10* Under Troy/GA Southern (9:00 ET): The last time these teams met, it was quite the high scoring affair. Georgia Southern won, 90-82, on the back of some lights out shooting. The Eagles finished that game w/ an overall field goal percentage of 61.0 (season-high, obviously) and were 10 of 19 from three-point range. Overall, they are a pretty good shooting team. Actually, they are one of the nation's best as one of only five teams to be above 50% overall for the year. But I don't see them matching the efficiency from that first meeting. I look for this game to stay Under the total.

Despite Ga Southern's sharp shooting, they're still only fourth in the Sun Belt. Troy is close to the bottom and coming off a bad game where they made only 40% of their field goal attempts in a 77-63 loss to Georgia State. That loss took place just two days ago, so it's a quick turnaround here for the Trojans. The poor shooting was probably long overdue after a three-game stretch where they connected on nearly 50% of their three-point attempts. They made only 25% from behind the arc in that first meeting w/ Ga Southern. On the road, Troy averages about seven fewer points per game than they do at home. 

The last six times these teams have played, the Over has cashed. But not tonight. We've already established how Georgia Southern is unlikely to shoot as well as they did the first time they played Troy this season. Well, the Under has also cashed in the Eagles' last five home games vs. teams w/ losing road records. Troy is just 3-8 SU in "true" road games this season. Their games, on average, see about 151 total PPG scored. Ga Southern may be one of the highest scoring teams in the country, but this is a pretty high total and they play much better defense here in Statesboro. 10* Under Troy/GA Southern

10* Over Rangers/Sabres (7:05 ET): The Blueshirts travel from the city to upstate NY on Friday for this post-Valentines Day date w/ the Sabres. We've been through this before, but the Rangers aren't good (nor were they expected to be) as they are one of six Eastern Conference teams that have little hope of making the postseason. As for Buffalo, they're hoping for at least a Wild Card, but find themselves currently six points back in that race. The reality is that outside of that 10-game win streak (back in November), they too have been a below average club, one that is 18-21-7 otherwise. 

The Sabres' last three games have all ended w/ an identical 3-1 score. They've won two of them, including their last time out on the ice, which was against the Islanders. That was here at home and a pretty impressive win, all things considered. They limited the Isles to just 25 shots, making it three straight games w/o allowing more than 30. But this seven-game homestand (which ends tonight) certainly got off to a dicey start defensively w/ them allowing 17 goals on 105 shots in the first three games. I think that's more representative of the kind of play we'll see here. 

The Rangers don't seem to pose much of a threat offensively as they rank 27th in the league in goals per game. But they are off a 4-3 loss in Winnipeg, which was actually the fourth time in five games they scored at least three goals. Given that they've won only two of those games, defense is obviously an issue for them as well. They've allowed three or more goals in six of their last seven contests. Goaltending could be an issue for both sides, especially the Rangers as likely starter Georgiev has an .882 save percentage on the road. Buffalo has gone Over in 11 of its last 16 games overall. 10* Over Rangers/Sabres

8* Rider (7:00 ET): Rider's shocking downfall hit a new low earlier this week when they lost 98-88 to Quinnipiac ... in overtime. That was the Broncs' fifth straight loss, a stunning turn of events for a team that started MAAC play a perfect 5-0. But even moreso than Rider fans, it's those who have bet on the team left scratching their heads. This team has failed to cover nine in a row, all as favorites, including six outright losses. You just don't see that very often. Friday finds the Broncs looking to avenge one of those losses as they host Monmouth. Enough is enough. They get the job done here. 

Rider had already suffered four straight losses by seven points or less before losing to Quinnipiac in OT Tuesday. It was a close game most of the way, but w/ 49 seconds left in regulation, the Broncs led by nine. They led by seven w/ just 24 seconds remaining. Then came a real "comedy of errors" that saw them allow consecutive three point baskets. They were at least able to split a pair of free throws - twice - so they still led by three in the closing seconds. But then they fouled the shooter on a three-point attempt (w/ :01 left!). Three FT's later, we were going to overtime and by that point Rider was dispirited and done for. Bottom line is that they're NOT as bad as recent results suggest nor anywhere close, for that matter. Here at home, they still have an 8-2 SU record. 

Monmouth has pulled out four consecutive wins as a pick 'em or underdog, one of them coming against Rider. That upset came on 2/2 and the Hawks were 4.5-pt dogs in a 75-71 outright win. Monmouth closed the game on a 12-2 run. At the time, Rider was still leading the MAAC, but that loss started their downfall and they haven't won since. Monmouth is now in 1st place (despite a 10-16 SU overall record). Five of the Hawks' nine league wins have come by four points or less. Last week, they beat the two bottom teams in the MAAC (Fairfield, St. Peter's) on the road, holding the latter to just 27.1% shooting. I think it's telling that Rider is still such a decisive favorite here. Lay the points. 8* Rider

8* St. Mary's (11:00 ET): To me, this matchup shapes up similarly to the one I played last night w/ New Mexico whipping San Diego State. The favorite (in this case, St. Mary's) was just embarrassed by its conference heavyweight (in this case, Gonzaga) its last time out. The Gaels got beat 94-46 by the 'Zags. If you recall, last night we were unafraid to lay the points w/ New Mexico, who had just gotten blown out by Nevada. Same thing here w/ SMU, who already beat Santa Clara by 20 once this season and should have little difficulty doing the same again tonight. Lay the points. 

Santa Clara may not be as bad as the team we faded last night (San Jose State), but the Broncos are still severely outclassed in this particular matchup. They have not fared well against St. Mary's the last three seasons, losing all five matchups while also failing to cover four times (pushed once). Over the L5 games, this team has shot just 40.4% from the field. That simply won't cut it against an opponent that ranks 12th in the country in offensive efficiency. 

Santa Clara got little going offensively in the first matchup where it scored only 55 pts on 40.9% shooting. They were 2 of 12 from three-point range. Playing at home this time around can change their fortune only so much against an opponent that is simply much better at this point. St. Mary's shot just 25% from the field against Gonzaga after two straight games where they were 52.2% or better. I expect massive improvement on the offensive end from them tonight. The Gaels are 5-1 ATS off their previous six SU losses and they should roll here against an opponent that hasn't been able to do much in conference play except beat the bottom tier teams. 8* St. Mary's

10* San Francisco (10:00 ET): Right off the bat, I spot some value on the favorite here as they were favored by eight on the road in the first meeting of the year. Granted, San Francisco did not cover that first matchup with Pepperdine (still won 72-69). But now they're at home where the only team to beat them here all season was Gonzaga. The Dons' home record currently stands at 13-1 SU w/ an avg MOV of 16.5 PPG. They're catching Pepperdine off an upset last weekend, so that's another reason the line opened so low. I look for the Dons to win in a blowout Thursday night. 

San Francisco once looked like a potential at-large team for the NCAA Tournament (assuming Gonzaga wins the WCC Tournament). That's out the window now as the Dons dropped three in a row, all on the road. They stopped the bleeding on Saturday by beating Santa Clara 78-72, but did not cover the 13.5-pt spot. So that makes it a 4-game ATS losing skid entering tonight. Again, while you don't like to see streaks of that nature, they do have their way of creating value. The Dons are still a top 50 team in the country from where I sit and should have little difficulty covering this spread at home.

