This is a 10* on IONA

Iona is having a bad season (so far) but a lot of that can be attributed to the fact they haven’t played many home games. This will be just the fourth game all season at the Hynes Athletic Center for the Gaels, who have yet to win any of the previous three tries! As a result, it’s a 3-8 SU overall record and they’re 1-9 against the spread. After picking up a nice road win at Rider last Friday, the Gaels promptly dropped a one-point decision here to Niagara 70-69 as 8.5-point favorites. The fact they are favored again probably tells you all you need to know about the strength of the opponent, Fairfield, who is actually in off two straight wins. But those two wins came at home. While the Stags are 12-4 ATS overall and an unbelievable 9-1 ATS as underdogs, you have to think they’ve caught the eye of the oddsmakers and won’t be covering at that rate much longer. On the other hand, Iona is far too experienced a team to have these woes continue. Fairfield just played Wednesday when it knocked off St. Peters, whose leading scorer was held to only five points. Iona last played on Sunday so they are the “fresher” of the two teams and we’ll back them in this attractive spot. Play on IONA

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This is a 10* on DREXEL

Drexel has won three of four. They just prevailed at James Madison 78-71 as a 3.5-point underdog. Tonight they host an Elon team that is also coming off a win, but the difference there is that the Phoenix had lost six in a row prior to that win. The win came against probably the worst team in the CAA, UNC Wilmington. The past two years have not been kind to Elon when they are off a conference win. They are 3-10 SU and ATS in that role. It sure was nice for them that UNC Wilmington made only 28.8% of its shots on Saturday. Drexel has a 46.8 FG% at home. Elon has covered the spread in five of the last six games, but isn’t getting nearly enough points here. They are 0-8 SU on the road while shooting 37% in those games. Drexel is 18-3 SU the last 21 times it has been favored, 5-0 this year, and should cover this number with room to spare. Play on DREXEL

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This is a 10* on CHICAGO

The door is open for the Bulls to make a playoff run, they simply won’t “walk through.” A dreadful stretch has seen them go 1-7 straight up and against the spread. Looking at their last four wins, two have been against Detroit, one against Atlanta (who has the worst record in the league) and the other against the team they are hosting tonight, Washington. The Wizards have their own set of issues. Due to injuries, they’ve had a pretty lousy last month or so. They’ve won just six times going all the way back to December 6th. By rule, somebody has to win this matchup and we believe it’ll be Chicago and they’ll do so pretty easily. Washington is the league’s worst defensive team and the fact they give up 121.6 points/game on the road makes them almost unplayable at this number. Chicago has covered five of the last seven times it has taken on an opponent that has a losing record. Tonight is only the second time the Wizards have played on the road since Christmas. They lost by 34 at Orlando last week. Play on CHICAGO

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This is a 10* on XAVIER

This has all the makings of a sharp, contrarian play as Marquette hosts Xavier on Wednesday. As of this morning, the short home favorite (Marquette) is getting the majority of bets, but the line is going the other way and that tells us that the larger bets are on the dog. Xavier has certainly had its issues covering the number this season (they are 4-12 ATS), but they’ve been a dog only three times. Their last two games, both of which were at home, saw them lose as favorites. Marquette has also lost its last two games and one of those was as a home favorite to Providence. Only 8-8 ATS on the year, we’re just not sure about the Golden Eagles being favored in this game. They are only 5-12 ATS their last 17 games against teams that have winning records. Xavier is 12-5 SU. For the record, the Musketeers are 9-3 ATS its last 12 games as an underdog, including 6-2 ATS when on the road. Play on XAVIER

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This is a 10* on GOLDEN STATE

Everybody knows this is not the same Warriors team from the last half decade. But as recently as Christmas there were signs that they might be able to turn around what seemed to be a lost season. They won four in a row including an upset of Houston on Christmas Day. But since then it’s been all downhill with an eight-game losing streak. To be fair, they were underdogs in all eight games and getting double digits in five. So it’s not like the oddsmakers are expecting them to win. But they certainly could be more competitive. Tonight the Warriors are facing the team that started the losing streak, Dallas, who has gone only 3-5 its last eight games. Our view here is that while the Mavericks likely win, they aren’t going to cover the large spread on the road. A national TV game should be enough to inspire Golden State tonight and they obviously are already motivated enough to end this long losing streak. Dallas just hasn’t been playing very well of late, save for Saturday’s win against Philadelphia. But that was at home. The Mavs have scored at least 140 points in both wins against Golden State this year. That won’t happen again and it’s yet another reason to think the home dog comes out motivated. Dallas is 0-6 ATS their last six games off an ATS victory. They are 0-5 ATS off a SU win of more than 10 points. Play on GOLDEN STATE

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This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

The Atlantic 10 is not as strong as it’s been in the past. With the exception of Dayton, who looks like they’ll be running away with things, there’s no surefire bet to make the NCAA Tournament from this conference. That’s what makes tonight’s game between Richmond and Davidson so critical for the teams involved. There’s a void to be filled and if either of these teams can get hot, there’s a possibility they go dancing. You’ve probably noticed that the team with the 7-8 SU record is favored over the one that’s 12-4. While that’s partly due to home court advantage, the favoritism should also tell you all you need to know about Richmond’s record. The Spiders just lost at home by 16 points to St. Louis as 5.5-point favorites. There’s no sugarcoating what a bad loss that is. Davidson is off to its own  disappointing start in conference play (1-2 SU/0-3 ATS), but did win Saturday against St. Joseph’s. The previous three games, all losses, were played on the road. The Wildcats have played only four home games so far, won them all, and averaged 88.7 points/game in them. Richmond’s leading scorer Blake Francis is listed as doubtful for this game due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the loss to St. Louis. That and the fact that Davidson is finally back home have us laying the points in this one. 10* DAVIDSON

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This is a 10* on MONTANA

This game finds both teams coming off upset wins. Portland State won at Montana State Saturday 77-76 as a 1.5-point underdog. Montana won 90-63 at Eastern Washington as a 5.5-point underdog. There are several reasons why the home team is the right choice in this situation. One, just look at those scores. Montana was far more impressive in its upset, winning by 27 as opposed to just a single point. Also, the Golden Grizzlies last played Thursday, so they’ve had more time to prepare for tonight’s game. They are also at home while Portland State is playing its fourth consecutive road game and second in three days. PSU gives up 76.5 points/game on the road. Montana allows 62.9 points/game at home. Lastly, this is a double revenge game for Montana. They lost twice to Portland State last season. Lay the points here. Play on MONTANA

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

Before running into the Lakers Sat night, Oklahoma City had been on quite the roll. They’d covered the number in eight straight games and had won 11 of their last 13 straight up. But the 125-110 loss to LA, a game where the Lakers played without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, was a terribly disappointing result. Our view is that the Thunder, after overachieving for much of the first half of the season, could now be in a position where we start to see them “give some back.” Tonight’s game marks only the 4th time they will have been a road favorite this season. It comes against a Timberwolves team coming off its worst loss of the season. It was by 30 to Houston and they gave up 139 points. But not only has Minnesota covered four straight times when off a loss, they have had OKC’s number in the past as well, covering the spread in eight of the last nine matchups. The lone non-cover was last month in Oklahoma City, so that’s more revenge for the Timberwolves. The fact the Thunder won that last meeting by a score of 139-127 was highly misleading. The game went to overtime after a missed free throw (by Minnesota) and subsequent technical foul for a player not having his jersey tucked in properly. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is a 10* on PHOENIX

Charlotte isn’t a good team. But the fact they’ve even won 15 games is a bit misleading. They have a bottom five point differential and have lost 9 of their last 11 games. Both wins were by just three points. They have eight wins by three points or less this season, which is by far the most in the league. If not for all of those, they’d certainly be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. So we’ll be looking to fade them Sunday night in Phoenix with our strongest NBA side bet of the week. The Suns may also have only 15 wins themselves, but they have been outscored by just 1.1 points/game. That’s actually tied for the 8th best differential in the Western Conference. After years of losing, the Suns are improved this year. They won at Charlotte last month, 109-104, as a four-point favorite. They should be favored by more here. Charlotte has not won on a Sunday all season (0-6 SU) and has gone 1-5 ATS in those games. This is Phoenix’s fifth straight game at home. They are coming off a 98-94 win against Orlando. Charlotte is playing its second road game in three nights. They lost by 17 at Utah Friday. Play on PHOENIX.

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This is a 10* on SIENA

The MAAC is looking pretty weak this year, so we’ll excuse you for not paying much attention to these teams. What you need to know about Siena is that they have been a totally different team at home than on the road. Thursday’s 61-58 win against St. Peters was the Saints seventh straight home victory. But it was also the fifth straight game they didn’t cover. Their road record is 0-6. So this game being at Manhattan might lead you to believe we’ll be backing the other side. But not so fast. Despite its struggles to cover the spread, Siena has won five of six. Yes, every win was at home. And the only road game resulted in an eight-point loss to Rider. But we don’t think Manhattan is in the same class as Siena. The Jaspers only average 61.7 points/game. They’ve actually been below that scoring average in five of the past seven games. Siena won here last season. They actually held Manhattan to an average of 44.5 points/game in a season sweep. Jaspers leading scorer Greene (12.1 points/game) is questionable for this game. Play on SIENA

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This is an 8* on WAKE FOREST

Most aren’t going to give Wake Forest much of a shot here. But Duke just played a tight game with Georgia Tech that was tied with 4 ½ minutes remaining. That should give the Demon Deacons some hope. Last year, it was a one-point game here in Durham with Wake Forest easily covering the 24 point spot. Hopefully, Chaundee Brown (who is Wake’s second leading scorer) will return for this game. But even if he doesn’t, his teammates will be set to compete. The Blue Devils players won’t be apt to take this one nearly as seriously so Wake should hang around throughout. Duke has only covered two of its last seven home games. Play on WAKE FOREST

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

Playing its first actual road game of the season, Washington lost Thursday at Stanford by a score of 61-55. Going in, we knew it would be a battle of strong defensive teams, but where Washington came up short was from behind the three-point line. They made only 3 of 17 while Stanford was 11 of 30. It was a game the Huskies led by eight going into halftime. They should have a much easier time finishing the job tonight against Pac 12 lightweight Cal. The Bears are off a rare conference win (just their 6th in 40 tries) but it was one where they were favored as they played Washington State here in Berkeley. As an underdog, the Bears are just 1-8 ATS this season. They are also 0 for their last 9 ATS as a home dog of 6.5 to 9 points. They’ve covered only twice in 10 tries against teams with winning record this year. This should be a get well game for UW, who should be sick of close games at this point. Over the last four games, they’ve lost three times by a total of 12 points. But the one win was by 32. This should be more in line with that result. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is an 8* on DALLAS

Compared to the Lakers, Dallas has a very similar point differential and net efficiency rating. However, they are lagging well behind in the standings. The Mavericks have fallen all the way down to 6th place in the West, seven games back of LA. It was a tough loss on Wednesday as they fell here at home, 107-106 to Denver. That makes tonight’s game even more important. The Mavs have caught a big break in that Anthony Davis is out (tailbone) and LeBron James hasn’t been feeling well. So it’s a game the Mavs really should win. The Lakers haven’t lost since Christmas, going 6-0 since, so you couldn’t fault them if they failed to match the sense of urgency Dallas has coming into tonight’s showdown. Key here is that the Mavericks were favored against Denver on Wednesday. They are a perfect 9-0 ATS this season when coming off a loss as a favorite! While just 2-3 straight up their last five games, all three losses by the Mavs have been by five points or less. They are better than their record and actually one of the top teams in the league. Play on DALLAS

