CBB Big Ten Total of the Year Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 129.5 in Wisconsin Badgers vs Penn State Nittany Lions @ 6 ET - The Nittany Lions are off an upset win versus Iowa and that game was not as high-scoring as it appears because it did go to overtime. However, the 132 points in regulation would have been enough in terms of comparing to the number posted on this match-up for Penn State at Wisconsin. I am well aware of the fact that the Nittany Lions have often struggled to score well on the road this season. However, the win over the Hawkeyes is a big confidence boosting win for this team. Also, Greg Lee is off a strong game at the forward position and the frontcourt of Lee, Seth Lundy and John Harrar can produce solid interior offense for PSU in this one. Wisconsin used to be known for defensive low-scoring grinders but the situation has been much different this season. The Badgers are allowing 67 points per game and 44% shooting from the field! The over is 8-2 in Wisconsin's last 10 games and they do average 75.4 ppg at home. If you consider that number plus the 8.5 point spread in this game you are looking at a game getting into the low 140s and yet this number is hovering near 130. I feel we have excellent line value with the over here as the Badgers are hungry to bounce back at home after a disappointing road loss at Illinois. Wisconsin has averaged 78 ppg last 6 home games. Penn State has allowed 72 points per game in their 6 true road games this season and 75 points per game on the road if you remove the low-scoring grinder with Ohio State from the equation. This total just too low with Badgers poised for a big bounce back on their floor but dealing with a Nittany Lions team surging with confidence right now after beating Iowa. Penn State ready for a solid road performance and can hang around in this game which will push it over the total. 10* OVER 129.5 in Wisconsin

CBB Earliest Cash Friday 9* Top Play OVER 136.5 in Yale Bulldogs vs Dartmouth Big Green @ 5 ET - Sometimes Dartmouth gets involved in low-scoring grinders but I see Yale dictating the pace and flow of this game on their home floor. The Bulldogs struggled a bit in non-conference action but now are red hot in Ivy League action including knocking off Princeton in their most recent game. As for the Big Green, 4 of their last 6 games have totaled at least 139 points. Each of Dartmouth's 3 road games in Ivy League action have totaled at least 139 points and have actually averaged 145 points apiece! With each team off a big win (Big Green just won at Columbia) confidence riding high for these guard-heavy teams and I look for solid shooting and another high-scoring game. These teams are "feeling it" right now as Dartmouth had a string of tight losses before the win over the Lions and getting over the hump, even though against a weaker foe, was big for them heading into this match-up. Plenty of points here as Big Green do shoot well from 3-point land (even on the road) but also allow high shooting percentages. 9* OVER 136.5 in Yale

CBB CAA Total of the Year Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 141 in Delaware Fightin Blue Hens vs Drexel Dragons @ 6 ET - This total opened up in the 147 range and is now down to the 141 range as of game day morning. The odds makers that set this total must be clueless in terms of what they are doing, right? Of course not! Long-time followers know I love fading line moves like this when the situation is right. That's because the odds maker are some of the sharpest guys around and I respect their numbers. So take a closer look at this one and note that these teams combined for 158 points in their first meeting this season and no it did NOT go to overtime. The fact is both these teams have solid shooting stats this season. Both teams also tend to struggle on the defensive end. Drexel had one good game defensively against Elon two weeks ago but, in their other 7 games since early January the Dragons have allowed an average of 74.4 ppg. The Fightin Blue Hens have had 7 games since early January and, not including OT points, Delaware has allowed an average of 73.9 ppg. Looking at these numbers you can see why this total opened up closer to 150 than 140. Now, with huge value after the move, I am hammering the over in this Blue Hens match-up! 10* OVER 141 in Delaware

NCAAB Total of the Month Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 138 in Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 6:30 ET - When these teams met at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights scored 93 points and no the game did NOT go to overtime! Now the rematch is in Nebraska and the Cornhuskers like to play fast and they tend to score better at home. The Huskers even put up 65 in their loss to Wisconsin Thursday. The Badgers are known for solid defense. That said, I look for a breakout game offensively from Nebraska in this one but they again will struggle to stop Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are off a low-scoring loss to Maryland at home but they did have over 60 field goal attempts in the game but simply struggled to hit shots. Once again, the Knights will not have trouble scoring on this rather lackluster Huskers defense. Nebraska has allowed nearly 80 points per game this season. The line on this game is nearly a pick'em. Even if each team only gets to the 70 mark rather than 80 in this one we still have a winner. I feel we have excellent line value here on the Cornhuskers total in a game that is "off the radar" of most bettors! 10* OVER 138 in Nebraska

CBB PA Dominator Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 147 in LaSalle Explorers vs Massachusetts Minutemen @ 7 ET - This total opened up around 151 and already has dropped to as low as 147. Yes, LaSalle is off back to back low-scoring losses but that had to do with the match-ups they faced. Now the Explorers face a UMass team that is one of the worst teams around when it comes to defense. The one thing the Minutemen can do is shoot the ball well including from beyond the arc. They love to get quick threes off and have no hesitation in being willing to play a fast-paced game. Massachusetts has allowed 82 points per game last 6 games! The Explorers need a strong performance at home after being bottled up by Richmond and Rhode Island. UMass will provide the perfect opportunity for the hosts to get going again. The over is 4-0 in the meetings between these teams the past two seasons. More of the same here! 10* OVER 147 in LaSalle

CBB Earliest Cash Wednesday 9* Top Play OVER 133.5 in Tennessee Volunteers vs Florida Gators @ 6 ET - I am aware that Colin Castleton is still out for the Gators and he is Florida's leading scorer. However, he also led the team in rebounds and blocked shots. Guess what happens on the defensive end when you are without a guy like that? It is trouble for sure and now the Gators take on a ranked Tennessee team that will look to run them right out of the arena. However, Florida is still going to put up a fight here. Don't be surprised if they hang around in this game after getting knocked out of the SEC tourney by the Volunteers last March. This is their first meeting since and the guard-heavy Gators will do their best to hang around in this game in what will turn into a higher-scoring game than most expect. Florida does not have the interior defense to stop the Vols but, at the other end, the Gators will try to use quick guard play to keep the Tennessee defense on its heels. The result is a high-scoring game. 9* OVER 133.5 in Tennessee

CBB Big East Total of the Month Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 133 in Villanova Wildcats vs DePaul Blue Demons @ 7 ET - The total has been dropping on this one. I like the over as the Wildcats so strong at home and we are getting value here because the Blue Demons are off a low-scoring loss but this is a DePaul team that does get involved in high-scoring games quite often. The Blue Demons were on a 5-0 run to the over before back to back unders so now we get line value in this spot. Villanova averaging 79 points at home this season. DePaul is averaging 76 points this season. The Wildcats do play solid defense when needed but look for this to be a blowout win, as you can tell by the pointspread, and there will be less attention on the defensive end as a result. Each of the last 3 meetings between the teams, including one earlier this season, went over the total. Going further back, it is an incredible 17-6 run to the over in games involving these foes. 10* OVER 133 in Villanova

CBB Earliest Annihilation Monday 9* Top Play OVER 128.5 in Kennesaw State Owls vs Jacksonville Dolphins @ 5 ET - The Owls are off a loss and this season they have gone 4-0 and averaged 89.5 points per game! Yes some of those games were against weak competition but you can still see that Kennesaw has shown the way they respond to a loss is to push hard on the offensive end. I know Jacksonville, on the other hand, has a tendency to get involved in "grinders" as their games trend toward lower-scoring. However, the Owls are going to dictate the pace of this game on their home floor and the Dolphins will simply be forced to play up to that tempo. Both teams have high shooting percentages this season and couple that with a good pace this game should easily get into the 130s in my opinion. 9* OVER 128.5 in Kennesaw State

CBB Earliest Cash Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 126.5 in Providence vs Butler @ NOON ET - There is an old saying that if something is not broken do not try to fix it. Of course that makes a lot of sense and the point is that Providence has exploded for 83 points in each of their last two games. Both of those contests were at home just like this one is and the Friars are proving they can win faster-paced games too. I am well aware that in terms of pacing, both Providence and the Bulldogs are known for playing slower. However, even with that, Providence has scored at least 70 in each of their last 4 wins and those games saw the Friars average 76.5 points per game. The Bulldogs, though known for playing slower, have lost 3 straight games and allowed at least 75 points in each loss. In fact, the Bulldogs are 6-6 last dozen games and allowed more than 70 points in all 6 losses. Providence is about a 9 point favorite here. If they score at least 71 and the line is about right that puts this at 71-62 which is 133 points and we have a total in the 127 range. Good value here as the way the Friars have been going I expect this game to close to the 140 mark. Look for a 75-65 type game. 10* OVER 126.5 in Providence

