total Sunday even though Darius Quisenberry, star guard for Fordham, returned to action with a surprisingly poor shooting performance. Look for him to be much stronger in his second game back. Quisenberry is the leading scorer for the Rams but he scored just 8 points in Sunday's win and the rest of the team piled up 77 on UMass. Now this is the home finale for UMass and I love the fact they scored 73 points in Sunday's loss even though they shot a putrid 6 of 29 from three point land. The Minutemen will be much better on their home floor this evening but again will struggle to stop a Rams team rejuvenated by the return of Quisenberry. Look for good pace to this contest just like we saw in Sunday's game. 10* OVER 141.5 in Massachusetts

CBB Total of the Month Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 137.5 in Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 5 ET - The over is 4-0 in last 4 meetings between these teams. Notre Dame enters this game on a 4-0 run to the over. Look for a free-flowing game here as one of the best teams in the ACC takes on one of the worst. The Yellow Jackets susceptible to allowing a ton of points in this one but look for them to score well as Notre Dame has no reason to be overly intense on defense here. By the way, the Irish have scored an average of 79 points last 4 games and that does not include OT points. At the same time, the Fighting Irish have allowed 78 points last 3 games and again this is not including overtime points. Notre Dame has won 16 of 19 games and can roll to another easy win here and I expect a good pace as neither team has anything to lose really. Georgia Tech is muddling near the bottom of the ACC and the Fighting Irish don't need to play lockdown D here to roll to a comfortable win. The hosts are a double digit favorite for a reason. Given all of the above stats and the situation an 80-70 final sounds about right in this one and that puts it well above the posted total. 10* OVER 137.5 in Notre Dame

CBB Contrarian Crusher Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 141 in Creighton Bluejays vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 3 ET - The Bluejays averaging 76 points last 4 games against Marquette. The Golden Eagles enter this game on a 3-1 run to the over with their last 4 games averaging 78 points per game. Given these numbers you can see why I would not be surprised to see this one get into the 150s and I am expecting at least 140s in this game. Creighton is building confidence right with 3 straight wins and scoring an average of 80 points per game in those contests. Look for an entertaining affair between these teams Sunday afternoon as both teams are okay with an uptempo game and the pacing and scoring confidence of these teams (based on recent trending) indicates a high-scoring game is likely here. 10* OVER 141 in Creighton

CBB Big East Total of the Year Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 142.5 in Villanova Wildcats vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 5 ET - The over is 3-0 in last 3 meetings between these teams. Villanova games have gone over the total in 5 straight entering this one and it is the perfect situation for an over. The Wildcats are off a big win over a ranked Providence team and have a ranked Connecticut team on deck. The Cats will probably be willing to simply "run and gun" here with a Georgetown team that can't beat anybody these days. The Hoyas are on a horrific losing streak and it has a lot to do with a lack of attention to defense! Georgetown allowing 81 points last 6 games. Villanova allowing 75.4 points last 5 games. This one should play out a very entertaining pace and hot shooting for the Wildcats at home continues. 10* OVER 142.5 in Villanova

CBB Situational Slaughter CBB 10* Top Play OVER 135 in Detroit Mercy Titans vs Northern Kentucky Norse @ 7 ET - This total has dropped from the 140 range to the 135 range and I love the value here with the over. Detroit is finally back home where they have averaged 86.6 points per game this season. Northern Kentucky enters this game on a run of 5-1 to the over and they have scored an average of 76 points per game last 6 games. The Titans have hardly played any home games this season so this is huge for them and they have scored so well at home. From a situational standpoint, the Titans off a road loss in which they scored just 59 points and now being back home sets this one up perfectly for a high-scoring affair. 10* OVER 135 in Detroit

Rickenbach CBB Early Dominator Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 135.5 in NC-Wilmington Seahawks vs Towson Tigers @ 6 ET - Towson blew a double digit lead when they hosted NC-Wilmington earlier this season and that ended up forcing overtime and the Tigers went on to lose to the Seahawks in the extra session. That said, we have excellent line value here with this low total. Towson is the best team in the CAA but still are behind NC-Wilmington in the standings. That is why the Tigers are favored on the road here. What I love about the value here is that Towson will be relentless in this game no matter the score. In other words, if they get up big again (which I do expect) they will keep their foot on the gas and not let the game slip away from them late again. This is going to lead to a higher-scoring game here in my opinion. 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams went over the total. The Seahawks are on a 7-3 run to the over last 10 games. 10* OVER 135.5 in NC Wilmington

CBB A10 Total of the Year Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 139.5 in St Joseph's Hawks vs George Mason Patriots @ 7 ET - Some key statistical edges in this one point to this total being too low. First off, the Hawks are averaging 73 points per game this season. Note that the Patriots opened up as a 2 point road favorite here for a reason. In other words the projection here would be 75-73 final based on those numbers and that puts this total in the 148 range. Also, George Mason is knocking down 38.5% of threes on the road this season and St Joseph's hitting 36.8% of threes at home this season. The Hawks have scored more than 70 in 9 of last 11 home games. They consistently get to at least the 70 mark when they are hosting and, again, Patriots are favored here so you can see why I am expecting 140s here. Additionally, the over is 6-3 last 9 George Mason games as they have been allowing a ton of points. Also, the Hawks have allowed 69 points or more in 5 of last 6 games with the lone exception being an OT game which was 60-60 at end of regulation. This one flies over the total. 10* OVER 139.5 in St Joseph's