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This is a 10* on AKRON

We had to the MAC for some Friday night College Hoops as Akron hosts Ball State. In what looks to be a wide open conference race, these are going to be two of the likely contenders for regular season supremacy. Akron comes in sporting the better record at 12-3 and they’ve started the conference slate with two dominant wins. The Zips only losses were to Louisville, Liberty and West Virginia. Liberty was actually undefeated at the time while the other two are top 15 teams. Akron has been a dominant home team, winning all nine of its games here by an average of 20.3 points/game. They’ve gone 6-1 ATS as a favorite this year. We fail to understand why this number would be so low given Ball State is only 13-28 ATS its last 41 MAC games. Akron even has triple revenge as they are 0-3 straight up vs. the Cardinals the last two seasons (two of the losses in 2018). Play on AKRON

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This is an 10* on BROOKLYN

The way things are going right now, this could end up being a 1st round playoff series. Miami has won 8 of its last 10 games to get to 27-10 on the year and that’s good enough for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn has spent much of this season in 7th place, but has recently fallen to 8th as they’ve lost seven in a row and even worse failed to cover all seven games. This despite Caris LeVert returning to the lineup after a lengthy absence. Kyrie (Irving) won’t be back for at least another week, so someone needs to step up for the Nets. They’ve been hit by some bad luck lately. Tuesday’s 111-103 loss to Oklahoma City went to overtime and dropped the Nets to 1-4 in OT games this season. We think them getting the Heat at home Friday night is a good spot. First off, Miami may be a league-best 17-1 at home. But they are just 10-9 on the road and have given up more points than they have scored. It was a three-point game when they came to Brooklyn on December 1st. The Heat are also off an upset win in Indiana. They’ve covered just once in five previous tries this year when off a win as an underdog. The Nets fortunes are due to change and the same is true for Miami. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

After losing two straight, Washington clearly wasn't fooling around Sunday night. They beat USC 72-40, holding the Trojans to 20 percent shooting for the game (yes, 20 percent!) in what was a complete annihilation. Before losses to UCLA and Houston, the Huskies were a top 25 team whose only losses had been to Tennessee and Gonzaga. We think that's important to remember when looking at their upcoming Pac 12 schedule. Thursday will be the first actual road game of the year as UW goes to Stanford. The Cardinal are 12-2 and also won their last game, although it took place back on Thursday. Rival Cal was no match here in Palo Alto with the Cardinal winning 68-52. But Washington is a different story. The Huskies swept last year's season series. They are a tall team with plenty of length and have better defensive numbers than Stanford. UW opponents are shooting just 40.2 percent on two-point shots this year. At the same time, the Huskies make 54.2% of their own two-point shots (26th in NCAA) and get to the FT line quite a bit.  Stanford might be 12-2, but they don't really have much in the way of quality wins. We like the better team catching points. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is a 10* on DALLAS

Dallas comes into this game in sixth place in the Western Conference. But at 23-13 overall, they are only two games back of second place Denver, whom they host here. They'll do so without the services of Kristaps Porizingis, but Luka Doncic is here and he's coming off a 38-point, 11-rebound and 10-assist game Monday vs. Chicago. It was Doncic's 9th time scoring at least 30 while registering a triple double and the Mavericks won 118-110. Meanwhile, this is hardly the most ideal time for the Nuggets to face a matchup like this. It will be their fifth road game in a row and it's a trip that began all the way back on New Year's Eve. Denver has not been playing good defense of late, giving 120.8 points the last five games including 128 and 130 in two losses on this trip. Dallas has the most efficient offense in the NBA in terms of points per possession. This is the Mavs fourth straight game at home, so the situation totally favors them. We have them rated several points better than Denver so it looks like we're getting a real bargain with the pointspread. The Nuggets did win in Atlanta Monday, but have failed to cover off their five previous victories. Play on DALLAS

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This is a 10* on WAKE FOREST

Florida State enters this game as a top 10 team in the country. They're 13-2 SU so far and have won six in a row since losing at Indiana back on December 3rd. On Saturday, they traveled to Louisville and upset the favored Cardinals 78-65 as 6-point underdogs. But the Seminoles have every right to be "wary" of Wake Forest tonight as the Demon Deacons pulled their own upset Saturday, winning at Pitt 68-65 as a 6.5-point underdog. Wake is plenty rested as that upset of Pitt is the only game that they have played the last 2 1/2 weeks. FSU is playing back to back road games for the first time since opening their season at Pitt and Florida. For what it's worth, the Noles did lose to the same Pitt team that WF just beat. That Pitt game was the only time previous to tonight that FSU has been favored on the road and they lost outright. Again, they also lost at Indiana. Wake Forest has already won four times as an underdog. They've covered five of the last seven times getting points. Seems like too many points for FSU to be laying here. Play on WAKE FOREST

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This is an 8* on INDIANA

Indiana is coming off back to back losses, the latest being to #12 Maryland (no shame there) on what was a cold-shooting night for the Hoosiers. The other loss saw IU blow an 11-point second half lead to Arkansas, at home. Prior to those losses, Indiana was 11-1 and certainly worthy of Top 25 consideration. Tonight seems like an excellent chance to get back on track as they'll take on Northwestern at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Northwestern is not one of the Big 10's stronger teams. In fact, they've lost four in a row and six out of the last eight. Sunday saw the Wildcats travel to Minnesota and take a 77-68 loss, leaving them as the only Big 10 team without a conference win. Only seven scholarship players suited up on Sunday because of injuries and that situation is no better for tonight. A lack of guards is a real issue for Northwestern right now. They are the lowest scoring team in the Big 10 and didn't even attempt a three-pointer until nearly midway through the second half vs. Minnesota. Indiana is 9-1 and averaging 84.5 points/game at home. Northwestern is just 7-18-1 ATS its last 26 games overall. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on the LAKERS

The Lakers have won five in a row overall, the last four of which have been at home. On paper, this homestand seemed to set up very favorably for them with mostly games against teams with losing records. But while they've been winning, they have not been covering in the New Year. After jumping out to a 36-point lead against Phoenix, they won by only 10 as an 11-point favorite. It was a similar deal two nights later vs. New Orleans as they led by 20+ in the third quarter, but won by only 10 as 10.5-point favorites. Sunday vs. Detroit was a much different deal as they actually trailed going into the fourth quarter, which was good for us as we had the Pistons +14.5 (final score was 106-99). Tonight is a very similar matchup as the Lakers host the Knicks. But this is where we see LA covering the spread. The Knicks may be 4-1 ATS L5, but they are still a really bad team. We can easily establish that they'll lose here being that the last two years they are 1-16 straight up as a road underdog of at least 12.5 points. Only two of those games were this year. But they were just 4-11 ATS in the role the last two years. Lakers are 9-2-1 ATS vs. teams with a sub-.400 win percentage. Play on LA LAKERS

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This is a 10* on RUTGERS

The Big 10 could very well put a record number of teams in the NCAA Tournament this year. It will be interesting to see how some of the teams hold up against what is going to be a brutal conference schedule. These are two teams I'm interested in. Penn State and Rutgers each come into Tuesday riding 5-game win streaks. Penn State has already beaten Maryland and Iowa. But those games were both played in Pennsylvania. So far the Nittany Lions have played just two actual road games. One saw them get destroyed by Ohio State, 106-74. Their only other defeat was by two against Ole Miss, in Brooklyn. But here they face a Rutgers team that is 10-0 at home including a win over Seton Hall. The Scarlet Knights allow less than 60 points/game and have won the rebounding battle in 13 of their 14 games played. Penn State has three wins this year by three points or less, so that record could easily be a little bit worse. Even with the injury to G Geo Baker, we don't agree with how the early line movement for this one. Play on RUTGERS

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This is a 10* on TROY

Troy (5-10) seemingly doesn't have much going for itself right now but this is a lot of points to be getting from a Texas State team that isn't exactly making a lot of noise. Texas State has been especially poor as a favorite this year, going 1-7 ATS. If that's not bad enough, the Bobcats haven't covered any of their last five lined games. Troy is 0-3 ATS its last three, but never were they getting close to double digits. There have only been two times the Trojans have been double digit dogs. Both were vs. power conference teams. They covered the last one, at Texas A&M, losing by just four. Texas State is 0 for 3 at the window when it has had to lay double digits. Most of their wins have been against either non Division I teams or bottom of the barrel D-I teams. It was just a three-point win over Arkansas State Saturday. Play on TROY

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This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

Brooklyn got Caris LeVert back in the lineup Saturday, but that failed to turn the tide as for a fifth consecutive game they came out on the losing end. This time it was at home to Toronto, who is a good team but also came in short-handed. The Nets got spanked 121-102 in a very disappointing result for them as they were actually favored.  But with LeVert back, this is going to be a better team and we see this line for Monday's game at Orlando getting a bit out of hand. These teams seem pretty even and the case could be made Brooklyn is better. Orlando lost its last game, at home, by 13. The Magic don't score enough (103.3 points/game) to give us any confidence in them laying points here. They've lost 9 of 14 themselves. Should be a close game where taking points is a must. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is a 10* on DETROIT

The Lakers have a bad habit of letting their opponents sneak through the back door in the 4th quarter. So as long as they're laying these high numbers, we're likely to be considering the other side. On New Year's Day, LA ended up not covering against Phoenix despite taking an early 30+ point lead. They led by 20+ going into the fourth quarter of Friday's game vs. New Orleans and didn't cover there either. It's just a 2-8 ATS record the last 10 games for the Purple & Gold and they are laying a big number here against Detroit as the Pistons played last night at Golden State. Even thought its back to back, we look for the Pistons to cover. They did win last night, 111-104, and while it's big jump in class going from facing the Warriors to the Lakers, it's a lot of points too. Detroit has had its share of ATS woes, covering just 2 of its last 10 games. But they are the ones getting double digits tonight, which makes it easier even though they are probably going to be without Blake Griffin. The Pistons are only being outscored by 2.8 points/game this year. Play on DETROIT

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This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

Duquesne started the season 10-0, which was definitely a surprise. But the key is they really haven't played anybody. After suffering two straight defeats, the Dukes won their conference opener by beating a poor St. Louis team 73-59. They hope that stems the tide, but we don't see them beating Davidson, who will be playing its first A-10 game on Sunday. The Wildcats had won three in a row by virtue of some solid defense, but then ran into Vanderbilt right before the New Year and lost 76-71 in Nashville as a 1-point underdog. That leaves them at 6-6 SU overall with all but three of the games played away from home. While the overall record isn't as good as they'd hoped for, Davidson is definitely battle-tested going into conference play. They've gone 7-0 SU vs. Duquesne and 6-1 ATS, the lone non-cover coming last year. But a big key coming into today is that Davidson has been the dog in only one of those prior seven meetings. We believe the better team is getting points Sunday. The Wildcats have gone 31-10 SU and 26-15 ATS vs. the rest of the Atlantic 10 the past two seasons. Play on DAVIDSON

