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NEBRASKA +1.5

Nebraska continued its strong effort on the defensive end, holding Ohio State to just 44.2 percent shooting, including just 2-of-14 from 3-point range, after OSU entered the game leading the Big Ten in field goal percentage in conference play.  The Huskers have now held their last eight opponents under 45 percent shooting.

I have them by 6 points or more

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XAVIER -6.5

Xavier pulled the road win against Marquette in December. Xavier is 7-3 ATS at home. Now Marquette has to play on the road. I like them by 10 points ore more. 

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ST JOHN'S +2

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OKLAHOMA ST +9.5

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 KANSAS +1.5

Oklahoma has struggled against the bigger teams. They are coming off two hard losses against Kansas St and Oklahoma St. Sometimes you have to look at the schedules, and just read between the lines here.

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VILLANOVA -15.5

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TCU +2.5

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CREIGHTON +2

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XAVIER +3.5

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OHIO ST -3

The Ohio State Buckeyes improved their conference record to 6-0 after drubbing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 68-46 for their 15th win of the season. It has been a thoroughly dominant stretch from Ohio State, who have also topped No. 1 Michigan State in this run.

“I keep coming back to the fact that we’ve only played one-third of the Big Ten right now, so there’s a lot left to be played,” coach Chris Holtmann said. “But we will talk about the fact that hey, we’re going to have some people, we’re going to have to play with a different edge. Home, road, doesn’t matter. We’ll see if we’re good enough to manage that.”

Keita Bates-Diop scored 20 points and added nine rebounds. Kam Williams put up 11 points and Kaleb Wesson pitched in with 10 points.

Ohio St by 12 points or more

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CREIGHTON -4.5

Marcus Foster is leading Creighton in scoring with an average of 18.8 points per game. Martin Krampelj is third in scoring with an average of 12.3 points per game, but leads the Bluejays in rebounding with an average of 8.3 per game. As a team, Creighton is shooting 50.9% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point territory. On the season, Creighton is scoring an average of 88.8 points per game, while allowing an average of 73.1.

Creighton by 8 points or more

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RUTGERS +1

On Wednesday night, two middle-of-the-road Big Ten teams will face off in New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights, one of the best defensive teams in the country, are way better than their record shows and is definitely going to handle business against a young Iowa team. After all, the RAC, Rutgers’ home court, has been rocking this year since they actually believe in their team again. Lay the one point here, it’s easy money.

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ALABAMA +2

Freshman Collin Sexton might be the best player on the court, but he’s been a little shaky lately. Sexton shot 4-of-16 in Alabama’s win over LSU following a five-point performance against South Carolina. Sexton has been really solid this year, averaging just under 20 points per game. Sexton’s ability to impact the game’s evident, especially with his 1.3 steals per game. The Crimson Tide are very inconsistent from three as the team’s connected on slightly less than 33 percent of their attempts on the season. Sophomore Dazon Ingram is coming off a solid game in the win over LSU as he finished 10-for-10 from the free throw line en route to 18 points.

Alabama by 6 points or more

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OKLAHOMA -1.5

The Sooners are averaging 96 points per game. They have some much depth and explosive from the ARC. I have them by 7 points or more.

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KANSAS +6

The West Virginia Mountaineers have had a very good season so far, but so have the Jayhawks. Kansas has been involved in three close games in a row and I expect this to be another tight game for them. The Jayhawks have a strong offense and teams do not shoot well against them, which is bad news for a West Virginia team that does not shoot the ball all that well. The Mountaineers have been good on defense, but I still see the Jayhawks putting up enough points to keep this one within the number or even win the game outright. Take the Jayhawks here.

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OHIO ST -5.5

Ohio State 68, Rutgers 60. Rutgers' numbers are inflated because of the weak schedule it's played, but I still feel like this is a potentially bad matchup for Ohio State. Any team that generates steals and turnovers will be. Unless I'm wrong, and C.J. Jackson and Andrew Dakich have progressed past the point where that's an issue. Certainly possible. We'll find out, which makes this game interesting.

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UMASS -2

I think that the home team has the edge in this duel because the guests haven’t proved themselves on the road this season. Also, there is a big possibility of this being a high-scoring matchup with massive trends on both sides going this way.  

I have UMASS by 6 points or more.