For years, Pepperdine has been terrible on the road. We're talking a 3-34 SU record the L3 seasons w/ two of those wins coming this year. As mentioned above, the Waves did pull an upset in their last game, winning outright as three-point home dogs over San Diego. That was their second win of the season over the Toreros. They're just 3-6 SU vs. the rest of the WCC w/ one of those wins coming against an atrocious Portland team. The Waves did not shoot well the first go around vs. USF, making only 4 of 19 three-pointers. Somehow they were able to stay in the game, but I don't envision them shooting much better here and San Fran should play a lot better at home. 10* San Francisco 

10* New Orleans (8:05 ET): Few are going to want to "touch" the Pelicans here after their putrid performance Tuesday night here at home vs. Orlando. "We sucked," Anthony Davis said. "Nobody was interested in playing, is what it looked like." We know Davis has made his future intentions clear, but he's right that it appeared none of his teammates appeared interested in playing for the Pelicans either. They lost 118-88 as the score was 36-9 out of the game and it was basically over from there. As bad as that performance was, it's just one game. I believe it creates an excellent "buy low" opportunity for the next game.

That next game is tonight against surging Oklahoma City. The Thunder have won 11 of 12, including four straight. They're 10-2 ATS in that span. But going into the All-Star Break, one has to wonder how they'll perform as a road favorite in a game where everyone expects them to win. Even with virtuoso performances from both Paul George and Russell Westbrook in the last game, OKC still only won 120-11 at home over Portland. They are just 1-7 ATS coming off a division game this season. Three weeks ago, they played New Orleans w/o Davis and won by only six points at home. As good as the Thunder have looked lately, this "feels" like a trap game.

New Orleans is 8-4 ATS this season following a SU loss as a favorite. As difficult as it may be to navigate this Davis situation moving forward, these are professionals and pride should kick in for tonight. Davis had arguably the worst game of his career Tuesday night w/ just three points on 1 of 9 shooting in 24 minutes. It was also the team's worst loss, in terms of margin, all season and a season-low in points scored. Even though they're 0-3 ATS since Davis returned, I'm going to call for a "circle the wagons" type performance as they won't want to get embarrassed at home on national television (TNT). 10* New Orleans

10* Calgary (7:05 ET): It appears as if the All-Star Break may have killed the Flames "momentum." They went into the Break as arguably the hottest team in the league, winning 8 of their last 9 games, the lone loss coming in OT. But they've come out by losing four of five, including three straight. I played against them Tuesday in Tampa Bay, which was a 6-3 loss. They've now dropped out of the top spot in the Pacific Division (and Western Conference), ceding that position to San Jose. But this is still a top tier team and I see them getting back on track tonight in Florida.

The Panthers also recently lost to Tampa Bay, only their defeat came on home ice (5-2). That was followed w/ another home loss, this one coming in shutout fashion at the hands of the Stars (3-0). Florida in all likelihood will NOT be going to the postseason this year as they only have 54 points and face a large deficit even to get into Wild Card contention. Last month in Calgary, they lost to the Flames 4-3. The money line for that game had Calgary north of -200, so by comparison this is a strong value on them. The Flames have won 10 of their last 14 visits to Miami. 

The Panthers had actually yet to be shutout in any game this year before Tuesday. They were the only team in the league not to have been shutout at least once. I wouldn't count on them getting back on track offensively tonight as Calgary is #3 in the league in goals allowed on the road. They are also the third highest scoring team in the league overall. So they're the far more likely candidate to bounce back in a battle of slumping teams Thursday. This is just the third time this season that the Flames have been on a three-game losing streak. In each of the previous two instances, they won the next time out. 10* Calgary

8* Over Kings/Nuggets (9:05 ET): Denver has been one of the biggest surprise teams of the first half as no matter what happens here, they'll go into the All-Star Break in a top three position in the Western Conference. But as far as surprises go, nothing has caught me off-guard more than the fact Sacramento has remained relevant in the playoff hunt. The Kings are four games over .500 and currently in the eighth position in the West. I don't think that will last, but there's no denying this team is performing well above expectations. I expect this game to go Over the total.

A reason to be a bit trepidatious regarding Sacramento is their defense. They give up 114.5 PPG, which is bottom five in the league. On the road, the number predictably jumps slightly (to 116.6 PPG). Now the Kings have spent the better part of a month going Under the total more often than not. The Under is 14-2 their last 16 games. But oddsmakers aren't fooled for this one. The total is high for a reason. The Kings are going to give up a lot of points to a Denver team averaging 116.0 PPG at home. 

The Nuggets have gone Over in four of their last five games vs. winning teams. They had lost three in a row before drilling Miami on Monday, 103-87 as 9.5-point chalk. I don't see them getting away w/ that kind of defensive effort here. Sacramento is fourth in the league 3-point shooting percentage. (For the record, Denver is also in the top 10). Both prior meetings this year between these two have gone Over w/ at least 230 total pts scored each time. 8* Over Kings/Nuggets

10* New Mexico (9:00 ET): Think the Lobos might be a little "surly" Wednesday night at "The Pit?" They just got embarrassed over the weekend, losing to Nevada 92-61. Sometimes the worst thing for an underdog is overconfidence. New Mexico had drilled Nevada (a top 10 team) earlier in the season (85-58 as 14.5-pt dogs) here in Albuquerque. Fortunately for the Lobos, they have the perfect opponent for a bounce back game. San Jose State is about as bad as it gets, not just in the Mountain West, but in the entire country. The Spartans come in w/ a 3-19 overall record and are 0-11 on the road. I know it's a big number (and New Mexico is 0 for 4 ATS its last four tries as home chalk of 12.5 or more points), but lay it. 

San Jose State just got beat by 48 points over the weekend, so that's something that can make New Mexico feel good by proxy. It was the second straight road game for the Spartans where they allowed 100+ points and it's not as if Boise State (team that beat them) is some kind of world-beater. On the flip side, SJSU has scored more than 57 pts in only one of its previous five road games and that was still a 30-point loss. This team enters Wednesday having lost 13 in a row overall w/ 10 of the last 11 defeats coming by double digits. Seven have been by at least 20 points. 

New Mexico may have been overconfident heading into the rematch w/ Nevada, but they aren't likely to overlook this game. The Lobos have lost seven of nine since beating Nevada on Jan 5th and desperately need a win here. Their last home game was an 83-70 upset of San Diego State as 2.5-pt dogs. They already score plenty here (76.8 PPG) and should take full advantage of an opponent that surrenders 84.4 PPG on the road. 10* New Mexico

8* Dallas (8:35 ET): So, I'll be playing side AND total in this one. Let's start by analyzing the pointspread. Miami has lost three in a row. They'll be playing for a fifth consecutive time in the road w/ this being their third game in four nights. The trip started well enough w/ an upset in Portland, 118-108 as 7.5-pt dogs. I'm proud to report that I had the Heat in that one. But subsequent games haven't gone nearly as well. After blowing double digit leads in both Sacramento and Golden State, the Heat were blown out Monday night in Denver, losing 103-87 (were +9.5).

Like Miami, Dallas is trying to remain relevant the playoff hunt. The Mavs probably have a tougher "hill to climb" than the Heat due to playing in the Western Conference, but they've also been the better team. While their SU record might only be 26-30 (one-half game better than Miami), the Mavs have actually outscored their opposition over the course of this season. They may be coming off a double digit loss in Houston, but before that Dallas had covered 9 of 10 w/ its lone failure coming against Milwaukee. At home, the team is both 20-8 SU and ATS this season. 

The home court advantage is key here and the respective point differentials are instructive. Dallas, to me, is clearly the better team. Yet they're not being priced accordingly. They're 11-2 ATS following a DD loss as well this season and 40-17 ATS in that role the L3 seasons. They've also handled their business against Eastern Conference teams this year, going 16-6 ATS. Miami's current three-game losing streak matches a season-high and while they're 4-0 SU/ATS off three consecutive SU losses so far, they won't be so lucky this time. Lay the short number. 8* Dallas

8* Over Heat/Mavs (8:35 ET): I also expect this matchup to be a higher scoring than expected. I've already gone into how Dallas should win. I believe that win comes w/ a strong offensive night. For four consecutive games, they've been held under their season scoring average of 108.8 PPG. I don't see that happening here. The Mavs' scoring average rises to 110.7 PPG at home.