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This is a 10* on TEXAS

Baylor is a Top 10 team in the country right now (#6) with a 10-1 straight up record. This is the Big 10 opener as they face Texas, who is a solid 10-2 SU, but unranked. This is actually the best start to a season that the Longhorns have had under Shaka Smart. They are coming off their most dominant performance yet, registering season-highs in points, field goals made, field goal percentage, blocked shots and margin of victory in a 89-58 demolition of High Point. It's no debate that tonight's game is going to be much tougher as Baylor has won nine in a row, including three wins over ranked teams. The Bears last game was pretty similar to Texas' as they won 83-57 against Jackson State. But they're 1-5 ATS this season after allowing 60 points or less the previous game. Texas is 12-4 ATS in the month of January the last two years. The last four head to head meetings have seen the 'Horns either win or lose by single digits. Two of the losses were by just one point. Texas allows a pretty similar number of points per game compared to Baylor. Take the points. Play on TEXAS

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This is an 8* on CAL

A little over a month ago, California's football team snapped its 10-year losing streak to rival Stanford, winning "The Big Game" 24-20. Now let's see what Bears basketball can do. They're going to Palo Alto in the midst of a severe ATS drought. They've covered only once in the last 10 games. But they've faced a number of good teams during that stretch. Stanford is 11-2 and probably feeling pretty good about itself, but that makes them ripe for the picking in our eyes. Their last game, played Sunday, was a home loss to Kansas. No shame there, but losing by 16 was a real "downer" and could effect them moving forward. We think that the Cardinal pretty clearly overachieved in its non-conference portion of the schedule. They were picked to finish 10th in the Pac 12 this year. It's not often they have to lay double digits. Cal has actually won its last two games here at Maples Pavilion. Play on CALIFORNIA

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This is an 8* on San Jose State

San Jose State upset New Mexico last year here at home, winning 89-82 as a 10.5-point underdog. Seeing as New Mexico just got hit with a couple suspensions, we think the Spartans are capable of pulling another upset this year. Both suspended Lobos were starters - forward Carlton Bragg and point guard JJ Caldwell. Obviously, those are big losses for a team that is 12-2 and undefeated at home. Bragg was a team captain and Caldwell was leading the Mountain West Conference in assists. The Lobos have played two games without the pair and are 0-2 ATS. Defensively, they struggled against Houston Baptist and then it was just a five-point win over UC Davis. This is the first road game since the suspensions were handed down. Two of three road games New Mexico has played this year were decided by a combined four points. SJSU had lost eight in a row before playing Pepperdine on Saturday, but won that game outright as a 10-point home underdog, 83-68. Play on SAN JOSE STATE

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This is a 10* on PORTLAND

After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season, Portland has greatly underachieved so far in the 2019-20 season. They are currently in ninth place and six games below .500 after ending 2019 on a four-game losing streak. They haven't covered the spread in any of the four games either. The most recent loss was at home to Phoenix, 122-116 as a four-point favorite. That game saw the Blazers blow a 19-point lead. So you know they're looking to come out and start the New Year strong. It's an ideal opponent to get on track as they face the Knicks. While NY has played better since the coaching change, winning its last two games and five of its last nine, they still are just 9-24 SU. The only team that scores less points per game is Orlando. The Knicks don't play much defense either as they are 27th in efficiency. One Blazer that will be very motivated to play well this evening is Carmelo Anthony, making his return to MSG. Play on PORTLAND 

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This is a 10* on WISCONSIN

Maybe it's risky to be betting on the Badgers on New Year's Eve after they pulled a big upset at Tennessee over the weekend. They didn't just upset the Vols either. It was a total blowout with the Badgers winning 68-48 as four-point pups. Congrats to them. They've got a big game upcoming against Ohio State (Friday) as well. But on New Year's Eve, they'll host Rider in the final non-conference game of the season. The Broncs had a five-game win streak snapped at Temple 10 days ago and haven't played since. But they've overmatched here, no matter which way you look at it. Their last three road games have all ended up as double digit losses. That's what we're expecting here. The Badgers haven't lost in Madison and are scoring 80 points/game at the Kohl Center. Play on WISCONSIN

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

Two of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference meet in Indiana to close out 2019. The Pacers host the Sixers in a battle of teams looking to rebound from back to back losses. Philadelphia's two losses both came on the road and were both one-point decisions. They lost 98-97 to Orlando and 117-116 to Miami. That drops their road record to 7-10 SU, a far cry from a 16-2 SU record in home games. Both Indiana losses were also on the road. They also lost by one down in Miami (113-112) but then got humiliated by New Orleans, 120-98, on Saturday. Good for the Pacers that they're at home tonight. If there's one commonality among these top Eastern Conference teams, it's that they're all really good at home, but so-so on the road. They're a collective 87-15 SU in home games with five of the losses belonging to Toronto. Indiana's record at home is 14-3 SU.  We view these teams as being pretty even. Therefore, the Pacers are a great value getting points at home. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on DETROIT

Without question, the last couple weeks have gone very differently for these two. Detroit is 1-6 SU and ATS its last seven games, the only win coming against a bad Washington team. Two nights ago in San Antonio they suffered another embarrassing setback, falling by 27 (136-109). Utah has won seven of eight (4-2-2 ATS) and is off an impressive win over the Clippers where they held Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a combined 12 of 44 shooting. But coming off a win where they were seven-point underdogs, we don't like the idea of the Jazz laying this big number even if they are facing a struggling opponent. They're 0-5 ATS this year after a double digit win. (Final score vs. Clippers was 120-107). They've not been especially great as a large favorite either. They're just 2-6 ATS when laying eight points or more. Detroit has only been outscored by 2.1 points/game this year. They should be motivated here. Play on DETROIT

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This is an 8* on MEMPHIS

Despite getting only three games from James Wiseman, Memphis has looked great this year in rising to #9 in the polls. The Tigers have won nine in a row since their only loss (Oregon) and are coming off two straight blowouts of overmatched teams. Saturday saw them win 97-55 against New Orleans despite committing 27 turnovers. Defense though bailed them out. Tigers opponents are making just 38.8% of two-point attempts, which is the second lowest percentage in the country. From three, opponents are making just 26.5%, which is inside the top 10. Memphis does a great job at turning opponents over as well while playing at a fast tempo. Here they take on a Tulane team that is coming off two straight losses that were by a combined five points. Those losses occurred in D.C. as part of a Holiday Tournament. Not even an eight-day break will be enough to save the Green Wave though. We think this should be an easy 20+ point win for Memphis, who has covered six of the last seven times as a home favorite of at least 12.5 points. Play on MEMPHIS

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This is a 10* on NORTHERN KENTUCKY

The Horizon League has fallen substantially since the days when Butler proudly carried its banner. As conference play begins, you should consider Wright State and Northern Kentucky to be the two favorites. We like one of those two night as Northern Kentucky hosts Green Bay. The Norse are 9-4 and coming off a 10-pt win over Milwaukee in the conference opener. That was Saturday at home. Holding their opponents to 2 of 17 shooting from three-point range was big as was the 31 points from Tyler Sharpe. With the exception of its loss at UNC Greensboro (a good team) right before Christmas, the Northern Kentucky offense has been very consistent. Look for a big offensive night this evening as Green Bay is giving up over 86 points/game on the road. This will be the third straight roadie for the Phoenix, who have lost five of seven overall. After the New Year, they'll be happy to play five straight games at home. But for now, this is the end of a very brutal stretch that saw them open on the road against the HL's two best teams (lost by 6 at Wright St Saturday) and out of nine total games played in the last month, this will be the 7th away from home. Play on NORTHERN KENTUCKY

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This is a 10* on NORTHERN ARIZONA

Northern Arizona has been a bit of a hidden gem this College Basketball season. The Lumberjacks are 4-0 ATS their last four games, winning three of them outright and only losing by two in the other. They were underdogs in all four games, just as they are tonight for the Big Sky Conference opener against Montana. NAU has actually been favored in only one game all season and ironically they lost it, 85-66 to UC Davis. The last loss was to Pepperdine, but that was by just two points. The only other loss was to Arizona in the very first game of the season. This will be NAU's fourth straight time playing on the road, but having had a week in between games, that's not a huge deal. Montana isn't exactly in peak form right now as they've lost two straight and three of four. All losses were on the road, but we still don't think the Grizzlies should be laying so many points against a dangerous dog in the first conference game. Northern Arizona has covered its last two trips to Missoula. Play on NORTHERN ARIZONA

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This is a 10* on MEMPHIS

We played against Christmas night and they lost outright to what most feel is a pretty bad New Orleans team. That was at home and they lost by 12 as a nine-point favorite. It's a pretty similar matchup for the Nuggets today vs. Memphis and we don't like them to cover this one either. The Grizzlies come in having just upset Oklahoma City. That was the day after Christmas and they won 110-97 as a six-point underdog. While Denver had won seven straight before losing to the Pelicans, that win streak required some come from behind efforts against less than stellar teams. Five of those wins came by a margin less less than this pointspread here. Despite being 13-4 SU at home, the Nuggets are just 6-9-2 ATS. Memphis actually doesn't have much dropoff on the road compared to their numbers at home. They've won six of the last 10 games overall straight up. Other than a dismal showing at home vs. San Antonio last week, they've been in every one of those games. Play on MEMPHIS

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This is an 8* on KENTUCKY

Kentucky comes in having lost its last two games. Those losses were to Utah and Ohio State, both out in Las Vegas. Both were also decided by six points or less. Before that, UK had lost only once all year. It was here at Rupp Arena (to Evansville!), but again it was a close game. So we're dealing with a team whose three losses have been by a total of 12 points. Now they return home to face rival Louisville. This will be the first true road game for the Cardinals, whose only loss was to Texas Tech, 70-57 at Madison Square Garden. So UK's three losses have come by a smaller margin than Louisville's one. While Louisville did beat Michigan, their list of opponents has not been as strong as Kentucky's. UK beat Michigan State in the season opener. This rivalry has belonged to the boys in blue over the last decade as the Wildcats are 9-1 ATS the last 10 meetings. They won by 13 last year and by 29 here in Lexington the year before that. Home court matters for a desperate Coach John Calipari. Play on KENTUCKY

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This is an 8* on NEW ORLEANS

It's been a pretty ugly first two months of the season for New Orleans. Top draft choice Zion Williamson hasn't played a game and his teammates have managed to win only eight of 31 games. But there's been a glimmer of hope recently in that the Pelicans have won two of their last three games and the only loss was by four points. They've suffered just two double digit losses in the last seven games and one was to Milwaukee. So even though they are a decided underdog tonight in Denver, don't be scared to take the points. The Pelicans beat the Nuggets in the first game of the season, 122-107 as a four-point home dog. While Denver storms into Christmas on a seven-game win streak, they are just 3-3-1 ATS in those games and none of the spreads that they covered were as large as this one. When off three or more straight wins, the Nuggets are just 3-7 ATS this season. Play on NEW ORLEANS