CBB MAC Total of the Month Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 128 in Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips @ 6 ET - This total has dropped about 3 points from its opener and, while I do understand the line move, it has led to more value here for us with the over. Yes, these are two slower-paced teams. However, this also is a game comprised of two teams with rather sub-par defenses. The Broncos allowing 76 points per game this season. The Zips allowing 36% from three point land on the season. Western Michigan finally ended a long losing streak with a 77-63 win over Central Michigan Saturday and I look for that to give the Broncos a boost of confidence heading into this match-up with Akron. The Zips have averaged 69.4 points per game last 5 games and 4 of those 5 games totaled 130 points or more. Look for this to reach at least that mark as well. 10* OVER 128 in Western Michigan

CBB Daytime Dominator Monday 9* Top Play OVER 140 in NC-Wilmington Seahawks vs William & Mary Tribe @ 2 ET - Neither one of these teams is very good defensively as evidenced by their field goal percentage defense both inside and outside the arc. Also, William & Mary has allowed 80 points per game game last 4 games. NC-Wilmington has allowed 75 points per game last 4 games. I know the teams shot ridiculously high percentages when they met a little over a week ago and that is why the game totaled 162 points. However, even with lesser shooting percentages but a good pace in this one, it should get well into the 140s and I will grab the value here as neither team has impressed defensively of late. 9* OVER 140 in NC-Wilmington

CBB Daytime Dominator Sunday 9* Top Play OVER 147 in Purdue Boilermakers vs Maryland Terrapins @ 1 ET - The Terrapins are off a 110 to 82 loss and that was even at home! Now Maryland is on the road and facing a Purdue team that is angry off an 82-56 loss at Michigan. The Boilermakers will bounce back and pile up the points here as they also have revenge from a loss at Maryland last season. The Terrapins are 7-2 to the over in road games this season and the Boilermakers were on a 10-2 run to the over before their game against the Wolverines stayed under the total. 9* OVER 147 in Purdue

CBB ESPN Smash Pass Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 122.5 in Virginia Cavaliers vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 4 ET - One can understand the low total posted here when you consider the long-term with Virginia basketball. However, a big key to the Cavaliers having won 3 straight and 5 of 7 has been their offensive production and the over is on a 6-1 run L7 Cavs games. Virginia has scored an average of 66.4 ppg in this 7-game stretch. The Yellow Jackets have allowed an average of 75.3 ppg their last 8 games against Division I opponents. Georgia Tech has averaged scoring 70.5 points last 4 road games. Don't be surprised when this one gets into the 130s. The Yellow Jackets don't have good defensive numbers and the Cavaliers are allowing higher shooting percentages than usual this season. Yes, the Cavs like to play a slow-tempo game but the way these two teams are going right now I fully expect another over in this one. 10* OVER 122.5 in Virginia

CBB Earliest Cash Friday 10* Top Play OVER 146.5 in Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers vs Wright State Raiders @ 7 ET - The Panthers just got held to only 39 points on their home floor in their most recent game! You know what is coming here from UW-Milwaukee after a game like that. Even though they will respond on the offensive end here, this Panthers team has allowed 76 points per game last 7 games. I am looking for a shootout here as a result as the Raiders come into this one having won 4 straight games and averaging 80 points per game during the win streak. Wright State has averaged scoring 79 points last 6 road games. The over is 4-0 in last 4 meetings between these teams and I look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER 146.5 in Wisconsin-Milwaukee

CBB Earliest Cash Thursday 9* Top Play OVER 136.5 in Towson Tigers vs William & Mary Tribe @ 5 ET - This game is off the radar of most sports bettors and I feel that is why we are getting such a good value here. Towson is one of the best teams in the CAA and William & Mary is one of the worst which is why the spread on this game is 18. Where the value lies in my opinion is with the total. The last time these teams met the Tigers won 91-69 even though they were on the road for that one earlier this season! The Tribe enter this game having allowed 88 points per game their last two games even though they were at home! Towson is off an ugly low-scoring road loss in most recent game and that means they will not hold back and should score a pile of points here. Keep in mind, prior to that road loss the Tigers were on a 9-game stretch that saw them win 8 of 9 games. Towson, taking out the few clunkers in the bunch, averaged 78 points scored in the other 6 games and now they take on a team that is one of the worst in the league. That means the Tigers should get to 80+ easily and if the 18 point spread is right (which so often these numbers are good) that means this one flies over the total. 10* OVER 136.5 in Towson

CBB Daytime Dominator Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 148.5 in Iowa Hawkeyes vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 4:30 ET - Iowa fired up off B2B losses and an overall unacceptable stretch that has seen them lose 4 of last 7 games. The Hawkeyes will respond in a huge way here at home in this game. Iowa has averaged 88.8 points per game at home this season. Minnesota is averaging 69.9 points per game on the road this season. The Golden Gophers have endured a 1-7 stretch that has seen them allow 74.4 points per game. Now they face a team capable of hanging 90 points on them and I see an incredible tempo to this game as the Hawkeyes are itching for that huge big home win to get them back on track. This is the perfect spot for it and Minnesota has the talent to hang around within about 10 or 12 in this game and that should send this soaring over the total. 10* OVER 148.5 in Iowa