CBB Total of the Week Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 134 in Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 2:30 ET - VCU is off B2B losses but now face a team they can dominate. The last two times they faced teams as a favorite in this price range was in their two games prior to the two game losing streak. The Rams averaged 84.5 ppg in two blowout victories. As for St Joseph's, yes they could get blown out here and they are a double digit dog for a reason. But the Hawks are off a 9 point win over George Washington and a win like that can go a long way toward building up some confidence again. Each of the Hawks last 3 road games have totaled at least 139 points. St Joseph's has allowed 75 points or more in 3 of last 4 road games. They have given up an average of 76.5 in last two games versus Rams. With VCU off B2B losses I just seem them completely taking advantage of a game they can run away with here and I expect a good pace and a ton of points as a result. 10* OVER 134 in Virginia Commonwealth

CBB Earliest Dominator Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 143 in Providence Friars vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 5 ET - The Friars have not played in almost two weeks. The Hoyas know their best chance to win this game is to come into Providence and try to run the Friars right out of the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Indeed, Georgetown likes to play at a fast pace and they could try to utilize that here to catch Providence a little flat-footed after the layoff. The problem for the Hoyas is they have a tendency to ignore defense. This is particularly true on the road where they are allowing 80 points per game. Georgetown is off rare B2B unders but this was preceded by a 5-0 run to the over and the Hoyas consistently allow big point totals. Providence is not known as a particularly high-scoring team but they have averaged 75 points as a host this season. The Friars scored 83 in most recent game and should get at least that here and they are a 10 point favorite here an 83-73 game puts this well over the posted total. I like our chances for solid winner here! 10* OVER 143 in Providence

CBB Earliest Cash Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 137.5 in Florida Gators vs Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - Both teams off wins. The Gators have scored 70 points or more in 4 of last 5 games and averaged 75 points in those 4 games. The Bulldogs off B2B wins and have won 6 of 7 games and scored at least 69 points in all 6 games. Mississippi State averaged 78.4 ppg in these 7 games. The posted total on this one is a little low in my opinion given the above. This is particularly true in a game which should be close enough late that we'll see some late fouling and late-game scramble points as a result. Gators averaging 74 points in home games this season and the Bulldogs have been hot and scoring well as you can see. Each of last two meetings between these teams has gone over the total and Mississippi State enters this game on a 5-0 run to the over! 10* OVER 137.5 in Florida

CBB Big Ten Total of the Month Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 136 in Michigan Wolverines vs Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Wolverines off ugly low-scoring loss but to a tough Illinois team and the over was on a 5-1 run in Michigan games heading into that one. Maryland is off an ugly low-scoring loss to Rutgers but the Terrapins entered that game having had only 1 under last 7 games. Both teams off games where they were held under 60 points. Both teams had been trending over prior to those disappointing losses. Also note that the last 4 meetings between these teams all were overs. It all adds up to a solid opportunity for an over based on situational factors. 10* OVER 136 in Michigan

CBB Blowout Rout Monday 10* Top Play OVER 130 in Southern Illinois Salukis vs Drake Bulldogs @ 8 ET - Double revenge spot for the Salukis as they lost both match-ups with the Bulldogs last season. Hard to trust Southern Illinois though here against a Drake team playing well this season. What I can trust is that we have good value with the low total posted on this one. 6 of last 8 Salukis games have totaled at least 130 points. Drake has won 6 of last 7 games and have scored 80 or more points in 4 of last 5 wins. 14 of the 17 Bulldogs games, not including OT points, have totaled more than the posted total on this game. Great value here in my opinion. 10* OVER 130 in Southern Illinois

CBB In the Zone Sunday Top Play 10* OVER 133 in Lehigh Mountain Hawks vs Loyola Maryland Greyhounds @ 6 ET - This total has moved lower than it should be in my opinion and we have excellent line value here as a result. The Greyhounds have won 4 straight and 9 of last 11 so they are playing with a lot of confidence. Loyola Maryland, and not including OT points, has had only 3 games out of last 10 that have totaled less than the posted total on this game. The odds are in our favor to top this total because Lehigh also playing with added confidence from winning 5 of last 6 games. No the Mountain Hawks are not a great team by any stretch of the imagination but winning games and now playing again at home here, it all adds up to confidence and a good pace of play. Lehigh has averaged 78.4 points scored per game in those 5 wins. 10* OVER 133 in Lehigh

CBB Total of the Week Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 121 in Iowa State Cyclones vs Texas Longhorns @ 2 ET - This total just too low and putting too much emphasis on the solid defensive numbers these teams have and not enough on their respectable production on offense. Both teams average 70 to 71 points per game and shoot 45 to 47 percent from the field. Also the history of this series shows 24-9 run to the over including 13-2 run to the over in games played at Iowa State. Yes some of that history is older history but the numbers impress nonetheless and looking at shorter term the over is 4-0 in last 4 meetings! I look for the Cyclones, off B2B losses following their grinder win over Texas Tech, to absolutely push a little harder here in this one and that means a better pace. They can't afford to just sit back in this one as they need a win. As for the Longhorns, they have scored 66 or more points in 5 of last 6 games. Texas helps push this game into the 130s the way my numbers see this playing out. 10* OVER 121 in Texas

CBB Earliest Cash Friday 10* Top Play OVER 161 in Ball State Cardinals vs Buffalo Bulls @ 6 ET - I know this is a big total but it is fully justified because both teams very comfortable playing at a high pace and the home team is a big dog for a reason here. The point is that the Cards can run and gun all they want because they think they have a shot on their home floor but the reality is this Buffalo team is just too much. So I look for the Bulls to win by the spread posted on this game - right around it so no play - but I expect the result to be a ton of points. Ball State has allowed 80 or more points in 5 of last 9 games. Buffalo is off a win in which they held their opponent to 64 points but this was preceded by the Bulls allowing 88 points or more in 3 straight games! Buffalo has scored at least 76 points in 6 of last 7 games. So they consistently score well but consistently allow a lot of points too. Ball State has scored an average of 84 points in their last 6 wins but allowed 83 points in their last 8 losses. Per the above you can see that no matter which way this game goes as to the side, we should see a ton of points and I look for a frenetic pace in this one. 10* OVER 161 in Ball State

CBB Earliest Cash Wednesday 10* Top Play UNDER 139.5 in Xavier Musketeers vs Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - Look for Xavier to be very focused on the defensive end here. Revenge game from a 71-58 loss at Villanova just two games back. Also, the only other time the Musketeers were off a loss this season they won their next 59-58 in a grinder. Now I know Xavier has played one game since the loss to the Wildcats but you get the point - the Musketeers know how to turn the heat up on defense when necessary. Speaking of turning up heat when on D, the Wildcats have allowed just 57.3 points per game last ten games. Look for a grinder in Cincinnati tonight. 10* UNDER 139.5 in Xavier

CBB CBS Sports Network Rout Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 144.5 in Towson Tigers vs Hofstra Pride @ 5 ET - Similarity to yesterday's play in CBB here I am fading a line move as this one went from upper 140s to mid 140s and I love the value here. Towson struggled on the defensive end last season and it has continued this season but the Tigers at least are shooting a little better this season. As for Hofstra, their head coach has been out on medical leave so they have a co-head coach now in Speedy Claxton. If you recognize the name he was a star for Hofstra back in the day plus he played in the NBA including winning a title with the Spurs in 2003. The key here is hat Hofstra has played like his name "Speedy" for the most part this season! That said, and even moreso after the line move in this one, we should have another solid totals winner here! The Pride are averaging 79.3 ppg this season! The Tigers are averaging 71.8 ppg this season and, other than an "outlier" result versus Navy, have allowed 71 ppg last 5 games and you know Hofstra will push the pace in this one. Towson has big game at Elon, knocked them out of CAA tourney by 20+ point margin last season, on deck. The Tigers could get caught looking ahead here and the Pride will be trying to run them right of their own arena in this one. The result is a ton of points. 10* OVER 144.5 in Towson