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Boston and Toronto come into Christmas vying for that #2 spot in the Eastern Conference pecking order (behind Milwaukee of course). Right now, it belongs to Boston, who has won three in a row and seven of nine this month. Most of these wins have come at home, however. Toronto has been a difficult place to play for the Celtics as they are 0-4 SU and ATS here the last two seasons. Overall, it's been eight straight defeats in Canada. The Raptors are without Pascal Siakam right now, but they've been playing undermanned and thus undervalued much of the year. This is a team that's gone 13-3 at home. They haven't lost a game in regulation in two weeks, so we can't pass up the opportunity to take points with them. Play on TORONTO

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This is a 10* on NEW YORK

The Knicks being favored AND getting a ringing endorsement like this from us is a pretty rare occurrence. But the Wizards are in pretty rough shape here as they have numerous players injured and have lost 12 of their last 15 games. Defensively, Washington is as bad as they come. They've allowed 122.8 points/game those last 15 games as opponents are shooting better than 50% overall and 38% from three-point range. Yes, the Knicks have been blown out two straight games, but those were against Miami and Milwaukee. The Wizards are a team they should beat at home. NY has won its last three games vs. teams that are below .500 including a 143-120 triumph over Atlanta here at Madison Square Garden last week. They'd actually covered four straight games before running into the Heat and Bucks. The Wizards are 4-13 on the road. Play on NEW YORK

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This is a 10* on BOSTON

Often you'll find that in the NBA, oddsmakers fail to properly account for the massive discrepancy between the league's best and worst teams. Such is the case in this one. You may be hesitant to call Charlotte one of the league's worst, but the Hornets certainly have "the point differential to prove it" as they're getting outscored by an even six points per contest. That's sixth worst in the entire NBA. The Hornets lost by seven last night at home to Utah. Being in a back to back isn't ideal when traveling to Boston to face the Celtics, who are near the top of the league in point differential. The Celtics are 11-1 at home and did cover the only other time they were asked to lay this many points. That was against Cleveland two weeks ago. It was yet another blowout win at home Friday when the Celtics beat the Pistons 114-93 as a nine-point favorite. That was despite Kemba Walker scoring only two points on 0 of 6 shooting. Expect Walker to shoot a lot better against his former team on Sunday and this should be a blowout for one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

Most are quite familiar with these two mid-major programs. Davidson's most famous alum is former NBA MVP Steph Curry, who led the school on a magical run to the Elite Eight his senior year here. Loyola Chicago, backed by #1 fan Sister Jean, made it one step further - all the way to the Final Four - a few years ago. This year's editions aren't as good as those past teams, but they meet Sunday in Chicago. We feel Davidson is the better team. Yes, the Wildcats have lost five times, but most of those came to really good opponents. Loyola has won five in a row, but their "best" win was either Old Dominion or Ball State. Also, Davidson has been off for exams since December 10th, so they'll come in well rested. Loyola has played twice in the last week, including a neutral site win over Vanderbilt. This is the Ramblers longest win streak since the Final Four team. Davidson won 88-52 in its last game, so they can score. Play on DAVIDSON

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This is a 10* on UNC Greensboro

As a five-point underdog, UNC Greensboro just recorded a nice 55-54 win up in Vermont. As you can tell from that score, the Spartans did an excellent job defensively, holding the Catamounts to 21.4% from three-point land. It wasn't exactly a banner shooting night for UNC Greensboro themselves, but they'll take the quality road win. Tonight the return home to face a Northern Kentucky team that comes in on a bit of a roll. The Norse have won three in a row and covered four straight. They have some road wins to their credit, but they haven't scored much in those games and the defensive effort we saw from UNC Greensboro against Vermont was definitely not a "one-time thing." They are allowing just 56.8 points per game for the season. That's top 10 in the country. The Spartans have also won 37 of their last 42 home games. Play on UNC Greensboro

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This is a 10* on FORDHAM

Fordham is currently on a streak the likes of which you rarely see. The Rams have lost their last three games, all at home and all as favorites. Those losses were to Manhattan, Bryant and Tennessee State. The good news, if there is one, is that every game was close. All three losses were by eight points or less and by a total of 14 points. One was an overtime game. Two saw them blow halftime leads. So it's not as if the Rams are being blown out. Tonight they try again as home favorites, this time against James Madison. The Dukes won big on Monday, beating Charleston Southern by 21. But that was at home. Three of their four road games have resulted in double digit losses while the one win (over Old Dominion) was by two points as an 11-point underdog. Can't see Fordham losing a fourth straight game as a home favorite and with the number being so small, we'll lay it. Play on Fordham

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This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

Brooklyn somehow escaped New Orleans with a win on Tuesday. By their own admission, they were "pretty bad offensively" against the Pelicans, but a strong defensive effort led them to a 108-101 win in overtime. Now beating a team that hadn't won a game in almost a month is no cause for celebration. But remember the Nets are shorthanded. Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert remain out with injuries and Kevin Durant is unlikely to play this year. Thankfully Spencer Dinwiddie has stepped up, averaging 24.3 points/game in Irving's absence. The Nets are 11-5 SU so far without Kyrie and are a solid seventh in the Eastern Conference. They are also playing great defense, holding the last five opponents to an 103-point average on 39% shooting.  Despite the injuries, we still see them as the better team compared to San Antonio, who has been a disaster at the betting window all season with a league-worst 6-18 ATS record. After playing a league-record four consecutive overtime games, the Spurs blew a 25-point lead on Tuesday and lost in Houston. This is a team running on fumes and we'll take the points here. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is an 8* on HOUSTON

Houston comes into this all-Texas matchup way undervalued as we had the spread several points higher. Some have already caught onto this as the Cougars have been bet up a bit this morning. But it's still not enough for UTEP to finish in the money Thursday. UTEP may be 8-1 straight up, but they haven't really played anybody (that's good) and they've left El Paso just one time. That one time just so happened to result in the Miners only defeat, which came at the hands of New Mexico State. It's a big step up in class tonight facing Houston, who is in an angry mood after losing to Oklahoma State on Sunday. The Cougars were seven-point favorites, but they went down 61-55 on a poor shooting night (31.1 FG%). Prior to that, their only two losses were to Oregon (top 10 team) and by 1 to BYU. We view this team as being a bit of a "sleeping giant" right now and UTEP is coming to town at the wrong time. At home, Houston is holding opponents to a 35.0 field goal percentage. Play on HOUSTON

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This is a 10* on MIAMI

Philadelphia is getting a lot of respect here because they are undefeated at home. Their perfect 14-0 record at the Wells Fargo Center certainly should carry some weight as no other team in the NBA can claim to still be perfect at home. But Miami is a worth adversary and certainly capable of winning this game. It just so happens the 76ers are off their worst loss of the year. A severely depleted Brooklyn team beat them by 20 on Sunday. Now the Sixers didn't have Embiid, who should be returning tonight. But the Heat are a lot tougher than the Nets, even though they (Miami) just lost at Memphis two nights ago. Prior to that, the Heat hadn't lost to a team with a losing record all year. So they're in bounce back mode just like Philly is and taking the points seems to be the best option in this battle of top five Eastern Conference teams. The Heat are 3-1 ATS this year after giving up 115+ points in their last game. The Sixers didn't do well the only other time they were off a double digit loss, losing to Oklahoma City the next time out. Play on MIAMI

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This is a 10* on ILLINOIS STATE

Each team is coming off a double-digit loss. UIC got beat by 21 at DePaul, snapping what had been a three-game ATS win streak. The Flames are now 4-7 and find themselves playing back to back true road games for the first time. It's not a long trip to face Illinois State, who is 4-6 after taking a 15-point loss down at Northern Kentucky on Sunday. What we are leaning on for this one is the home team's defense. The Redbirds give up only 63.2 points/game at home. UIC is giving up 79.4 points/game on the road. With this game taking place in Normal, we don't think Illinois State is favored by nearly enough. Certainly, they remember getting blown out by UIC 94-75 last season. Before that, it had been Illinois State winning the last seven matchups. This spread just seems too low for a game the home team should win pretty comfortably. Play on ILLINOIS STATE

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This is an 8* on EAST TENNESSEE STATE

East Tennessee State has lost just two times this year. One was to Kansas where they stayed inside 15-point spread. The other was an upset loss at North Dakota State 11 days ago. Having already successfully bounced back from that second defeat (easily beat Milligan College 97-41), the Buccaneers now set their sights on LSU, their first Power 5 opponent since the Kansas game. LSU has also lost just twice and both were by just two points. The Tigers have been rolling of late, winning and covering four straight. During that win streak, they've shot the ball ridiculously well as in over 54%! Don't look for that percentage to hold up tonight against the toughest team they've faced in awhile. East Tennessee State is a legit team and getting points for only the second time all year. They are 19-8 ATS in non-conference games while LSU is 10-25 ATS the last 35 times it has been a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points. Play on EAST TENNESSEE STATE

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This is an 8* on TEMPLE

This game is part of the Hall of Fame Invitational at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Miami enters on a two-game win streak, but there are some real underlying defensive issues with this Hurricanes team as it has given up an average of 76.2 points in last five games with the last four opponents combining to shoot better than 52% overall. That's bad news when getting set to face a Temple team that just hung 108 points on St. Joe's a week ago. The Owls are well rested as that St. Joe's game took place seven days ago. Miami played Saturday. While it was only a home game vs. Alabama A&M, they still gave up 74 points on 51.7% shooting. The Canes last two neutral site games both resulted in blowout losses, by a combined 45 points, to Florida and UConn. Temple's two losses this year were each a result of poor shooting nights, but that's not going to be the case here. They shot 62.7% against St. Joe's. Miami is 3-11 ATS its last 14 neutral site games. Play on TEMPLE

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This is a 10* on CHARLOTTE

Sacramento rolled to a 100-79 victory over Golden State in its last game. Because it was such an easy win (we had the Under), the Kings now find themselves favored by more than they should be tonight in Charlotte. While its true the Kings have now won four of five, three of those wins were by a total of six points. This is actually their fourth straight game being favored, but before blowing out the Warriors, they'd failed the previous two times and were 0-3 ATS L3 as chalk. The Kings were seven-point favorites over the Hornets at home back on October 30th and lost that game straight up, 118-111. Surprisingly, the Kings are 3-0 ATS as road favorites this year, but this should be closer to a pick 'em as we're getting value on Charlotte due them suffering a blowout loss at Indiana on Sunday. Play on CHARLOTTE

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This is an 8* on LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

Loyola Marymount is looking to win for a third straight time tonight. To do so, they'll have to make the short trip over to UC Davis. The home team has covered five in a row, but all of those ATS wins came as underdogs of at least 3.5 points. They were getting at least six points in four of the games. Tonight the oddsmakers generosity isn't there for the Aggies, who did not fare well against Loyola Marymount last season when they lost to them by 18 on the road. They were eight-point underdogs for that matchup. Loyola Marymount has lost both of its road games so far, but this is a weaker opponent than either Nevada or Colorado. In home games where the spread is three points or less, UC Davis is 1-6 straight up and against the spread. LMU is shooting the basketball very well (51.5 FG%), which is more than we can say for UC Davis, who is at just 45.2%. Lions roar in this one. Play on LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