An interesting thing about Miami is that they have actually performed better on the road than at home. Obviously, that doesn't mean I think they'll win here. But coming off a poor 87-point effort in Denver, the Heat should at least score more tonight. They average 105.5 PPG on the road for the season. They shot only 41.2% from the floor in Denver. They were particularly dismal from three-point range where they went 9 of 33 (27.3%). They also stunk from the FT where they shot a poor percentage on a low number of attempts (10 of 16). All those percentages should improve tonight. 

But Dallas should shoot better than they have been recently as well. Ironically, they shot decent against Houston (lost by 16) after three straight games being at 41.4% or lower (won two of those). On average, Mavs' games see 217.5 total PPG scored. So you can see we've got some value here. After being snubbed from the All-Star Game, look for Luka Doncic to have a strong effort here. 8* Over Heat/Mavs

10* Over Jazz/Warriors (10:35 ET): This should be a good game. Golden State's reputation precedes itself while Utah is as hit as any team in the league, let alone the Western Conference. Despite continuing to win, the Warriors have actually had their share of struggles recently, getting off to a slow start vs. Phoenix and then barely escaping w/ a two-point win over Miami. I actually contemplated taking the Jazz plus the points in this one, but I think the Over is the stronger play here as both teams have been doing a lot of scoring recently. 

Utah dominated San Antonio on Sunday, winning 125-105. Over the last five games, they are averaging 114.4 PPG and that's even w/ a poor 98-point effort vs. Houston. In winning 14 out of their last 18, the Jazz have scored at least 110 pts eleven times. With Golden State having regressed considerably on the defensive end, I don't expect Utah having much difficulty scoring in this game. The Jazz have shot 50% or better in three of their last four games. They are also 6-2 Over this season w/ a total of 220 pts or higher. The Over is 5-1 the last six games overall. 

Golden State has now won five times this season after trailing by 15+ points. Two of those five wins have been the last two games. They trailed Phoenix early by as many as 17, then faced that same deficit against the Heat. The Dubs were far more fortunate to win that game, which I cashed easily w/ Miami as 14-point underdog. Another of the come from behind efforts came early in the year vs. Utah. That was a 124-123 final where the Warriors shot better than 56% from the floor and Durant/Curry combined for 69 points. They had 62 more in a loss to Utah in Salt Lake City in December. As per usual, Golden State is leading the league in scoring (119.1 PPG). They've scored at least 115 in eight of the last nine game. 10* Over Jazz/Warriors

10* UNLV (10:30 ET): Neither Air Force nor UNLV is playing particularly well heading into this matchup. The Flyboys have failed to cover four in a row. But admittedly that has a lot to do w/ the fact they've been favored three times in that stretch, which is a rarity. They did beat Wyoming last Wednesday, 81-76 (as 9.5-pt chalk) for their fifth conference win (against six losses). UNLV is a game better in MWC play (6-5), but has lost four of five, including an embarrassing setback Saturday where they fell by 18 here in Las Vegas to Fresno State. As I'll get into a minute, the Rebels have some serious revenge to exact Tuesday night. I'll lay the points. 

Last month in Colorado Springs, UNLV got absolutely hammered by Air Force. It was a 106-88 final, which at the time was the first MWC loss for the Rebels. They were four-point road favorites in that game, but couldn't stop the Falcons from topping 100 pts for the first time since February of last season. The AFA shot nearly 60% for the game, which was shocking as they came in ranked 320th in the country in points per game at the time. They still only average 67.4 PPG for the year and that number drops down to 61.5 away from home where they are just 2-9 SU. So don't expect anything close to the same offensive numbers from the Falcons this time around. 

UNLV is actually 0-6 ATS the L6 meetings w/ Air Force. But based on what happened last time and on Saturday, the Rebels aren't going to be taking their opponents lightly. Note that they have been a dog in every game during this 1-4 SU stretch. The Rebels are still the significantly better team in this matchup and we're getting a little bit of value here based on the surprising result in the first meeting. Right now, we're getting them at an ultimate "buy low" price as this should be a double digit spread from where I sit. Defense has been an issue for the Rebels lately, but shouldn't be here. 10* UNLV

8* Atlanta (7:35 ET): LeBron James is back, but the Lakers are still struggling. A 3-7 SU stretch does predate the King's official return, but twice in the last three games (both w/ James), they've lost by 23 or more points. If not for a Rajon Rondo buzzer beater in Boston, they'd be on a four-game losing streak entering tonight. The expectation here is that the Lakers will bounce back in Atlanta, but laying points with this team - especially on the road - remains a dicey proposition at best. They are 14-19 ATS overall in the chalk role this season, including 5-8 ATS as the road team.

This is the end of a six-game road trip for LA. They're 2-3 SU so far, but those two wins have come by a grand total of four points. All three losses were by double digits. Exactly one week ago, LeBron was dealt the worst regular season loss of his career (42 point margin) by Indiana. Sunday wasn't much better as they went down in Philly by a score of 143-120. As you can telll, defense has been an issue. Eight times in the last 10 games, the Lakers have given up at least 120 points. Also, while James is back, he is without several members of his supporting cast. Both Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart are out tonight. 

Atlanta comes into this game having lost three straight, all here at home. They played poorly Sunday vs. Orlando. I'm anticipating better effort tonight w/ a more marquee opponent in town. Note the Hawks only lost by one to the Lakers in the season's first meeting and that was played w/o leading scorer John Collins, who averages 19.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. In fact, if not for a last second shot by LeBron, Atlanta would have won that 1st meeting. The Lakers remain highly overrated by the marketplace as they're a below average team. So I'll take the points. 8* Atlanta

8* Tampa Bay (7:35 ET): Stanley Cup Finals preview? It might be as the Lightning and Flames lead their respective conferences in points (as of this writing). For the record, Calgary could find itself in second place in its own division by game time, depending on what happens w/ San Jose Monday night. Irregardless of that, I don't like the Flames chances Tuesday night. Tampa Bay is a ridiculously strong team on home ice w/ a 21-5-2 SU record here. They are the better team and this is a fair price. Calgary has lost two straight and three of four since the All-Star Break. 

The Lightning had their own two game losing streak post-Break and both losses came at home. They were to Vegas and St. Louis. For what it's worth, those losses both came past regulation. The most surprising thing about them is that the Lightning scored only two goals in them. But they've since bounce back w/ a pair of wins, scoring five goals each time. The most recent win came in Florida, 5-2, on Sunday. That on the heels of avenging a prior loss against the Penguins. Let it be known that TB is the only team in the league that averages a higher number of goals per game than Calgary. 

Since the Break, the Flames have given up 16 goals in four games. After losing at home to San Jose last week, 5-2, they lost in a shootout to Vancouver Saturday night. Considering they outshot the Canucks 47-25, that's a game they should have won. But they didn't. Tampa beat them in Calgary back in December, 5-4 (in a shootout), so they should be able to win here at home too. I think it's fair to wonder if Flames goalie Dave Rittich will be able to continue his extraordinary play moving forward. 8* Tampa Bay

8* San Jose (10:05 ET): The Sharks have won five in a row and can make it a clean sweep through Western Canada w/ a win tonight in Vancouver. Through the years, San Jose has certainly had the number of this Pacific Division rival, beating the Canucks four straight times and 9 out of the last 10. They've met only one time this season and that was back in November w/ SJ turning in a 4-0 shutout at home as massive -295 ML favorites. I look for San Jose to keep rolling here.

Shockingly, the Canucks have managed to stay in playoff contention into February, even beating 1st place Calgary (in a shootout) Saturday night. That win snapped a three-game losing streak. I might be a little biased seeing as I was on the Flames, but Vancouver really had no business winning Sat night given that they were outshot 47-25. They now are just two points back of the Wild Card, but as I said in my previous analysis, this team was expected to be a bottom-feeder at the start of the season. I'm not convinced they're a legit contender yet. 