CBB Contrarian Crusher Monday 10* Top Play OVER 135 in Winthrop Eagles vs Campbell Fighting Camels @ 5 ET - I am aware that Campbell likes to play at a slower and more deliberate pace and they are highly functional based on strong offensive efficiency. However, the Fighting Camels are not going to march into Winthrop and dictate the game pace here. That said, the Eagles have scored well in all their games as a host this season expect for when they faced an SEC team. Winthrop was outclassed in that game but they are certainly not outclassed here against a Big South rival. That said, note that the Eagles have scored 78 points or more in all of their games as a host this season except the loss to an SEC foe. Also, last season Winthrop faced Campbell three times and went a perfect 3-0 and scored an average of 86 points per game! Considering the Fighting Camels returned the majority of their key scoring from last season and the Eagles, even with Prosser now as head coach, have been scoring well and will not allow this to turn into a grinder; I love the over in this match-up. The total dropped from upper 130s to mid 130s and that means even more value here. 10* OVER 135 in Winthrop

CBB Total of the Week Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 128 in Oklahoma Sooners vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 6 ET - This total just too low. It has been greatly impacted by the grinder of a win that the Cyclones just had over Texas Tech earlier this week. The Sooners will dictate the pace here at home and favored by 6.5 points with good reason. The point is that Oklahoma hosting Iowa State plays out much differently than the Cyclones hosting the Red Raiders and this total is just far too low. Note that the Sooners have scored 70 or more points in 11 of 14 games this season. The Cyclones had scored 68 or more points in 10 of 13 games this season before the low-scoring win over Texas Tech. This game has high odds of finishing in the upper 130s given those numbers and yet we're dealing with a total in the upper 120s. I'll take it! 10* OVER 128 in Oklahoma

CBB Daytime Dominator Friday 10* Top Play OVER 147.5 in Incarnate Word Cardinals vs Northwestern State Demons @ 2:30 ET - Both teams off losses in which they did not shoot well yesterday in tournament action in Katy, TX. As a result, the betting markets are attracted to the under in this match-up. However, both these teams are horrible defensively, allow opponents to play at a fast pace, and in a meaningless tournament game (both lost yesterday) that means it is unlikely we are going to see a sudden uptick in defensive performance here. Also, against fellow Division I schools, these teams both have consistently given up a ton of points all season long. Look for that trending to continue here and, as a result, this one flies over the total. 10* OVER 147.5 in Incarnate Word 

CBB Earliest Cash Monday 10* Top Play OVER 155.5 in The Citadel vs South Carolina State @ 5 ET - These teams just met a few ago and the game flew over the total and that is despite SC State making only 25% of threes and 33% from the field overall in that one. So how did it go over the total? Well, SC State took 78 shots from the field including 28 from beyond the arc. The fact is that both these teams are comfortable playing fast pace and we've seen some major point totals involving these teams. I expect more of the same in this one. The Citadel averaging 85.6 points per game this season. South Carolina State on a 4-2 run to the over and their last 7 games have seen them average 78 points per game! They are a double digit dog here. Given all of the above numbers you can see why I am projecting this game to get into the 160 to 170 range. 10* OVER 155.5 in The Citadel

CBB Early Crusher Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 142 in Georgetown Hoyas vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 2 ET - Both teams play at a good pace that is conducive to overs. The Horned Frogs have played 4 games away from home this season and NONE of the four resulted in an under! The Hoyas enter this game with their home games on a 5-0 run to the over. Georgetown does tend to score better at home and, with the way each of these teams has been trending, we should see plenty of scoring in this one. We have a manageable total to work with too. I will take it! 10* OVER 142 in Georgetown

CBB Afternoon Annihilation Friday 10* Top Play OVER 128.5 in Virginia Tech Hokies vs St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 4 ET in the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout in Charlotte, NC - Neutral site game for this tourney action and I like the over in this one. Yes, the Hokies have trended under of late but that has had a lot do with who they have faced and this total just seems far too low considering they are now facing the Bonnies and St Bonaventure is likely to get Kyle Lofton back for this one as he has been practicing this week. The over is 4-1 in the Bonnies last 5 games and Virginia Tech is knocking down 39% of their threes this season and St Bonaventure will force a decent pace in this game. The Bonnies are scoring an average of 74 points per game this season and the Hokies recent lower-scoring games had a lot to do with the opposition. That is merely serving to give us excellent line value here. 10* OVER 128.5 in Virginia Tech

CBB Total Dominator - 10* Top Play OVER 140 in Belmont Bruins vs Chattanooga Mocs @ 6 ET - Match-up features a Belmont team that came into the season projected to finish at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference and Chattanooga Mocs team that came into the season projected to finish at the top of the Southern Conference. These are two quality teams with a lot of confidence in the offensive end in terms of creating quality scoring opportunities on their possessions. Both teams averaging close to 80 points per game this season and I feel we have good value with the total on this one when you consider that both teams have been solid with high shooting percentages so far this season. 10* OVER 140 in Belmont

CBB Earliest Cash 10* Top Play OVER 139.5 in Louisville Cardinals vs Southeastern Louisiana Lions @ 6 ET - The Cardinals are off a home loss to DePaul in which they were held to just 55 points. Fired up off that defeat, you know Louisville is going to bring it in this one! The Cards are going to score a ton of points here as Southeastern Louisiana won't put up much resistance. The good news about the Lions is even though they come from the Southland Conference, they entered this season expected to be the top team in that conference. They are scoring 80.6 points per game so far this season and will not be intimidated about facing Louisville here. The problem is that they won't be able to stop the Cardinals. Based on the above I like the over plenty here but here is a statistical way to look at this one also. The Lions have scored at least 61 points in every game this season. The Cards are favored by about 23 points in this one. That puts the final around 84 to 61 even if Southeastern Louisiana just matches their season low in points scored. I am expecting even more that than given all of the above factors and am looking for a 90 to 65 type game. Should be a solid over as the Cardinals bounce back off the ugly home loss to the Blue Demons. 10* OVER 139.5 in Louisville

Earliest Rout Friday CBB 10* Top Play OVER 126 in Tennessee State Tigers vs IUPUI Jaguars @ 7 ET - The Jags are a different team this season under a new head coach and I am well aware of how low-scoring their games have been. However, this has resulted in line value in this spot as this total is far too low in my opinion. Keep in mind, Tennessee State is off a very low-scoring game and this has impacted this line. However, the Tigers first 6 games featured 5 that all totaled 149 or more points. Those 5 games averaged in the mid-150s and this total is in the mid-120s. Fully understand the low total based on how bad IUPUI has been on offense. But look for Tennessee State to dictate the tempo of this game and certainly the Jaguars can score a little better against a Tigers team that had given up 79 or more in 4 of first 6 games this season. IUPUI has allowed 73.5 points per game in their last two games. Will be more points than many are expected here and the Jaguars streak of unders to start this season comes to an end. 10* OVER 126 in Tennessee State

CBB Earliest Rout - 10* Top Play OVER 146.5 in Xavier Musketeers vs Ball State Cardinals @ 6:30 ET - This is a tough spot for the Musketeers and I expect their defensive intensity to be low in this game as a result. Xavier just got a hard-fought win at Oklahoma State Sunday and they have a huge rivalry game with Cincinnati on deck. Given this situation I just can not expect much from the Musketeers defensively in this game. As for the other end of the court however, they have now scored 70 points or more in 6 of last 7 games and have averaged 76.2 points per game in those 6 games. They will score even better than that in this one considering the style of play Ball State employs. The Cardinals last 4 games have all totaled 159 points or more! Ball State has allowed 85 points or more in 3 of last 4 games. Ball State has scored an average of 89 points last 3 games. Ideal set-up and match-up for a high-scoring game with very little tenacious defense in this one! 10* OVER 146.5 in Xavier