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This is a 10* on HOUSTON

This is a very bad spot for San Antonio, who has played a NBA record four straight overtime games. Three of those have resulted in wins. One, a double OT affair, saw them beat tonight's opponent. But it was not without controversy. That was the game where referees mistakenly disallowed a James Harden dunk, leading to a wild sequence of events where the Spurs ended up erasing a 22-point deficit. While the Rockets protest of that game was not upheld, they'll get their revenge tonight. Adding fuel to the fire is that they are off an upset loss the other night to Detroit. They shot just 40% in the loss and scored the fewest number of points in a game (107) in nearly a month. The Spurs are a league-worst 5-18 against the spread this year and that includes 0-8 if they scored 115 or more points in their last game. They are coming off a 121-119 win over Phoenix, which was played in Mexico City. That detour "south of the border" is another disadvantage the Spurs are facing and it's really difficult to see them playing well tonight. Play on HOUSTON

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This is a 10* on HAWAII

Samford makes the long trip out to Honolulu Sunday night. The Bulldogs just won on the road, 112-90 at Houston Baptist last Saturday. But prior to that, they'd been 0-5 in road games with a couple of losses by more than 20 points. Samford can score, but not surprisingly they don't shoot nearly as well when they're the road team. That's a problem when you're giving up 83.3 points/game (on the road). Hawaii figures to be in a foul mood this evening as it is coming off a 25-point loss at Oregon. That was just the third loss overall for the Warriors, two of them on the road to P5 teams. They are 6-1 at home. This result likely boils down to who's senior guard performs better tonight - Josh Sharkey for Samford or Eddie Stansberry for Hawaii. In the end, we like how Hawaii has been shooting the three-ball recently (averaging 9.3 makes L3 games). For the year, they are second among Big West teams in three-pointers made. Play on HAWAII  

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This is a 10* on NORTHERN ARIZONA

Northern Arizona has played what we'd call a "light schedule" so far. The Lumberjacks have taken the floor only six times, which is tied for the second fewest in the whole country. Only Iona (5) has played fewer games. Yet NAU still has the same number of wins (4) as their opponent for Saturday (Utah Valley St). The difference is UVSU has lost seven times, more than the total number of games played for NAU! We've got the teams rated pretty evenly, so the chance to grab this many points looks to be a steal. Utah Valley State has lost four in a row and six of seven. The only win came when they were an underdog. So laying points isn't a great option for the Wolverines. Wouldn't you know they are not only 0-4 ATS as favorites this year, every one of those games have resulted in a straight up defeat. Gotta take the points here. Play on NORTHERN ARIZONA

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Toronto is in its worst stretch of the season, having lost four of five games. They've gone 0-5 ATS and now face division foe Brooklyn, who is 8-2 ATS as an underdog. But with Kyrie Irving set to miss a 14th straight game, I don't see the Nets competing tonight. They just lost to Charlotte, as a 9.5-point favorite, Wednesday. That game saw them blow a 20-point lead. Caris LeVert has missed 15 straight games. Toronto is fully healthy, so the stretch of losing seems oddly timed. But also look at who they've lost to - Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and the Clippers. All of those are top teams. Brooklyn is below average and has lost eight straight times here in Toronto. After shooting poorly the last five games (below 40%), look for the Raptors to get it going offensively tonight. They average 116 points/game at home. Play on TORONTO

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This is an 8* on MIDDLE TENNESSEE 

Middle Tennessee probably isn't going to be able to get a win here, but they'll take a cover as they come into this game at 0-6 ATS. The Blue Raiders have played 10 games mind you, but four were not lined. As you might expect, those have been the Blue Raiders best performances. They haven't won any of the six lined contests, but tonight marks just the second time they'll be catching double digits. The first was against Villanova, who is a heck of a lot better than Ole Miss. Prior to last Saturday's 83-67 win over Cal State Bakersfield, the Rebels had looked downright dreadful in a pair of losses to Butler and Oklahoma State. They scored just 37 points vs. OSU and I don't see this being a game where the favorite is going to give a solid 40 minutes. Too many points for a team not rated in the Top 50 to be laying here. Play on MIDDLE TENNESSEE

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This is a 10* on COLORADO

Colorado State losing by 22 at home to San Diego State last week sets the precedent for them not doing well tonight. The Rams looked badly outclassed in that game. That shouldn't have been too surprising considering SDSU is one of the five teams in the country still without a loss. That tidbit is relevant today because it wasn't all that long ago that Colorado was still undefeated. As in this time last week. We called for them to suffer their first defeat of the season last Saturday at Kansas, which they did, and just as we predicted they did not cover the spread either (lost 72-58). The Buffaloes then lost again Tuesday, to a good Northern Iowa team (10-1), a game which they were 9.5-point favorites. After failing to cover in six straight, this is where Colorado gets its mojo back. This is still a ranked team (#24). They were a 13.5-point favorite in this game last year when it was played in Boulder. They might be a better team in 2019. They've already won at Arizona State, so I'm not concerned with Colorado winning on the road. Play COLORADO 

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This is a 10* on WEST VIRGINIA

Look for West Virginia to bounce back from its first loss of the season. They are facing an overmatched Austin Peay team tonight in Morgantown. Saturday they went to St. John’s and lost 70-68 as a four-point favorite. They did the job defensively, holding the Red Storm to 32.7 percent shooting, including 2 of 17 from three-point range. But that effort was undermined by too many turnovers and getting outshot at the free throw line (were -15 in attempts). In a two-point game, that’ll cost you. Austin Peay is 0-4 on the road, losing by an average of 13.8 points per game. The teams the Governors have beaten this year are not anywhere near the same class as WVU. Even in a win over North Florida on Saturday, they struggled defensively by giving up 83 points. Look for the Mountaineers to be more careful with the basketball tonight and they’ll have the free throw edge at home. Play on WEST VIRGINIA

This is a 10* on INDIANA

Winners of four straight, Boston has a 17-5 record. They've also covered the spread the last four games. But here's where we start adding caveats. The Celtics are 10-0 at home. That's where they've played the last three games. The road finds them at a less impressive 7-5. Tonight they're in Indiana to a face a Pacers team that's not to be taken lightly. Coming off a five-game road trip where every game was close (finished 3-2 SU/ATS), the Pacers returned home Monday to face the Clippers. They lost 110-99 as it was a poor shooting night. But the Pacers haven't lost two straight at home all year. They are 9-3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston is a shocking 11-0 ATS vs. teams with winning records this season. But a good number of those games were at home where they are undefeated. Before they won New York on December 1st, the Celtics had failed to cover three straight times as road favorites with two outright losses. Indiana will be taking this game quite seriously. Not that Boston won't. But the Pacers have a score to settle in the sense that they have lost seven in a row to the Celtics, including a four-game sweep in last year's playoffs. Time for some revenge! Play on INDIANA

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This is an 8* play on UMass

Massachusetts season started well enough. The Minutemen were a perfect 5-0 going into the Hall of Fame Classic in Connecticut. They lost both games that weekend and haven't recovered since. It's now a five-game losing streak after getting blown out by Harvard this past weekend. They haven't covered in four games. But just one of those five losses was at home and that was by just four points to South Carolina. Poor shooting has doomed the Minutemen during this five-game losing streak and at the same time they've given up at least 80 points in three straight. Yale, who has won five in a row straight up and covered its last eight, comes to Amherst tonight. While this looks like two ships sailing in opposite directions, we're not about to discount the benefits of home court advantage. Yale is playing its third straight road game. This is the most points UMass has gotten for any home game yet. Take the points. Play on UMass

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This is an 8* on KANSAS

Kansas' season started with a 68-66 loss to Duke. Since then, the Jayhawks have looked as good as any team in the country. They've won seven in a row, six of those wins coming by at least 12 points. We used them as our Game of the Week on Saturday as they ended Colorado's unbeaten run with a resounding 72-58 victory. Tonight promises to be among the Jayhawks easiest games to date as they'll be hosting Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While all four of their losses have been by six points or less, the Panthers haven't played anybody close to the caliber of Kansas. Their most recent game was a 56-53 loss at Drake, which took place exactly one week ago. Despite having a week off, the spot is still not great for the underdog here. Before Drake, which was their first real road game, they'd played three games in three days in the Bahamas. The offensive numbers in those last four games aren't very good, which is a concern facing a Kansas team that has held its opponents to 37.7% shooting. The Jayhawks are already winning by an average of 17.7 points/game and this should be their easiest game since facing Chaminade. Play on KANSAS 

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This is a 10* on OKC

Oklahoma City is in a back to back but this is too many points for Utah to be laying. They lost two All-Stars in the offseason, but the Thunder are hanging tough and a pretty average team. That may not sound like any kind of ringing endorsement, but most were thinking this team was going to finish well below .500. Truthfully, Utah hasn't been a whole lot better than OKC this season. They have. Both teams have outscored the opposition by < than 1 pt per game. The Thunder have won 4 of 5 did go into Portland last night and come away with a 108-96 win as 3.5-point dogs. The Jazz beat Memphis Saturday night, but have lost five of seven overall and both wins were against Memphis. It's been awhile since Utah beat a decent team. Just because the Thunder played last night doesn't mean they should be the big of an underdog. Play on OKLAHOMA CITY

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This is a 10* on DALLAS

The oddmakers have essentially been "asleep at the wheel" when it comes to the Mavericks team, which just surpassed the Lakers for the best point differential in the Western Conference. Following Saturday's 130-84 beatdown of New Orleans, the Mavs are outscoring teams by 10.3 points per game this season. Thus the oddsmakers probably couldn't make this number high enough for a home date with Sacramento. Dallas is 10-1 straight up and against the spread its last 11 games. Three wins, including yesterday's, have come by more than 40 points! Barring some kind of mental letdown, they should win tonight's home game with ease. The Kings have lost three games in a row, all of them to teams with losing records. This will be a third straight road game for them as well. They are just 3-9 on the road so far. Sacramento actually has the same ATS record as Dallas for the season. Both are 13-8. But the difference is that the Mavericks have seven more straight up wins. The Kings actually swept last year's season series, winning all three matchups. This is a different year. The Kings may be without both De'Aron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. They are in trouble here. Play on DALLAS.