Vancouver beating Calgary helped San Jose as the Sharks are now just one point back of the Flames for 1st in the Pacific. The Sharks also hold a recent win over the Flames, theirs coming in Calgary though by a score of 5-2. Before that, they'd won three straight overtime games. But it was domination in Alberta, not just against the Flames, but also in Edmonton on Saturday as they again won 5-2, this time led by Kevin Labanc's 1st career hat trick. San Jose is now third in the league in scoring (3.63 gpg) and simply a much better team than Vancouver, who is only 1-5 the L6 times they've been off a win. 8* San Jose 

10* Brooklyn (7:35 ET): The Raptors return home Monday following a highly successful road trip where they won all three games. They've won four in a row overall and are now just one game behind idle Milwaukee for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. But despite sweeping said road trip, the two games which you would have expected to be easy were anything but. They actually trailed Atlanta by as many as 17 before pouring it on late there. Then, in Marc Gasol's debut Saturday, they were only able to beat the sorry Knicks by five points. I think the Raptors are laying too many points here as Brooklyn has Caris LeVert back in the lineup and will be a tough out.

Plus, the Nets are going to be extra motivated here after suffering an outright loss to Chicago at home Friday night. That was just the second time all season that Brooklyn lost a game it was favored to win. Given it was also LeVert's return after missing three months, the team's effort defensively was especially disappointing. There's just no way they should be losing to a team like the Bulls at home (by 19 no less!) or letting them shoot as well as they did. On the bright side, LeVert did score 11 pts in 15 minutes and looked good. Despite the setback, the Nets are still 21-10 SU their L31 games. They are 6-1 ATS this season when playing with exactly two days rest. 

Brooklyn did lose by 17 here in Toronto last month w/o LeVert. They didn't shoot well, but the key was that the Raptors had 17 more field goal attempts in the game, which is highly irregular given that rebounding was basically even. Expect this to be a much closer game. Not just because the Nets have LeVert back, but also b/c they have gone 6-1 ATS the L7 times off a SU loss. Just don't think Toronto should be laying double digits to what is a slightly above average team. Take the points. 10* Brooklyn

8* Over Virginia/North Carolina (7:00 ET): Virginia's vaunted defensive efficiency took a hit Saturday night as they allowed 57.8% shooting in an 81-71 loss to Duke. Under almost any "normal" circumstance, a return to "normalcy" would be expected the Hoos' next time out, but Monday is anything but a normal spot as they have to go to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. As prolific as Duke is offensively, UNC is right there w/ them and possibly even stronger when factoring in the home court edge. The Tar Heels are #2 in the country in overall PPG (88.3) and here at home, they average a whopping 91.6. In other words, look for this to be another spot where we see more scoring than the "typical" Virginia game. Take the Over.

North Carolina did not start this season particularly strong. They had three losses before X-Mas, but over the last month or so, they've really caught fire. Since losing 83-62 to L'ville on 1.12, it's been seven consecutive wins, including avenging that loss to the Cardinals. Now it wasn't easy Saturday as they needed OT to get by Miami 88-85, a game they were favored to win by 15.5 points. Defensively, they've given up 181 pts the L2 games. They've also scored 201. For the purposes of tonight's total, note the Tar Heels have scored at least 75 pts every time during the seven game win streak. Note the only time previous to this that UNC played w/ just one days rest, that game easily went Over (beat Va Tech 103-82). 

They might not be known for it, but Virginia can score too. They are a top five team in offensive efficiency, which is a higher ranking than the Tar Heels (per KenPom). They come in averaging 72.8 PPG for the season. They've been below that scoring average for three straight games now. As noted, North Carolina is not particularly stout defensively, so I expect a game similar to the Duke-Virginia one here. In their last eight games, the Tar Heels have given up at least 76 pts six different times. 8* Over Virginia/North Carolina

10* Miami (8:35 ET): The Heat absolutely gagged one away Friday night at Sacramento. Up 11 in the 4Q, they ended up losing 102-96 and not even covering as underdogs. That can't happen. Not when you're trying to be a playoff team. Now they really look to be "up against it" Sunday as they have to play at Golden State. But remember this Miami team was an outright winner in Portland Tuesday night when I took them plus the points. I sense we'll be getting a desperate and motivated team tonight, thus taking the big number is the way to go in this one.

For a fourth consecutive game, Golden State will be a double digit favorite. It's a role they've become pretty accustomed to over the past several seasons. Not surprisingly, they've won each of those last three games, all pretty comfortably. They've won 14 of 15 overall and are now back to their usual perch atop the Western Conference. But keep in mind they started poorly Friday in Phoenix, falling behind by as many as 17 in the first quarter. That deficit ultimately cost them the cover. Unless properly motivated, it's hard to cover large spreads like this on a regular basis. 

Given what happened to them Friday in Sacramento, Miami should be the more motivated side tonight. I don't think they'll win, mind you, but a close game is definitely reasonable. It's not often you're going to find the Heat getting this many points (most they've gotten in any game this season) and they're already 15-9 ATS as a dog this season. They also do have a winning record on the road (14-12 SU). Golden State may be looking more forward to their next two games (Utah, Portland) than this one. Take the points. 10* Miami 

6* Boston (3:05 ET): Both teams played Saturday. For Colorado, the result was an all-too familiar one as they lost 4-3 (in overtime) to the Islanders. It was their sixth loss in a row overall. Earlier in the season, it was looking as if the Avs' top line of Rantanen-Landeskog-MacKinnon would be enough to carry this team into the playoffs for a second straight year. But now they find themselves second from the bottom in the Central, only one point ahead of the lowly Blackhawks. 

The Bruins were 5-4 winners (in OT) yday as they beat the Kings. It was Boston's third win in the last four games and it should be noted that in the one loss, they blew a 3-1 third period lead. To me, the B's remain a pretty safe bet to get back to the playoffs, but right now they'd have to settle for being a Wild Card w/ 68 points. The good news though is that they are only one point back of third place (Montreal) in the Atlantic and three back of second place (Toronto). 

Colorado's lack of depth has come back to bite them and the bottom line is that no matter how talented the top line is, the team isn't going to win much when it's giving up four or more goals in every game. I realize the last two losses both came in OT, but they've still allowed 4+ goals every time during the six-game slide. Boston, meanwhile, is top three in the league in goals allowed per game. I don't think an afternoon game, on the road, is where Colorado "figures things out." It's not only the second game of a back to back, but also their third road game in four days. The Bruins are simply the better team here and priced appropriately. 6* Boston

10* Rider (2:00 ET): Since not many people are intently following the MAAC, I wouldn't expect an answer to the question of "what has gone wrong" with Rider? But something definitely has gone awry here as the Broncs started conference play w/ five straight wins, only to lose four of their last six games, including three straight. Every loss has come as a favorite, the role they again find themselves in Sunday afternoon. But the good news here is they're facing an underdog that won't put up much resistance at all. Rider is undervalued here. Lay the points. 

Siena has actually fought its way to the same conference record as Rider (both 7-4 SU) as the Saints have won six of their last seven games.  However, I think it's critical to note how little scoring this team typically does. They average only 62.6 PPG and haven't even topped that number in six straight games. Obviously then, Siena has been playing some great defense as conference foes are averaging just 57.1 PPG against them. But I don't see the Saints being as fortunate here. Rider averages 76.2 PPG on the year. Despite how few points Siena has been giving up recently, they're still only 287th in efficiency (per KenPom) for the season.

