Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #813 Sunday 8* Temple Owls (+) @ Central Florida Golden Knights @ Noon ET - This line opened up at a -3 and, of course, everyone jumped all over 11-4 Central Florida at home over 7-7 Temple on the road. In typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side here. The Owls were swept by the Golden Knights last season and it is time for revenge. Also, 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams have been decided by just 2 points each! In other words, with this line having moved up to 4.5 there is a lot of value with the dog in this match-up. Yes, Central Florida has the better record but Temple has played the tougher schedule. The Owls enter this game on a losing streak of 4 straight games but the last two losses have each come by 3 points or less. Also, Temple is 4-0 ATS when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. 8* TEMPLE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Game #649 Saturday 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks (-) @ TCU Horned Frogs @ 9:15 ET - This is a huge revenge game for Kansas. They were knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in the quarterfinals last year in a tight loss to TCU. The fact that this game is in Texas actually helps because it means the line is manageable. In fact, the line is basically a pick'em which is a great value. Yes the Jayhawks looked awful in their loss to Texas Tech but that was a wake-up call for this team and clearly Kansas was also likely peeking ahead to this game which was circled on their calendars. The Jayhawks are 57-12 SU (including 6-0 past 2 seasons) when they are off of a loss in Big 12 action. Also, Kansas is 75-15 SU when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more! In recent seasons, the Jayhawks are 56-12 SU against teams with a winning record while the Horned Frogs are 24-36 SU. I fully realize that TCU is an improving basketball program but they're still catching a revenge-minded Jayhawks team at absolutely the wrong time and Kansas (and head coach Bill Self) will be ready to go here! The Horned Frogs are 12-31 SU in conference games in recent seasons. The Jayhawks are 35-7 SU over the same time period. 10* KANSAS

TV Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #828 Friday 10* Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - The Badgers are very banged up in the backcourt right now with three guards listed on their injury report. Wisconsin has won 5 of 6 meetings with Rutgers but it was no mistake when the oddsmakers opened up this game at very nearly a pick'em price. The betting markets have given us a lot of value here as they have driven this line all the way up to as high as a 3 as of early gameday morning. This offering solid home dog value to the Scarlet Knights. Admittedly the Badgers have played a tougher schedule than Rutgers has. However, the injury situation in the backcourt is certainly concerning for Wisconsin. Also, the Badgers are allowing 46% shooting from the field (including 36% from three point land). By comparison, Rutgers is allowing only 37.6% from the field (including a paltry 30.2% from beyond the arc). The point is that the Scarlet Knights have been more attentive to defense this season and the Badgers are still adjusting after losing a lot of key players coming into his season and now having some key injuries on top of that! Wisconsin is 3-8 ATS this season when playing against a team with a winning record. Also, the Badgers are a long-term 1-6 ATS in road games with a posted total in the 120s. Even though Rutgers is playing on short rest here, they are 5-2 ATS when playing with 1 day or less of rest between games. Also, the Scarlet Knights are a perfect 5-0 ATS this season in their home games! 10* RUTGERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #572 Thursday 8* Morehead State Eagles (-) vs Eastern Illinois Panthers @ 6 ET - The Panthers are in a tough spot here. They've struggled badly on the road and are still trying to adjust to the fact that their most important player, Terrell Lewis, is out with an ankle injury. He is a point guard that led Eastern Illinois in minutes last season and was averaging 35.4 minutes per game this season before he got hurt. The Panthers miss their floor leader and, as noted above, they have been struggling badly on the road. Eastern Illinois is shooting only 36.5% from the field on the road with an awful 29.6% from three point land in away games. They now face a Morehead State team that, although rebuilding, is responding well to new head coach Preston Spradlin. The Eagles are shooting 50.8% in home games this season including 37.9% from three point land and, as a result, laying the small number on Morehead State here should prove well worth it. The Eagles are 9-3 ATS when off of a loss in Ohio Valley Conference action. The Panthers are 2-9 ATS (including 0-5 this season) when off of a game where they were held to 60 points or less. 8* MOREHEAD STATE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) @ Oklahoma Sooners @ 9 ET - Yes, this is a huge revenge game for the Sooners after getting swept by the Cowboys last season. Yes, Oklahoma returned more key players this season than Oklahoma State did. However, the key here is that Oklahoma State has responded very well to Mike Boynton whom has taken over the head coaching reigns from Brad Underwood. The Cowboys play with confidence, they're playing well on the defensive end, and they believe in themselves. Yes, Oklahoma State did lose at home to West Virginia and they blew a decent lead in doing so. However, that type of loss only makes them hungrier coming into a rivalry game like this. Though Oklahoma has the more impressive shooting stats and puts up big numbers on offense, Oklahoma State is the better team defensively. The Cowboys have allowed 12.7 points less per game plus they defend the 3-ball much better than OU does. The Sooners are 3-6 ATS as a favorite this season and, in my opinion, they are over-priced again here. Remember, revenge tends to get over-played and over-valued and I expect the Cowboys - off of a loss - to come up with a very strong effort here. Look for Oklahoma State to improve to 4-0 ATS in road games with a posted total in the 160s while Oklahoma drops to 4-8 ATS in games with a posted total in the 160s. The Sooners are 6-12 ATS when off of a win in conference action. Also, OU is on a long-term 17-29 ATS run as a favorite. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #763 Wednesday 8* Indiana State Sycamores (+) @ Loyola Chicago Ramblers @ 8 ET - Since point guard Clayton Custer has been out with an ankle injury for the Ramblers, they've had 3 lined games and gone just 1-2 SU and the win came by only 7 points. There is good value here with the big dog Sycamores. While Loyola Chicago is off of a win, Indiana State is off of a tight 3-point loss thanks to hitting only 19% from three point land. The Sycamores are hungry as a result and they're also playing with revenge here as they have lost 3 straight to Loyola Chicago with both defeats last season coming by double digits. Suffice to say it is time for some payback here and Indiana State, though only 5-6 SU in their last 11 games, has seen 5 of those 6 losses come by 8 points or less. In other words, give the Sycamores +8 in each of their last 11 games and you would have only lost 1 bet! Look for Indiana State to improve to 4-1 ATS the last 5 times they've been a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points. Loyola Chicago drops to 1-4 ATS in games with a posted total in the 130s this season. 8* INDIANA STATE  

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #549 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arkansas Razorbacks (-) @ Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 9 ET - There has been a big move toward the Bulldogs here but I feel it will prove to be a big mistake. The Razorbacks have played a much tougher schedule than Mississippi State has this season. Even with that Arkansas is 9-4 ATS this season while the Bulldogs are 2-6 ATS on the young season. Also, the last time the Razorbacks played a true road game was exactly one month ago to the day. Arkansas lost that game by 26 points at Houston and they have been anxious to make amends for that defeat and prove what they can do on the road. They'll be ready to make a statement here in Starkville where they did lose their last visit in a blowout loss. The Razorbacks also lost at home to the Bulldogs last year in January so payback is on order in this one. Arkansas has earned their ranking and Mississippi State, despite one less loss, is not ranked for a reason. The Bulldogs schedule has been so weak and they just are not at the talent level that the Razorbacks are. Also, Arkansas is the better shooting team, including much better from 3-point land. The Razorbacks are 16-6 SU after a game in which they allowed 80 points or more. The Hogs are also 5-1 ATS (and SU) when they face a team that is allowing 64 points or less per game. The Bulldogs are 6-11 ATS after a game in which they scored 80 points or more. 10* ARKANSAS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #514 Tuesday 8* Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The Musketeeers catch the Bulldogs off of their huge upset win over Villanova Saturday. How did Butler pull it off? Insanely hot shooting as they shot 60% from the field and 68.2% from three point land. Keep in mind that game was at home though and now they are on the road and they shot just 14.3% from beyond the arc in their most recent game away from home. That is a big key here because Butler is making just 25.2% of their three pointers on the road this season and the Bulldogs are shooting just 39.9% from the field overall this season when on the road. Xavier is the much stronger shooting team given they have this game at home and the Musketeers are shooting 51.4% overall on the season and 37.2% from three point land on the season. Xavier knocked Butler out of the Big East tourney last season but the Bulldogs won both regular season games including the game at Xavier. That said, the Musketeers also have revenge on their minds here because they remember what happened the last time they hosted Butler. Couple that with the fact that the Bulldogs are off of that huge upset of #1 ranked Nova and you have the makings of a home rout in this one. 8* XAVIER

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #523 Tuesday 8* Indiana Hoosiers (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - Simply put, Wisconsin is not what they once were. The Badgers are a work in progress early this season and that means we have great underdog line value here. The last 4 regular season meetings between these teams have been decided by an average margin of just 4 points. Keep in mind, that was also when Wiscy was a much tougher team. Adding to the value here, the Badgers did knock the Hoosiers out of the Big Ten Tourney last March so Indiana has plenty of motivation for this one. Wisconsin has won 4 straight games SU but faced plenty of weak opposition. Their ATS numbers tell the full story this season as they are on a 4-9 ATS run. The Badgers also have been hurt by injuries that have impacted their backcourt. Indiana has failed to cover just once in their last six games. Their schedule this season has been slightly tougher than the Badgers thus far as well. Wisconsin is allowing an uncharacteristic 46% shooting from the field while the Hoosiers are holding opponents to 43.7% from the field. Indiana is 13-2 SU (and 10-5 ATS) when they are off of a game where they held their opponent to 60 points or less. The Badgers are just 3-7 SU (and 2-8 ATS) in their games against teams with a winning record this season. This has great potential for an upset and certainly grabbing the points is the way to go as they offer huge value. 8* INDIANA

Ranked Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #712 Monday 10* Kansas State Wildcats (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 5 ET - The Mountaineers have won 12 straight games and got the better of me when they rallied to beat Oklahoma State at Stillwater on Friday. However, we'll get it back today on Monday. West Virginia allowed the Cowboys to hit 51% of their shots in that game and now face a red hot shooting Wildcats team. It is so hard to win road games in the Big 12 and especially back to back affairs in a tough situation. Kansas State will be ready and wants this game badly as the Mountaineers knocked them out of the Big 12 Tourney last March. The Wildcats have shot 50% or better from the field in 4 of their last 6 games. The Mountaineers, despite all their winning, have gone 10 straight games without a single game where they've knocked down half their field goal attempts. The schedule is starting to toughen for West Virginia and the Wildcats are going to own this game at home. Kansas State is on a 30-10 SU run in home games including 7-0 this season. Also, the Wildcats are 16-8 SU when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. The Mountaineers are only 6-6 ATS in games against good defensive teams (allowing 64 points or less per game). KSU was known to have plenty of scorers but the attention to defense has been a big surprise early this season and the Wildcats are riding that D to wins. They get their revenge here. 10* KANSAS STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #710 Monday 8* Cleveland State Vikings (-) vs Youngstown State Penguins @ 1 ET - The strength of Youngstown State coming into the season was the backcourt but the knee injury for Francisco Santiago changed all that. The only two wins the Penguins have this season were non-lined games and they were back when Santiago was on the floor. Currently Youngstown State is on a 9 games losing streak. Also, of their 11 losses this season the Penguins have 9 defeats by 13 points or more. That is why I am comfortable laying the points here with Cleveland State. Even though the Vikings have issues of their own, they are still at home and playing with revenge here and they'll take advantage of a Penguins team allowing 84.4 points per game on shooting of 52.6% from the field including 37.8% from three point land. Cleveland State is not only better defensively, they are the better team on offense as well with better shooting in all three categories in comparison with Youngstown State. The Penguins are 0-10 in lined games this season and have gone only 2-8 ATS in those games. The Vikings are 13-7 ATS when facing a team with a losing record and that includes a perfect 3-0 ATS this season. 8* CLEVELAND STATE

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Game #555 Saturday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) @ Butler Bulldogs @ 4 ET - Butler expended a lot of energy in their double-overtime win at Georgetown on Wednesday. They were down huge at the half so really had to put in a lot of effort just to force overtime and then the game actually ended up going 2 extra stanzas! While it is true that the Bulldogs have had two days off since that win, it is also true that those are the types of wins that take a lot out of a team and top ranked 13-0 Villanova is coming in to this game as the much fresher team. Also, the Wildcats have revenge from losing both games to Butler last season. One could say that the Bulldogs have had the Cats number in recent meetings but one could also say that Butler certainly didn't impress in Wednesday's game versus the Hoyas as Georgetown had played a very soft schedule this season. Now the Bulldogs take on a Wildcats team that has played just as tough of a schedule as Butler has. The Bulldogs are 1-3 ATS as an underdog this season and also 2-7 ATS in recent seasons when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Villanova is 9-1 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. Also, the Wildcats are a long-term 22-11 ATS when they face teams that are averaging 77 points or more per game on the season. Keep in mind, Butler is averaging a solid 78.6 points per game this season but Nova shoots the ball much better and is averaging 87.8 points per game this season. Also, Butler's weakness on D is against the 3-ball (allowing 37%) and the Wildcats are hitting a ridiculous 42.2% of their threes this season! That will likely play out as a key factor in this one. 10* VILLANOVA

Big 12 Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Game #826 Friday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 7 ET - The Mountaineers come into this game having won 11 straight and they are highly ranked and yet they opened up as a very small favorite here. Don't fall for the trap! The fact is that, while "Press Virginia" is playing very good defense as usual, Oklahoma State has come a long way with their defense too. The Cowboys have been solid on that end of the floor and have done a great job of forcing turnovers and clogging passing lanes. The fact that this game is in Stillwater of course helps even more. Oklahoma State is 8-1 at home this season and they're hosting a West Virginia team that has played only one true road game this season. That was at Pittsburgh and the Mountaineers only beat the Panthers by single digits despite shooting 12 percentage points higher from the field. In other words, West Virginia is likely to be in trouble here in a much tougher road test. Oklahoma State's defense against the 3-ball has been better than that of the Mountaineers this season. Also, the Cowboys are 3-1 ATS this season in games with a posted total in the 150s. West Virginia is 1-3 ATS this season in a game with a posted total in the 150s. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #721 Wednesday 8* Butler Bulldogs (-) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - The Hoyas have the better record (10-1 compared to 10-3) and they're at home here. So why are they the dog? Exactly! The fact is that Georgetown has played a weak schedule so don't be fooled here. Not only is Butler the better team, the Bulldogs also have revenge from a 4 point home loss to the Hoyas in their most recent meeting in late January. The road team has actually covered each of the last 3 meetings between these teams. The Hoyas are  2-5 ATS at home this season and an ugly 12-25 ATS in home games the last 2+ seasons! Butler is 9-4 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. Also, the Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 SU (and 6-2 ATS) as a favorite this season. They should easily cover the small number here. The difference in strength of schedule so far this season is the key. 8* BUTLER