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This is a 10* on KANSAS

We're down to 16 teams that have yet to taste defeat this College Basketball season. One of them is involved here and surprisingly it is not Kansas. Colorado has begun 7-0, but of the 10 unbeatens in action today they are one of just two getting points (Arizona @ Baylor is the other). Certainly, it would appear as if this is the time for the Buffaloes to lose for the first time. The only question is: can Kansas cover the spread? We think so. The Jayhawks have been off since the night before Thanksgiving when they rallied to defeat Dayton in overtime to win the Maui Invitational. Returning to Lawrence - where they have not played since November 19th - should be a big boon. Colorado is just 7-19 SU, 7-18-1 ATS its last 26 road games and this figures to be among the most challenging of all of them. This is their first road game this year. The Buffaloes needed a late 15-1 run to beat back Loyola Marymount Wednesday. They seem ripe for the picking here. Play on KANSAS

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This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

No idea why this early season showdown isn't on ESPN. But we'll be watching as the Bucks bring a 13-game win streak into Friday. They lost just one time in November and that was in the second night of a back to back, by three points, at Utah. Ironically, that last defeat came one night after the Bucks beat the Clippers. It was 129-124 in LA as the Bucks were actually six-point road favorites. Paul George did not play in that game and neither did Kawhi Leonard. The presence of the two LA superstars is not something we feel is enough to stem the tide here in Milwaukee. The Clippers have been a dominant home team so far, going 13-1 straight up at Staples Center. But they are only 3-5 on the road (2-6 ATS). This will be among the toughest road games of the year, if not THE toughest.  The Bucks are 9-1 at home. But they're not just winning, they are consistently blowing teams out. Their average margin of victory here in Milwaukee is 15.1 points/game! Look for them to sweep this season series. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is an 8* on ORLANDO

Cleveland has been the gift that keeps on giving for Orlando. The Magic are already 2-0 against the Cavs this season with those wins have come by 9 and 12 points. For this third meeting, the Magic come in on a three-game win streak. This is the second time Orlando has been on a three-game win streak. The first ended with a 113-97 loss to Toronto. But there's a big difference in facing the NBA Champs and the pitiful Cavs. Cleveland has lost 10 of 11 and was just beaten by 27 here at home Tuesday night. That 27-point loss was to a Pistons team that had not won consecutive games all season. The Cavs were never really in the game and trailed by as many as 35 points.  While still under .500 for the year, the Magic have always done one thing well. That's play defense. The number of points they allow - 103.4 per game - is tops in the conference. More encouraging is the way they've increased their own scoring recently. The last two games have seen them post season-highs with 127 and 128 points.  Orlando may not have a good road record, but neither does Detroit and they just blew out the Cavs. Look for the Magic to win a season-best fourth straight game. Play on ORLANDO

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Toronto is a team that continues to be underrated by the oddsmakers. Only the Bucks and Lakers have a better point differential on a per possession basis. Because they lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, it was thought the NBA Champs would take a step back this year. That hasn't been the case at all. The Raptors just suffered their first loss at home. It saw them go to overtime with Miami on Tuesday. Given the game went to OT, the fact they lost by 11 points is misleading. They went 0 for 9 from the field in OT, eight of those misses coming from three-point land. Toronto is healthier than its been in awhile with both Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry back. Lowry actually returned for the Heat game. In his absence, the team played remarkably well. They'd won seven in a row prior to Tuesday. Houston is also coming off an overtime loss here. Theirs was a 2OT affair. They blew a 22-point lead, which makes things even more painful. There was a controversial call where a James Harden dunk was disallowed and obviously that was the difference in a 135-133 final. The Rockets had their own long win streak last month (eight in a row), but have actually lost four of six since. They are 5-5 on the road. Toronto deserves more respect at home. Play on TORONTO

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This is an 8* on UNC

Don't look now but Ohio State is #6 in the country ... in basketball! But the unbeaten Buckeyes will face by far their toughest test of the season tonight when they visit #7 North Carolina. This is Ohio State's first road game. North Carolina finished third in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. Friday's 78-74 win over Oregon (a Top 25 team) ended what was an 0-5 ATS streak. The Tar Heels only loss this year was to Michigan in that same Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. There's no shame in that. Ohio State has covered five in a row. But they are 0-5 ATS all-time vs. UNC. Needless to say, we're going to learn just how good this team is tonight. Our view is that the Buckeyes could be at their "peak" right now and it's a good time to sell on them. This will be their biggest test defensively and while UNC has underperformed offensively (by its standard), they've still scored 75 points in every game besides the loss to Michigan.  We can't see OSU going to Chapel Hill and winning. Play on NORTH CAROLINA

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

The Pacers deserve to be favorites here and we anticipate they will be by tipoff. They've won six of their last seven games and shot at least 50% from the field in their last five victories. Oklahoma City has actually performed a whole lot better than we thought they would. There was a mass talent exodus in the offseason with Paul George leaving for LA and Russell Westbrook going to Houston. Yet the Thunder are a somewhat respectable 8-11 SU on the year.  But they just swept a home and home from New Orleans, meaning they were 6-11. Both wins over the Pelicans were close as it was a five-point win in OKC and a three-point win in NO.  Since starting 0-3, Indiana has gone 13-4 with two of the four losses coming by three points or less. The other two were to Houston and Milwaukee, two of the league's better teams.  The big key here is that OKC is just 1-7 SU vs. teams that have winning records. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on NEW MEXICO STATE

This is actually an early season rematch. UTEP won the first game, 65-50 as 2.5-point underdogs. But that was in El Paso. Tonight's visit to Las Cruces marks the first time the Miners have to hit the road this season.  UTEP is undefeated (5-0), but has hardly faced the stiffest competition. Three of their wins have come against non-board teams. They beat New Mexico by three. The win over NMSU, which was the second game of the season, was the most impressive so far. But it speaks volumes that they are still underdogs to a 4-4 team they've already beaten.  New Mexico State should be plenty motivated tonight. Not just because they are taking the court with revenge, but also because they were upset by George Mason in their last game. As a 5.5-point favorite, they lost 68-64. That game took place out on the Cayman Islands and saw NMSU blow a 12-point halftime advantage. There are several reasons the Aggies lost that first game vs. UTEP. One was they missed 9 of 11 free throw attempts. It was an all-around bad shooting night at 36.8% from the floor. That shouldn't be the case tonight at home. This Aggies team could easily be 6-2 right now and should get its revenge. Play on NEW MEXICO STATE

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This is a 10* on BOSTON

Boston took a loss in Brooklyn Friday afternoon, a game in which they didn't even face former teammate Kyrie Irving. Maybe it was the early start, but the Celtics didn't come out sharp and fell behind by 14 points in the first quarter. They never really recovered.  It should be a much easier time against New York's other team, the Knicks, who have lost five straight to fall to 4-15. In those five straight losses, NY has scored no more than 104 points. They couldn't even hold a 16-point lead against Philadelphia Friday, losing here at home 101-95.  The Celtics remain one of the league's premier defensive teams as they are holding opponents to a 43.2 FG%. They have lost two games in a row just one time this season and those were road games vs. the Nuggets and Clippers. The only previous time they lost a game where they were favored to win, they came back and won the next one by 14 points. This is the third meeting already this season. The Knicks played the Celtics tough in Boston, losing by just two, but also lost at home to them by 23. This is a bottom five team with nothing going for it. Play accordingly. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on CENTRAL MICHIGAN

As a double digit dog, Central Michigan was up 50-32 at halftime on undefeated DePaul Tuesday. Not only did the Chippewas end up not winning, they also failed to cover! A disastrous second half yielded a final score of 88-75. They were getting 11 from the oddsmakers. CMU will need to "dust itself off" as they are back home Saturday to take on Youngstown State. This is a team they defeated last year, on the road, 100-94. They were 8-point favorites, meaning that they didn't cover there either. But it also means we're getting some good value. Here, the Chippewas are favored by less at home than they were last year on the road. Unless there's been some substantial improvement with YSU that we're unaware of, then this line makes no sense. The Penguins have played only one team of any real note, that being Louisville. They lost by 33 points. They've also lost by 22 to Akron and 12 to Louisiana. Both of those were road games. Central Michigan's schedule hasn't been all that impressive either, but they are among the highest scoring teams in the country at 96.1 points/game. Coming off the disappointing loss, we're looking for them to win in blowout fashion here. Play on CENTRAL MICHIGAN 

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This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

The Cavs aren't a good team. They've lost eight of nine and just got beat here at home by Orlando by 12 points. That doesn't bode well as Milwaukee comes to town Friday night. The Bucks are 15-3 and have won nine in a row. They look every bit as strong as they did last year when they won 60 games.  Not only have the Cavs lost eight of nine games, they've also gone 2-7 against the spread. They rank near the bottom of the league both offensively and defensively.  Milwaukee beat Cleveland by 17 earlier in the year with seven players scoring in double figures. This is an elite team (maybe the best in the league?) matched up against one of the five worst. Should be easy pickings. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

DePaul pulled off a miracle on Tuesday. Trailing 50-32 at halftime vs. Central Michigan, they rallied not just to win, but to cover as 12-point favorites. The final score was 88-75. The Blue Demons are now 7-0, but are underdogs Friday to a 3-3 Minnesota team. For good reason. Not just is the game on the road, but one of their top rotation players (Devin Gage) is nursing an ankle injury. Only six players saw the floor for more than 10 minutes against Central Michigan. DePaul's defense was also very bad in the 1st half of that last game. They were slow to rotate, constantly falling for pump-fakes and had allowed 50 points by halftime. It was a complete turnaround in the 2nd half, but that's a game they were lucky to win, let alone cover. They were basically down for the first 30 minutes of the game. Minnesota has three losses, but two were on the road and the other to a pretty good Oklahoma team. The Golden Gophers beat Central Michigan in much more convincing fashion last week, winning by 25.  All three times Minnesota has been favored, they have covered the spread. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is an 8* on GEORGIA STATE

Unlike many of the games on the Wednesday slate, this is not a Holiday Tournament. Georgia State welcomes Charlotte to Atlanta with both teams looking to get over .500 for the year. Georgia State is 3-3 while Charlotte is 2-2. Georgia State is a perfect 5-0 ATS, including a cover against Duke. The Panthers will be happy to be back home where they've only gotten to play once so far. That one time was the first game of the season where they blew out Brewton-Parker 104-35. Charlotte lost its last game, 64-55 to Appalachian State. That game took place last Thursday. The 49ers were coming off two straight upsets, one over Davidson and the other over Wake Forest. Both were at home. The last game was a reality check for Charlotte as they were held to 55 points on 36.7% shooting. Can't see them pulling off a third upset in four games here. Georgia State, who has scored 80 points in four of its six games, is going to be extra motivated upon this return home. Charlotte is 0-2 on the road. An afternoon start time is an advantage for the home side. Play on GEORGIA STATE

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

Denver is 12-3. They've won five games in a row and nine of their last 10. They were a double digit favorite in their last game and covered the spread (barely), beating a rising Suns team 116-104.  Washington is a young team with a 5-9 record. But the Wizards can score. They are averaging 119.1 points/game. Only Milwaukee scores more than that. The Wizards aren't great defensively and they did just drop a home game to Sacramento on Sunday. But they were favorites in that loss and got held to 106 points. Hitting their scoring average here would likely mean a very easy ATS win, given how many points they are getting. Before they lost to the Kings, Washington had covered five straight times. They won three of the five games, including two as underdogs. Denver's defense definitely presents a challenge. But the Wizards are 8-1 ATS as underdogs so far and 6-1 ATS on the road. Because the Nuggets play at the second slowest pace in the league, they aren't likely to break away in this one. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is an 8* on ST. BONAVENTURE

What makes this an interesting matchup is that the underdog is off an upset win while the favorite lost in that same role its last game. We'll use this backdrop and take what the undervalued side on Tuesday, which is the chalk. St. Bonaventure is only 1-4 after losing at Canisius on Saturday. The Bonnies were five-point favorites there and lost 61-57. It was not a good shooting night nor did they do an effective job at rebounding. But before losing to Canisius, the Bonnies did win as underdogs over Rutgers at a neutral site. The problem for this team so far is that they have lost straight all three times they've been favored! The third time may not have been the charm agains Canisius, but we believe the fourth will tonight vs. Mercer. The underdog Bears had not covered the first two times they were underdogs this season, but then sprung a surprise on IL-Chicago Saturday, winning that game 72-68 as 4.5-point dogs.  Mercer gives up a lot of points. An average of 80.2 per game to be exact. St. Bonaventure is allowing just 67.8. The favorite is hungry for a win at home where they are 0-2. Bonnies get the win and cover. Play on ST. BONAVENTURE