Two of Siena's last three wins were by two points. Meanwhile, Rider has been on the wrong end of some close decisions recently, including a one-point loss to Canisius on Friday. That loss snapped the Broncs' 17-game home win streak. I certainly don't see them losing two straight. Nor can I see Siena winning two road games in just a three-day span. The loss Rider took on Friday saw Canisius make a last second three-pointer. It was their seventh straight ATS loss as well. That streak comes to an end here as the favorite is still the much better team here. 10* Rider

8* George Mason (2:00 ET): It's been more than a decade since the Patriots made their epic run to the Final Four, which in turn put the program on the map. They're now in the Atlantic 10, a move which hasn't necessarily treated them all that well, aside from the obvious financial upgrade of bolting from the Colonial.  Sunday finds them simply looking for a win. January was a very good month for GMU as they went 7-1 SU overall. But February has started w/ B2B road losses to VCU (old CAA rival) and Richmond. They're back home this afternoon though and that should be the difference in this one as they're facing a bad LaSalle team. 

While I think it's still fair to call LaSalle "bad," it should be pointed out that the Explorers have won four straight, three of those wins coming as underdogs. The most recent was as a 1.5-point favorite over St. Joe's on Wednesday. That win also doubled as their largest margin of victory in conference play (14 points). It was also their second largest MOV for the entire season, a 23-point win over a bad Alabama A&M team being the largest. I think it has to be pointed out that prior to this four-game win streak, LaSalle's record was 3-14 SU overall. They're barely even shooting 40% from the field for the season and are not a good defensive team either. 

George Mason has gotten to play only four of its 10 conference games at home. They have won three of those four home games. They're 7-3 SU overall vs. the rest of the A-10 and remember they are off B2B losses. So it was a really strong start for the Patriots and I expect them to get back on track here. Defense failed them in the last two games as they allowed an average of 80 PPG to VCU and Richmond. The latter shot 56.6% against them, including 10 of 21 from three-point range, which was the difference as GMU was only 4 of 15 from behind the arc. The Patriots were three-point road favorites in that game, so by comparison this line is low as I actually have LaSalle rated lower than Richmond. Lay the points. 8* George Mason

8* Calgary (10:05 ET): Perhaps there's an argument to be made that the All-Star Break came at the WRONG time for the Flames. Pardon the pun, but they went into the Break as one of the league's hottest teams with an 8-0-1 record their last nine games. Since the Break, they've dropped two of three, including a rare poor effort at home Thursday where they gave up five goals to San Jose. But I still consider Calgary to be one of the league's best teams as only Tampa Bay has more points and a better goal differential. Tonight they'll travel to Vancouver to face a slumping Canucks side and should get the 'W.' 

Vancouver has not played at home since the All-Star Break and last won a home game on 1/20. A four-game road trip is how they started the second half of the season. After beating Colorado 5-1 on February 2nd, they then dropped three in a row - all one goal decisions. The most recent was a 4-3 loss at Chicago Thursday night. Given the Canucks are very much alive for one of the Western Conference's two Wild Card spots, that stretch really hurt. But I think it's important to remember just where this club was expected to finish. Preseason projections had them near the bottom of the league, so don't be shocked if they start to tumble down the standings.

As for Calgary, this is a revenge spot as they lost at home to the Canucks back on 12/29, 3-2. They have dropped two of three to the Canucks this season, but all three games took place before the New Year. The Flames are a substantially better team now than they were back then and while they don't score as many goals on the road as the do at home, they happen to lead the entire NHL in goals ALLOWED on the road, giving up just 2.4 per game. They have won eight in a row against teams w/ losing records and are 14-2 SU this season after allowing 4+ goals in their previous game. 8* Calgary

8* LA Clippers (8:05 ET): Boston is better than its record and will probably end up playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. But that doesn't mean they aren't overvalued for tonight's home game vs. the Clippers. It was a very tough loss the Celtics took Thursday night against the Lakers as they fell 129-128 on a Rajon Rondo buzzer beater. That was a game where they outscored LA in three of the four quarters, yet still lost. Even as winners of 10 of their previous 12, I don't see the Celtics winning this game by any kind of significant margin as the Clippers come in as a desperate underdog. Take the points.

The Clippers come into tonight holding the coveted 8th spot in the Western Conference, but you know the Lakers are close behind and now surprising Sacramento is just one-half game back. Even though trading Tobias Harris seemed to signal the future is more important than the present here, do not look for this group to roll over. A bunch of new faces are expected to debut tonight, not just the ones that came over from the Harris trade, but also those who came over in exchange from Avery Bradley going to Memphis. Remember that the Clippers are one of the league's deepest teams and lead the league in bench scoring. Their top scorer (Lou Williams) is a reserve.

Boston is only 2-4-1 ATS its last seven games and one of the covers came by a single point in a close win over OKC. I was actually stunned to see the Clippers are only 11-17 ATS this season as underdogs, given that they have been better than expected. I think that this line is the oddsmakers anticipating the public will give up on LA due to the moves at the trade deadline, but I expect them to remain competitive. This will only be the 2nd time all year that LA is going to be a double digit dog. The first was back on 12/23 at Golden State and they lost that game by only two points. They were +9.5 last month in San Antonio and won the game outright. 8* LA Clippers

10* West Virginia (8:00 ET): It's a down year in Morgantown, WV as the Mountaineers are 10-13 SU overall and 2-8 in Big 12 play. But those two conference wins have both been notable. Both were also here at home. One was against Kansas. The other was last Saturday vs. Oklahoma. Tonight, they host a Texas team that has covered three straight, including an 84-72 win over Baylor Wednesday. But the Longhorns have been very inconsistent this year as they haven't won B2B games in over a month and have lost six of nine overall. I'll be taking the points Saturday night.

It was a real ugly loss for WVU their last time out as they fell by 31 at Texas Tech. But that Red Raiders team is one of the nation's best defensively. One reason you can expect a bounce back performance from Bob Huggins squad in this spot is that they are a perfect 4-0 ATS this season after being held to 60 pts or less the previous game. Also, now they are back home (loss to Texas Tech was in Lubbock). The Mountaineers are still a respectable 8-4 SU in Morgantown this season. They've also had a couple extra days to prepare as the Texas Tech game was Monday night.

Ironically, the last time Texas won B2B games was when they beat West Virginia, 61-54 in Austin. That was back on January 5th and the Longhorns were eight-point home favorites. Comparing numbers, it sure looks as if we're getting some nice value on the home dog for this rematch. Texas has lost five straight on the road. While four of those losses have come by five points or less, I still don't believe they deserve to be favored by more than a bucket here as they're 0-2 straight up as a road favorite. The last two trips here to Morgantown have resulted in double digit defeats and last year was an ugly 35-point loss. Texas is just 8-21 ATS the L29 times it has been a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. 10* West Virginia

10* Under Hornets/Hawks (7:35 ET): The Hornets have played 11 games this season with a total of 230 points or higher. Ten of them have resulted in Unders. The previous two seasons had no such games.  So a benchmark of sorts has been established for this team when betting totals. Their last game was really low scoring as they lost to Dallas by a score of 99-93. Up next is a date in Atlanta and while the Hawks are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, I look for the Under pattern to continue here. The Hawks only scored 101 in their last game, a blowout loss to Toronto. 

Despite being division rivals, these teams haven't met since late November. The last meeting had a similar O/U line and easily stayed Under as Charlotte prevailed 108-94. The Hawks and Hornets combined to go 15 of 64 from three-point range and Atlanta shot just 34.4% overall. Maybe the shooting won't be that poor this time around, but I still wouldn't expect this to turn into a shootout. The Hawks are bottom five in the league in offensive efficiency while Charlotte is in the bottom third in pace of play. Two of the three meetings in November stayed Under. 