Earliest Cash - CBB Game #530 Saturday 8* George Washington Colonials (-) vs Harvard Crimson @ Noon ET - Crimson guard Bryce Aiken is questionable for this game with a knee injury and he is their leading scorer. Harvard forward Robert Baker is also questionable for this game and he is part of the regular rotation for the Crimson. Being short-handed and a little banged up is not good news for a Harvard team playing on short rest (they beat Boston University Thursday). As for the Colonials, they bounced back from a pair of poor shooting efforts to knock off New Hampshire on Wednesday. Certainly the win was not that impressive but getting that victory gets this team headed back in the right direction and George Washington has played a much tougher schedule than Harvard so that is a big plus here. The Crimson are 6-17 SU the last 23 times they've been an underdog. So odds point heavily toward the Colonials getting the SU win here and covering the small number should not be a problem. Harvard is 1-3 ATS in games with a postd total in the 120s. GW is 3-1 ATS in home games with a posted total in the 120s. The fave rolls here. 8* GEORGE WASHINGTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #819 Friday 8* Temple Owls (+) @ Georgia Bulldogs @ 1 ET - The Owls are the more rested team as they've been off since Saturday. The Bulldogs will be playing for the 2nd time since Saturday and they also are off of a huge, emotional win over Georgia Tech Tuesday. Of course beating the rival Yellow Jackets is always important to Georgia and they could be a little flat for this game as a result. The early start time won't help them either. As for Temple, they are 7-3 on the season with a pair of those losses coming by just 4 points each. Many of the Bulldogs wins this season have been tight ones and the 3 points here for the Owls is offering great value as I expect an outright upset but should Temple fall short I expect it to be by just a single possession. The well-rested Owls are 4-1 ATS when they enter a game with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. Also, Temple is 5-0 SU (and 3-0 ATS) when they enter a game having failed to cover the spread in each of their three prior lined games. The Bulldogs put forth a great effort on defense in their win over the Yellow Jackets and that could leave them a little spent here. Georgia is 4-11 ATS in recent seasons (and 51-80 ATS long-term) when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. 8* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash Day Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #512 Thursday 8* Tulane Green Wave (-) vs South Alabama Jaguars @ 1 ET - I realize that the Jags are 7-1 ATS on the season but this line is double digits for a reason! South Alabama has lost all 4 of its road games and averaged just 63 points per game in those contests. The Green Wave have won all 6 of their home games and have averaged an impressive 87.2 points per game in those contests. Tulane also is rolling with momentum after outscoring Nicholls 48-24 in the 2nd half of their game on Monday evening. That was a big comeback win for the Green Wave and they'll be some carryover to this early afternoon game Thursday. Tulane is fully focused on remaining perfect on their home floor heading into the Christmas Break. The Jaguars just don't have the firepower to keep up. The Green Wave have proven difficult to defend early this season and this is a tough match-up for a South Alabama team projected to finish near the very bottom of the Sun Belt Conference this season. 8* TULANE

Earliest Cash Eve Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #735 Wednesday 8* North Texas Mean Green (+) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 7 ET - The Hoyas are off of a tough OT loss to Syracuse Saturday and that was their first loss of the season. However, Georgetown is truly nothing special. They have simply played a very weak schedule. In fact, the Hoyas strength of schedule so far this season is weaker than that of the Mean Green. North Texas is rejuvenated under new head coach Grant McCastand. There were some early season growing pains but they've already gotten those out of the way and the Mean Green are off of a big OT win at San Diego on Saturday. While normally one may look to fade a team off of a game like that, keep in mind, this program is in an early growth phase under McCastand and this is their final game until after Christmas. The Mean Green are excited about the opportunity to take on Georgetown in the nation's capital and the points are too much here for the Hoyas. Yes, the home team may "hang on" for the win here but North Texas is very talented and the win at San Diego was a huge confidence builder for this team. The Hoyas schedule has been so weak that 3 games were non-lined and 4 games had them favored by 20 or more. Note that Georgetown's only two challenging games this season saw them lose by 7 and win by 6. This will be another "challenging" game here and I expect it to be decided by single digits. The Mean Green are 5-1 ATS this season. The Hoyas are on a 10-25 ATS run in home games including 0-5 ATS this season. 8* NORTH TEXAS

Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #747 Wednesday 10* St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs St John's Red Storm @ 4:30 ET @ Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT in Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase - The Red Storm are 9-2 this season but the 5-5 Hawks have played the tougher schedule so far this season. Also, St John's really misses guard Marcus LoVett in a game like this. The Red Storm have not been shooting the ball well at all. They've been held under 39.7% from the field in 3 straight games. It is hard to cover a big spread when the shots aren't falling and now this game is being played on a neutral floor. St Joseph's is not without their own issues but certainly they've been ultra-competitive this season and I feel they are being vastly undervalued by the betting markets in this one. 3 of the Hawks last 4 losses have come by 6 points or less. The only exception was a blowout loss versus Villanova and, of course, St John's is no Villanova! Look for scrappy St Joseph's to be in this one all the way and improve to 6-3 ATS when facing a team that allows 64 points or less per game. In the process the Hawks will improve to 21-12 ATS the last 33 times they've been an underdog. St John's is an ugly 3-10 SU and 3-9 ATS in games played on a neutral court! 10* ST JOSEPH'S

Earliest Cash Day Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #752 Wednesday 8* Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (+) vs Bradley Braves @ 2 ET - The Redhawks are seeking revenge for a tough loss at Bradley last season. Despite having 13 more shots from the field and winning the turnover battle 15-5, Southeast Missouri State lost to the Braves by 6. I expect payback here at home as Bradley had high hopes for Antoine Pittman coming into this campaign and he is now out for the season. Pittman often covered the opponents best player. Also, JoJo McGlaston (another starter) is currently out due to suspension. I know Bradley has the better record in comparing these two teams early this season but the Redhawks have played just as tough of a schedule as the Braves and Bradley continues to have trouble with turnovers. They are turning it over 17 times a game on the road this season while Southeast Missouri State is averaging just 11 turnovers a game at home. Also, the Redhawks got dominated on the boards by the Braves last season but 6'9 freshmen Justin Carpenter is already having a huge impact for the Hawks early this season and that continues here. Bradley is 5-10 ATS (and 4-11 SU!) in recent seasons in games against teams that average 77 points or more per game. A lot of points expected here and the Redhawks are 22-9 ATS (including 5-1 ATS this season) in games with a posted total in the 140s. 8* SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #523 Tuesday 10* Top Play Northern Kentucky (+) @ Texas A & M @ 8 ET - Not a lot of respect being given here to a Northern Kentucky team that made a huge run last March and returned most of that team this season. I realize the Norse have played a weaker schedule than the Aggies have. I also realize that Northern Kentucky is off of a disappointing loss at Maryland-Baltimore County. However, the Norse were likely looking ahead to this special opportunity tonight where they have a chance to knock off a top ten ranked team. Of course I am not forecasting an upset win here but I certainly do expect Northern Kentucky to stay within single digits in this one. Texas A & M has a size edge of course but the loss of guard Admon Gilder for this one is significant plus big man Robert Williams is questionable for this game. The Aggies still have enough depth to get the win here but I don't expect it to be a blowout. Keep in mind, the Norse loss to Kentucky in March came by just 9 points! In games with a posted total in the 140s Northern Kentucky is 5-1 ATS this season and 16-6 ATS all-time! As a road dog of 12.5 points or more, the Norse are 7-3 ATS all time! As a home fave of 12.5 points or more, the Aggies are 2-5 ATS in recent seasons and 18-28 ATS long-term. Too many points! Grab the value with the big dog for a big play. 10* NORTHERN KENTUCKY

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #820 Sunday 8* Stanford Cardinal (-) vs San Francisco Dons @ 6 ET - The Dons are 6-3 on the season while the Cardinal have a losing record. However, Stanford has played a much tougher schedule. Couple that with the fact that Stanford is at home for this one and coming off of a win and I look for the Cardinal to get a big win here and build some momentum heading into much tougher games up ahead. Stanford is motivated to get back to .500 on the season before facing Kansas before Christmas and then starting their Pac-12 schedule immediately after the Christmas break. The Dons are 9-29 SU long-term when they are a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points while the Cardinal are 36-11 SU long-term when they are a home fave of 6.5 to 9 points. With that said, a home win is likely but, what about the cover? San Francisco's 3 losses this season have all come by 7 points or more with an average margin of defeat of 12.3 points. As for Stanford, all 6 of their wins this season have come by 9 points or more and only 1 of their 7 defeats came by less than 8 points. As you can see, odds favor a home win and a big margin. I'll take it. 8* STANFORD

Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #557 Saturday 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks (+) @ Fresno State Bulldogs @ 6 ET - The Bulldogs top player, Jaron Hopkins, is dealing with a back injury. Even if he plays he won't be as effective as usual and he led Fresno State in scoring, assists and steals last season plus he was on the MWC all-defensive team. Suffice to say he is a very important player. Even though Oregon has dropped off from last season's level they are still projected to rank among the top five teams in the Pac-12 when all is said and done. By comparison, Fresno State WITH a healthy Hopkins is projected to finish in the top five of the Mountain West Conference. Of course I'll take the Pac-12 over the MWC any day of the week and I also like the fact that the Ducks have been the much better team on defense early this season. Oregon is allowing only 37.8% from the field and 29.3% from three point land while the Bulldogs are allowing 43.5% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. There have only been 3 games this season where Fresno State was "challenged". In the two games they were favored by less than 7 points they failed to cover each time plus lost one of them outright. In the one game where the Bulldogs were an underdog they lost by 8. The gap may have closed on these teams but, especially with Hopkins hurting, there is still a gap and the Ducks will prevail. 10* OREGON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #595 Saturday 8* Butler Bulldogs (+) @ Purdue Boilermakers @ Noon ET - A lot of pressure on the Boilermakers here as they haven't been able to get over the hump against the Bulldogs. Maybe this indeed will be the year they finally do it but this line is still a generous one that is offering great value on big dog Butler. In other words, a non-covering win for Purdue would not surprise. The Bulldogs shooting has been red hot in December and that makes for a very dangerous dog. Both teams have been hot but the Boilermakers have not been covering at the rate that Butler has. What says a lot about Purdue is that this will be their toughest challenge since they faced Maryland as a 3.5 point favorite. Though the Boilermakers did get the cover, they only won the game by 5 points despite shooting 51% from the field while the Terrapins shot just 35% from the field. That says a lot right there! Also, Purdue is on a 1-5 ATS and SU run versus Butler. The Bulldogs are an incredible 77-37 SU (and 73-37 ATS) long-term in neutral court games. 8* BUTLER

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #824 Friday 8* Illinois-Chicago Flames (-) vs Dartmouth Big Green @ 8 ET - Both teams have disappointed early this season but this looks like the perfect spot for the Flames to turn it around. The Big Green annually are one of the worst teams in the Ivy League and, once again, they are projected to finish dead last this season. On the other hand, the Flames are projected to be one of the top teams in the Horizon League this season. Though UIC is currently without point guard Tarkus Ferguson, they have a lot more depth than Dartmouth does. That is significant here because the Big Green being without forward Evan Boudreaux and guard Guilien Smith is absolutely a big deal. Illinois-Chicago has yet to cover a game this season but they certainly have played a tougher schedule than Dartmouth. In fact, nearly of the games for the Big Green have been non-lined match-ups. UIC is 6-2 ATS in recent seasons (and 41-25 ATS long-term) when they enter a game with rest of 5 or 6 days between games. Dartmouth is 2-10 ATS in recent seasons (and 6-18 ATS long-term) in games with a posted total in the 140s. The Big Green simply won't be able to keep with the hungry Flames here. 8* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #511 Thursday 8* Valparaiso Crusaders (+) @ Northwestern Wildcats @ 8 ET - Northwestern just absolutely destroyed Chicago State 96-31 Monday. As for Valparaiso, they started the season 8-0 but have now lost 2 straight including a blowout defeat at Purdue by 30 points. As a result, it is no surprise that the Wildcats have gone from an opener of -8 to as high as a -10.5 in most spots as of early Thursday morning. Even though the Crusaders are without Tevonn Walker, they still have plenty of firepower to hang around in this one against a Northwestern team that will be feeling a little too good about themselves after their win by a ridiculous 65 point margin to begin this week. Keep in mind, the Wildcats have played 10 games this season and only 1 of them was a lined game that was decided by more than 9 points. That being the blowout win over Chicago State this week. In other words (and especially with a game at DePaul on deck for Saturday), the Cats are getting way too much respect from the betting markets here. Northwestern is on a 6-10 ATS run in home games with a posted total between 140 and 144.5 points. Also, this season, the Wildcats are a poor 1-5 ATS when off of a non-conference game. Valparaiso is 5-2 ATS this season and certainly use to winning. Off of back to back losses I expect them to respond in a big way here! The Crusaders are 28-15 SU against teams with a winning record and I am glad to grab the double digits here! 8* VALPARAISO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #728 Wednesday 8* UNC Greensboro Spartans (-) vs UNC Wilmington Seahawks @ 7 ET - Both these teams were projected to fall from their usual respective positions near the top of their conferences. However, the Seahawks returned just 1 starter and have clearly fallen even further than the Spartans who returned 3 starters from last season's team. UNC Wilmington has a little more name recognition since they play in the Colonial Athletic Association. That said, the odds makers certainly weren't stupid when they made UNC Greensboro, a Southern Conference opponent, a double digit fave in this one. Yet the markets have clearly over-reacted as they've been pounding the Seahawks and driving this line all the way down to as a low as a -7 for the Spartans as of early gameday morning. UNC Wilmington's defense has been atrocious this season with 92 points per game allowed on 50% shooting from the field. Conversely, UNC Greensboro is allowing only 59 points per game on 40% shooting from the field. Also, the Seahawks are allowing 41% three pointers while the Spartans are allowing only 28% from downtown! UNC Wilmington is 0-4 ATS this season overall. Also, as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points, the Seahawks are a long-term 12-27 ATS! As for UNC Greensboro, they are 4-0 ATS overall this season plus on a 6-3 ATS run when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Also, in Spartans games with a posted total in the 160s, they are 4-1 ATS long-term. 8* UNC Greensboro

Philly Insider - Rickenbach CBB Game #720 Wednesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The Owls returned 4 starters from last season's team. The Wildcats are currently the #1 team in the nation. Temple would love nothing more than to get the upset of a Philly rival and #1 ranked team tonight at home at the Liacouras Center. While I feel the Owls will likely fall short in terms of that endeavor, I expect their defeat to be by only a bucket or two. With that said, tremendous home dog value here. Keep in mind, Temple has played a tough early season schedule. In fact, their strength of schedule so far this season does rank higher than that of the Wildcats. Villanova has dominated this match-up recently, including winning by 18.5 points per game in the past two meetings. However, it is with good reason that the odds makers opened this one up at "only" a -7 and yet the markets are driving this one higher which means even more value as the Owls are now available as high as a +9 as of gameday morning. Temple's defense has been solid and that will prove to be a key here against the high-flying Wildcats. The Owls are actually on a 12-2 ATS run in their games against teams that average 77 points or more per game! The Owls are on an overall 20-11 ATS run as an underdog while Villanova is on a 4-10 ATS run in Wednesday games. While Temple has a Saturday game on deck, the Wildcats are off until NEXT Friday the 22nd after this game. Could the undefeated Cats get caught looking ahead to their long break that starts tomorrow? Absolutely! 10* TEMPLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #520 Tuesday 8* Boston College Eagles (-) vs Columbia Lions @ 7 ET - The knee-jerk reaction from most here will be to fade the Eagles since they just topped the #1 team in the nation (Duke) on Saturday. However, the key to the value here is the line has already been adjusted for that and the fact is that Columbia is annually one of the worst teams in the Ivy League. This is just their second season under coach Engles and he is a good coach but it is often not until the 3rd season that even a good, quality coach can get a poor team like the Lions turned around. Now, with their annual long Christmas break on deck, Columbia could get caught sleep-walking through this game. They are an ugly 1-9 on the season and the Eagles hot shooting against Duke is unlikely to cool here. Boston College has Central Connecticut State on deck so there is certainly no lookahead here. Look for the Eagles to build off the big win over the Blue Devils with another dominant win tonight. Columbia is 2-4 ATS in December games. The Eagles improve to 7-3 ATS in their last 10 lined Tuesday games. 8* BOSTON COLLEGE