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Tennessee snapped a four-game losing streak to Texas A&M last season with a 73-63 victory at College Station as Williams totaled 12 points, six blocks and five rebounds. Hogg paced the Aggies with 21 points, but they shot 34.4 percent overall and committed 16 turnovers.

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DEPAUL 

DePaul ended a three-game losing streak and entered the win column for the first time in Big East play. A rebounding edge of 46-30 was the big difference in the Blue Demons win. Tre’Darius McCallum scored 16 and hauled down nine rebounds for the Blue Demons, while Eli Cain scored 11.

Max Strus leads the Blue Demons in scoring with an average of 18.8 points per game. Three other players for DePaul are averaging double figures in scoring, while the leading rebounder is Tre’Darius McCallum with an average of 6.3 per game. As a team, DePaul is shooting 43.6% from the field and 32.7% from 3-point territory. On the season, DePaul is scoring an average of 76.1 points per game, while allowing 72.4.

I have them by 4 points or more

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VCU +3

I VCU to pull the upset here. But i will take the points. Heavy money coming into offshore.

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MARQUETTE +4.5

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STANFORD 

Stanford is a great team with depth. They are pretty good on the road, but has some challenges this year. Stanford is the way better team. I like them by 4-8 points.

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FLORIDA ST +2.5

The Hurricanes have good solid defensively this year, but haven’t been able to find a true go-to guy on offense. Bruce Brown and Ja’Quan Newton have struggled shooting the ball from beyond the arc, which could start to hold them back during conference play. Florida State also ranks as one of the best defenses in the country, but Leonard Hamilton’s squad has also been ultra-efficient on offense. They have enough talent and experience to get the job done on the road. 

Florida St by 3 points or more.

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GONZAGA -18.5

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MANHATTAN +6.5

I don't understand this line. I like Manhattan to win by 2 points.

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WAKE FOREST -2

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FLORIDA ST -1

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GEORIGA -4.5

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BUFFALO +12

Buffalo has been looking hot.. I'm taking the points here.

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DAYTON +8.5

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AUBURN -4

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BUFFALO +11

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SANTA CLARA +2

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WESTERN KENTUCKY +6

Western Kentucky continues to put up the offense with 78.4 points per game, and they hit 84 points in their last contest against Ohio. However, the opposition scored 89 points and handed them the one and only true road loss of the season. The Hilltoppers had 12 more shot attempts and made six more field goals, but the free throws were the difference. They went just 15-for-24 while the Bobcats nailed 31-of-35.

Senior forward Justin Johnson (11.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg) had a second straight double-double featuring 16 points and 13 boards. He knocked down 8-of-14 from the field in one of his most efficient performances of the season. Freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth (12.6 ppg) led the team with 19 points. He made 50 percent of his shots (6-of-12), both 3-point attempts, and went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. They needed more help from there in this contest.

I like Western Kentucky to pulls the upset by 3 points.

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TEXAS -5

Michigan may have rallied to beat UCLA but they are playing on the road here, where they are 0-2 this season. Texas is coming off a nice win over VCU and beat them on the road, while Michigan beat the Rams but on a neutral floor. The Wolverines don’t have a ton of depth and they are weak on the glass. Michigan has continued the trend of being overly reliant on the three: if it’s not falling, they aren’t built to generate offense other ways. Texas should utilize their big men and take advantage of their size to get the win here at home.

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ST LOUIS +2

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UL-LAFAYETTE +4.5

I am siding with UL Lafayette in this matchup. UL Lafayette features a potent scoring punch with three players averaging at least 15 points per game and they are shooting just under 49% from the field, so they should keep pace with the Bulldogs. The Ragin’ Cajuns are also a strong rebounding team and they defend the three well, holding opponents to a 30% clip from three-point territory, so they should contain a high-scoring Bulldogs’ team.

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LOUISVILLE -28

Bryant are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games and Bryant  are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall and Bryant  are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games. Louisville are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games overall and under is 8-3 in Louisville last 11 Monday games and Louisville are 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 Monday games.

Louisville can win by 40 if they want to press the issue because Bryant hasn’t been very competitive but I’m not betting this…

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UNLV -4

UNLV has been fantastic this year, averaging over 90 points per game. The Rebels have two losses in their previous three games, but both were to solid teams in Arizona and Northern Iowa. UNLV has gotten great contributions from freshman phenom Brandon McCoy. McCoy is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. McCoy had 33 points last Saturday in an overtime loss to Arizona. He’s a stud.