Atlanta managed only 33 points in the second half vs. Toronto on Thursday, thus they blew a 17-point lead and ended up losing by 18. That's quite the swing. Meanwhile, Charlotte never got out of the box vs. Dallas. It was a bad night from three as they missed 26 of 37 attempts. It's a proven fact the Hornets don't go Over when the total is this high and the truth is few teams do. Too much has to go right and I just don't see this turning into a shootout. The Under is 12-4 in the last 16 meetings. Also, the Under is 5-2-1 the Hornets' last eight road games as well as 5-1-1 the L7 times they have been off a SU loss. 10* Under Hornets/Hawks

8* Villanova (2:30 ET): It finally happened to Marquette Wednesday night, "it" being they lost a close game. Previously 6-0 SU in games decided by 5 pts or less this season, the Golden Eagles were dealt a "taste of their own medicine" by St. John's in a 70-69 loss. The loss was disappointing not only in that it snapped an eight-game win streak, but Marquette's only other Big East loss came at the hands of the Johnnies. Now comes Villanova, who almost never loses a Big East game. The Wildcats come in on an 11-game win streak and are a perfect 10-0 SU in Big East play. I look for them to keep that perfect record intact Saturday afternoon. Take the points. 

I've been fairly outspoken this year regarding Marquette and its national ranking. I only wish I'd faded them Wednesday as this was a team due to fall from a top 10 national ranking. I'm not sure anyone outside of Wisconsin believes this to be a top 10 team in America. They've had the extremely good fortune in close games and numerous come from behind victories to boot. I just don't see them as the favorite here. 

Villanova started the season slow, due to losing its top four scorers from LY's National Championship Game. Losses to Furman and Penn were downright embarrassing and they were blown out in a Nat'l Title Game rematch by Michigan. But all that's in the past now. Granted, the Wildcats needed OT to get by Creighton earlier this week, but credit them for winning a game where they shot only 37.5% from the floor (at home!). If you're wondering about how 'Nova performs as an underdog, well, they're a perfect 4-0 ATS this season - winning three of thre games outright. They've won 15 straight Big East games overall and haven't lost one in regulation since Valentine's Day of last season. 8* Villanova 

10* Michigan State (2:00 ET): For the first time in two seasons, Michigan State has lost three in a row. Those losses have come in a variety of uncharacteristic ways, but HC Tom Izzo sounded confident when called Thursday's practice "probably the best I've seen in a while." The bottom line is the Spartans still belong on the short list of Final Four contenders as they are one of only three teams in country (Duke & Virginia are the others) to rank top 10 in both offensive & defensive efficiency. I expect a strong showing from the home team Saturday in East Lansing. Lay the points. 

At one point, the Big 10 was thought to have as many as 10 potential NCAA Tournament teams. But conference play has really started to sort out the "pretenders" from the "contenders." One team that I feel belongs in the "pretender" group is Minnesota. Sure, the Gophers are a respectable 6-6 SU vs. Big 10 opposition, but I still wouldn't consider them among the top 50 teams in America. They too are on a losing streak, having dropped two in a row. The officiating didn't seem to do the Golden Gophers any favors (only 13 FT attempts), but the bottom line is they still lost a home game in which they held the opponent to 34.5% from the field (season low for Wisconsin). This was due to Minnesota's own inept shooting (incl 1 of 13 from three-point range) on the heels of blowing a 13-point lead and losing by 10 at Purdue.

Michigan State lost to Purdue on 1/27 in what was their third game in seven nights. That was a 10* ULTIMATE POWER release on Purdue. I also played against them vs. Indiana, an overtime loss (were 8 of 22 from FT line) as 16.5-pt chalk). Then on Tuesday, they were outrebounded badly in a four-point loss to Purdue. Luckily, all of these issues can be corrected and Izzo seems to think they have been. Sparty was due for a "market correction" there, but they are still 16-5 ATS as a favorite this season and 14-3 ATS the L17 times hosting Minnesota. 10* Michigan State

8* Minnesota (8:05 ET): The Big Easy is no stranger to an "awkward" situation or two, but this one involving Anthony Davis and the Pelicans will be unusual, even by this city's standard. Davis has made it clear that New Orleans is not part of his long-term future. But he was not moved at the trade deadline and thus you now have a situation where a team is basically playing out the string w/ a star player that clearly doesn't want to be there. Without Davis, the Pelicans did win Wednesday night, but that was against Chicago. Davis is set to return tonight, which has in turn inflated the line, and I'll be taking the points w/ Minnesota in a battle of "fringe" playoff contenders.

Before beating Chicago, the Pelicans had played four straight games w/o five of their top six scorers. They'd also lost six of seven overall. Now they have not only Davis back, but also Julius Randle, who led the way vs. Chicago w/ 31 points. But I'm not convinced Davis' return is going to be the boon the team is hoping for. Under contract until the end of NEXT season, it's going to be odd watching a player perform for a team he clearly doesn't want to be a part of. Might there be an issue of motivation? Regardless, an issue New Orleans has had all season is defense as they are bottom five in the league in PPG allowed. 

The T'wolves, like the Pelicans, have been dealing w/ many injuries of late. They're also playing in the second night of back to back here. Last night saw them lose for a third consecutive time and fifth time in six games. They fell 122-112 down in Orlando, which was also the team's fifth straight ATS loss. Interesting though is that Minnesota's previous two losses had been by a total of three points. I expect this game to go down to the wire and at the very worst, Minnesota snaps its ATS losing streak. Given New Orleans' obvious issues, an outright victory is a distinct possibility as well. 8* Minnesota 

8* Akron (9:00 ET): Since the calendar turned to 2019, clear trends have emerged when it comes to betting both the side and total of Akron games: fade 'em & bet the Under. The Zips have covered only one of their last nine games plus the Under is 8-1 during that same time. But while the team may be "offensively challenged," I'm going to call for them to break out of their slump Friday by doing what they do best - play defense. They're at home and facing their main rival (Kent State). If ever there was a time for John Groce's team to "circle the wagons," it would be here. Lay the points.

Akron has taken a huge step defensively this year under Groce. They are 14th in the country in PPG allowed (62.4) and 30th in efficiency (per KenPom). They're especially good at home where they give up only 57.1 PPG! For the record, the Zips "struggles" are mainly confined to the pointspread. They are off a SU here as it was an ugly offensive showing (only 52 pts) earlier in the week at Toledo. But here at home, thanks largely to the MAC's 2nd best defense, they are 10-1 SU for the year. In addition to the defense, I'm going to call for a breakout game offensively here. Certainly, they can't shoot any worse than they did Tuesday when they had a 28.1 FG%.

To me, the Zips should certainly be able to keep in check a Kent team that has been more "lucky" than "good" this season. The Golden Flashes are a pretty shocking 17-5 SU on the year as they are an incredible 8-0 SU in games decided by 4 pts or less. Their last three wins have been by a total of eight points w/ two of them coming in OT. This is how Akron, despite an inferior 13-9 SU record, actually has a better point differential. The Zips only loss this year at James A. Rhodes Arena came by a single point (Marshall) and they have held every MAC foe under its season average in scoring. They come up big again at home in this big rivalry matchup. 8* Akron

8* Over Bucks/Mavs (8:35 ET): Dallas has gone Under in each of its last four games as well as 9 of the last 10. They're also on a money-making 8-0 ATS run that stretches back to January 21st. But even though they're 19-7 SU at home this season, it's going to be tough to keep Friday's opponent in check. The league-leading Bucks are coming to town and just got stronger offensively by making a (trade) deadline deal for Nikola Mirotic, who may or may not suit up tonight. Not like the team needs him though. They already average an Eastern Conference high 117.8 PPG and just dropped 148 in their last game. I'll be going w/ the Over here.

Wednesday's 148-129 win over the Wizards makes it five straight wins AND covers for Milwaukee. This is a team w/ few holes and I have them atop my own personal power rankings. But if there was one curious thing about the Mirotic deal, it's that they passed up on a chance to pick up what would have been a key defensive piece. Stanley Johnson was acquired in a trade from Detroit and is known for being an underrated defender. But he was then flipped as part of the Mirotic deal.