Rickenbach CBB Game #764 Saturday 8* Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs Wichita State Shockers @ 4 ET - The markets are making a push toward the Shockers here. The result is excellent line value with the underdog Cowboys. While it is true that this is a revenge spot for Wichita State and that they are a ranked team that has played a tougher schedule than Oklahoma State, it is also true that the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater is not too friendly for visitors! Also, this O/U opened up in the 150s and the Shockers are 0-5 ATS the past 3 seasons in games with a posted total in the 150s. The Cowboys have a long-term mark of 15-4 SU in home games with a posted total between 150 and 154.5 points. Both teams are playing well early this season but the Cowboys have allowed just 40% from the field in their last 3 games combined while the Shockers have allowed 49% from the field in 2 of their past 4 games. Grab the value with the home dog here that is very fired up for this opportunity hosting a ranked foe on a Saturday afternoon. 8* OKLAHOMA STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #521 Friday 8* St John's Red Storm (+) vs Arizona State Sun Devils @ 8 ET @ Staples Center in Los Angeles, California - This game is part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Sun Devils are a ranked team. Even though this game is considered a neutral site game, the location certainly favors Arizona State. Also, the Red Storm are expected to still be without Marcus LoVett. With all that said, how can the Sun Devils have opened up as just a 4.5 point favorite? Exactly! You think the odds makers are stupid? They know that the aggressive defensive style that St John's plays is going to really test the high-powered Sun Devils offense here. Also, as nice as it would be for the Red Storm to have LoVett back on the floor for this one, the fact is that he had made only 9 of 34 shots in his past two games and, arguably, was hurting more than helping. So a ranked ASU team with the location edge for this game and an undefeated record on the season opens up as a very small favorite. I am not buying it! Going contrarian here and telling you that the Red Storm are going to surprise a lot of folks here. Looking for the upset but if St John's does fall short I expect it to be by a single possession. The Sun Devils are 1-4 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games, 4-8 ATS in neutral court games, 3-8 ATS against Big East foes, and 0-4 ATS in neutral court games with a posted total between 155 and 159.5 points. The Red Storm are 8-4 ATS in games with a posted total in the 150 to 159.5 point range. 8* ST JOHN'S

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #710 Thursday 10* Purdue Boilermakers (-) vs Valparaiso Crusaders @ 6:30 ET - Long-time followers know I rarely lay big points in basketball. However, this play easily fits in as a rare exception. Purdue is ranked, at home, and loaded with veteran players. Valparaiso has their attention as an in-state foe with an undefeated record. The Crusaders are 8-0 but they are a young team as most of their minutes come from freshmen and sophomores whereas most of the Boilermakers minutes come from underclassmen. Not only has Valparaiso played a weak schedule, they now face a team that can not only match their size but exceed. Purdue is loaded with size in the paint including a 7'3 freshman that is one of the nation's top shot-blockers. One of the big keys here is that the Crusaders have not played in over a week. As I have always said, too much rest can lead to rust and Valparaiso is really not that great of a shooting team to begin with. I know some of their overall stats this season will lead you to believe otherwise but the fact is that Valpo has been held under 35.8% from three point land in 6 of their 8 games. By comparison, Purdue has shot 43% or better from three point land in half their games this season. The Boilermakers won't overlook the Crusaders because the 8-0 record means Purdue wants to make sure they hand this in-state foe their first loss and I expect them to do it in an emphatic way. I realize that Valparaiso has some impressive numbers on defense this season but they truly have not played anyone of real significance. They're going to be tested in a big way with this veteran Boilermakers team and I sense a huge blowout win. Purdue also has a 9-man rotation and their bench will do just fine when called upon in this game even if it is mop-up / garbage time late in the game which is another reason I am comfortable laying the big number here. The off-time for Valpo won't help their shooting and neither will playing at a tough venue, Mackey Arena. The Crusaders are 1-5 ATS when they enter a game after a lay-off of 7 or more days. Purdue is on a 16-1 SU run (and 13-3 ATS) in December games! Also, the Boilermakers are 13-4 ATS when facing a team that allows 64 points or less per game. Lay the big points in this one! 10* PURDUE

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #561 Wednesday 10* New Mexico Lobos (+) @ Colorado Buffaloes @ 9 ET - The Lobos haven't won a game away from home this season and the Buffaloes haven't lost a game at home this season. Couple that with the fact that Colorado is projected to move up some in the Pac-12 this season while New Mexico is projected to drop down some in the MWC this season and you can see why most will be enticed to back the Buffs here. I am going contrarian in this spot and would not be surprised to see the Lobos get the outright win which is why I certainly love them plus the big points here. Colorado is off of their first loss of the season and it was at rival Colorado State. Not only does that give the Buffaloes unbeaten letdown here it is also a flat spot scheduling-wise as they just faced the rival Rams and they have a huge game on deck with a highly-ranked Xavier team! Look for New Mexico to prove to be the hungrier team here. They just lost by double digits at UTEP Saturday but simply shot the ball very poorly. Overall, in comparison with the Buffaloes, the Lobos have played the tougher schedule this season. Also, New Mexico is 4-1 ATS as a road dog in a range of 6.5 to 9 points and the Lobos are 4-0 ATS in road games with a posted total in a range of 150 to 154.5 points. Colorado is 1-5 ATS against Mountain West opponents. 10* NEW MEXICO

Rickenbach CBB Game #526 Wednesday 8* Temple Owls (-) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - The Badgers lost 4 starters from last season's team while the Owls return 4 starters. Temple's starters play a lot of minutes but that is not a problem in a scheduling situation like this where they are playing just their 2nd game this month. Also, the Owls are finally playing their first home game of the season and I expect them to make the most of it. They do have revenge here from an ugly loss at Wisconsin two years ago. The Badgers are a much different team now compared to that team of two years ago and the Owls veteran players will be the difference-maker in this match-up. Temple has shot 48% or better from the field in 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. Keep in mind this is without having played on their home floor. Wisconsin is off of a very tight 1-point win at Penn State but that was preceded by losses in 5 of their 6 prior games. Prior to the win over the Nittany Lions the Badgers had been held to 41% or less from the field in 4 of their 6 previous games. As a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points Wisconsin has a SU record of 13-30. Given those strong odds of a Badgers loss here, I like my chances with the hungry Owls (off of a loss) in terms of covering this short number at home. Temple is 15-5 SU in games against teams with a losing record and also 18-10 ATS in games against non-conference opponents. 8* TEMPLE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #728 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arizona Wildcats (+) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 9 ET - Here you have the #7 ranked team in the country with a 7-0 record and a 4-2 ATS mark facing an unranked foe that is only 5-3 SU this season and also an ugly 2-6 ATS and yet the line opened up in the pick'em range. Even more remarkable about this opening number is that this isn't even a true home game for Arizona as it will be played at the same arena as the NBA's Phoenix Suns use. The point is that this is absolutely a "trap line" in my opinion. Now, when I say "trap line" I don't mean that the odds makers intentionally set trap lines, I just mean that public opinion can absolutely make a line a trap and that is the case here. Public players will look at this game and say "wow...I can get an undefeated highly ranked team that is undefeated and playing on a neutral floor and facing an unranked 3-loss foe". That will be the prevailing wisdom and, of course, I feel strongly that this mindset will prove to be wrong in a big way. That is what my contrarian plays are all about and it also why I am raising the level of this play to my highest level. The Wildcats are ticked off. They are fired up and starting to turn the corner after those 3 losses in the Thanksgiving Tourney. After those 3 straight losses they got the type of big win a team needs to get swagger back as they crushed Long Beach State. The Wildcats then faced UNLV and got a hard-fought OT win which is the type of win a team that has struggled early absolutely needs to get over the hump. Remember the Wildcats were highly touted coming into the season and they are extremely well coached. They are a bargain in this spot and I'll grab them as they get the marquee win they have needed to prove they are for real. Those 3 losses Thanksgiving Week will prove to be the best thing that could have happened to a team that many projected to be in the final four coming into this season. They'll start leaving up to the hype no doubt. 10* ARIZONA

Rickenbach CBB Game #711 Tuesday 8* Ball State Cardinals (+) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ 7 ET - The Cardinals are the perfect type of team to play as a huge dog. They have a lot of depth. So that means that even when they're making use of their bench they can hang around in a game and that is precisely what I expect them to do in this spot. The Fighting Irish have a 7-1 record on the season but Ball State has actually played a tougher schedule on the season than Notre Dame. Also, the Cardinals did get embarrassed at Oklahoma and Oregon and they are ready to make up for those two ugly losses here. I expect this one to end much closer than many are expecting. The Cardinals have the added confidence of 3 straight wins and hot shooting coming into this game. The past 3 seasons combined the Cards are 20-11 ATS as an underdog. Also, as a road dog of 15.5 to 18 points, Ball State is 7-3 ATS long-term. As a home favorite of 12.5 or more points, Notre Dame is a long-term 27-45 ATS! Also, in a home game with a posted total in the 150 to 154.5 range, the Irish are an ugly 6-14 ATS long-term including 1-4 ATS the past 3 seasons. Against MAC opponents, the Fighting Irish are a long-term 3-9 ATS and I fully believe they'll again prove to be over-priced in this spot. 8* BALL STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Monday 8* Michigan Wolverines (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 6:30 PM ET - The Buckeyes upset the Wolverines as a 9 point dog in Michigan last season and they also defeated them when they most recently met at Ohio State 2 years ago. Payback is in order here and I love the fact that everyone is jumping on the home team (in early wagering action here) as if it is some type of gift that the odds makers opened with a line of very nearly a pick'em in this game even though the game is in the Buckeye State. Don't be fooled ladies and gentlemen, the Wolverines are the better team and are poised to get their revenge here. Early season projections have Michigan slated in the top five of this 14-team conference while Ohio State was projected to finish near the bottom. The fact that the Buckeyes are off of their huge win over Wisconsin Saturday where they shot a ridiculous 66% from the field including 54% from beyond the arc does not mean Ohio State is suddenly a top team. The Buckeyes had lost 3 of their 4 prior games and are now facing a 7-2 Michigan team with 1 of those 2 Wolverines losses coming by just 2 points. The Wolverines are off of a win versus Indiana but defense keyed that win and they've had the better overall defense in comparison with the Buckeyes so far this season. Also, Michigan is 10-4 ATS when playing with 1 day or less of rest while Ohio State is 2-4 ATS with 1 day or less of rest. The Buckeyes also are 6-13 ATS when off of a win against a conference rival. The Wolverines also are 13-2 SU in December games while Ohio State is 5-10 SU when facing teams that allowed 64 points or less per game! 8* MICHIGAN

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #592 Saturday 10* Arizona State Sun Devils (-) vs San Francisco Dons @ 9 ET - Not only is Arizona State 6-0 SU and undefeated ATS on the season, the Sun Devils have scored at least 90 points in all 6 games. They were down by 15 points in the 1st half against Xavier last Friday and yet stormed back won the game by 16 points. Keep in mind that is a quality Musketeers team and that says an awful lot about just how explosive this Sun Devils offense is this season! As for San Francisco, they are averaging 70.7 points per game in lined games. Right away, just from pure numbers alone, you can see why ASU should win this game by at least 20 points! But what is also concerning for the Dons is that, when you take out their non-lined games against sub-par competition (Sonoma State and St. Francis, PA) they have been held under 37.4% from the field in all three of their lined games! That kind of shooting performance just isn't going to get it done against a Sun Devils team that is averaging 95.7 points per game on the season and has shot over 50% from the field in all 6 games! Also, ASU has played the much tougher schedule and all 6 of their games have been lined games! San Francisco is 1-6 ATS in games with a posted total in the 150s. The Sun Devils have too much depth, too much scoring from all over the floor, and they will dominate the paint in this game too. 10* ARIZONA STATE

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CBB #725 Friday 10* Boise State Broncos (+) @ Oregon Ducks @ 9:30 ET - The Ducks have been a fantastic team in recent seasons but Oregon did lose 4 of 5 starters entering this season. After starting this season 4-0 SU and 3-0 ATS against weaker competition, the Ducks have struggled with an 0-3 ATS mark their last 3 games as the foes they faced were tougher opponents. They certainly face a tough one in this match-up as you know Boise State will be up for this opportunity to knock off a Pac-12 foe from a neighboring state. The Broncos schedule has been just as strong, if not stronger, than the Ducks and Boise State is rolling with confidence right now. They have won 6 of 7 games this season including two straight by an average margin of 27 points even though their average line in those two games was just a 6.5 point favorite! I look for another huge cover here as they either win this one outright or lose by just a single possession. The Broncos returned 3 starters from last season. As for the Ducks, they just lost starter Troy Brown to a concussion (out for tonight's game) and he is their leading rebounder and one of their top scorers. The forward will be sorely missed tonight as Boise State's weakness is their frontcourt but Brown's absence hurts the Ducks ability to take advantage of that. The Broncos beat the Ducks at home two years ago and then last season easily covered in a 5 point loss at Oregon. The Ducks have covered just once in their last six games versus Mountain West Conference opponents. The Broncos are 8-4 SU and ATS when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. 10* BOISE STATE BRONCOS

Rickenbach CBB Game #524 Thursday 10* Top Play Central Florida Golden Knights (+) vs Missouri Tigers @ 9 ET - This line has jumped strong toward Missouri today. Of course that is often what happens when you have a team averaging 80 points per game laying a very small number against a team averaging 64.5 points per game. However, here you have a Central Florida team off of back to back dreadful shooting performances and they catch the Tigers off of a very tight loss to West Virginia that is absolutely going to leave Missouri emotionally spent here. Off their only other loss this season they followed it up with a 5 point win over a team called Emporia State. Not exactly an impressive response against a Division II basketball team that has had only 1 winning season the past 6 seasons under Shaun Vandiver. Now the Tigers take on an angry UCF team that is anxious to erase the bitter taste of averaging just 44 points per game their past 2 games! This game is played at the CFE Arena in Orlando and Missouri is an incredible 0-21 SU in road games the past 2+ seasons. The Tigers are also 4-17 SU in games with a posted total in the 130s while the Golden Knights are 21-9 ATS in games with a posted total in the 130s. Already 3-0 SU at home this season and on a 10-2 ATS run in November games the past 2+ seasons. 10* CENTRAL FLORIDA

Rickenbach CBB Game #529 Thursday 8* Texas Tech Red Raiders (+) @ Seton Hall Pirates @ 6:30 ET - Seton Hall has played the tougher schedule and are at home and yet they opened up as a dog here. Of course the markets jumped all over the Pirates here and you know what I am doing. In typical contrarian fashion here I am rolling with a Red Raiders team that is 6-0 SU this season and also 13-4 ATS the past 3 seasons combined when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Seton Hall is a long-term 0-6 SU against Big 12 opponents! 8* TEXAS TECH