CBB Earliest Cash - 10* Top Play OVER 144 in Saint Joseph's Hawks vs Binghamton Bearcats @ 7 ET - I know this is a game a bit off the beaten path so to speak but I follow St Joe's rather closely as long-time followers know. As for Binghamton, they are in the America East Conference where they are projected to finish dead last this season. No team in the America East allowed more points per game than the Bearcats did last season. Binghamton can score very well though and has a new coach this season. Certainly still issues on defense as, other than when they faced a non-division I team, the Bearcats allowed an average of 73 points per game. That does not include OT points either. By the way, again not including OT, Binghamton is averaging 76.6 points per game. As for the Hawks, they are fine with a run and gun style of play as, other than when they faced a very tough USC defense, they have averaged 75.2 points per game this season. St Joe's is allowing 77.3 points per game last 4 games however and you can see why I am expecting a free-flowing non-conference match-up here with a ton of scoring. Neither one of these teams is known for focusing on defense! 10* OVER 144 in Saint Joseph's

CBB Early Dominator - 10* Top Play OVER 130.5 in Virginia Cavaliers vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - Virginia, year in and year out, is one of the best defensive teams in College Basketball. Trust me, the odds makers are well aware of this too. Yet we saw this line in the mid-130s as an opener and now it is down to the 130 range as of mid-morning Monday. I will grab the value on the other side of this move. Iowa is smart enough to know they have no chance if they let this game turn into a half-court defensive-minded struggle. I feel strongly that the Hawkeyes - averaging 97 points per game this season but against weak competition - are going to force the pace here. Iowa is going to look to get quick outside shots and/or quick points in transition and this is a team that has knocked down nearly 40% of its three pointers this season. Virginia is allowing 32% from three point land at home this season and not only is that not exactly spectacular, it also was against much weaker teams with lesser shooters than this Hawkeyes team has. At the same time, this will be the toughest team, by far, that Iowa has faced this season and the Cavs are going to score quite well here. The Cavaliers had an ugly game versus Houston not too long ago but that was the only rough performance in a 6-game stretch that saw them average 65 points per game in the 5 wins. So consider that average and the fact Iowa is going to force some tempo in this game. This should get into the 140s in my opinion. 10* OVER 130.5 in Virginia

CBB Philly Special - 10* Top Play OVER 139 in La Salle Explorers vs Villanova Wildcats @ 6 ET - The Wildcats ready to make amends for what happened against Purdue. The over is 4-1 in Villanova's games this season and their defense has not been what we are use to seeing from a typical Wildcats team. However, the Cats offense is phenomenal and averaging 82.6 points so far this season and will have no trouble against an over-matched Explorers team here. La Salle also can score well though and I feel the Wildcats will force a fast tempo here as they can't wait to "let loose" for a big win after what happened against he Boilermakers. That means we have a lot of line value here with this rather low total because I just don't see La Salle as being able to slow down Villanova. But also, the Wildcats will get such a huge lead in this game that there is no reason for intense focus on defense and the Explorers, as an example, had only 28 points in the first half of the last meeting between these teams but then scored 44 in the 2nd half and that game totaled 155 points. I feel we have good value with this low total as Nova will be pushing to score a ton of points here. 10* OVER 139 in La Salle

CBB Philly Special - 10* Top Play OVER 139 in Temple Owls vs Delaware Fightin Blue Hens @ 7 ET - The Owls are happy to be at home in Philly and will score plenty here. Temple has scored more than 70 in each of their two home games this season and one of those was against USC. Delaware has been very weak on defense early this season and certainly will not put up much resistance. The over is a perfect 6-0 in Fightin' Blue Hens games this season. Delaware has been shooting the ball very well early this season but can stop no one. The Owls are off a dominating win over an over-matched Elon team but Delaware will be much more of a test, hence the low line on this game in terms of the small spread. Prior to the win over Elon, Temple allowed 78 points per game over 3 prior games. With this total also moving down from low 140s to upper 130s, we have even more value to work with in this one. I'll take it. 10* OVER 139 in Temple

Total of the Week - CBB 10* Top Play OVER 145 in Georgetown Hoyas vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 9 ET in Anaheim, CA - Yesterday both these teams has games that stayed under the total but the Hoyas made just 4 of 20 from beyond the arc. The Hawks also shot poorly as they made just 6 of 31 from downtown. Georgetown faced San Diego State and St Joseph's faced USC. Even with facing tougher defensive teams yesterday the poor three point shooting was the difference maker. Now, these two teams that are certainly not known for defense are matched up and I expect a lot more points from each as a result. Both will shoot much better from 3-point land plus the overall flow of the game will be conducive to a high-scoring result as well. 10* OVER 145 in Georgetown

CBB Philly Special - 10* Top Play OVER 150 in St Joe's vs USC @ 9:30 ET (game played in Anaheim) - The Hawks can't stop anybody and have allowed 82.5 points per game now that they have stepped up to a little stronger competition last two games. St Joseph's does score well though as they are never afraid of playing at a fast pace and the Hawks have averaged 77 points per game last 3 games. The key here is USC can run and gun all over them but the Trojans also lost some length from last season's team that was so good defensively. So Southern Cal has allowed 71 points in 2 of their last 3 games but the Trojans also are averaging a stellar 85 points per game this season. Look for plenty of points in this one as it should play out with a lot of quick shots and plenty of points in transition too. 10* OVER 150 in St Joseph's

CBB Afternoon Annihilation - 10* OVER 123 in Houston - I fully understand the reputation of Houston and Butler as grinders when it comes to pace of play and looking to grind out victories in lower-scoring games. However, I feel this total has been adjusted too far low. Especially with Houston shooting the 3-ball well early this season and with Butler, off a rare down season in terms of offensive efficiency, likely to ratchet things right back up to normal this season. The Cougars are scoring an average of 72 points per game in regulation time of their games this season. The Bulldogs are averaging 66 points per game this season. This game is part of the Maui Invitational but it was moved to Las Vegas for this year due to covid effecting travel requirements for entry into  Hawaii. In this neutral site tourney action I am looking for strong outside shooting to carry both these teams and I expect it to be a close enough game late that we will get plenty of late points too based on one team fouling and the other jacking up quick threes to stay alive in the game. 10* OVER 123 in Houston

CBB Total of the Week - 10* Top Play OVER 136.5 in Marquette - This is a tourney game being played in South Carolina. Both St Bonaventure and Marquette are hot to start the season as they each have perfect SU records. The Bonnies have averaged 70 points in their 5 wins and the Golden Eagles have averaged 78 points in their 4 wins. I look for plenty of points here as Marquette's strength is certainly NOT defense but this team can score well and is going to challenge St Bonaventure. The over is 4-1 this season because the Golden Eagles have allowed 70 points or more in 4 of 5 games. Look for that trend to continue here as the Bonnies struggle to slow them down but also have plenty of success at the other end. I feel the Golden Eagles are going to force a good tempo with this game as they don't want St Bonaventure to be able to slow it down into a half-court grinder. 10* OVER 136.5 in Marquette

CBB TWD Top Play - 10* Top Play OVER 142.5 in Louisville - The Cardinals want to play faster this season on offense. They made some changes in terms of assistant coaches and strategy and that is why they are scoring well even though they have made only 30% of three this season. Louisville is off B2B overs and averaging 74 points per game and will take advantage of facing a team that is allowing high shooting percentages so far this season. Detroit is allowing 81 points per game and the over is 2-0 in their last two games also. They have some scoring talent and should score well here as, like the Cardinals, they are also due to start shooting better from outside. The key here is the pace and I except the hosts to really run and gun in this game based on their strategic initiative and that should make for a game that gets into the 150s. 10* OVER 142.5 in Louisville

TWD Top Play - CBB 10* OVER 135.5 in Indiana State - Yesterday the Sycamores allowed only 36 points to Old Dominion. Oklahoma is most definitely not Old Dominion. The shooting numbers for the Monarchs were absolutely atrocious from everywhere on the floor including only 11 of 24 free throws. That said, these Sooners are going to put up plenty of points on Indiana State and this game should fly over the total. Oklahoma is a double digit favorite for a reason and, keep in mind, the Sooners did allow 74 points in yesterday's win. The key for Oklahoma is their offense is averaging 84 points per game this season. By the way, Indiana State is averaging 79 points per game this season and lets not forget that in their first two games this season they allowed an average of 84.5 points per game. This one should fly over the total in this B2B tourney game situation for these clubs. Like the fact that we saw plenty of free throw attempts for the opponents in yesterday's games involving these teams as well. 10* OVER 135.5 in Indiana State