These teams met on MLK Day and the 116-106 win by Milwaukee managed to stay under the total by less than a bucket. Dallas shot just 41.4% from the field and missed 7 of 17 free throws. That was pretty much the difference. I expect more from the Mavs offensively here as they average 111.2 PPG at home. I don't think the loss of Harrison Barnes (traded to Sacramento) will affect them much offensively. Maybe defensively it will. Bottom line is that after holding four straight opponents under 100 pts, that will NOT be happening here against one of the top offensive teams in the league. 8* Over Bucks/Mavs

10* Carolina (8:05 ET): The Rangers ought to be thanking those working in the NHL's scheduling department because for a second straight game they'll be playing at home and against an unrested foe that's coming off a game the night prior. In this same situation Wednesday, they were able to rally back from a 3-1 third period deficit to beat Boston. It took a shootout to do so, but in the end, it was still two points. But let's not go mistaking that result for anything special. This is still a bad team, one of the league's worst in fact. They may have been able to sneak by Boston, but the same thing won't happen here against Carolina.

The Hurricanes were winners last night, 6-5 in Buffalo. That was one of an NHL record eight overtime games played Thursday. It was a huge win for the 'Canes considering where they're currently at in the standings. They're now just three points back of the Wild Card in the Eastern Conference. Twice Carolina blew a two-goal lead in last night's game, including in the final five minutes of regulation. The fact that they still won is huge not only for the obvious reason, but also because a loss in that situation would have been quite deflating heading into tonight. The Hurricanes also were able to win a game where they were outshot, 39-30. More often than not this season, we've seen the reverse as they lose despite outshooting the opposition.

Carolina owns - by far - the largest edge in shots forced vs. allowed in the league (+7.5 per game). One would think that metric would signify more success. It's starting to as the team has gone 12-4-1 its L17 games. They're 3-1 since the All-Star Break w/ an impressive 4-0 shutout of the Penguins to their credit. Over the last five games, they've averaged 4.6 goals. This is a payback game for the 'Canes as they lost here at MSG, 6-2, back on January 15th. They had a 36-28 edge in shots in that game, which saw the Rangers go 3 for 3 on the power play. That won't happen again and this time the 'Canes will have their #1 goaltender (Petr Mrazek) between the pipes. 10* Carolina

10* Brooklyn (7:35 ET): I think we're going to need to get used to seeing the Nets in this price range, at least when paired against the league's bottom feeders. As they showed in a 135-130 win over Denver Wednesday night, this team is for real. Now let's temper enthusiasm just a bit for a second. When I say "for real," I mean "legit playoff contender." They are now two games above .500, but in the Eastern Conference, that means a very real shot at finishing as high as sixth.

The Bulls are not good, nor were they expected to be. In my own personal power rankings, only the Cavs are rated worse. No one is rated worse when it comes to offensive efficiency as Chicago is barely averaging a point per possession. In the last two games though, defense has been the problem as they've surrendered 125 pts in B2B losses to Charlotte and New Orleans (no Anthony Davis). This is a team w/ only two wins in its last 18 games. One of them was against Cleveland. Wednesday was their 2nd highest scoring 1st half of the season (65 pts) and it still didn't matter.

When these teams met two weeks ago, Brooklyn won 122-117, but did not cover the 6.5-point spread here at home. The pointspread is slightly larger for this rematch, but for good reason. One is leading scorer Caris LeVert is finally returning for the Nets. Really, it's pretty amazing that the Nets not only stayed afloat, but exceeded expectations (went 23-19 SU) while LeVert was out three months. They are 21-9 SU the L30 games. They are 14-2 SU the L16 home games. Now they add a player that was shooting 47.5% from the field while scoring 20+ in half of his games played. Meanwhile, Chicago's leading scorer from that last meeting w/ Brooklyn - Jabari Parker - was just dealt away along w/ Bobby Portis. Zach LaVine scored 28 pts Wednesday, but missed practice the following day w/ ankle soreness. The Nets have beaten the Bulls six straight times and are 11-3 ATS this season coming off a SU win as a dog (were +3 vs. Denver). 10* Brooklyn

10* Dartmouth (7:00 ET): We're just four games into the Ivy League season, but already both Cornell and Dartmouth can use some work. They'll each come into Friday sporting identical 10-10 SU records, though the former has fared slightly better in league play w/ a 2-2 mark as opposed to the latter's 1-3. Thus Dartmouth was already the side more likely to approach this game w/ a greater sense of urgency. Then you have the "small matter" of them trying to exact some revenge here. The Big Green have been swept by the Big Red each of the last two seasons, failing to cover in all but one of the four chances. This time the rivalry turns up green instead of red. Lay the points.

Dartmouth had an impressive performance in the Ivy League opener as they upset Harvard - as six point underdogs - here at home. They actually dominated, winning 81-63. But since X-Mas, they've lost three in a row, two of them coming by five points or less. Their most recent setback was the weakest performance to date in Ivy League play as they lost by 21 to Yale last Saturday, also at home. As you might have guessed by the 89-68 final score, it was not a banner day for the Dartmouth defense. It was the 2nd highest number of points they allowed in a game all season as Yale made 11 of 23 three-pointers.

I wouldn't look for such sharpshooting here from Cornell. The Big Red aren't exactly a great shooting team (43.7 FG% for the year) and only totaled 61 pts in their own home loss to Princeton last Saturday. That was an overtime game as well, so the offensive numbers are actually worse than they appear. Plus, Dartmouth is usually a stingy team at home as they allow just 63.0 PPG for the year at Edward Leede Arena. If that's not enough, they also average 79.4 PPG themselves. I think home court and revenge are the key angles here in what should be a comfortable win for the Big Green! 10* Dartmouth

8* Indiana (8:00 ET): I think that it would be premature to call Indiana's 79-75 upset of Michigan State last Saturday "season changing." After all, the Hoosiers still have a lot of work to do. Prior to beating Sparty, they'd lost seven in a row. Their record in the Big 10 is still only 4-7. But what happened Saturday in East Lansing could certainly be the start of a turnaround. I had IU Saturday and will come back with them again tonight at home. I think they're undervalued right now.

The Hoosiers aren't the only team in this matchup coming off a notable upset. Iowa beat Michigan on Friday, doing so as 5.5-pt home underdogs. The Hawkeyes desperately needed that one as they were off B2B themselves at the time. They're 5-3 SU in Big 10 play and thus in better position than Indiana. But history is really not on Iowa's side here as they are just 6-18 ATS their last 24 road games and 3-7 ATS the last 10 times taking the court w/ five or more days rest (0-2 ATS this season). 

Indiana hasn't gotten to play much at home in conference play, which may help explain their slide. This and Sunday's game vs. Ohio State mark the 1st time the Hoosiers have had B2B home games since conference play began! They're 10-2 SU in Bloomington and allow just 61.6 PPG. Iowa might be ranked and off a win over Michigan, but I'm not sold on them. They give up 76.0 PPG outside of Iowa City. 8* Indiana 

8* Nashville (8:05 ET): The Central Division has largely been about two teams this season, Winnipeg and Nashville. However, Dallas is trying to crash the party w/ a five-game win streak that predates the All-Star Break. The Stars are 4-0 since the Break and that includes a win here in Music City on Saturday. What are the chances they can beat the Preds twice in a row on the road? Not high from where I sit. Nashville is already 9-4 SU seeking revenge for a home loss this season. 

Though I won w/ the Stars on Monday, it was not an easy victory for them. They needed to score four times in the third period to overcome an uncharacteristic poor night on the defensive end. While they'd given up just two goals total in the previous three games, they allowed four to the Coyotes. It was a game they were pretty lucky to win considering they'd been outshot 42-29. Three of their five goals came via the power play. I wouldn't expect that kind of offense again from a team that ranks just 28th in the league in goals per game. 