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This is an 8* on TN STATE

San Diego State is 4-0 against the spread in addition to being undefeated, so it's no wonder that they are such large favorites Monday night. But the Tennessee State team that are hosting just hung tough with #12 Texas Tech and won't be intimidated in the least. That game at Texas Tech saw Tennessee State lost by only 15 as a 24.5 point underdog. With that cover, the Tigers move to 20-6 ATS the last 26 times they have been a road underdog of 18.5 to 24.5 points. San Diego State's last game against Long Island was not lined. But the Aztecs won by 17. The only game that's been closer for them was the 76-71 upset at BYU where they were a 4-point underdog. Yet consistently winning by double digits is hard in this sport. Tennessee State's only loss besides the one to Texas Tech was by 2 points at UT-Chattanooga. They trailed Texas Tech by only five at halftime. Look for the underdog to stay within the number here. Play on TENNESSEE STATE

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This is an 8* on INDIANA

Memphis deserves some credit for keeping it close against the Lakers Saturday as they lost by only 1 points. But it was still a third straight loss at home. Playing at Indiana Monday looks to be a mismatch for a team with the third worst scoring differential in the league. Indiana has won two straight and six of eight. The only losses were to Houston and Milwaukee, who are two of the league's better teams. The Pacers seem to have settled in nicely as one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference, a place where we expected them to be coming into the season. Injuries haven't even really slowed the Pacers down. Victor Oladipo hasn't played at all this year. Malcolm Brogden is expected to return to the lineup tonight. Six Pacers were in double figures in the last game, a 111-106 win over Orlando. Memphis is giving up 117.8 points per game, which is a lot. Only three teams allow more. Indiana is allowing only 98.0 points over its last five games. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on the CLIPPERS

This is a terrible spot for New Orleans. They lost in Utah last night and gave up 128 points despite the Jazz not having Rudy Gobert. Defensive woes are nothing new for the Pelicans. They’ve allowed an average of 119.6 points in all games this season. That’s the second most in the league. Tonight they are up against the Clippers, who have been a dominant home team thus far. LA is 10-1 at Staples Center after beating Houston here on Friday. The Clippers were upset out in New Orleans 10 days ago and so they’ll be looking to exact some revenge tonight. They have gone 6-3-1 ATS their last 10 revenge games. A big spread does not scare us as the Clippers are already winning by more than 10 points/game at home. An opponent that one of the worst defensive teams and played last night should make for easy prey. The Pelicans have been playing short-handed and the Clippers have the highest scoring bench in the entire NBA. New Orleans was down by as much as 20 last night. Play on LA CLIPPERS

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This is an 8* on BOSTON COLLEGE

The list of unbeaten teams left in College Basketball has dwindled down to 53. Of those 53, only 22 have managed to get to 5-0. One of the bigger surprises on the list in DePaul. We believe the Blue Demons are set to experience their first loss. They lost to Boston College last year 65-62 as a 4.5-point home favorite. DePaul's most impressive win was their only previous road game, an upset of Iowa as 9.5 point underdogs. The Blue Demons shot an outrageous 61% that day. Really, they've been shooting the lights out all year. But eventually that's going to stop. Facing a B.C. team that has held its first five opponents to below 40% shooting seems like the logical time. Boston College also has an upset win on the road, theirs at the expense of South Florida where they were +6.5. The Eagles only loss was here at home to Belmont, 100-85, a game where they were actually a slight dog. They bounced back from that with a 72-68 win over Eastern Washington Wednesday night.While DePaul hasn't played in a week, they're bound to lose. The week off also may leave them rusty. They are 3-7 ATS the L10 times they've played with three or more days rest. B.C. already has beaten not just USF but also Wake Forest. Play on BOSTON COLLEGE

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This is an 8* play on HOUSTON

Houston saw it's eight-game win streak come to an end Wednesday night in Denver. Notable is that they'd also covered the spread in all eight games. But the Nuggets were able to hold them to a season low 95 points and James Harden to just 27. The Clippers now have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard playing together. The first game with both on the court was a 107-104 win over Boston. The game went to overtime as LA won for the second time this week by three points or less. The Rockets will not be an underdog many times this season. Considering they are the highest scoring team in the league, it's worth taking them when they are. As we just mentioned, the Clippers two wins this week have both been close (total of 5 points). These teams already went against each other once this year. Houston won 102-93 at home. That was nine days ago. The big difference here is tonight's game being in LA. The Clippers are 9-1 at home, but only 1-4 on the road. Still we don't think they should be this big of favorites. The Clippers are only shooting 43.9% from the field here at Staples Center. Play on HOUSTON

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This is an 8* on SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio is a league worst 2-12-1 ATS. But at some point that record has to improve. With the team struggling, expect them to be an underdog on a pretty regular basis moving forward. That sounds pretty simplistic, but they've only been a dog four times so far. The Spurs are an underdog tonight in Philadelphia. The Sixers also haven't exactly been tearing it up for bettors as they are just 1-5 ATS their previous six games. Two nights ago, they beat the Knicks by only five points. They trailed in that game by as much as 17. Not only has San Antonio not been covering, they haven't been winning either. They bring a 7-game losing streak to the City of Brotherly Love. Most of the losses have been close though. This is the front end of a back to back for both teams. Philly is 1-5 ATS this year against teams that have losing records. San Antonio is more desperate and we should see the underdog role suit them well when it comes to ATS results. Play on SAN ANTONIO

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This is an 8* play on MIAMI

Miami has quietly been one of the better teams in the league this year. They are 10-3 while outscoring teams by 8.5 points per game. The only teams with a better point differential this year are the Lakers and Bucks. Winners of four in a row, the Heat rank 3rd in defensive efficiency. Chicago can't measure up to any of those numbers, although they did just win a game by 20 points. But it was against the Pistons, who have really been struggling of late. Miami also recently beat Detroit as part of its four-game run. The Heat have shot better than every other team in the league thus far, making 48.2% from the field. Don't expect the Bulls to play the same kind of defense here that they did vs. the Pistons. That was only the second time they've held an opponent under 100 points. Miami has won 8 of its last 10 and all eight wins have come by at least nine points. They are 9-2 ATS overall this season and 6-0 as a favorite! Play on MIAMI

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This is a 10* on WESTERN MICHIGAN

There are 53 College Basketball teams still without a loss. Of the 53, there are 45 at 4-0 or better. One of them is Oklahoma State, who is in action tonight and laying a big number against Western Michigan. This will be the biggest number the Cowboys have had to lay this season and they're facing a team that's lost only one time in five tries.  OSU has had two close calls so far. They won by just five points against Oral Roberts and by only seven against Yale, the latter win coming earlier this week. The other two games were comfortable victories over Missouri-KC and College of Charleston, though it should be pointed out the final margins of victory (18 and 19 points) were pretty close to what they are laying tonight.Western Michigan didn't fare too well in its only other game against a Power Conference foe. They lost by 27 at Ole Miss, but count on them playing better here. The Broncos shot just 33.9 percent down in Oxford while missing 27 of 32 three-point attempts. They are better than that offensively. They've scored at least 75 in every other game.The fact OSU has not won a game by more than 19 points should automatically make you hesitant to lay this number. This is a team that finished last season at 12-20 and isn't going to score many points on a regular basis. We'll take the points. Play on WESTERN MICHIGAN

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This is a 10* on PORTLAND STATE

This battle for Portland supremacy finds the home team undervalued. This is likely due to the visitor's 3-0 ATS record that includes two covers as an underdog. Host Portland State just played a couple of tough road games. They were underdogs at Indiana and Hawaii and lost both. But a return home should be what the doctor ordered. The Vikings have won this matchup two years in a row including 87-78 last year as a 6.5-point favorite. Portland's two previous road trips were to USC and San Jose State. They upset the latter. Saturday saw them beat Maine 71-62 as a 7.5-point favorite. Despite having superior defensive numbers compared to tonight's opponent, that is a bit misleading. It's owed to holding Wilmette College to 19.7% in the first game. Prior to the upset of San Jose State, the Pilots had lost 22 of 25 road games. Portland State is 21-9 straight up its last 30 home games including 5-0 when favored in the range of -6.5 to -9. Play on PORTLAND STATE

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This is a 10* on SACRAMENTO

When these teams opened the season against one another, the Suns would prevail in one-sided fashion, 124-95 as a 1-point home favorite. That was the first of seven consecutive covers by Phoenix to start the year. But a lot has changed since then. The Suns are now just 2-3 SU and ATS since that 7-game ATS win streak. They lost last night at home to Boston, getting held to a season-low 85 points. At no point in the second half were they closer than nine points.  Another thing that has changed from the first time around is Sacramento's play. They started 0-5 SU and ATS but have gone 5-2 SU and 7-0 ATS in November. They just beat Boston on Sunday, 100-99. They did so without De'Aaron Fox or Marvin Bagley Jr. The Celtics had won 10 in a row going into that game and are now obviously 11-1 their last 12 after being the Suns yesterday. Two absences on the Phoenix side are huge here. Deandre Ayton, who was last year's top draft pick, is suspended. Ricky Rubio was a late scratch last night due to back spasms and the offense did not look the same without him running the show. With the Suns in a back to back, the situation is much better for the Kings tonight. Play on SACRAMENTO

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This is a 10* on MONTANA STATE

Montana State has covered all of its games this year while Grand Canyon hasn't covered any. That makes this line pretty strange. We're not saying the home team shouldn't be favored, but giving this many points is a definite reach in our estimation. Montana State (4-1 SU, 4-0 ATS) has been winning games close and in low-scoring fashion, but that still makes them a dangerous dog. Their only loss was by eight to a Utah State team that is now ranked 14th the country. Since that loss, the Bobcats have given up an average of 55.2 points/game. Their last win was against Tennessee Tech and they allowed only 39 points! Needless to say, if this string of impressive defensive efforts continues tonight, it'll mean an easy cover and they'll probably take the game outright. Grand Canyon is 1-3 and has lost to a Division II team (Davenport University) here at home. They just won for the first time this season, beating Arkansas Pine-Bluff 67-54, but they were favored by 15.5 points. Not a good start for the Antelopes. An area where they are really struggling is behind the three-point arc. There they are shooting just 25.0% in four games. That's trouble seeing how well Montana State has defended so far. The Bobcats have allowed just 25% three-point shooting. Bad line set by the oddsmakers in this one. Play on MONTANA STATE