The Rebels defense have allowed a shade over 70 points per game. UNLV has four additional players besides McCoy averaging double figures. Junior Shakur Juiston gives UNLV another solid inside scoring option. Juiston has been super effective, connecting on nearly 67 percent of his 10.3 attempts per game.

I have UNLV winning by 7 points or more

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Portland St +4

Portland State has forced the 22nd-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 23.1 percent). It will also be a battle of conflicting tempos as the fast-paced Vikings rank seventh in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Broncos rank 341st.

Of the Vikings’ 7 games, four have finished over the total. Portland State comes into the contest with records of 5-2 straight up (SU) and 7-0 against the spread (ATS).

I have Portand St to pull the victory by 2 points or more.

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DUKE -15

Duke has covered in four of the last five games in this series. They have been overvalued at times, but they just have too much size and talent for the Eagles. If they had Hawkins, I might go with the dog. But his loss will crush Boston College on the boards. They won’t have an answer for Bagley or Grayson Allen (17.5ppg).

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For Arizona State, White is averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing. As a team, ASU ranks fifth nationally by shooting 53.1 percent from the floor. St. John’s is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 against winning opponents, 2-8 ATS in its last 10 against opponents with winning percentages over .600, 1-4 ATS in its last five at neutral sites, and 3-9-1 ATS in its last 13 on Fridays. The Sun Devils are 6-0 ATS in their last six overall, 6-0 ATS in their last six non-conference contests, 6-0 ATS in their last six following a win, 4-0 ATS in their last four against winning opponents, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven against opponents with winning percentages over .600. Look for those trends to continue.

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Loyola is coming off a hard loss against Oregon St. Portland St is coming over a massive win against Stanford. 

The Vikings forced 28 turnovers and had a free throw rate of 0.386 (above their season average of 0.214). Loyola Marymount, meanwhile, held Oregon State to an offensive rebounding percentage of 25.9 (below their season average of 33.8). Mattias Markusson had a solid performance for Loyola Marymount, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Portland State was led by Deontae North, who had 22 points and seven rebounds.

This has potential to be a mistake-prone game for the offense of Loyola Marymount. Since last season, Loyola Marymount ranks 216th in the NCAA in ball protection (turnover percentage of 19.4 percent), while the gambling defense of Portland State has forced the 20th-most turnovers in the nation (22.7 percent).

The key in this game is turnovers. Portland has a good defense, and will pull the turnovers. I have Portland St by 6-8 points.

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The Thunderbirds have shown more signs of life this season standing 4-3 overall against a up and down slate. In their tougher matchups Southern Utah has folded in defeats at Oregon State, Boise State, and UNLV, with their wins coming against lower tier competition. The Thunderbirds will be more of a threat in the Big Sky this season, but this group still has a long way to go before they’ll be serious threats in their league.

Long Beach St is not a great road team, while the Thunderbirds are 3-0 at home. I have Southern Utah by 2 points.

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The Bookmakers have this line close. Southern Illinois has loss against the bigger opponents. St. Louis is on a 4 game skid, but sometimes you have to read between the lines. St. Louis has a tougher schedule, and has beaten respectful teams. I have St. Louis by 4 points.

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Eastern Illinois is terrible on the road going 0-5. Green Bay could put up 71- 75 points in this game. Eastern Illinois is not strong in putting up points on the road. One game did go overtime with 83 points. I have them putting up 68 points if that. Take Green Bay here.

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The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders showed off their depth and penetration, staving off the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 81-76 for their fifth win in six games to begin the season. It was also their third victory on the bounce.

Nick King had a double-double, going for 32 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Walters added 12 points.

The Blue Raiders have built their success on strong performances on both ends of the court. They have scored 80 points a game (tied for 98th in the country). They have also conceded just 66.8 points per game, which positions them 76th nationally.

Vanderbilt is the giant here, but I like Middle Tennessee to win by 4-8 points.

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The Crimson are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss, 2-5 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games and 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The Rams are 20-8-2 ATS in their last 30 Wednesday games, 4-10 ATS in their last 14 home games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The under is 3-1-1 in Rams last 5 overall and the over is 11-5 in Crimson last 16 overall.