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #759 Wednesday 10* Top Play Evansville Purple Aces (+) @ New Mexico Lobos @ 9 ET - Do people really think the odds makers are stupid? The very first "soft" number that was posted on this game was the Lobos -2. The line has since been driven all the way up to a -7! I'll gladly grab the value here on the underdog side. Of course Evansville is not a great team but they're solid and also have a tendency to play fundamentally sound basketball. As for the Lobos, what has driven this line is they have so much positive history at home. Yes indeed New Mexico is tough to play at "The Pit" but, keep in mind, this team has a new coach and has undergone major changes from last season. Many preseason pundits have them slated to finish dead last in the MWC. 4 straight losses entering this contest certainly have done little to squash those predictions. The point is that the Runnin' Rebels, even though they did face some tough competition, have underachieved as it is an 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS run. The Purple Aces schedule has been very nearly as tough as UNLV's and yet Evansville enters this game with a 5-1 SU and 4-0 ATS mark on the young season. The Purple Aces are off of their first loss of the season and that defeat came by just a bucket. I am happy to grab the big points being offered here. Evansville is without Ryan Taylor (foot) but it's not like the cupboard is bare for the Purple Aces. They also are 5-1 ATS against MWC opposition. New Mexico is 0-3 SU this season against teams with a winning record. 10* EVANSVILLE

Rickenbach CBB Game #746 Wednesday 8* Northern Iowa Panthers (+) vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels @ 8 ET - As a general rule, I always like to investigate games like this where the team that opened up as the favorite is now the dog and that is what we have here with Northern Iowa. I completely understand the move as UNLV is a perfect 6-0 this season so everyone loved the undefeated Panthers getting points in this match-up. It seemed too easy of course so everyone grabbed it. As you know, it's never that easy! Yes UNLV is off to a great start but Northern Iowa has played the much tougher schedule. This is a big part of the reason UNLV is 6-0 on the season and Northern Iowa is "only" 5-2 and, as a result, we are getting exceptional value with the battle-tested Panthers here. UNI, in home games with a posted total between 140 and 144.5 points, have gone 8-3 ATS and an incredible 10-1 SU! I look for another huge win here on Wednesday! UNLV is 5-15 ATS and 4-19 SU in road games. 8* NORTHERN IOWA

Rickenbach CBB Game #739 Wednesday 8* Clemson Tigers (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 7:15 ET - The Buckeyes are at home and getting a ton of attention here as the money move has been Ohio State early on in this one. That said, I love the value in fading the Buckeyes as they have a huge game on deck with Wisconsin Saturday - the same day OSU and the Badgers also meet in Football. Suffice to say that is the talk on campus right now rather than this match-up with an ACC foe in the ACC/Big 10 challenge. The result here is solid underdog line value with Clemson. The Tigers have only UNC-Asheville on deck and they'll most certainly be "all in" for the upset tonight in Columbus. Clemson really got rolling on offense in their most recent win and they have shot well in most all of their games this season. The Tigers are 13-4 SU when coming off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Ohio State is only 10-17 ATS in games with a posted total in the 140 to 149.5 range. 8* CLEMSON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #550 Monday 8* Ohio University Bobcats (-) vs Iona Gaels @ 7 ET - The Gaels haven't played since the 19th. Rest can lead to rust and it certainly hasn't treated Iona well through the years. When the Gaels enter a game on rest of 7 days or more, they have a SU record of 8-19. Though Iona is still projected to be at the top of the MAAC this season, they have lost some key players the past two seasons and aren't quite at the level they were in recent seasons. The Gaels are near the bottom of the rankings so far this season in terms of shooting percentage allowed (49.1%) and their rebounding margin (-8.6 per game). That certainly doesn't bode well for a rusty Iona team coming off of a long layoff and going on the road and knocking off a revenge-minded Ohio U. team. The Bobcats led the Gaels at half at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, NY last season but ended up losing a tight game. It is time for payback here and Ohio University is happy to have this contest at home. The Bobcats are on a 30-7 SU run in home games and also 22-3 SU in their last 25 games against teams with a losing record. The Bobcats are "feeling it" right now after their hot shooting effort versus Mount Saint Mary's Friday and they are 19-7 SU and 16-7 ATS when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. 8* OHIO UNIVERSITY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #511 Monday 8* Baylor Bears (+) @ Xavier Musketeers @ 6:30 ET - I love fading streaks like this. The Musketeers have won 33 straight non-conference home games. However, here they are hosting a Bears team that is just as strong as they are. Also, Xavier has a huge game on deck as their annual Crosstown Shootout versus Cincinnati is on tap for Saturday. The Musketeers are also off of a loss to Arizona State this past weekend in the Las Vegas Classic and the 102 points allowed to the Sun Devils certainly exposed the weakness of the Xavier defense. The fact is that, under coach Chris Mack, there is a history of teams that struggle early in the season but then are extremely tough outs late in the season. This looks like a repeat of that and I love the value being offered here with Baylor getting sizable points. The Musketeers would like to avenge last season's loss in Waco but the Bears did beat them by 15 points in that game and I feel that Xavier still has not closed the gap all the way. In other words, even home court isn't enough to necessarily get the Musketeers the win here (especially with the Bearcats on deck) and Baylor getting significant points is the way to go here. Xavier is 6-11 ATS after a game in which they allowed 80 points or more. The Musketeers also are 1-6 ATS in home games with a posted total in a range of 140 to 144.5 points. The Bears are 7-3 ATS against Big East opponents. 8* BAYLOR

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach Game #725 Monday 8* Wisconsin Badgers (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 9 ET - The Badgers are certainly a "step down" from where they have been but they will get better as the season goes on and a big win over UW-Milwaukee helps get some positive momentum going for a Wisconsin team that had lost 3 straight games by an average margin of just 5.7 points per game. Virginia, of course, is the better team and they are at home but this game (as you can tell from the total) is projected to be a rather low-scoring affair and I expect the Badgers to be able to hang around in the type of game they generally thrive in - a low-scoring grinder! We are getting extra value here because the Cavaliers are 6-0 on the season and also have covered 5 straight ATS. In my opinion, this is the toughest match-up they have faced this season and yet the line is inching higher. I won't hesitate to step in on the big dog side. The Badgers are 20-12 ATS after allowing 60 points or less in their prior game. Wisconsin also is a long-term 20-10 ATS against ACC opponents. The Badgers additionally are 7-3 ATS when facing solid defensive teams (allowing 64 points or less per game). Virginia is a long-term 11-19 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points including 1-3 ATS the past 2 seasons. The Cavs win but don't cover here! 8* WISCONSIN

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #531 Sunday 8* Missouri Tigers (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers in Advocare Championship Game at HP Field House in Orlando, FL - The Tigers have the experience, depth, and backcourt to properly deal with "Press Virginia". Of course the Mountaineers are off of a blowout win over Central Florida but that is part of what is driving the crazy value here as this line is way over-priced when you consider what Missouri brings to the hardwood here and the fact that this is a neutral court game. Keep in mind the Tigers returned 4 starters and they are much better than what last season's record would lead you to believe. New head coach Cuonzo Martin already has this team believing! Remember that he was hired in early March and the Tigers had one of the best recruiting classes in the entire nation for this season! West Virginia is certainly a great team and that is why they're ranked of course but Missouri is still flying under the radar a bit. This is a Tigers team that is hitting 37% of their threes this season and the Mountaineers were allowing 42.3% three pointers before holding UCF to a ridiculous 1 of 12 performance in that insane blowout win over the Golden Knights Saturday which has resulted in an inflated market perception of West Virginia here. The Mountaineers are 0-3 ATS against SEC opponents. The Tigers are 15-4 ATS in neutral court games with a posted total between 145 and 149.5 points. That's a combined 18-4 (82%) ATS spot favoring the dog here. 8* MISSOURI

Hidden Gem - Rickenbach CBB Game #799 Saturday 8* Southern Utah Thunderbirds (+) @ UNLV Rebels @ 10 ET - Southern Utah head coach Todd Simon was an assistant at UNLV. He is now entering his 2nd season with the Thunderbirds and last year they lost to the Rebels by only 8 points. Simon certainly knows the program well and now he also has a player, Jamal Aytes, who used to play for UNLV as well and will be up for a huge game here. A lot of "inside edges" here and, of course, the Runnin' Rebels are the better team but coach Simon has a number of returning starters plus transfer players and incoming freshmen that are already contributing significantly early this season. Last year, the Thunderbirds had Randy Onwuasor who has since transferred out but the Southern Utah leading scorer last season actually did not shoot well in the game against UNLV while his teammates shot 50% and contributed most of the key scoring. Both the Thunderbirds and Runnin' Rebels have played soft schedules early this season. UNLV is certainly the superior team but will they be fully focused here? I doubt it! Coming off of the Thanksgiving Holiday and with a tougher match-up on deck (Northern Iowa) and then a huge game (Arizona) after that, I don't expect UNLV to be in "shutdown mode" here and Southern Utah hangs around as a result. The Thunderbirds are 6-3 ATS in games with a posted total in the 160s. UNLV is on an 8-16 ATS run in Saturday games. 8* SOUTHERN UTAH

ESPN Top Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #580 Friday 10* Texas Longhorns (+) vs Duke Blue Devils @ 5:30 ET @ Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, OR - The Longhorns had a very disappointing campaign last season but they are a different team this season with Mohamed Bamba on board. The 6'11 center is a freshman and sure NBA draft pick. He combines with junior Dylan Osetkowski (6'9 - 250) to give the Longhorns some solid size in the paint this season. Osetkowski had to sit out last season after transferring from Tulane. Matt Coleman has proven to be a great find at point guard and he joins scorers Kerwin Roach and Andrew Jones to give the Horns a solid backcourt. Of course Duke is the #1 team in the country but this is a lot of points for a young Blue Devils team to lay against a Texas team that had 3 straight seasons of 20 or more wins before last season's disappointment. The Longhorns are already 4-0 this season. Duke is 6-0 but the strength of schedule for each of these undefeated teams is about the same and I love the line value of the big dog here. Duke is still a young team, as they showed in yesterday's disappointing first half versus Portland State and when the Blue Devils were tested earlier this season the final score was a bit of a phony final. Duke beat Michigan State by 7 points but the Spartans shot 50.8% from the field while the Blue Devils were held to 39.5% shooting! The Horns are 6-3 ATS as a neutral court dog of 6.5 to 9 points and also on a 13-7 ATS run after a game in which they held their opponent to 60 points or less. Duke is over-valued often and is on a 7-10 ATS run in tournament games. That means we have a 29-17 ATS spot favoring the Longhorns here. 10* TEXAS

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Game #527 Friday 8* Eastern Michigan Eagles (+) @ Indiana Hoosiers @ 4:30 ET - With Eastern Michigan having a lot of newcomers (including a handful that already had at least 2 years of Division 1 ball under their belts) it was hard to say how the Eagles would perform early this season. Although the competition certainly has been rather soft, the fact that Eastern Michigan is 4-0 and has won every game by double digits plus their defense has held their opponent under 41% shooting in all 4 games certainly says a lot. These Eagles are jelling quicker than expected. Also, it's not like 3-2 Indiana has played a contingent of heavyweights either early this season. In fact, 2 of the 3 wins that the Hoosiers have came against the same team and by virtually identical margins as 2 of the Eagles 4 wins. The point is that we're getting a lot of line value here with the big dog Eagles as this game means a ton to Eastern Michigan. As for Indiana, they have got a huge game with Duke in less than a week plus then Big Ten conference action begins after that. The Eagles defense has been impressive early this season and they are the much more rested team as they have been off since Sunday while the Hoosiers just played Wednesday. Eastern Michigan is 2-0 ATS as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points and 2-0 ATS when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. The Hoosiers are 3-6 ATS when playing with 1 day or less of rest between games and 2-5 ATS on Fridays. That means we have angles of a combined 15-5 (75%) favoring the Eagles. 8* EASTERN MICHIGAN

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Game #729 Thursday 8* Vanderbilt Commodores (+) vs Virginia Cavaliers @ Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY @ 4 ET - The Commodores have yet to cover a game this season but that is helping to give some extra line value here and Vanderbilt is 3-0 ATS the past two seasons when they have entered a game on an ATS losing streak of 3 games or more. Also, this is a low total which tells you of course that this game will be played with points at a premium and Vandy is 33-20 ATS long-term in games with a posted total in the 120s. The Cavaliers are on a long-term run of 33-47 ATS in all tournament games and I look for Virginia to drop to 1-4 ATS when they are a neutral court favorite in a range of 6.5 to 9 points. The Commodores lost by just 4 points to USC in their most recent game and the Cavs have a huge game on deck with Wisconsin. Truly the set up here and the motivational factors are largely in favor of the sizable road dog. I am grabbing all the points I can get but an outright upset would not be a complete surprise! 8* VANDERBILT

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #529 Wednesday 10* Top Play Appalachian State Mountaineers (+) @ James Madison Dukes @ 4 ET - Even though the Mountaineers and Dukes are both returning from tournaments, the Dukes were in the Bahamas and lost their final game while the Mountaineers Puerto Rico tourney was relocated and so their final game was in South Carolina. Also, that final game was a win for Appalachian State and the 3-2 Mountaineers have looked much better than the 1-4 Dukes early this season. We're getting line value because this game is at James Madison and because the Dukes are seeking revenge. The reason they won't get revenge is that the Mountaineers are the superior team that has also shown great resiliency with the strong second half performance against UTEP keying that win. I expect another such effort here. I also like the fact that Appalachian State had tough match-ups with Western Michigan and Iowa State prior to that game. As for James Madison, ever since their game against an overmatched foe in their season opener, they've shot very poorly and their defense has not impressed either. This will be the Dukes 4th game in 6 days too. For the Mountaineers they have the rest edge and also are riding the momentum of their win over UTEP! James Madison is on a 5-17 ATS run in non-conference games. 10* APPALACHIAN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #550 Wednesday 8* Purdue Boilermakers (-) vs Tennessee Volunteers @ Noon ET in Bahamas (Battle for Atlantis) - The Boilermakers have more games under their belt than the Volunteers. Purdue already 4-0 on the season and Tennessee is only 2-0 and the Vols have played a weaker schedule. At least Purdue has faced Marquette. Also, the Volunteers have been off for over a week and that could effect their play here. As for the Boilermakers, they just played on Saturday and are shooting the ball very well now and should maintain their hot shooting considering it is just a short break. Also Purdue's summer trip to Taiwan for the World University games really benefited them as well. Tennessee is 0-4 ATS as a neutral court underdog of 6.5 to 9 points. The Boilermakers are 3-0 ATS against SEC competition in recent seasons. Double perfect 7-0 ATS spot working in our favor here. I'll take it! 8* PURDUE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #749 Monday 8* Richmond Spiders (+) vs UAB Blazers @ 5 ET @ John Gray Gymnasium in George Town, Cayman Islands - The Spiders did burn me but I won't hesitate to come right back with them in this match-up in the Cayman Islands Classic. Richmond has simply been done in by unbelievably hot shooting by their opponent in their first two games. That is why the Spiders sit at 0-2 on the season. The Blazers are a perfect 3-0 on the season but have faced a very weak schedule. This line opened around a 5 and is now as high as a 7.5 as of early Monday morning. The result is great line value here. Richmond is not only 0-2 to the start the season but it was an embarrassing home loss that opened up their season. Under head coach Chris Mooney, the Spiders had been 10-1 in season openers. Suffice to say, you are going to see an angry Richmond team take the floor early Monday evening after their losses to Delaware and Jacksonville State to begin the season. Even though the Spiders are a notch down from last season's team, they are still projected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic 10. Even though guard Khwan Fore is out for the Spiders, they still have a very talented backcourt which is the strength of their team. Look for that to be the difference in this game as Richmond responds after an embarrassing start to the season. The Spiders are 6-2 SU when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. The Blazers are 2-6 SU and 1-7 ATS in all neutral court games. 8* RICHMOND