Philly Special - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #659 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 144.5 in St Joseph's Hawks vs Drexel Dragons @ 7 ET - Big match-up for bragging honors in the city as these two Philly rivals match up. I expect the result to be plenty of points. Yes Drexel's most recent game stayed under but that was at Syracuse so not a big surprise the Dragons did not score well there. Now they are matched up with a team that likes to play fast and they will play the same way as well and both teams have shot well early this season. Both teams having trouble defending the 3-point arc early this season too. 10* OVER 144.5 in St Joseph's

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #774 Thursday 10* Top Play UNDER 142.5 in Maryland Terrapins vs George Washington Colonials @ 6:30 ET - Though both teams are off season opening wins, I expect each to ready to dial up the defensive intensity here. Maryland ranked 3rd in the Big Ten for points allowed last season but then allowed 69 points to Quinnipiac in their season opener. The Terrapins will be tougher on defense here and now lets talk about George Washington. The Colonials know they must play solid defense if they want to hang around in this game and they are motivated to face a nearby big school in this one. Indeed these campuses are not that far apart but GW comes come the A-10 while the Terps, of course, are in the Big Ten. George Washington can not afford to play fast here and risk being blown out and I feel the Colonials will try to slow this one down a little and stay within striking distance for a possible 2nd half rally. It is their best hope and this will be a bit of a grinder and this total has climbed a little too high in my opinion. 10* UNDER 142.5 in Maryland

Earliest Dominator - CBB Rotation #801 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baylor Bears vs Houston Cougars @ 5:14 ET - All you hear talked about in this match-up is how strong these defenses are. However, Baylor has averaged 83 points per game this season and Houston has averaged 77 points per game this season. Something is going to have to give here and I think many will be surprised that there will be more scoring than expected. I know the Cougars are on a run of 3 straight unders but that had a lot to do with who they were playing. Previous to this, the over was on a 6-2 run in Houston games. Also, the over is on a 7-2 run in Baylor games and the Bears have scored at least 74 points in 8 of last 9 games. If they hit 74 again here and the odds makers are close with the 5 point spread than this game lands in the mid-140s. Indeed it does! 10* OVER the total in Baylor

#655 CBB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Cougars vs Oregon State Beavers @ 7:15 ET - We are getting a lower total than we should in my opinion. The number on this one has moved down from its opener too. The recent results for each of these teams have forced an over-reaction in the marketplace so lets take a closer look at this. The Beavers just faced a Loyola-Chicago team known for low-scoring games and that one still totaled 123 points. Prior to that low-scoring win - impressive that Oregon State scored 65 on a tough Ramblers defense - the Beavers had scored an average of 72.5 points per game their preceding 8 games. That does not include any OT points in the average and they scored at least 67 points in all 8 games. Oregon State is an 8 point dog in this game. Even if the Beavers scored only 65 like they did against Loyola that would still put this game in the upper 130s if the odds makers are correct about the Cougars being an 8 point favorite here (73-65 final using that example). Shifting focus to Houston for a minute, I am well aware they play solid defense but their overall point totals have been impacted by recent match-ups. The Cougars last two games were against the vaunted zone defense of Syracuse and a scrappy Rutgers team known for physicality and making teams really earn their points. So what happened prior to these two games? Houston won 8 straight games and scored at least 76 points in all but one of the wins! I am not saying this game will be high-scoring but the point is that it does not have to be high scoring to go over this low total. Given all of the above stats you can see why I am expecting this one to get closer to the 140 range and yet we're talking about a total posted in the upper 120s as of game day morning. I will take it! 10* OVER the total in Houston

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #611 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Richmond Spiders vs Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 6 ET - I am aware of the Spiders injury situation here but this was also the case heading into their game versus Toledo last week in this tourney. I successfully used Richmond in that one but here I am going with the over instead. The point is the Spiders can score just fine even though Golden is out and Francis might miss again but, the thing is, I do not trust their defense in this match-up. Richmond has allowed an average of 69 points per game this season as they allow a very high shooting percentage (46%) from the field. The under has cashed 5 straight times in Spiders games but 4 of the 5 totaled more than the total posted on this game! Value here as a result! Mississippi State has scored at least 71 points in 3 of its last 4 games. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in the Bulldogs last 5 games with another high-scoring game here. Mississippi State has allowed 76 points per game their last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Richmond

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #819 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Ohio Bobcats @ 6:10 ET - The Bobcats made it to this point for one key reason. Ohio University has a very explosive offense. Ohio enters this game having scored an average of 80 points per game on the season. This is even after their low-scoring upset win over Virginia to reach this point. Keep in mind, the Cavaliers are known for defense so that game was a battle of each team trying to impose their own style and Virginia, of course, would not run and gun with the Bobcats. However, Creighton absolutely will! The Bluejays have a high-scoring offense given the right match-up and this is one of those match-ups! Creighton if off 3-straight low-scoring games but this is still a team that has averaged 77 points per game on the season. Now in their 2nd game of this tournament, the Bluejays will shoot much better. That said, this should fly over the total as the Bobcats want to play up-tempo and will be ready for an explosive game after dealing with the frustration of facing the Cavaliers defense. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Big East Beast Top Total - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #767 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos @ 3:30 ET - As usual I am fading the masses here. This total opened up at a 140.5 and is now down to as low as a 137 as of early game day morning. I fully understand that Creighton is off back to back low-scoring games but, when this happened during the season the Bluejays responded with a big performance in the 3rd game. Look for that to be the case again here and note that the Gauchos can score right along with them. UCSB averaged 75 points this season while Creighton averaged 77 points per game this season. Both teams are strong from outside the arc and fire up plenty of threes. Cal Santa Barbara averaged 77.2 points per game in a 5-0 win streak to close out the season. The Bluejays, prior to a tough 2-game stretch offensively in the Big East tournament, averaged 90 points over 2 previous games. Look for this game to have a good pace with a lot of quick points in transition. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

ACC Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #727 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in North Carolina Tar Heels vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7:10 ET - I am well aware of the fact that Wisconsin plays solid defense and has been known for scoring troubles at the other end at times this season. However, North Carolina is going to force the tempo here. The Tar Heels do not want this game to turn into a half-court battle. Also, UNC can score plenty in transition and even at the risk of getting sloppy and seeing buckets going the other way. I simply do not see the Heels sitting back on their heels here! It will be full speed ahead and getting quick looks at the buckets including easy looks for their big men down low. The Badgers are a streaky shooting team and I see this is as being one of their better games. Why? Well UNC allowed 36% three pointers away from home this season. By the way, Wisconsin allowed 44.4% shooting from the field when away from Madison this season. Also, North Carolina allowed 69 points or more in 6 of their last 7 games. Their most recent game stayed under the total but the Tar Heels entered that game on a 6-2 run to the over. Also, the Badgers are off an under but this followed a 4-0 run to the over in Wisconsin games in which they allowed at least 73 points in all 4 games. Also, the Badgers ugly game against Iowa was preceded by a 5-game stretch in which they scored at least 68 in all 5 games. Look for each team to get to 70 here in a match-up that will surprise many in terms of the pace it is played at. 10* OVER the total in North Carolina

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #619 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - Not only did each of the Big East semi-final games involving these teams stay under the total, they did not even come close to going over. However, the Hoyas did allow 62 shots from the field to Seton Hall yesterday but the Pirates had a horrible shooting performance. As for the Bluejays game, they also took 62 shots but shot poorly and they faced a Connecticut team that also shot very poorly. Give some credit to the defensive play as well but this situation falls into the "I have seen this movie before" category! After a pair of low-scoring games yesterday, the betting markets are now backing the under here and yet we'll see much better shooting today and a great pace to this game. Like I said, I have seen situations like this in the past and this is so often how it ends up playing out. The posted total on the two games between these teams in each of the two regular season meetings was in the 150 to 152 range and now you have a total on this one dipping into the low 140s. This is a value spot. The last meeting between these teams totaled just 111 points which is also leading to line value here. The teams entered that game on a 3-0 run to the over in their meetings and had totaled at least 151 points in 4 consecutive meetings. By the way, Creighton had averaged 90 points per game in their 2 games immediately preceding yesterday's low-scoring win. As for Georgetown, they had averaged 72.4 points per game in their 5 games preceding yesterday's low scoring win. The Bluejays are favored by 9 points here and that puts this game in the 82-73 range or mid-150s which is well above where this total is now. Lets take advantage. 10* OVER the total in Big East Championship Game