Neither one of these teams have been that impressive out of the gate, especially on the offensive side where they're both shooting below average from the field. Points could be tough to come by for both clubs, making this a tough game to call. So, in a complete toss-up and probably a game you should stay away from, I'd side with the home team if forced to pick. It's the one advantage to go off in this tight contest.

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FLORIDA ST +9

Florida State is currently on a three game winning streak over the Gators, but the games have been close. The Seminoles squeaked out a win at home last season 83-78, beat the Gators 73-71 in 2016, and won 65-63 in 2015 on the now infamous Jacob Kurtz “own goal” at the buzzer (I wish I didn’t have to bring that up, Gators fans). Considering Florida had a great opportunity to win all those games but came up short, they are hungry for a win. Florida State, on the other hand, would love to get a signature win against a top 10 ranked Florida team in the non-conference as they might struggle to win conference games in the ACC. There are plenty of reasons for both teams to be fired up for this one, so it should be a great game no matter what each player’s motivations are.

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NEVADA -10.5

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CREIGHTON +9

Creighton is ranked 16th in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency, which should come as no surprise given that the team has scored more than 100 points in three of six outings so far this season. The Bluejays are averaging 92.5 points per game, good for 10th in the country. Senior guard Marcus Foster leads the way with 18.0 points per game, while junior winger Khyri Thomas comes it with a 16.8 ppg clip. Freshman guard Mitchell Ballock is perhaps the most dangerous threat from three-point range on a Creighton squad that is shooting an awesome 59.1 percent from the floor. The Bluejays are also forking up a lot of attempts because they are turning the ball over on just 14.5 percent of their possessions–the 12th lowest number in the nation. They are also shooting 61.3 percent from inside the arc.

Creighton has plenty of depth to pull the upset. I like this game within 2-4 points.

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ILLINOIS +5.5

The Illinois Fighting Illini did not defend well in their 80-73 road loss to Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday night in their first loss of the season. The Fighting Illini shot a weak 38% on the night while Wake Forest was able to post a 51% efficiency. Aaron Jordan led the way offensively with a season-high 20 points on 60% shooting. The junior guard is having a strong season, scoring at least 12 points in three straight games, and is currently averaging 13 points on a terrific 63% clip from the field. Illinois’ leading scorer Leron Black had a tough night in the loss to Wake Forest, recording a 3 for 12 mark from the field for a total of ten points along with seven rebounds. The 6-foot-7 junior forward has collected at least seven rebounds in three out of his last four games, and is now posting 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on the year.

The Fighting Illini faced their first real test of the season in the loss to Wake Forest after enjoying the benefits of an easy schedule in their first six games. They are placed 109th overall in Ken Pomeroy’s College Basketball Rankings. Illinois is currently scoring an average of 86.7 points per game, ranking them 31st overall. They are allowing an average of 70.1 points, placing them 143rd overall.

Northwestern is overrated, and I like the upset here by 4 points.

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BRADLEY -7

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NORTH CAROLINA -10

The Tar Heels bounced back from their abysmal 63-45 loss to the Spartans last Sunday with their convincing win against a strong Michigan team. North Carolina dropped from ninth to 13th in the Top 25 Rankings due to their loss to the Spartans, and could be back in the top ten with their latest victory. They are scoring an average of 85 points per game, ranking them 41st in the Country. The Tar Heels are conceding an average of 71.7 points, placing them 174th overall.

North Carolina, has to much firepower, and I have them by 16 points or more.

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TEMPLE +2

Temple had won three straight over ODU, Auburn and Clemson, so they had to feel good about themselves heading into a game against La Salle on the road in Philadelphia. The Owls shot the ball extremely well but they couldn’t hold onto an 11-point lead in the second half and fell by four from Tom Gola Arena. Pookie Powell’s three-pointer gave La Salle an 83-81 lead they wouldn’t relinquish and the Owls fell, despite shooting 55.7 percent from the field. Quinton Rose led Temple with 21 points and seven boards on 10-of-17 shooting. Shizz Alston Jr. added 18 points, while Obi Enechinyia chipped in with 16 points on 4-5 from 3-point range. This game was about turnovers and missed opportunities. Temple turned it over 13 times, while the Explorers committed just three.

South Carolina is coming in this game with a 5-1 record. But I don't like them on the road in Temple. I have Temple winning 75-72.

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NEVADA -14

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INDIANA +9.5

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DENVER +6.5

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NORTHERN IOWA

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MICHIGAN +9.5

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CLEVELAND STATE -1