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This is an 8* on IOWA STATE

Iowa State hasn't had the easiest start to the year as they've already lost once (at Oregon State), but tonight vs. Southern Miss should be a blowout. The Cyclones last played one week ago today when they beat Northern Illinois 70-52 as a 14-point favorite. That was here in Ames as well. Southern Miss has lost two in a row, both close games on the road. They lost six to South Alabama and then by three to North Florida. While the Golden Eagles still covered the spread each time, tonight is a third straight road game and their toughest opponent to date. This hardly seems like a good spot for them. The Cyclones actually trailed Northern Illinois at halftime last Tuesday. But that was due to some truly awful three-point shooting and a lack of rebounding. Both issues were quickly rectified in the second half when they outscored their opponents 39-18. We look for more of a "full game effort" tonight. ISU may be a young team, but they aren't turning the ball over much. Only 12.5% of their offensive possessions have ended in a turnover. That's 7th best in the country. Meanwhile, 22.5% of Southern Miss possessions end in a turnover. That's a bad number. Don't look for Iowa State to shoot 12.5% from three-point range again like they did in the last game. They should win quite comfortably tonight. Play on IOWA STATE

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This is a 10* on UCLA

Southern Utah already notched one upset this year, that being a 79-78 double overtime win at Nebraska. The Thunderbirds followed that up with a cover in BYU as they lost by only five points as a double digit dog. That was their 10th straight ATS win in the month of November going back two years. That streak ends tonight. The upset of Nebraska saw Southern Utah come back from a rather sizable deficit in the second half. They relied on some terrible shooting by the Cornhuskers to win that game. But it was their own poor shooting that cost them against BYU. The Thunderbirds missed all 12 three-point attempts they took in Provo. This will be Southern Utah's third straight road game and the tank could be closing in on empty. UCLA has yet to leave campus and has looked progressively better with each passing game. On Friday, they beat UNLV 71-54 as an eight-point favorite. The Bruins have a new head coach this year (Mick Cronin) and a new lease on life. They led by UNLV by 24 in the first half Friday. You knew Cronin would improve the defense here and UCLA has yet to allow more than 65 points. Play on UCLA

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This is a 10* play on MILWAUKEE

With wins in seven of the last eight games, Milwaukee is definitely rolling right now. The just beat Indiana by 19 on the road Saturday night. That was their best defensive effort of the year, holding the Pacers to just 83 points. That was timely because their own point total of 102 happened to be a season-low. Scoring has not been an issue for the Bucks this year, however. They lead the league in points/game (118.8) thanks in large part to the same prolific three-point shooting we saw last year. The other good news is the Bucks are 7-3 ATS the last three seasons coming off a game in which they allowed 90 points or less. These teams just played on Thursday with the Bucks winning 124-115. The Bulls were our *10* Game of the Month that night and cashed as 11.5-point underdogs. But we're switching course tonight as it seems very unlikely that Chicago will score that many points again. They are shooting just 40.9% in home games so far. It's now two straight losses for the Bulls as they just fell to a Brooklyn team that didn't have Kyrie Irving or Caris LeVert. Despite those absences, the Bulls still gave up 117 points. That's a bad sign for tonight. Milwaukee has covered its last four games in Chicago. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* on RICHMOND

Cal State Northridge is having a terrible start to the season. The Matadors are 0-4 straight up and against the spread. The losses have gotten progressively uglier with the latest coming by 46 points against Auburn. They gave up 116 points in that one. So Richmond has to be licking its chops coming into Sunday. The Spiders are 2-0, though those two wins couldn't have been much closer. They beat St. Francis (PA) by two (100-98) and Vanderbilt by one (93-92). Both games went to overtime! The Spiders are going to have to score a lot to cover the spread this afternoon and we think they will. So far they have shot the ball very well. CS-Northridge plays little in the way of defense. CS-Northridge's opponents have shot 53.1% so far. At the same time, they haven't shot very well themselves. This is simply a bad basketball team. These teams have combined to go 0-6 ATS, but it's pretty obvious which is better. All five Richmond starters are averaging more than 10 points/game. Off two tough wins, this will be among the Spiders easiest games of the season. Play RICHMOND

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This is a 10* on USC

USC is 3-0 and looking good for coach Andy Enfield. The Trojans have beaten each of their three opponents by at least 18 points. While this is the first road game of the season, they are favored to win in Reno and we like them to keep rolling. Nevada has already eaten a loss. It came in the first game (vs. Utah) where they were favored to win by four but fell 79-74. The Wolf Pack have since bounced back with wins over Loyola Marymount and UT-Arlington. But both wins were close, coming by five and seven points respectively. One key area where USC will have the edge tonight is offensive rebounding. The Trojans have posted an off rebounding percentage of 40.5 so far. That ranks 21st in the country. Nevada's offensive rebounding percentage of 18.6 ranks 283rd. Jalen Harris led Nevada with 24 points in the win Tuesday night over UT-Arlington. But he is still not 100% after missing most of the first two games with a foot injury. Against a team like USC, one of your best players not being completely healthy could be the difference. This is a revenge game for USC. They lost by 12 to Nevada last year at home. Poor three-point shooting is the reason they lost. But, as indicated by the pointspread, this year's squad is better. Play on USC

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This is a 10* on PORTLAND

Portland is a small dog tonight in San Antonio. But it would appear as if the oddsmakers have failed to account for the fact that the Spurs are playing the second night of a back to back. This line would make sense were the home team rested. But they're not. The Blazers should be favored. Then there is the matter of what happened to the Spurs last night. Despite being up most of the game, they lost to Orlando 111-109. You just can't lose games where you have a 16-point lead ad shoot 50%. But the Spurs did just that. It was their 4th straight loss. For maybe the first time in Greg Popovich's tenure here, defense has become a major issue in San Antonio. The Spurs gave up 64 points to the Magic in the second half last night. They've allowed at least 112 points in five straight games.This is a revenge game for Portland, who lost 113-110 here in SA on October 28th. Both teams enjoyed a lead of 19 points in that game. The Blazers ended up covering as six-point underdogs. While the line isn't as high this time, that's irrelevant as the road team can clearly win outright here. Portland needs this one pretty badly as they've dropped six of seven. Carmelo Anthony won't be coming on board until Tuesday at the earliest. But the Blazers are well rested heading into Saturday (two days off) while the similarly struggling Spurs are not. Play on PORTLAND

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This is an 8* on CALIFORNIA

California went just 8-23 SU last season and finished last in the Pac 12 with a 3-15 conference record. But things are already looking much brighter in Berkeley this season. The Bears are off to a 2-0 start for new coach Mark Fox and now have an excellent shot at opening 3-0.  On Tuesday, they were able to pick up an overtime win over UNLV. They won 79-75 as 3.5-point favorites. That was after we took them in the season opener when they delivered a "surprise" win over Pepperdine, 87-71 as two-point underdogs.  As we stated before that Cal-Pepperdine game, the Bears were very likely to improve this season after "bottoming out" under former coach Wyking Jones. Matt Bradley looks like a superstar after scoring 48 points in the first two games. This team is so much better than it was the last two seasons. But the oddsmakers have not caught on yet. Cal Baptist has already played three times, winning twice. The loss came on Tuesday as they faced #25 Texas. The Lancers could score only 54 points against the Longhorns, a major change from the first two games when they scored 93 and 112 against lesser competition. CBU gets 42.9% of its total points from behind the three-point arc, which is a very high percentage. They likely won't be able to sustain that. The Lancers also don't play very good defense, ranking near the bottom of D-I in both block and steal rate. They covered against Texas because the Longhorns couldn't hit open threes. Won't be the case again here. Playing two straight on the road against big time teams is a little much for this underdog. Lay a number that's too short. Play on CALIFORNIA

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This is a 10* on UTAH

Utah fell behind by double digits against Brooklyn on Tuesday. While they were able to come back and win 119-114, they did not cover the 6.5-point spread. That was at home. Tonight the Jazz hit the road, but they are facing a weak opponent. Memphis is not a team you would expect to get out in front of the Jazz like Brooklyn was able to do. Thus, our automatic inclination here was to lay the points. While the Grizzlies have won two in a row, it's the first time that's been the case this year. In Wednesday's 119-117 win over Charlotte, they mounted their own comeback, rallying back from down 12 in the third quarter. But Memphis has not done well after allowing more than 115 points their previous game. They are just 1-5 ATS in this situation the last three seasons. Utah is one of the top defensive teams in the league and has won four games in a row. They are allowing just 99.5 points/game. Memphis allows 118.8 points/game, which is fifth most in the league right now. This is a sizable mismatch. Play on UTAH

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This is a 10* play on CHICAGO 

Already on a three-game ATS losing streak, it's going to be tough for the Bucks to cover large spreads like this one now that Kris Middleton is injured. Middleton will be out 3-4 weeks after suffering a thigh injury Sunday. This is a good chance to fade Milwaukee as they host the Bulls on TNT. Chicago is coming off a 120-102 win over the Knicks, their second 18+ point win in the last three games. Rookie Coby White had his best game as a pro, ending up with 27 points after making seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter. With Middleton out, the Bucks are going to need someone to pick up the slack. It would be unfair to expect more from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is already averaging 29.7 points, 14.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. This situation is not great for Milwaukee either. They are coming off four straight road games and will play three more away from home following this game. Laying such a big number makes the spot even trickier. Chicago has not been a double digit dog yet this season. They've only been a dog period four times. So the market respects this team a bit more than most realize. They've covered four of their last six games. Play on CHICAGO

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This is an 8* on GREEN BAY

Green Bay seems to be getting a lot of points for Wednesday's game against New Mexico. Though the Phoenix are 0-11 straight up as a road underdog of 12.5 or more points the last three seasons, they have covered the spread in 9 of those 11 games. Look for them to make it 10 of 12 tonight. GB has already covered once as a big road underdog this year. It was the season opener at Purdue where they lost 79-57 as 23-point dogs. That's as close as it gets if you bet the Phoenix, but it still counts as a cover! Purdue, who was ranked #23 at the time, is obviously a better team than New Mexico. The fact that the Phoenix shot just 35% against Purdue and still picked up the ATS win probably bodes well for tonight. New Mexico isn't that strong defensively. After losing to Purdue, Green Bay bounced back with a 115-64 win over Wisconsin-Stout, a D-3 school. New Mexico has also played a game against a team from a lesser division (Eastern New Mexico) and then beat CS-Fullerton by 27 on Saturday. While the favorite is off a big win, we see the underdog keeping this game closer than expected. New Mexico probably isn't as good as they've looked on offense so far. "The Pit" is a tough venue to play at, but Green Bay has shown they can hang inside the number on the road as a big dog. Play on GREEN BAY

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This is a 10* on BROWN

It's nice to see Quinnipiac has decided to join the College Basketball season! Now that they're done polling (what the school is known for!), it's time to start playing some basketball games. Up first is a date with Ivy League school Brown. Brown already has two games under its belt, so they've had a chance to work the kinks out. The Bears are 2-0 as they've been favored by similar amounts against Bryant and Canisius. Those were two and seven points wins respectively, so they're ATS record is 0-1-1. This is one where we do see Brown covering. This being their 1st game of the season, Quinnipiac is a bit of a wild card. But we know what we're getting with Brown. They've held the first two opponents to 40.0% shooting. They've won a road game. The player to watch on Brown is Brandon Anderson. He has made 35.7% of his 3-point shots so far and has 55 points in two games. He scored a career-high 32 vs. Canisius. Last season saw Brown win 20 games and a win a postseason game (CBI). Both were firsts for the program, which is on the rise. Lay the points tonight. Play on BROWN

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