Big East Beast Top Total - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #849 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Connecticut Huskies @ 9 ET - These teams are both on fire right now and I don't see that slowing down here. The Huskies have been a different team since James Bouknight came back. Connecticut enters this game on a 5-game winning streak and has averaged scoring 81.2 points per game during this win streak. Overall the Huskies have won 7 of 8 games and have averaged 80.6 points per game in the 7 wins. Now UConn faces a Creighton team which is off back to back wins in which they have averaged scoring 90 points per game. Also, the Bluejays have scored at least 77 points in each of their last 4 wins and that includes a victory over Villanova in which the Jays scored 86 points. I just don't see either team being stopped here today as they are both loaded with confidence right now in the offensive end and that means plenty of points from both teams. In regulation time of their two games this season they averaged only 136 points but the situation was different in terms of player health for those match-ups as well as just the way the teams were playing at the time. I like what I am seeing from both these teams right now and look for plenty of points in this one as a result. Already firing on all cylinders at MSG, more of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Big East Beast Top - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #697 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Blue Jays vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6 ET - I am well aware of the fact that this game is at Madison Square Garden and both Butler and Creighton do not score as well when they are away from home. I am also aware that we got some good fortune here yesterday when the Bulldogs game against Xavier went to overtime and that allowed that game to get over the total. However, lets look at some important facts here and why I am expecting yet another over involving these teams (I used the over in their Saturday match-up as a big play). The fact is that Creighton has scored quite well on the road in recent weeks other than a tough battle at Villanova - but who does not struggle with the Wildcats? That said, lets look at the Blue Jays other 5 road games since mid-January. Creighton has averaged 71.4 points per game in those 5 games. As for the Bulldogs, they are on a hot run of upset wins so they are surging with confidence. Butler has won 3 of its last 4 games and even though 2 of their last 3 games have been played away from home, the Bulldogs averaged 68.3 points per game in regulation time of those 3 games. Given those numbers and the fact that the Blue Jays are a double digit favorite here with good reason, you can see why I like the over in this match-up. The last meeting totaled 166 points and though the prior meeting this season was low-scoring, Creighton had an unusually poor shooting game in that one. The Blue Jays are again firing on all cylinders now and Butler is playing at a higher level thanks to all the recent upset wins boosting confidence. The result should be another high-scoring shootout here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Big East Beast Top - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #627 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6 ET - These teams met a little over two weeks ago and the game totaled a ridiculous 114 points. That is because the teams combined for a ridiculous 16% from three point land as they hit 8 of 50. That is not happening again here. These teams normally would have combined to hit at least 16 of the 50 and that would have put this game up to 138. I look for a high-scoring game to surprise some people here. Butler has scored 73 points in each of its last two games and the over is 5-2 in their last 7 games. Xavier is off back to back low-scoring games but this was preceded by a stretch of just 1 under in 5 games. The Musketeers scored an average of 73 points per game in those 5 games. Xavier also has allowed 78.5 points per game their last 4 games away from home. 4 of the last 5 meetings between these teams have stayed under the total including both this season but, as long-time followers know, I am a contrarian. This one goes over the total as look for a tight game late with plenty of extra free throws for the team in the lead and plenty of threes fired up for the team trailing. We have seen this play out before. A lot of late scramble points if needed but truly I think we'll see a lot more scoring early and more consistently throughout this game than many expect. Much better shooting expected here. I am aware of the injury situation for both teams but feel any disruption to the playing rotation will also just lead to more confusion defensively and actually just leads to even more points here including quick points in transition too. 10* OVER the total in Xavier

Horizon League Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #824 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland State Vikings (-) vs Oakland Golden Grizzlies @ 7 ET - I understand this total in terms of being rather low because we saw some crazy results yesterday in this tourney. It is tournament time and Oakland has a great long-term reputation in the Horizon League and knocked off Northern Kentucky last night. This is the "anything can happen" time of year when you see upsets in tournament action similar to the "on any given Sunday" mantra relating to the NFL. Here is the thing about that though. Lightning usually doesn't strike twice and the Golden Grizzlies just had their "anything can happen" moment last night. Oakland beat the Norse by double digits despite Northern Kentucky taking 11 more shots from the field and despite the Golden Grizzlies being putrid - 10 of 26 - from the free throw line! Oakland was fortunate is the point I am making as the Norse made just 33% from the field for the game and also were held to 23% from beyond the arc. None of those stats are likely to be repeated again here and the Vikings are the superior team. Cleveland State is 18-7 on the season while Oakland is 12-17. The Golden Grizzlies will shoot much better from the free throw line tonight but both teams are off deceiving performances in terms of points allowed and that is why I love the over here. The Norse scored just 58 points on Oakland but took 69 shots from the field! The UW-Milwaukee Panthers scored only 65 points on Cleveland State but also took 69 shots from the field. Wisconsin-Milwaukee made just 3 of 17 three pointers so that is what held them back. So both teams off unders last night but Cleveland State entered last night's game on a stretch of just 2 unders in 10 games! As for Oakland, they are 21-7 to the over this season and yesterday's under followed a stretch of 8 straight overs. Both the Golden Grizzlies and Vikings were fortunate in terms of points allowed last night. That will not be repeated tonight. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland State

Big 12 Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #747 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in TCU Horned Frogs vs Texas Longhorns @ 7 ET - The first meeting between these teams had a posted total of 141 and fell well under the total. So, with the odds makers again posting a 141 on the rematch, of course the betting markets treat it like some major mistake and have pounded the under early in this one. Now, at a 137 as of early game day morning, it is go time for us and we pull the trigger on the over in this one. Couple keys here. TCU shot just 36% from the field at Austin in the earlier match-up. That won't be repeated here. The Horned Frogs are shooting 45% in home games this season. Also, the Frogs are catching UT off back to back huge wins including a big rivalry victory at Oklahoma Thursday. As a result, the Longhorns level of defensive intensity in this one could absolutely be a few notches below where you would expect. That said, the Horns are scoring an average of 75 points per game this season and are unlikely to again hit just 28.6% of their threes in this one like they did in the first meeting! Also, Texas Christian University is averaging 70 points per game on their home floor this season and UT scored 70 points in the first meeting despite the rough shooting from beyond the arc. You can see why I am expecting this game to get to at least the mid-140s. By the way, Texas is off an under but has not recorded unders in back to back games in 2 months. 10* OVER the total in TCU

Big East Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #643 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Butler Bulldogs @ 5 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Bulldogs have not scored well on the road this season. However, I love the set up here and the corresponding line value. Butler is likely to shoot more and score better than you would expect here because they are off back to back upset wins over Seton Hall and Villanova. Facing a Bluejays team not known for defense (allowing 68 ppg at home) the Bulldogs will score enough here for us. The big key to the play though is a Creighton team known for huge games on the offensive end at home and that enters this game off back to back road losses at Xavier and Villanova. Now the Bluejays are back home where they are averaging 83 points per game this season. They are about a 13 point favorite here so if the odds makers are right about the spread and the Jays hit their average you are talking about an 83-70 type game. Now Butler is averaging only 60 points per game on the road so that would put this at a 73-60 type game. The reality? I am expecting more than that from each team based on the factors noted above and it should at least finish in between these projected totals and that would be 143 points. That is still a comfortable win for us and shows solid margin with this play. I expect the Bluejays to force a fast tempo in this one at home. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #859 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Bonaventure Bonnies vs Duquesne Dukes @ 11 AM ET - Long-time followers know I like contrarian plays. This total certainly fits the bill in that regard. Duquesne got a low-scoring win over Richmond yesterday to advance to this game. That one stayed under the total. St Bonaventure also is off a low-scoring game and it was a very ugly 55-52 loss to Dayton. That is going to bring out the best in the Bonnies here. Keep in mind the two regular season meetings between these teams averaged just 118 points totaled per game yet the odds makers opened this up at 131. Of course the total dropped from its opener. In typical contrarian fashion, I am going against the markets here. Note that the Bonnies entered their game against the Flyers off an 88-point outburst. Also note that Duquesne has averaged scoring 76 points per game their last 7 games. 10* OVER the total in St Bonaventure