FTM Blowout Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #771 Sunday 8* Fordham Rams (+) @ Tulane Green Wave @ 7:30 ET - The Rams just couldn't hit shots versus Florida State's defense Friday but they face a much weaker foe in Tulane Sunday evening! The Green Wave are 3-0 and Fordham is 1-2 but the Rams have played the tougher schedule. That is why this line is much smaller than many would expect. As usual, I like to "Fade The Masses" which is what the FTM stands for and I'll grab the 1-2 Rams getting only a handful of points. Look for their tenacious defense to be the difference and they are angry off of their loss to the Seminoles. Tulane is 1-12 SU and 1-10 ATS in games against teams that are allowing 64 points or less per game! 8* FORDHAM

FTM Blowout Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #527 Saturday 8* Texas-Arlington Mavericks (+) @ Brigham Young Cougars @ 9:30 ET - UT-Arlington upset the Cougars in March so this is a revenge game for BYU. As a result, everyone is lining up on Brigham Young here and I am happy to FTM here which means Fade The Masses! Even though the Mavericks lost some star power from last season's team, the Mavs still have the inside-outside combo of Kevin Hervey and Erick Neal. Also, BYU's Nick Emery left the team. The Cougars are certainly a quality team but the Mavericks are a dangerous and well-coached underdog as Scott Cross does a great job with this program. Texas-Arlington is again projected to be near the top of the SunBelt Conference. Though Brigham Young comes from the tougher West Coast Conference, the losses of Eric Mika and Emery are big for this team. Also, BYU is 1-6 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. The Mavericks are an incredible 46-22 ATS as an underdog! Grab the points! 8* TEXAS-ARLINGTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #775 Friday 8* Fordham Rams (+) @ Florida State Seminoles @ 6 ET - The Rams are a different team since Jeff Neubauer took over as head coach. Now in his 3rd season at Fordham, there has been a big transition with an emphasis on defense. Even though the Rams have played a couple of teams that are not on par with FSU to start this season, their defense has nonetheless been impressive. Fordham is allowing just 36% from the field and they are 1-1 with their lone loss coming by a single point. Even though Florida State is the better team and certainly highly likely to get the win here, the points are simply too much in my opinion. The Seminoles lost 4 starters from last season's team and also could get caught looking ahead to a much tougher match-up as they have Colorado State on deck for Sunday. The Noles are only 4-11 ATS in games with a posted total in the 140s. Also, Florida State is 5-10 ATS in all neutral court games and in those where they are favored by 12.5 points or more they are 0-4 ATS. 8* FORDHAM

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #515 Thursday 8* Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ 8:30 ET - A lot of books opened this one up at -1 on the Badgers. The line has driven all the way up to a -3.5 and of course everyone is liking Wisconsin on their home floor and with a big frontcourt edge. However, how healthy is Ethan Happ? One of the best players in the nation is definitely expected to play tonight but his knee is bothering him and it will be interesting to see how he fairs in Wisconsin's first big game of the new season. Keep in mind, the Badgers are a fantastic basketball program but they are replacing the majority of their starters from last season. Also, Xavier comes into this game not just with revenge but MAJOR revenge as they lost to the Badgers on a last-second shot in tourney time in March of 2016. The Musketeers have waited a long time for this rematch and they'll make the most of it. They have key returning talent from last season's team and of course they are ranked in the top 20 for a reason. We are simply getting line value here because the Badgers have an incredible reputation especially on their home floor. I'll grab the generous points being offered to Xavier. The Musketeers are on a 21-11 ATS run in non-conference games and also are 12-6 ATS in road games with a posted total between 145 and 149.5 points. The Badgers are on a 4-9 ATS run in all games with a posted total between 140 and 149.5 points. 8* XAVIER

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #735 Wednesday 8* Creighton Bluejays (+) @ Northwestern Wildcats @ 9 ET - Let's see...the Wildcats are ranked and they are at home and they returned 4 starters from last season's team AND yet they opened up as low as a 3 point favorite in most books! Yes indeed Northwestern looks like an easy choice given all the above plus the fact that the Bluejays lost some key pieces from last season's team. You guys know it is NEVER that easy and I smell an upset here. The line has already bolted up to a 4.5 in most spots and I am happy to grab Creighton as a contrarian pick. These typically work well throughout the season. I have had a RARE rough start to the season but, rest assured, it will turn and when it does it will be in a big way! Creighton is known for hot shooting and they've hit 41.4% of their threes this season and Northwestern has allowed 41.9% of three this season. At the same time the Wildcats have hit only 29.7% of their threes while the Bluejays are allowing just 29.4% from beyond the arc this season. The Jays hot shooting and the fact that it is now the Wildcats with a target on their back will be all the difference here. Keep in mind, Northwestern had NEVER been in a preseason Top 25 poll in school history until this season and this is the Cats first tough test. I don't expect it to go well and, of course, the Bluejays are very well coached under Greg McDermott who turned down an offer from Ohio State to remain at Creighton. Do you think he did that aimlessly? Of course not! The Bluejays will continue to impress. 8* CREIGHTON

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CBB #527 Tuesday 8* Michigan State Spartans (+) vs Duke Blue Devils @ 7 ET @ Chicago, IL (Champions Classic) - First off I generally like to play the #2 team in a match-up of #1 versus #2 but, of course, the key is if the value is there. In this case the value most certainly appears to be there with the #2 ranked Spartans. While Michigan State returned 4 starters this season, the Blue Devils are starting 4 freshmen! Also, even though this is a neutral site it certainly favors the Spartans in terms of proximity to their campus. I also like the fact that Duke is such a small favorite here even though they've beaten Michigan State 6 times. Remember, it is NEVER that easy. In other words, many will play the Blue Devils here and lay the short number just banking on the fact that Duke has won 6 straight over the Spartans. However, the reason the line is so low is because the experience factor and revenge factor certainly favors Michigan State in a big way. In terms of technical factors, the Spartans are 13-7 ATS (and 15-5 SU!) when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. Duke is 8-12 ATS on a neutral court and I look for the Blue Devils to drop to 0-3 ATS (and SU!) when they are a favorite of 3 points or less neutral court. Duke is also only 3-6 ATS when playing on a Tuesday. When these teams met two years ago the Blue Devils were favored by double digits. Don't be fooled by this line. Look for the Spartans to win outright but grab any points you can get (some 2.5 out there at time of this posting). 8* MICHIGAN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #750 Monday 8* Richmond Spiders (-) vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ Noon ET - Richmond is off of an embarrassing home loss to open their season. They lost to the Delaware Friday and allowed the Fightin' Blue Hens to build a 33-point lead in that game. It was a sell-out home opener for the Spiders and, though they rallied in the 2nd half, Richmond still lost 76-63 when the final horn sounded. Under head coach Chris Mooney, the Spiders had been 10-1 in season openers. Suffice to say, you are going to see an angry Richmond team take the floor early Monday to host Jacksonville State. Even though the Spiders are a notch down from last season's team, they are still projected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic 10. As for the Gamecocks, they play in the weaker Ohio Valley Conference. Certainly the OVC is not without merit but it still is not on par with the A-10. Although Jacksonville State rolled in their opener, it had a lot to do with playing a team they were far superior to as they faced Tennessee Wesleyan in their season opener. Even though guard Khwan Fore is out for the Spiders, they still have a very talented backcourt which is the strength of their team. Conversely, Jacksonville State's weakest link is arguably the backcourt. Look for that to be the difference in this game as Richmond responds after an embarrassing home opener. The Gamecocks are 9-27 SU in games where they are an underdog and this is a very small number to lay with Richmond. The Spiders are 20-11 SU in games where they are a favorite. 8* RICHMOND 

Dominator Special - Rickenbach CBB Game #521 Sunday 8* Yale Bulldogs (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ 6 ET - The Badgers are off of a huge win over South Carolina State but that is a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that is actually projected to finish toward the bottom of that weak conference. Now Wisconsin hosts a Yale team that is projected to be at the top of the Ivy League standings when all is said and done this season. I am aware of the fact that the Bulldogs are without guard Makai Mason but they did play better than the final score indicates in their season opening loss at Creighton. Of course the Bluejays are a solid team and tough to play in Nebraska but also Yale was simply done in by red-hot shooting from Creighton in that game! As for Wisconsin, they actually only led SC State by 11 points mid-way through the 2nd half before they went on a big 10-0 run that sealed the game in the eventual blowout win. Now the Badgers (whom lost 4 starters from last year) face a much tougher test Sunday. Wisconsin, of course, is still a far superior program to that of Yale but the Bulldogs can absolutely hang around in this game and have enough size and length inside to not be totally overwhelmed by the Badgers here. I expect Wiscy to win of course but I expect that win to be by 10 or less. Wisconsin is 4-9 ATS in games with a posted total in the 140s and the Badgers are 3-9 ATS in November games. Yale is a long-term 30-14 ATS when they are off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Also, the Bulldogs are 31-20 ATS as a road dog of 12.5 or more points. 8* YALE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #727 Saturday 8* St Joseph's Hawks (-) @ Toledo Rockets @ 7 ET - The Hawks are returning all their starters from last season but I am aware of Shavar Newkirk and Charlie Brown being out for this game. The key is they are still in far better shape than a Rockets team that lost 3 starters. Also, Toledo was counting on production from Willie Jackson and he is out due to eligibility issues. The Rockets may improve as the season goes on but, early on, they're counting on too many new pieces. That is why this line is a pick'em even though it is a revenge game for the Rockets (lost last year by a single point). Another key to the value though is that Toledo was down by 5 late in that game (line was St Joe's -2.5) so it was a bit of a tough beat that the Hawks lost that game. St Joseph's backers who lost that game will get some payback here. St Joe's is on a 17-7 ATS run in road games. The Hawks roll here. 8* ST JOSEPHS 

ESPN Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #518 Friday 8* West Virginia Mountaineers (-) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 6 ET - Give the Aggies a few games and they're going to be a much better team but, right now, they are without 6'10 forward Robert Williams and 6'1 point guard J.J. Caldwell. Williams is a tremendous front court player that was projected to a first round NBA draft pick had he not decided to return to the school. Caldwell redshirt freshman but the Aggies are counting on him greatly as a distributor on the offensive end and a key defender on the perimeter. Williams is suspended for two games to start the season and Caldwell is suspended for 4 games to begin this season. Even though the Mountaineers are without forward Esa Ahmad for the first semester due to eligibility issues, his loss is much less impacting than what the Aggies are dealing with their first few games. With that said, there is great line value here with the Mountaineers laying only a half-dozen points. They are among the top ten teams in the nation and they take on a short-handed Aggies team that arguably shouldn't even be ranked in the top 25. This game is being played on a neutral floor at Rammstein Air Force Base in Germany. In this Armed Forces Classic on a neutral floor the defense of 'Press Virginia' is likely to be even more troublesome for the Aggies. Texas A & M turned the ball over 23 times last season in their loss to the Mountaineers. In that game West Virginia won by only 4 points but they blew a 20 point lead in the game. They won't make the same mistake here. Look for the Mountaineers to again get up big and this time they'll stay up big. The Mountaineers are 6-1 ATS in November games. The Aggies are 5-11 ATS as an underdog. Also, Texas A & M is 5-14 ATS in games where the total is posted in a range of 130 to 139.5 points. 8* WEST VIRGINIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels (-) vs Oregon Ducks @ 8:35 ET - Off of a blowout win versus Kansas where everything seemed to fall into place for the Ducks, it is the perfect time to fade them. Lets not forget Oregon won their three prior games in the tourney as follows: Faced a weak MAAC team (Iona) in the opener, beat Rhode Island by only 3 as 4.5 point choice, and rallied late to beat Michigan by a single point. Give credit to the Ducks for their hard work and effort but they now face their first truly tough test of the tourney as they face a North Carolina team that has a ton of experience in situations like this. The Tar Heels have faced a tougher schedule than the Ducks this season and UNC just beat a very strong Kentucky team. I know I was in the minority on this but I had the Wildcats winning the whole thing this season. Would not have surprised me in the least. The key to the value here is the Tar Heels beat the Wildcats despite making only 3 of 20 three pointers and they also had some issues with turnovers. In Oregon's win over the Jayhawks the Ducks knocked down 11 threes while Kansas made only 5 of 25 from downtown. So Oregon outscored Kansas by 18 points from downtown while UNC got outscored by 12 points from three point land yet both are off of wins. By taking the 3's out of the equation the Tar Heels would have beat Kentucky by 14 while the Ducks would have lost to Kansas by 4. I don't expect UNC to again shoot so poorly from three point land and the Ducks hot shooting is unlikely to continue as the long layoff between games doesn't help. Also, prior to the Wildcats hitting 36.8% of their threes against UNC, the Tar Heels had held 6 of their last 10 opponents under 29.3% from three point land. The Heels are 5-2 ATS as a neutral court fave of 3.5 to 6 points. The Ducks are 2-10 ATS long-term in neutral court games with a posted total in the 150 to 154.5 range. 10* NORTH CAROLINA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Friday 10* Top Play Texas A & M Corpus Christi Islanders (+) vs Saint Peter's Peacocks @ 9 ET - As I wrote in my selection involving the Islanders Wednesday over Maryland - Baltimore County and the "funny line", the reality is that TXAMCC is the better team. I respect UMBC especially their star guard but the Islanders have a little better inside-out game going with their two top scorers and I look for that to be a difference maker here. Also, the Isles have held 5 of their last 6 opponents under 42.5% from the field. This is in stark contrast to a UMBC team that has allowed 13 of their last 17 opponents to hit over 45% from the field. Defense and, in my opinion, a little better balanced offense, will prove to be the difference makers in this one. Now, St Peter's certainly has better numbers on defense in comparison with UMBC. However, prior to an ugly 49-44 win over Texas State where the Peacocks made just 31.8% of their shots from the field, their defense in their two previous games away from home saw them allow over 45.6% from the field in each game. Overall, in 3 of their last 4 games, St Peter's has allowed over 34.7% from three point land. Texas A & M Corpus Christi is 16-1 at home this season and 41-6 at home the last 3 seasons combined. Those are SU records and I love the fact that his line opened up at St Peter's -1.5 but the Peacocks already are up to a 4.5 point choice in this game as of early gameday morning. Even though St Peter's just throttled Furman Wednesday, the Paladins were without their head coach as he abruptly took another job over the weekend and that threw the team into disarray. Give the Peacocks credit for taking advantage of Furman's bad situation but St Peter's now face an Islanders team that seems to be a team of destiny in this tournament. The Isles have won their last 4 games by an average margin of 15 points per game even though they were a dog in 3 of those games and only a 2 point fave in the other. Their peeking at the right time and have the right mix of guys (and leadership) to take home the prize tonight. That said, I'll gladly grab the line value with the points being offered here. The Peacocks have gone 22-27 on the road the L3 seasons combined. Look for the Islanders to finish the season 17-1 at home but grab the available points. The Isles only have one loss by more than 3 points in the last 2 months! 10* TEXAS A & M CORPUS CHRISTI