A-10 Tourney TV Top - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #765 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in George Mason Patriots vs George Washington Colonials @ 5:30 ET - We are getting line value here as these teams just met and the total was posted in the low 140s and yet now we have a total in the mid-130s. The last meeting stayed under the total but that is because George Mason shot only 30.6% from the field! The Patriots dominated the offensive glass in that game and took 72 shots for the game but simply had "one of those nights" which is, of course, giving us line value here. The pace should again be there for an over but this time the teams should cash them in! George Mason's other 3 recent games have seen them score at least 77 points and actually average 82 points in those 3. I know George Washington has not scored well other than their first back in mid-February after a long layoff but the Colonials have averaged scoring 68 points per game in their last 3 meetings with the Patriots and they are an 8 point dog here. 76-68 sounds about right to me and that puts this game 10 points above the current total. I'll take it. 10* OVER the total in George Mason 

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #829 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Bonaventure Bonnies vs Dayton Flyers @ 5 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Bonnies have trended under recently as well as truly being an "under team" for the season. However, this total is far too low considering the opponent. Dayton is averaging 72 points per game on the road this season. The reason St Bonaventure has trended under this season is solid defense but they won't be able to totally shutdown this Flyers team that has some skilled scoring options. At the same time, the Bonnies are averaging 77 points per game on their home floor this season. Again, the under trend has certainly not been because St Bonaventure can't score well because they truly do score very well as a host. The Bonnies enter this game off an 88-point outburst versus George Washington and they have now averaged 82 points per game their last 4 home games. Dayton did have a recent 2-OT game on the road but even removing those points from the equation, the Flyers have averaged 73 points per game their last 4 road games. However, not including OT points, Dayton has also surrendered 76.5 points per game their last 4 road games. Their defensive play has been much better at home than on the road this season. The Flyers almost always get to the mid-60s in points scored and the Bonnies are favored by 7.5 points here for good reason. That said, I certainly see this total getting to at least the 140 mark and the 150 range would not be a total shock either given all of the above. 10* OVER the total in St Bonaventure

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #791 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Butler Bulldogs vs Villanova Wildcats @ Noon ET - The Wildcats have a much tougher game with Creighton on deck. Will their defensive focus be a little distracted here as a result? I absolutely believe that will prove to be the case here and, at the same time, Butler is off a tremendous effort on the defensive end that certainly will not be repeated here. The Bulldogs just held Seton Hall to 52 points but the Pirates are definitely not in the same class as these Wildcats. Also, the last 3 meetings between these teams each went over the total and the last 2 averaged 153 points per game! We have got a low total to work with here when you consider that Villanova is averaging 78 points per game this season. Yes, Butler is averaging only 65 points per game at home this season but the Wildcats are a double digit favorite for a reason. In other words could we see a 75-65 type game here? Absolutely! The Wildcats lost their last visit to Hinkle Fieldhouse so they won't take their foot off the gas in this one as they have been reminded of that defeat heading into this one. 10* OVER the total in Butler

Big East Beast Top Total - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #645 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Connecticut Huskies vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 2:30 ET - The first meeting between these teams stayed well under the total but look for the second one to play out much differently. Both teams enter off wins. Also, the Golden Eagles are now 3-1 to the over in their last 4 road games while the Huskies are 3-1 to the over in their last 4 home games. Additionally, Connecticut now has James Bouknight back and he is a big scorer for him. Marquette is averaging 70.8 points per game on the road and UConn is averaging 75.7 points per game at home. Don't be surprised when this game gets into the mid-140s. The Huskies are off back to back unders but those games were on the road and that stretch was preceded by a run of 6-1 to the over. That run resumes for them starting today at home. 10* OVER the total in Connecticut

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in James Madison Dukes vs Drexel Dragons @ 4 ET - Something going on here when you look at this total. It has been creeping up higher from its opener even though these teams totaled only 137 points when they met last month and that was the 5th straight under in this series. Also, James Madison's Matt Lewis is listed as questionable with a knee injury and yet still the total went higher. Part of the reason in my opinion is that both of these teams are coming off long layoffs. Drexel's is nearly 3 weeks and the Dukes is nearly 2 weeks. When teams have time off like this without games they tend to come out a little rusty and miss assignments on defense, don't switch properly in terms of defensive play, turn the ball over too often leading to quick transition points the other way. All those factors can lead to higher scoring games and are more common this season when two teams come into a game after long layoffs. So my opinion is that some sharp action is starting to come in on this total and it was already one that was on my radar for today. The Dukes have won 7 straight games and are favored to win this game at home for a reason. Note that James Madison has scored an average of 82 points per game in their last 11 wins! The Dragons have scored 73 points or more in 3 of their last 4 road games and will be in this game all the way. Getting this one to the 150 range can be expected as Drexel is hitting 48.6% from the field in road games this season and the Dukes are averaging 81.2 points per game at home this season. 10* OVER the total in James Madison

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #845 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Western Carolina Catamounts vs UNC Greensboro Spartans @ 5 ET - Top team in conference standings visiting the worst team. The best comparison we have for this and, by the way, UNC Greensboro does still need to win games to lock up the top spot, is when the Spartans recently faced Samford. The Bulldogs are having a very rough season just like the Catamounts are and Greensboro blasted them in each game and both totaled at least 150 points. Note that Western Carolina enters this game having allowed 79.1 points per game their last 10 games and that does not include the OT period in their loss at Chattanooga. That said, plenty of points expected here as the Spartans enter this game off a very rare poor shooting game that resulted in a tight, low-scoring 60-55 home win. On the road, UNC Greensboro has scored at least 71 points in 10 of 11 games. In fact, the Spartans have averaged 80.3 points per game in those 10 games. This game has the makings of an 80 to 70 type affair and UNC Greensboro highly motivated after losing their most recent road game plus coming off a dismal home effort that result in a win that did not even feel like a win. The Spartans now cut loose in this one and force the Catamounts to run and gun. 10* OVER the total in Western Carolina

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in George Washington Colonials vs Rhode Island Rams @ 11:30 AM ET - When a team hasn't played a game in 5 weeks they are going to come out sloppy, there will be turnovers, there will be missed switches on defense, and the result will be opportunities for a lot of points in transition. This total first opened up at a 143 and has since dropped to a 139.5 as of the night before this early game for Sunday. I like the value after the line move here. Don't be surprised if this game turns into a bit of a run and gun affair because the Rams will look to run the Colonials right out of their own building. That is why Rhode Island is a big favorite here and they will certainly not show any mercy nor take their foot off the gas. The Rams have scored at least 80 points in each of their last two meetings with George Washington. The Colonials enter this game allowing 75 points at home this season. Rhode Island enters this game allowing 72 points per game on the road this season. The Rams allow 60 shot attempts per game on the season and GW is allowing 62 shots per game when a host this season. In other words, this game will have a better pace than you might expect and it will have a bit more run and gun too as George Washington can't afford to sit back and constantly get into half-court sets. First game after 5 weeks off is going to see a lot more of just pure talent trying to take over and score the ball quickly. 10* OVER the total in George Washington

Horizon League Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #825 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Youngstown State Penguins vs IUPUI Jaguars @ 5 ET - Both of these teams struggle defensively. IUPUI is allowing 75 points per game and 49% shooting when on the road. Youngstown State allowing 46% shooting on the season including 35% from three point land. The threes should be flying for the road team in this one as the Jaguars are hitting 39% of their 3-pointers in road games this season! The over is 5-0 in the Jags last 5 games and on an overall 7-1 run their last 8 games. I don't see that slowing down here. The Penguins are off an under at home but that was preceded by just 2 of their 7 preceding home games staying under the total. The Pens last 4 lined home games have seen them average 75.8 points per game. IUPUI has averaged scoring 81 points per game their last 5 games and, again, all 5 of those went over the total. Last season's meetings between these teams both flew over the total and averaged 161.5 points per game. This one will likely get into that range as well. Look for another high-scoring shootout here. 10* OVER the total in Youngstown State

Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #739 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Wisconsin Badgers vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - The Badgers are known for low-scoring games generally speaking but the Hawkeyes are at the other end of the spectrum for sure. That said, and with this total dropping from the upper 140s to the mid 140s, I like the value with the over in this one. These teams have trended under in recent meetings but 3-point shooting has had a lot do with it. For example, in their most recent meeting they totaled 130 points but had they made a normal percentage of the threes they took in that game it would have totaled 151 points. Iowa enters this game having averaged 87.4 points per game and knocking down 39.6% of three pointers on the season. Wisconsin enters this game with some respectable numbers on offense in home games as they have averaged 73.5 points per game and knocked down 40.3% of three pointers as a host this season. Poor shooting both inside and outside the arc is why their most recent meeting totaled just 130 but don't be surprised if this one makes up for that. The Hawkeyes have averaged 82.6 points per game their last 5 road games and are off a huge performance at Michigan State. The Badgers are off an ugly home performance versus Michigan but will make up for that here and did average 70.6 points per game in last 5 home games prior to facing the Wolverines. Look for the Badgers to take advantage of a Hawkeyes defense allowing 77.6 points per game as travelers this season. 10* OVER the total in Wisconsin

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #844 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Florida State Seminoles vs Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - Big game involving top two teams in the ACC. I am well aware of the fact that the Seminoles are on an over streak but the Cavaliers are going to dictate that this game will be an ugly grinder. It is just the way Virginia games are and, especially in a big one like this, I do not see the Cavs allowing there to be any tempo in this game. The Cavaliers are so good at dictating tempo and forcing a slow pace. Virginia's last 5 games have resulted in 4 unders and those games have averaged just 112.7 points per game. We are getting extra value with this total posted in the 130 range because of the Seminoles long-term scoring process. However, do not overlook the Noles defensive play! FSU is off a high-scoring OT win versus Wake Forest but that was an usual situation for them Saturday as it was their first game in over two weeks. Prior to the shootout with WF, the Seminoles 10 prior wins saw them allow just 64.4 points per game. Now ratchet that down many notches because of playing slow-paced Virginia and you can see why I would not be surprised to see this game fall into the 115 to 120 range for total points. 10* UNDER the total in Florida State

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #693 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Villanova Wildcats @ 5 ET - Villanova's defensive numbers haven't been nearly as strong as in recent seasons. The Wildcats are allowing opponents to hit 45.5% from the field including 37.2% from three point land. Creighton loves to fire up 3-balls, particularly when at home, and the Bluejays are hitting 50% from the field including 37% from beyond the arc in their home games this season. Creighton is averaging 83 points per game this season when at home but Villanova is winning a ton of games again this season thanks to very consistent scoring. The Wildcats are scoring an average of 79 points per game this season. The over is 7-4 in Bluejays home games this season and 6-3 in Villanova's conference games this season. Look for these trends to continue here as I expect both teams to get into the 70s in this one. The Cats have been into the 70s in all but 2 of their 15 games this season. The Jays have scored at least 70 in 9 of their last 10 home games. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #845 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in East Carolina Pirates vs SMU Mustangs @ 5 ET - Don't be fooled by the total here. The game between odds makers and the betting markets can be a funny thing. That said, why did this total open at a 139 when each of the Pirates 7 games in 2021 have had a posted total below that? Exactly! The average total posted in those 7 games was just 132.3 points. That said, do not let the number fool you as this one should fly over. The Pirates do hit a respectable 35% of their threes when at home and the Mustangs are hitting 35% of threes on the season even on the road where they are at 36% on the season. SMU is off a low-scoring hard-fought win that was their 2nd straight under but this followed 3 straight road overs that saw the Mustangs average 76.3 points per game. The Pirates will get their points at home but this is an East Carolina team that, prior to a low-scoring loss at Memphis, allowed 75.3 points their 4 prior games. So this game should be in the 76-70 range in my opinion and actually cracking the 150 mark would not surprise me at all. That said, the value is here for us. 10* OVER the total in East Carolina

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #811 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Villanova Wildcats vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 2:30 ET - The Wildcats are off just their 2nd loss of the season. When they lost their first game they responded by scoring 87 points in their next game. At home and not happy about scoring just 59 points in their loss to St John's, Villanova will take a very aggressive approach here and won't take their foot off the gas. However, don't be surprised if the Hoyas run right along with the Cats! Georgetown, after a long layoff due to postponed games, has come back with a perfect 2-0 SU mark even though they were a big dog in each game. The Hoyas are playing with a ton of confidence as a result especially since they are coming off a red-hot shooting effort against Creighton. Look for the Hoyas to carry some momentum from that one right into this one and I am looking for a very high-scoring affair as a result. We are getting some value here with the low total because this series has trended under in recent meetings. The value is there because the situation is telling me this should be an over. The Cats are angry and want to put up 90+ if they can but Georgetown comes in with confidence and hot shooting. 10* OVER the total in Villanova

Big Ten Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #657 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Illinois Illini vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 2:30 ET - The Badgers generally are known for defense and for tough play at home. Also, when off a loss, Wisconsin has really shown a knack to D up in their next game. But in this case they are off a win and the O/U is 5-2 in the Badgers last 7 games they have entered off a win. Also, on the road this season the Badgers are allowing 68 points and 36% shooting from three point land. Neither one of those stats is overly impressive and now Wisconsin faces a red hot Illinois team that is confidence offensively. The Illini average 82.2 points per game this season. Also, Illinois has won 7 of 9 games and have averaged 78 points in those 7 wins. The Illini, not including OT, have allowed 74 points per game their last 4 games. I like taking overs when teams are off wins. They tend to put a little more reliance on their offense when they are rolling and pay a little less attention to the defensive side of the game. It is just a natural thing and I feel the Illini, at home, will also dictate the pace and flow of this game and they will force it to be a higher-scoring game. Getting this total in the mid-130s is a solid value. 10* OVER the total in Illinois

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #603 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Marquette Golden Eagles vs Butler Bulldogs @ 5 ET - This total has been adjusted to low. It has been set low because Butler tends to play lower-scoring games and because the under has cashed 4 straight times and 6 of the last 7 in Marquette games. However, note that the Golden Eagles have allowed at least 68 points in each of their last 5 games. On the season Marquette is allowing 70 points per game. On the other end of the court, this is a team that averages 72 points per game and you can see from that why I am expecting this game to get into the 140 range. Bulldogs games are trending under in a big way with 8 of their last 9 falling short of the total. However, the Golden Eagles will dictate the flow of this game and they have scored at least 76 points in each of their last 4 meetings with Butler. Each of those 4 games totaled at least 133 points and this one will too. 10* OVER the total in Marquette

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #809 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in James Madison Dukes vs Drexel Dragons @ 2 ET - The fact that the Dragons are allowing just 64 points per game this season is a bit of a misnomer as they are allowing 44% shooting from the field. So that is helping to give us line value here because I fully expect the Dukes to score plenty against Drexel in this one. James Madison is at home here and they have averaged 82 points per game at home this season plus shot 48% from the field as a host. As for Drexel, they have averaged 75.6 points per game their last 7 games. James Madison is off an under but this was on the heels of a 5-1 run to the over. Drexel has seen 3 of its last 4 road games go over the total. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in James Madison

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #713 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tennessee Volunteers vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 6 ET - Where is the motivation to play defense here? This is an SEC-Big 12 match-up and neither team is going anywhere fast this season. Yes I know they are ranked teams but the Jayhawks had lost 3 straight before their win over TCU while Tennessee had endured an unimpressive 3-3 stretch before their win over Mississippi State. Last season when these teams met they had a similar total posted in the 130 range and yet the game totaled 142 points. I expect a similar result this time around too and I love taking advantage of the value in a match-up when both teams are off a very unusual result. In this case, the Vols are off a game that totaled just 109 points after they had allowed more than 70 points in 4 of their most recent 6 games. Also, before the low-scoring win over the Bulldogs, the Volunteers had scored an average of 76.2 points per game their most recent 10 games. The Jayhawks are off a game that totaled just 110 points but that was preceded by Kansas allowing at least 75 points in 3 straight games. Also, the Jayhawks entered that game having scored an average of 72.6 points per game their preceding 5 games. If each team gets into the mid-60s here we can not lose this play and I see no reason each team won't get close to the 70 mark here. 10* OVER the total in Tennessee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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