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Friday 8* Coastal Carolina Chanticleers @ Wyoming Cowboys @ 7 ET - I went with the Cowboys in Game 2 of this series and, as expected, the Chanticleers had trouble adjusting their game in Wyoming. Coastal Carolina shot very poorly and also got out-hustled as the Cowboys were very hungry after losing Game 1. Now, in the winner takes all Game 3, look for the Chanticleers to play much better as they have adjusted to playing here. I am not saying their going to win the championship but I am saying they should stay easily inside this inflated number. Keep in mind, so far in this series the Chanticleers have taken 21 more field goal attempts than the Cowboys. Simply put, Coastal Carolina just needs to shoot better in Game 3 and also rebound better like they did in Game 1. Coastal Carolina does have 10 less turnovers than Wyoming in this series and I look for them to be in Game 3 all the way. Grab the big points! The Chanticleers are 4-0 ATS when revenging a road loss this season. The Cowboys are only 3-3 SU this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Also, all 3 of those Wyoming wins came by 6 points ore less and the average margin of victory was just 3 points! 8* COASTAL CAROLINA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+) vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 8 ET - Impressive win for TCU over Central Florida Tuesday. However, prior to that game, the Horned Frogs had allowed opponents to shoot 49% or better from the field in 3 of their last 4 games. By comparison, Georgia Tech's win over Cal State Bakersfield was the 5th straight game (and 10th out of last 13) where the Yellow Jackets have held their opponent under 39.8% from the field. A hard-working hustling team that plays solid defense and is also getting a handful of points in this match-up is absolutely the play here. Georgia Tech is on a 14-3 ATS run in their last 17 games against teams with a winning record. Also, the Yellow Jackets are now 11-4 ATS in March games the past 3 seasons combined. Very well coached and the players have bought into the system at Georgia Tech and their performance on the court has proven that. The Horned Frogs are on a 7-12 ATS run in their last 19 games against teams with a winning record this season and TCU's defense is simply not on par with that of the Yellow Jackets and that will prove to be a big difference maker in this match-up. 10* GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Wednesday 8* Wyoming Cowboys (-) vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers @9 ET - The Chanticleers won game one of this Best out of Three series. Even though guard Shivaughn Wiggins has already missed half the season, there is no doubt that his absence hurts Coastal Carolina's depth and things have gone from bad to worse in the injury department for the Chanticleers. In addition to Wiggins (season-ending knee injury), guard Colton Ray St-Cyr is expected to miss tonight's game and forward Demario Beck is listed as questionable for this match-up at Wyoming. St-Cyr and Beck are both dealing with knee injuries. Depth is important for the Chanticleers as they head to revenge-minded Wyoming for this one and Coastal Carolina just doesn't have it for this one. I expect them to get down by double digits in this one and then, because they know they still have a Game 3 to look forward to, look for the Chanticleers to start to rest up bodies for that game and this one will likely remain a blowout rather than Coastal Carolina inching closer late. Look for the Chanticleers to drop to 1-4 ATS as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points while the Cowboys improve to 10-0 SU (and 7-3 ATS) in home games where they are a fave of 6.5 to 9 points. When Wyoming is at home off of a loss they have won 7 of 8 games this season and I look for the Cowboys to add another W to that mark Wednesday! 8* WYOMING

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Tuesday 8* Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (+) vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 7 ET - Out of the NIT Final Four teams it is Bakersfield that is the most obscure. The other semi-final game matches up TCU and Central Florida and certainly everyone is familiar with Georgia Tech as well. The key though is that sometimes the least known commodity is the strongest commodity and I believe that is precisely the case here with the Roadrunners. Cal State Bakersfield has the highest RPI of the 4 remaining teams in the NIT Tournament. Also, the Runners are the only team remaining that has the same coach, Rod Barnes, that they had last season. There is some continuity here with the Bakersfield program that the other teams are still trying to build up to. Barnes is in his 6th season with the Roadrunners and the veteran coach has led Cal State Bakersfield to a combined 49-17 record the past two seasons. The Runners are surging in this tournament with three straight road wins to get to this huge opportunity at Madison Square Garden in New York. While the Yellow Jackets have also been impressive in getting here (I used them at Ole Miss in their most recent game), Georgia Tech had 2 home games in the NIT before having to face the Rebels on the road. Also, the three teams that the Jackets faced to get to this point are all weak defensive teams. That helped the Yellow Jackets offense get back on track but they now face a stout defense and I do not expect this to go well for Georgia Tech. Look for the Jackets long-term scoring problems to resume here as Bakersfield has held 6 of its last 7 opponents to 35.5% or less from the field. The Roadrunners are 9-3 ATS in neutral court games while GT is 4-8 ATS (and SU) in neutral court games where they are a fave of 3 points or less. 8* CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Florida Gators (-) vs South Carolina Gamecocks - These teams split their two regular season meetings but the game that the Gamecocks won at home saw the Gators go 0 for 17 from three point land. Of course that is not going to happen again here and South Carolina only won that game by 4 points despite that ridiculous result from beyond the arc for Florida. The Gators got revenge with a home win by 15 points and I like Florida's chances of another big win here. The Gamecocks are here because they faced a "no defense, no rebounding" Marquette team early on in the tourney and then, later on, a Baylor team that was known for choking in big games this season. Certainly South Carolina still deserves credit for being here and for knocking off Duke. However, any team can occasionally really rise up for one big game and get the big upset win. It happens. What I see in the Gamecocks though is a team that had lost 6 of 9 games and gone 1-9 ATS in its 10 games prior to the Big Dance. What I see in the Gators is a strong, consistent team that played a tougher schedule than South Carolina this season and that has won 13 of its last 16 games and covered 11 of those 16 games! The Gamecocks are 23-36 ATS against SEC foes the last 3 seasons combined and, though they have road loss revenge here, they are 0-2 ATS in that situation this season. The Gators have struggled in the underdog role this season but they are 19-8 ATS as a favorite this season and they get the job done again on Sunday! 10* FLORIDA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks (+) vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 8:45 ET - Everyone is likely to be lining up on Kansas here and you know what that means. In typical contrarian style I'll grab the generous points with Oregon here. Riding the momentum of a tight hard-fought win over one of the hottest teams in the country (Michigan), look for the Ducks to give the Jayhawks all they can handle here. Oregon is not only 32-5 on the season, 3 of the Ducks last 4 losses have come by 4 points or less. This team just doesn't get blown out. While I certainly do respect Kansas, they got an easy draw with Cal Davis in the opening round. Then, their win over Michigan State looks great on paper (20 point margin) but that game was much closer than that throughout the first half and all the way through about the mid-point of the 2nd half before the Jayhawks pulled away. Keep in mind too, that wasn't a "typical" Spartans team either as it was definitely a down year for Michigan State basketball. Now, after a blowout win over Purdue, the fact that Kansas truly hasn't been tested for a full 40 minutes in the tourney could actually hurt them here. What is going to happen when the shots aren't falling so easily for the Jayhawks? Keep in mind they've shot 53% or better from the field (and 40% or better from three point land) in all 3 games of the Big Dance. The last time the Jayhawks had a more "normal" shooting performance they lost to TCU in the Big 12 tourney. Look for Kansas to "come back down to earth" in this one as their other-worldly shooting comes to an end against a solid defensive team. I know the Ducks defense is not the same without Chris Boucher but they've done an admirable job in this tourney and will certainly be fired up and dialed in for an opportunity against a #1 seed. While Kansas could get caught peeking ahead to what they feel would be a showdown with another #1 seed (Gonzaga) unless an upset occurs prior to this game, the fact is that the Jayhawks may underestimate just how strong this Oregon team is. The Ducks are 11-3 ATS this season (and 25-12 ATS the L3 seasons combined) in games against teams that average 77 points or more per game. The Jayhawks are 5-8 ATS this season in games with a posted total in the 150s. Too many points here in my opinion and the dog will be a "tough out" for Kansas! 10* OREGON

Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Friday 10* Top Play Kentucky Wildcats (+) vs UCLA Bruins @ 9:35 ET - Kentucky has lost back to back games to UCLA - December of 2016 and December of 2015 - and this is even though the Wildcats took 14 more shots from the field in this season's match-up and 13 more shots from the field in last season's match-up. What happened? The Bruins simply shot "lights out" in each game. I don't expect a repeat of that here. The Cats have really dialed things up a notch on defense as the season has gone on and they've held 8 of their last 11 opponents under 41.9% from the field. While both teams have improved since they met in early December this season, the young Wildcats really needed the extra time to mature and that will pay huge dividends in this rematch. Also, unlike Kentucky, UCLA hasn't exactly been "dialed in" on defense. Conversely, the Bruins have allowed at least 43.7% from the field in 3 straight games and UCLA also has not been defending the 3-ball nearly as well as Kentucky has. The Bruins have allowed an average of 78 points per game in their last 3 games. The Wildcats haven't allowed 78 points in game in ANY of their last 12 games. Kentucky has, in fact, allowed 67 points or less in 9 of its last 12 games. UCLA has all the glitzy offensive stats so they are a popular choice but defense wins games like this at this point in the season and the Wildcats have truly come along way and definitely defend the perimeter much better than the Bruins do. UCLA is 11-8 SU in tournament games the past 3 seasons but UK is 17-2 SU in this same stretch and the Wildcats have greatly matured as this season has gone on. This is a double revenge spot for the Cats and I don't see them being denied. Lets not forget they obliterated the Bruins 83-44 three years ago and, after suffering tight losses in each of the last two meetings, though this won't be that type of blowout I do see the Wildcats winning this one large as they get their revenge when it counts the most! 10* KENTUCKY

TBS Early Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Gonzaga Bulldogs (-) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 7:35 ET - In their first game of the tourney Gonzaga simply underestimated South Dakota State (who could blame them?) and they ended up having a poor first half. The Bulldogs responded by blowing out the Jackrabbits by 16 in the 2nd half. That momentum carried right into the game against Northwestern where Gonzaga blew out the Wildcats by 18 points but then, with big lead in hand, really let up in the 2nd half and failed to cover again as a big favorite. Now, certainly West Virginia is better than both of these teams, but for Gonzaga to be laying only 3 here definitely relates to them coming off of back to back non-covers. Now we can get a 34-1 team that basically needs to just win the game to get the cover and, keep in mind, this is a Bulldogs team that outscored its opponent by a combined 34 points over 40 minutes between the 2nd half of their first game and the first half of their second game in this tourney. Look for Gonzaga to put it all together as they will be fully focused and they know they were in for a war with the Mountaineers. The Bulldogs defense will be ready to play a full forty in this one and West Virginia allowed Iowa State to shoot 54% in the Big 12 championship game and then followed that by allowing Bucknell (yes, Bucknell!) to score 80 in the first round of the Big Dance. Had the Mountaineers not shot "lights out" against Notre Dame they wouldn't even be here for this game. Of course West Virginia has played the tougher schedule than Gonzaga on the season but the Bulldogs have the strength of a winning mindset that has been built by a 34-1 season and by being very well coached under Mark Few. The Mountaineers were on a 1-6 ATS run before the win and cover over the Fighting Irish and I feel West Virginia is again being over-valued here. The Bulldogs defense has allowed 41.3% or less in 19 of its last 20 games. The Mountaineers defense had allowed 43.5% or more in 6 of their last 9 games before holding Notre Dame to 40.7% from the field on Saturday. Have not been as impressed this season, as I typically am, with a Bob Huggins coached defense and I see them getting knocked out of the tournament tonight. Mountaineers are 4-10 ATS in games with a posted total in the 140s this season while the Bulldogs are 14-4 ATS with the same parameters this season. 10* GONZAGA 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Wednesday 8* Illinois Illini (+) @ Central Florida Golden Knights @ 7 ET - Central Florida rallied for the win at Illinois State Monday after being down big. Now, after expending a lot of energy for that road win over the Redbirds, it will be interesting to see how the Golden Knights respond here. I expect them to struggle against a Big Ten foe that, as you would expect, has a tougher strength of schedule than UCF has faced this season. Even with some recent wins, Central Florida is only 9-7 their last 16 games and more than half of those wins came by 5 points or less. Couple that with the fact that the Golden Knights are taking a step up in class to face the Illini here and I like the value being offered to underdog Illinois. The Illini have won and covered 7 of their last 10 games. Though they lost their most recent game as an underdog that defeat came at the hands of a Michigan team that is one of the hottest teams in the country! Note that prior to losing to the Wolverines, Illinois was not only 4-0 ATS (but also 4-0 SU!) the last 4 times they were an underdog. Don't be surprised if the Illini pull off another upset here as they certainly are playing their best basketball of the season and they're catching the Knights off of an exhausting road win. Illinois has the added confidence of winning their last two games by an average margin of victory of 20 points per game. The Illini are 4-1 SU this season when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Also, they are 7-3 SU the L3 seasons combined when playing with 1 day or less of rest between games. Central Florida is 3-6 SU with those same parameters. Look for the Illini to advance but grab the points. 8* ILLINOIS early Wednesday evening

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+) @ Ole Miss Rebels @ 9 ET - This line opened up at a -4.5 for Ole Miss and the Rebels have quickly moved up to being a -5.5 point favorite. The line on this one may look a little "funny" considering that Ole Miss has covered 5 straight games and the Rebels straight-up records at home are 13-5 this season and 34-14 the last 3 seasons combined. Georgia Tech has awful straight-up records on the road of 2-10 this season and 9-27 the last 3 seasons combined. That said, how could Ole Miss be such a short favorite here? As long-time followers would expect I am on the contrarian side here and grabbing the Yellow Jackets but certainly it is a selection that is not without strong merit! Georgia Tech is on a 12-3 ATS run against teams with a winning record. Also, the Jackets are on an 8-2 ATS run against teams that average 80 points or more per game. Georgia Tech comes into this game on an 8-2 ATS run overall and, looking at their last 11 games, defense has certainly played a key role. The Yellow Jackets have held 8 of their last 11 opponents under 39% from the field! As for the Rebels, they are off of a big upset win at Syracuse but allowed 80 points and are allowing an average of 78 points per game over their last 13 games. By comparison, Georgia Tech has allowed 65 points or less in 8 of their last 11 games. Look for the Yellow Jackets to drop the Rebels to 16-22 SU when they are off of a game where they scored 80 points or more but I am grabbing all the points I can get in this one should the Jackets fall just short of the outright upset. 10* Top Play GEORGIA TECH Tuesday night

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Monday 8* Illinois State Redbirds (-) vs Central Florida Golden Knights @ 7 ET - Tough spot for Central Florida away from home. As a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points the Golden Knights are on a long-term 6-16 ATS run. Illinois State is a perfect 16-0 SU at home this season. The Redbirds shook off a long layoff by shooting the ball extremely well against Cal-Irvine last week. Illinois State will now be playing just its 2nd game in the last 2 weeks while UCF will be playing for the 4th time in the last week and a half. Certainly not a brutal schedule for the Golden Knights but, at the same time, no one could argue the strong point that Redbirds have the fresher legs and certainly shook off the rust well against the Anteaters Wednesday. Central Florida has only covered 4 road games in 12 tries this season and the Golden Knights last 5 road losses have come by an average margin of 11.8 points per defeat. In 4 of their last 5 road games, UCF has been held to 40% or less from the field. The Redbirds shoot the ball very well in home game, including from three point land. Illinois State is riding an overall 21-2 winning run and Central Florida has a SU record of 19-34 the past 3 seasons combined when facing a team with a winning record. The Redbirds have won 14 of 18 games against teams with a winning record. Not enough value being given to the Birds home court here and they should win this one going away! 8* ILLINOIS STATE

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CBB Sunday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (+) vs UCLA Bruins @ 9:40 ET - The Bearcats are allowing just 61 points per game on the season. That tough defense coupled with the resolve of a team not happy about again having to go west for tourney time (despite a fantastic season) makes Cincinnati a very tough team to face in this spot. UCLA will have its hands full with a team that is 23-3 in its last 26 games. The Bearcats have allowed just 38.5% shooting on the season. The Bruins have played a tougher schedule this season (but not by a big margin) and UCLA has allowed at least 43.7% from the field in 3 of their last 6 games. Their D may not be ready for the grudge match that Cincy can turn this game into because the Bruins certainly did not impress in their win over Kent State. Had they not shot the ball ridiculously well, UCLA likely would not have pulled away from the Golden Flashes the way they did. Of course Cincy will present a much more difficult challenge and the Bearcats were fantastic (against a much more formidable foe than Kent State) when they won huge Friday over Kansas State. That was a quality Wildcats team that Cincinnati knocked off and coach Mick Cronin is doing a fantastic job with this team. The Bruins are a little banged up and that has this one set up perfectly for an upset. The Bearcats are a long-term 7-3 ATS as a neutral court dog in a range of a 3.5 to 6 points and all 7 of those wins were OUTRIGHT victories. Could this be another upset? I am grabbing all the points I can get my hands on but an outright win for Cincy is the expectation. In terms of the cover if the Cats fall short, note that UCLA is only 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning record. Also, the Bruins are 3-7 ATS in games with a posted total in the 150s this season and UCLA is 3-8 ATS when off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Look for the Bruins to drop to 6-16 ATS in their last 22 games. 10* CINCINNATI

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Sunday 8* Michigan State Spartans (+) vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 5:15 ET - Most will be lining up on top-seeded, experience-laden Kansas here. But how can you discount a Tom Izzo coached team that, though loaded with freshmen, has now had a full season to mature those players? The Spartans looked fantastic in knocking off a Miami team that was quite solid this season. The Hurricanes even had a win over Duke this season and the fact that Sparty came back from an early 12 point deficit against the Canes says even more about this Michigan State team. The Spartans may be young but they are uber-talented and, even though they are only 4-3 in their last 7 games, those 3 losses all came by 5 points or less. Now they are getting 8 points against a Kansas team that certainly is a high-quality team but that also benefited from (in my opinion) a down year in the Big 12. In terms of the better Big 12 teams, note that Kansas did go a combined 3-1 against Baylor and West Virginia but all 3 wins came by 5 points or less. Overall, the Jayhawks have struggled as a favorite this season (10-17 ATS) and they are on a 1-5 ATS run the last three seasons combined in neutral court games with a posted total in a range of 145 to 149.5 points. In a neutral court game with a posted total in the 145 to 149.5 range, the Spartans have an incredible long-term mark of 13-5 ATS. Also, this season, Michigan State has gone 9-3 ATS in their games against teams that average 77 points or more per game. These teams are actually quite similar and, though the Jayhawks have an experience edge, the Spartans are about as dangerous of a young dog as a team could have to face. Sparty is maturing quickly and that makes them extra tough in a spot like this where everyone is counting them out and they are so talented and playing with nothing to lose. I love well-coached dogs in spots like this. Grab the big points! 8* MICHIGAN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Sunday 8* Kentucky Wildcats (-) vs Wichita State Shockers @ 2:40 ET - With all due respect to Wichita State, their strength of schedule is just not on par with that of Kentucky's. That is why, when I hear the talking heads discussing all the metrics and why Wichita State is poised for the upset I just shake my head. Level of competition is perhaps more important than any other stat when looking at how teams match up. That's not to say the Shockers can't pull off the upset here because, as we all know, anything can happen in any given game. However, the point is that the odds of that are actually rather slim. The Wildcats have played a far tougher schedule and come into this game having won 12 straight games. Also, taking a look at Kentucky's 30 wins this season, all but one have come by at least 5 points. The lone exception (out of 30!) was a 3-point win over North Carolina. Again, no disrespect to Wichita State, but the Shockers are not the Tar Heels! The concern for Wichita State in this match-up is they're going to have to shoot very well to keep up with the potent Wildcats offense. Causing concern in that regard is that the Shockers have been held under 40% in 3 of their last 4 games. The Shockers had a big rebounding edge over Dayton Friday and that was a key to their victory. They won't have that same edge over a 'stacked' Kentucky team. Also, the Wildcats are 21-2 SU in their games against teams that allow 64 points or less per game so, as good as the Shockers defensive stats are, don't look for Wichita State to hold this team down for very long stretches! Wichita State is on a 7-16 ATS run in all tournament games. 8* KENTUCKY

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 8* Purdue Boilermakers (+) vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 9:40 PM ET - Iowa State is an athletic team that scores a lot of points but isn't known for hard nosed defense or the ability to get a lot of key stops. That said, I like Purdue, able to be physical and strong in the paint, to dictate the flow of this one. If the Cyclones struggle to hit outside shots in this one they're in trouble because they won't find many open lanes to the bucket nor much space in the paint against a Boilermakers team that will also have a huge edge on the glass in this match-up. With a big rebounding edge, physical defense, and the confidence of a team that has lost to no one other than red hot Michigan since January, this Purdue team is going to be a tough out in this match-up and I don't see the softer team from the Big 12 as being able to get it done here. The Cyclones red hot current run has been keyed by hot shooting but they'll face the toughest defense they've seen since West Virginia early this month and that was a loss for Iowa State. Keep in mind, the Boilermakers offense is not too shabby either! The Boilers average 80 points per game and that is noteworthy because Iowa State, when past the midway point of a season and facing a team that averages 77 points or more per game, has a long-term record of 39-71 straight-up! The Boilermakers are a stellar 11-1 SU (and 9-1 ATS) in their games this season against teams that are averaging 77 points or more per game. 8* PURDUE

Bulldog's Best - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 8* Butler Bulldogs (-) vs Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders @ 7:10 ET - MTSU would be fun to root for. They are the lowest remaining seed in the tourney (#12) and it's always fun to root for the underdog. However, sports betting isn't about having fun or rooting for the "fun choice" it's about finding value and making money. In this case, I feel the Blue Raiders are getting way too much respect. I know they are veteran team. I know they are a battle-tested team. But this is still a Middle Tennessee State team whose home is Conference USA and that is a conference that is loaded with weak teams. The schedule for the Blue Raiders is nothing like what Butler faces and I look for the Bulldogs to win this one going away. MTSU's points allowed average of 63.6 on the season certainly is impressive but keep in mind the level of competition and also keep in mind this fact: Butler, a defensive powerhouse in their own right as well, has excelled against other top defending teams. The Bulldogs are 17-5 ATS the last 3 season (including a perfect 6-0 ATS this season) when they are facing an opponent who allows an average of 64 points or less per game. The Bulldogs also are 5-0 ATS the past 3 seasons combined in NCAA Tournament games. With the markets favoring MTSU in this game (and a downward line move as a result) the small fave is offering extreme line value here. I'll take it with a solid Big East foe and fade a CUSA foe that is highly unlikely to again hit 54% from three point land like they did against Minnesota Thursday! 8* BUTLER

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 8* Northwestern Wildcats (+) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 5:15 ET - The Wildcats have only lost 3 games by more than 10 points this entire season. Even though Gonzaga is the #2 team in the nation, Northwestern has faced the tougher schedule this season (by far) because of playing in the Big Ten. Now the Bulldogs go from facing an overmatched South Dakota State team (remember that team wasn't even strong in its own weak conference - Summit League) to facing a Wildcats team that has wins over Big Ten teams like Michigan and Wisconsin this season. Keep in mind, we don't need Northwestern to win this game either we just need them to keep it to single digits and I don't see the Cats getting blown out here. Thursday's final score versus Vandy was close but Northwestern showed a lot of moxie in hanging on after giving up a 15 point lead. As for Gonzaga's win over the Jackrabbits, the Bulldog's trailed for nearly the entire first half against a team that had no business even being in the Big Dance. This game will be much closer than many are expecting and the Wildcats are dangerous as their confidence grows with each big step they step. Finally in the Big Dance, the win over Vanderbilt was huge. The Cats are 9-2 ATS this season (and 22-8 ATS the L3 seasons combined) in non-conference action. This will be the 12th time in the last 20 years that Gonzaga has been a neutral court favorite of 9.5 to 12 points and they've had just 4 covers so far. Look for them to be 4-8 ATS after today's game is in the books! Too many points here! 8* NORTHWESTERN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Saturday 8* Wisconsin Badgers (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2:40 ET - Tough match-up for Villanova and that is why you see the #1 team in the nation priced as such a small favorite in this spot. Don't be surprised if the Badgers pull off the upset here and that is where there certainly is great value with grabbing all the points you can get in this one. Wisconsin has experience, size, and shooters. They're playing with a chip on their shoulders after losing the Big Ten Tourney to Michigan. The Badgers have all the right ingredients, including recent trips to the Sweet Sixteen, to spring to the upset here. It is so tough to repeat as champs and that is the challenge facing the Wildcats right now. They just don't have the same fire burning inside them that they did last year and, as strong as coach Jay Wright is, he's struggling to get this team to play with the sense of urgency they need to at this time of year. They managed to survive the 1st round as they woke up in the 2nd half but but the Badgers are a tough draw for the Cats and certainly won't be as forgiving in the 2nd half as 16th seeded Mount Saint Mary's was. Villanova enters this game on a 6-10 ATS run while Wisconsin has covered 4 of its last 5 with the only non-cover being the loss to Michigan and the Wolverines are simply in the midst of a magical run right now. Athletic and talented big men with good size plus the experience factor and the hot shooting of Koenig all make the Badgers a dangerous underdog here. Look for the Wildcats to drop to 1-5 ATS this season when facing an opponent that is allowing an average of 64 points or less per game on the season. Look for tough D from the Badgers here. 8* WISCONSIN

First Round Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Friday 10* Top Play Creighton Bluejays (+) vs Rhode Island Rams @ 4:30 ET - Creighton has gone from being a 2 point fave here to a 1.5 point dog as of early gameday morning. Of course the Blue Jays are not the same team without Mo Watson BUT the key is that they've had plenty of time to adjust to life without their point guard and they've actually started to gel without their floor leader. They made it all the way to the Big East Championship before losing to Villanova, the defending champs. Getting wins over Providence and Xavier to earn the right to play the Wildcats was big for the confidence of this Bluejays team heading into the Big Dance. Creighton has played a tougher schedule than has Rhode Island but the betting markets are basically saying the committee was wrong in making the Bluejays a 6 seed and the Rams an 11 see and that the odds makers were wrong in making Creighton the favorite in this match-up. As long-time followers know, I'd rather side against the public and this Rhode Island team may have already used up its good fortune in winning the A-10 championship. They certainly caught a break with Dayton getting knocked out of that tourney and they beat VCU for the championship as Virginia Commonwealth simply had a horrific shooting performance and still only lost the game by 7 points. I am not sold on Rhode Island being at quite the same level as Creighton based on level of competition faced and I look for the Rams to drop to 0-4 SU and ATS in their last 4 against Big East teams. Look for the Bluejays 7-footer to also enjoy success against a smaller RI frontcourt. By the way, the Blue Jays are 13-0 SU in non-conference action this season. I expect that record to go to 14-0 here as Rhode Island used up their "mojo" in winning the A-10 Tourney. 10* CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Friday 8* Louisville Cardinals (-) vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ 2:45 ET - I am well aware of the fact that Jacksonville State head coach Ray Harper was previously with Western Kentucky and, as a result, has some familiarity with Louisville and head coach Rick Pitino. However, even with a more talented team (Hilltoppers) from a more talented conference (SunBelt) coach Harper and company still got crushed in their meetings with the Cardinals and I don't see Louisville taking their foot off of the gas in this one. Off of a disappointing loss to Duke in the ACC tourney, the Cardinals are anxious to get rid of the taste of that bitter defeat and march onward in their next opportunity, the Big Dance, after a one-year hiatus last year due to a self-imposed ban. As you can see, there are multiple reasons for Pitino and company to bring a ton of energy, effort, and motivation to this game. Making this play even stronger is the fact that the Cardinals have performed very well as a large favorite this season. This line has dropped from the low twenties down to under 20 and that is offering even more line value here too. Louisville, as a favorite of 14 points or more, has gone 7-1 ATS this season! The Gamecocks just don't have the talent level to compete for a full 40 minutes here and the Cardinals won't hesitate to give them a full dose of their pressure defense. Jacksonville State did lose by 26 points in games against Missouri State and Maryland this season. The Cards are 4-1 ATS when they are off of a loss to a conference rival and 9-2 ATS in non-conference games this season. Huge talent disparity here. 8* LOUISVILLE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Thursday 8* Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) vs Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders @ 4 ET - The Blue Raiders upset Michigan State last March in a #15 versus #2 match-up in one of the biggest upsets ever. As a result, in my opinion, Middle Tennessee State is getting way too much respect here! This is #12 versus #5 match-up and the 12th seeded Blue Raiders are now a favorite after the very earliest of lines had Minnesota a 3 point choice. Keep in mind, the Golden Gophers are playing close to home and are use to traveling to Wisconsin to face the Badgers in Madison. This game is in Milwaukee and Golden Gophers have battled in the strong Big Ten all season long. Conversely, the Blue Raiders have toiled away in the abyss that is otherwise known as Conference USA. Over the past 5 weeks, UAB (one game over .500 on the season) is the only team with a winning record (other than Marshall) that MTSU has faced. Minnesota has been doing battle with teams like Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan...you get my point! I know Middle Tennessee State returned a lot of talent from last year's team but after what happened in March with Michigan State last year, you can bet that Minnesota is fully focused on MTSU and will not overlook this team. That's bad news for the Blue Raiders because the Golden Gophers play very solid defense and they'll be ready to bounce back after a rare poor effort versus a red hot Michigan team Saturday. The Gophers have a long-term mark of 10-3 SU and ATS against CUSA opponents. Middle Tennessee State has only covered 4 of 10 games this season when off of a game where they scored 80 points or more. The Blue Raiders 30 wins look great on paper but strength of schedule is a big difference maker in this match-up. The Golden Gophers will be ready! 8* MINNESOTA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Thursday 8* Princeton Tigers (+) vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ 12:15 PM ET - A 12th seeded Ivy League team has upset a 5th seed in 2 of the past 3 years with Yale over Baylor last year and Harvard over Cincinnati three years ago. Of course we don't need an upset to get the cash here but the point is that the Ivy League is often underestimated in terms of their ability to step up on a stage like this. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey has said this is the best defensive team he has had in his tenure with the Fighting Irish but they allowed 51% to Florida State and 61% to Duke in their last two games of the ACC Tourney. I know the Tigers are certainly not the Seminoles or the Blue Devils but Princeton certainly also has the confidence of a team that has won 19 straight games and that rallied from a double digit second half deficit to get by Penn in OT and have a chance to win the Ivy League title, which they did, with a win over Yale. Princeton coach Mitch Henderson played on Tigers teams that notched big wins in the Big Dance and he has this team playing extremely well. They won't be intimidated in this situation and don't be surprised if their solid defense, determination, grit, and fearlessness go a long way in this one. The Tigers have a long-term mark of 12-6 ATS against ACC teams. The Fighting Irish have a long-term mark of 4-10 ATS (and 3-11 SU!) in neutral court games with posted total in the 130 to 134.5 range. 8* PRINCETON

First Four Best Bet - Rickenbach CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Providence Friars (+) vs USC Trojans @ 9:10 ET - This line opened up at a pick'em and has moved to USC -3 and, of course, much of this has to do with revenge as the Trojans lost to the Friars in the Big Dance last year. Of course revenge is important in handicapping but sometimes it has a tendency to be overplayed and this results in value on the other side. That is precisely the case here. This isn't a "normal" in-season revenge situation. This is a "win or go home" game and just because the Trojans have motivation to avenge last year's loss it does not mean the Friars aren't also motivated. They want to advance! Providence has unfinished business from last year's Big Dance and they are ready to roll in this tourney. Keep in mind, 7 of the 10 Big East teams made the tournament and the reality is that the Friars played just as tough of a schedule as USC did this season. Also, even though Providence won by just a single point in last year's tourney meeting with the Trojans, they actually took 10 more shots from the field and 11 more shots from the free throw line. The point is that the Friars would have won much more easily had they shot better than 40% and had USC not shot a ridiculous 54% from the field and 46% from three point land. The Trojans are only 3-6 ATS (and 2-7 SU!) in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. This is in stark contrast to a Friars team that is a solid 13-9 SU (and stellar 17-5 ATS!) in their games against teams with a winning record. This is a classic case where revenge has been over-played and resulted in value on the other side. I'll take it! Grab all the points you can get but the Friars do have a great shot at the outright "upset" here. 10* PROVIDENCE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Wednesday 8* UC-Davis Aggies (+) vs North Carolina Central Eagles @ 6:40 ET - Similar to my play on Kansas State last night, this is another situation where I feel like we have the coaching edge with Jim Les and the Aggies. Coach Les led Bradley, his alma mater, to the Sweet 16 ten years ago and the veteran coach has done a great job with UC-Davis this season. The Aggies have played a tougher schedule on the season then have the Aggies. I know North Carolina Central got hot at the right time to make it through their conference tourney and earn this bid. However, they play in a very weak conference and the Eagles, prior to the conference tournament, suffered a loss to Savannah State and then one of the nation's worst teams, North Carolina AT & T, to wrap up the regular season. Give the Eagles credit for then getting the job done when they had to in the conference tourney but those 2 losses definitely show a few "chinks in the armor" heading into this one. I know LeVelle Moton was coach of the year for the MEAC this season but it truly is a weak conference and getting Cal-Davis plus some points here is an added bonus. The Big West Conference, though certainly not a powerhouse, is stronger than the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Aggies faced tougher competition to get here. The Eagles have the better record and that is what is impacting this line and giving us some solid line value. 8* UC-DAVIS

First Four Best Bet - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Kansas State Wildcats (+) vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ 9:10 ET - No disrespect intended to the Demon Deacons Danny Manning but, in my opinion, the Wildcats (with Bruce Weber at the helm) have a significant coaching edge in this match-up. Weber will be coaching in his 3rd Big Dance in 5 seasons with Kansas State. They're taking on a Wake Forest team that is a combined 43-51 (and only 16-38 in ACC) since Manning took over as the head coach. The Demon Deacons allowed at least 47.5% from the field in 5 of their last 7 games and, keep in mind, this was all during a crucial stretch for Wake Forest as they were trying to get to 20 wins. They know they were somewhat fortunate to even make the Big Dance as they finished with 19 wins. The point about the above though is that they needed strong D and it just wasn't there that often down the stretch. That doesn't bode well for their chances here as they now take on a Kansas State team that allowed only 54.3 points per game over their last 3 games as they really turned up the heat on defense. The Wildcats won 3 of their last 4 games (and went 4-0 ATS) with the lone SU loss coming by just a single point versus West Virginia. Wake Forest also finished the season on a hot run thanks to some strong shooting but they've been off since Wednesday and that very well could have cooled their hot shooting touch. Not only that but if the Wildcats continue to play defense like they have been, the Demon Deacons will really struggle to regain any type of offensive flow in this one. 10* KANSAS STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Tuesday 8* Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers (+) vs New Orleans Privateers @ 6:40 ET - I like the fact that the Mountaineers had to battle adversity after a 1-11 start this season. Mount Saint Mary's loaded their early season schedule with tough competition and it put them in an ugly spot early this season but it also made them stronger for their conference run. The Mountaineers finished the season on an 18-4 run and earned this spot in the big dance by virtue of winning the Northeast Conference tourney. Solid D down the stretch run was a key for Mount Saint Mary's and I like the fact that New Orleans allowed 46% or better from the field in 2 of their last 3 games against teams with a winning record. The Privateers got hot at the right time but the Mountaineers also hold an experience edge as they've been to Dayton in recent seasons for the First Four experience. Mount Saint Mary's won here in 2008 but lost here in 2014 (and Jamion Christian was their coach then too). Christian and company are ready to make amends for that 2014 loss today. History is certainly not on the side of the Privateers here as they are a long-term 14-26 SU (and 12-28 ATS) in all tournament games. Neither team plays in a powerhouse conference but the Southland Conference was particularly weak this season in my opinion. As a result, I like the fact that New Orleans is a bit "surprised" to be here after their run through the conference tourney while the Mountaineers should prove to be a little more focused on the task at hand. The Privateers were not expected by many to get by both Sam Houston State and Texas A & M Corpus Christi to get here .8* MOUNT SAINT MARY'S

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #891 Sunday 8* Cincinnati Bearcats (+) vs SMU Mustangs @ 3:15 ET - Many will look at this game and recall that the Mustangs, currently on a 25-1 run, suffered their lone loss during that streak at the hands of the Bearcats. However, one should not forget that Cincinnati is actually the team seeking revenge here as SMU avenged the January 12th loss at Cincy with a February 12th home win. Now, ironically, the teams again meet on the 12th of the month and this time it's in March for the AAC Championship Game. The Bearcats are off of a foul-filled win over the Huskies yesterday while the Mustangs pulled away from the Golden Knights yesterday despite not being able to get point production in the paint. That will be a difference maker here because the Bearcats are going to turn up the heat on defense and if SMU again struggles to get points in the paint and also face tough perimeter defense from Cincinnati, points will be tough to come by for SMU. The Mustangs hot shooting run ended yesterday as they had been red hot from the field in their 3 prior games but, though they did knock down threes very well yesterday they finally were held "in check" inside the arc by Central Florida. That is significant here because the 37% that the Bearcats allowed from three point land yesterday was the first time in 6 games that they've allowed better than 33% from beyond the arc. Cincy will be focused on closing out on the three point shooters for SMU in this one and the biggest key of all is the depth advantage of the Bearcats. Considering this is a 3rd game in 3 days scenario, the fact that SMU only played 6 players in yesterday's win over UCF and got 0 points from their bench, the Bearcats deeper rotation gives them an edge in this tourney finale. 8* CINCINNATI

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Game #884 Sunday 8* Virginia Commonwealth Rams (pick'em) vs Rhode Island Rams @ 12:30 PM ET - Rhode Island knocked off Virginia Commonwealth by double digits in a home game two weeks ago. One look at the box score shows you there were some strange results in that game unlikely to be repeated and VCU should get their revenge here. VCU only made 1 of 15 three pointers! They also got severely outrebounded and these teams are actually equal in terms of the quality of their rebounding game on the season. Rhode Island also made 80% of their free throws as they went 31 of 39 even though they're only hitting 65% on the season. VCU did do a good job of forcing turnovers and has won the turnover battle 30 to 16 in the past two meetings. The point is that, simply with a return to the norms for shooting and rebounding, VCU would easily win a rematch at Rhode Island and yet here we are getting them at a pick'em price on a neutral floor. I'll take it! RI, with their win and cover yesterday, is still only 7-7 ATS in tournament games the past 3 seasons combined. VCU, with their win and cover yesterday, is now 14-5 ATS in tournament games the past 3 seasons combined. Payback time Sunday! 8* VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Game #750 Saturday 10* Top Play West Virginia Mountaineers (-) vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 6 ET - The Mountaineers barely got by Kansas State yesterday in an ugly game. Now they have an opportunity today to do what they've not yet done and that is earn a Big 12 Title. West Virginia last won a conference title back in 2010 when they were in the Big East. Look for the Mountaineers to make the most of this opportunity and a key edge here is that we are getting extra line value based on yesterday's results. The tight West Virginia win coupled with Iowa State's blowout win over an out-classed TCU team has definitely impacted the betting markets for this game. The fact is that the Mountaineers present a match-up issue for the Cyclones and they have won and covered 4 straight in this series. West Virginia has dominated the boards in recent meetings and they certainly have the edge on defense and on the glass when you compare these teams. The Mountaineers are off of back to back non-covering wins and only once this entire season have they failed to cover in 3 straight games. The Cyclones have been on a strong ATS run and that has forced the odds makers to adjust the number here as Iowa State will get a lot of public support here. The result is exceptional line value for a Mountaineers team hungry for their first-ever Big 12 title. West Virginia is 13-4 SU when playing with 1 day or less of rest between games the past 3 seasons combined as their style is conducive to success as their pressure defense wears down teams in short rest situations. The Mountaineers are also 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against teams that average 77 points or more per game. Again, their defense being the key in that regard and I look for Iowa State to drop to 0-5 SU and ATS in their last 5 meetings with the Mountaineers as the match-up troubles haven't gone away! 10* WEST VIRGINIA

Afternoon ATS Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Game #741 Saturday 10* Top Play Central Florida Golden Knights (+) vs Southern Methodist Mustangs @ 3 ET - SMU has had a fantastic season but, not only has won an amazing 24 of 25 games, the Mustangs also were 20-5 ATS this season before falling short in yesterday's non-covering win. Southern Methodist blew a huge lead in that game and, even though they hung on for the win, the self-doubt will be in the back of their minds here as they now take on a team fully capable of upsetting them. That said, I'll gladly grab the big points here. The Golden Knights nearly upset the Mustangs in a 5-point home loss in their regular season meeting and they are strong inside including big man 7'6 300 pound Tacko Fall. The fact he was able to play just limited minutes in yesterday's huge win for the Knights means fresh legs here for him in this big game with SMU. The Golden Knights shot the ball very well yesterday but their defense and rebounding is a key to their success. That will also be a key to keeping this game much closer than many are expecting. The Mustangs incredible ATS record is helping to inflate their line for a game like this and I'll take advantage on the other side. UCF, after yesterday's blowout win, is a perfect 6-0 ATS in tournament games the past 3 seasons combined. SMU is now a long-term 6-15 ATS in conference tournament games after losing the killer instinct in yesterday's game. It will be hard for the Mustangs to get that killer instinct back against a Golden Knights team that could very easily grind out an upset win here. That said, give me the big points in this one! 10* CENTRAL FLORIDA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #733 Saturday 8* Davidson Wildcats (+) vs Rhode Island Rams @ 1 ET - With the Wildcats off of an upset of top-seeded Dayton yesterday, everyone will be looking to play the Rams here. However, oftentimes when there is an upset there can be something "flukey" about the game like an insane hot shooting night overall or a big night from three point land or a turnover filled game. That was not the case yesterday and, simply put, Davidson is playing fantastic basketball right now. The Wildcats opened up as only a 3-points dog here for a reason and, as expect, the public is all over Rhode Island here and has driven the line up to a 4 as of early gameday morning. Give me the value with a Davidson team that knows it is only 2 wins away from punching their ticket to the big dance. The Wildcats are playing with a ton of confidence and they won't stop giving 110% effort today and the fact that it is their 3rd game in 3 days is actually part of what is fueling their fire. This team could have folded when the Flyers made a big comeback on them yesterday and put them at a 3-point deficit late but the Wildcats proved their resiliency. Having lost both regular season match-ups with Rhode Island, Davidson is highly motivated by revenge here too and only fell short by 3 points when these met a week ago and that game was at Rhode Island. The Rams have not been shooting well from three point land in recent games and were horrible at the free throw line today. Both items could be significant factors in this game Saturday. Fade the masses! 8* DAVIDSON

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #555 Friday 10* Top Play Alabama Crimson Tide (+) vs South Carolina Gamecocks @ 3:30 ET - Alabama is coming off of a blowout win versus Mississippi State yesterday and is playing very well on both ends of the floor. Of course the Crimson Tide have been known for their defensive play in SEC action under coach Avery Johnson this season and that allows them to "grind it out" and win a game like this against the Gamecocks. Alabama already won at South Carolina in an epic 4-OT battle earlier this season and the Crimson Tide are now playing even more competitively than they were then. Bama has covered 4 of their last 6 games and they held Mississippi State to 39% from the field yesterday and this was after holding each of their three prior opponents to shooting percentages of 32% or less! The Gamecocks have lost 4 of their last 6 games and have failed to cover 8 of their last 9 games. Even though they play solid defense, South Carolina struggles on the offensive end and that could spell trouble against a Bama team that is getting more and more confident on the offensive end with strong performances in recent games. The Tide catch the Gamecocks in a spot where too much rest could actually be a factor and cause some rust. South Carolina is 0-2 ATS the past 3 seasons and 12-24 ATS long-term when they enter a game having been off for 5 or 6 days prior. That is a long-time to not play and stay sharp and it could be an issue here with a team that is already known for it's struggles shooting the ball. Look for the Crimson Tide to improve to 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings with South Carolina. 10* ALABAMA

Daytime Rout - Rickenbach CBB Game #520 Friday 8* Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) vs Michigan State Spartans @ 2:30 ET - Of course Michigan State will be a popular choice here based on their storied history of successes in college basketball and certainly, in recent seasons the Spartans also have a big post-season edge in comparison with Minnesota. However, there was a change that took place for the Golden Gophers this season. This team has shown a lot of resilience as, after a great 15-2 start to the season, they got tripped up by these same Spartans and that started a 5-game losing streak for Minnesota. As that losing streak wore on it looked like that would be it for Minny but they responded by then winning 8 straight games. Though they lost at Wisconsin in their season finale, the Golden Gophers were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time as the Badgers, given the situation, were in a foul mood and desperate for a home win. Prior to that loss, the Gophers had won 3 straight road games and, looking at the season as a whole, they've certainly played better away from home (6-5) then has Michigan State (5-11). The Spartans are also 2-4 (SU and ATS) in neutral court games this season. The Gophers are 8-1 SU (and 7-2 ATS) when playing with road loss revenge this season. After getting embarrassed at Michigan State by an 18 point margin in January (after also losing by a single point to Sparty in Minny in December), look for the Golden Gophers to respond in a big way here. The Spartans are off of an easy win over Penn State yesterday but they previously had lost 7 of their last 8 away from home and now get challenged in a back to back. 8* MINNESOTA