Nashville also happens to be off a home win over the Coyotes. There's came the night after the Stars' (Tuesday) and clearly the Preds benefited from the 'Yotes being in a bad spot. It was an easy 5-2 win, indicative of what we've seen from this club most of the year. They finished w/ a 47-26 edge in shots and perhaps most importantly they ended an 0 for 34 streak on the power play. I think the revenge angle is key here as Dallas has actually won twice in Nashville this season. The third time will be the charm for the Preds. 8* Nashville

8* Old Dominion (8:00 ET): While Old Dominion hasn't been a profitable team to bet on, they do lead C-USA entering Thursday night's action. The Monarchs are 8-3 SU in conference play, which gives them a half-game edge on both UTSA and North Texas. They recently beat North Texas at home, 72-61 as four-point favorites, and then followed that up with an 80-76 win over Rice where they obviously did not cover the 12-point number. ODU is just 2-9 ATS in conference play, but we've finally got a short number to work with here as they visit UAB. Lay the points.

UAB is coming off B2B losses to the same team, Middle Tennessee. I was on the second game, which took place Saturday, and had the right side. After losing 71-65 as six-point road favorites last Wednesday, the Blazers fell to MTSU 79-78 as 11-point home favorites Saturday. Those two losses really sting considering how close the race in C-USA is. Keep in mind MTSU had lost nine in a row on the road before pulling the upset Saturday. UAB blew a 10-point halftime lead. 

Old Dominion's strength lies on the defensive end where they are 11th in the country, giving up just 61.6 PPG. That would serve them well if they were able to get into the NCAA Tournament. They've won seven of eight overall w/ the one loss coming by a single point at UTSA. I realize that the Monarchs are not nearly as dominant on the road as they are at home, but they still should be able to win at UAB. Essentially a SU win is all we need here. UAB is 2-5 ATS as an underdog. 8* Old Dominion

8* Florida International (8:00 ET): Here's another C-USA game for Thursday. As stated in the other writeup, UTSA is near the top of the league, just one-half game out of first place. They are coming off a wild, 116-106 win at Marshall on Saturday. As you might have guessed from that final score, the game went to overtime. The Roadrunners got 45 points (career-high) from Keaton Wallace and 30 more from Jhivvan Jackson as they came back from an 18-point deficit in the second half. Coming off such a big win, I think it's only natural for a letdown to be in order here.

FIU pulled an upset of its own on Saturday, beating La Tech at home, 75-69 as three-point dogs. The win enabled the Panthers to avoid an 0-3 homestand as they'd previously lost to FAU and Southern Miss. Those two losses were uncharacteristic in that FIU wasn't that competitive in either (lost both by double digits). For the most part, their games have been close this season. Seven of the eight games prior to those two losses were single digit affairs. They're no stranger to the underdog role and have cashed seven of the nine times they've been getting points this year. 

What makes FIU such a dangerous dog is that they can score. They average 85.9 PPG, which is the seventh highest average in the country. Four of the six teams ahead of them are Gonzaga, North Carolina, Duke and Tennessee. So that's some pretty exclusive company. Obviously, defense is a bit of an issue, but I don't see any reason why they shouldn't score enough to stay within the number here. UTSA just gave up 92 pts in regulation in their last game. Take the points. 8* Florida International

8* Northeastern (7:00 ET): This line has shot down and I don't understand why. N'eastern is off arguably its biggest win of the season, certainly in conference play, as they ended Hofstra's 16-game win streak on Saturday. The Huskies are now 7-3 in the Colonial and have won five of their last six games, the only loss being an upset at the hands of Towson (on the road). That loss to Towson is also their only ATS defeat in 2018 as they've gone 7-1 ATS the L8 games. This is a pretty good team and I expect them to roll William & Mary Thursday. Lay the points. 

William & Mary has won B2B games for the 1st time in 2019, but before that the Tribe were really struggling. They'd lost five in a row, some of them close, but the bottom line is they were also 0-5 ATS during that same stretch. One of those losses was to Northeastern - by 20 points - at home. While they may not lose by that many this go around, this still should be a double digit game. Northeastern is averaging almost 80 PPG at home and W&M is a poor defensive team. The Tribe have just two road wins all season.

While Northeastern's 13-9 SU record may not seem like much, note all three losses in conference play have been by three points or less. They easily could be 10-0 SU and unbeaten in the Colonial. They really dominated Hofstra on Saturday, leading by double digits most of the way. If they can do that to a team that had the nation's longest win streak, then just think what they can do to a team that is only 5-14 ATS this season, including 2-8 ATS as a dog. 8* Northeastern

8* WI-Milwaukee (7:00 ET): These are two of the bottom teams in the Horizon League, but to me Milwaukee is actually substantially better and certainly due for a win. The Panthers will also have revenge on their mind from an embarrassing 25-point loss they took at home at the hands of Youngstown State. Now that would seem to indicate that Milwaukee is NOT the better team, but that game is in no way indicative of where these two squads are truly at. Yes, this is a 4th straight road game for the Panthers, but they've had five days off and will be ready. Take the points. 

Youngstown State is off B2B wins. This is a rarity. It's just the second time all season that such a thing has happened and the first was back in November and included a win over a non-DI school. The two wins were by a combined three points. They were 7.5-pt dogs at Oakland (won 75-74) and 5.5-pt dogs at Detroit (won 72-70). So I'm not sure about this team being favored. It'll be just the second time ALL SEASON that the Penguins have been asked to lay points. The other was 12/28 vs. Detroit (-1.5) and they lost that game by a score of 78-66. They have just one win by more than six points in Horizon League play.

When these teams played the first time, Milwaukee scored only 14 pts in the 1st half. Clearly, that's not going to happen again. Youngstown State is not noted as any kind of defensive powerhouse, in fact, they give up over 80 PPG at home, which is why they only have two home wins this season. Milwaukee has lost three in a row, but they'd covered the spread in four straight games before losing to rival Green Bay last Friday. The Phoenix shot the lights out in that game in a way Youngstown State simply isn't capable of doing. 8* WI-Milwaukee

10* San Antonio (10:35 ET): Rumors of the Spurs' demise were greatly exaggerated. While they did lose in Sacramento Monday night, the team has performed far better than preseason expectations, especially on the offensive end. They are second in the league in offensive efficiency (trailing only tonight's opponent), mainly due to leading the league in three-point shooting percentage. Tonight, they will be short-handed with LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan both sitting. But how many times have we seen a team, seemingly overmatched, come up "big" in this situation? This is too many points to pass up. 

Golden State has lost just once since January 3rd and that was last week at home to Philadelphia. They rebounded with a 14-point win over the Lakers Saturday, but that was a Lakers team that didn't have LeBron in the lineup and they just did fail to cover (were -15). Having had three days off and a favorable upcoming stretch, this just reeks of a letdown. 

 San Antonio is 7-2 ATS off a SU Loss as a favorite this season. They are 6-3 ATS off a double digit loss. Those who do suit up here will play hard for HC Popovich. 10* San Antonio

8* Washington (8:05 ET): The Wizards would appear "up against it" here as they will be facing the league-leading Bucks, on the road no less. Certainly, they don't come into this primetime showdown in top form. Monday saw them lose outright at home to the lowly Hawks. They gave up 137 points to one of the worst offensive teams in the league. That would make it B2B times allowing more than 130 points, the other coming against these very same Bucks last weekend. That too was in D.C. I know it may not look good, but the last time Washington was a DD dog, they beat OKC outright. Not saying they'll do the same to Milwaukee, but they will cover. Take the points. 

For the Bucks, this game is a quick stop home following a five-game trip. They'll be back on the road Friday in Dallas. Your Eastern Conference leaders were successful - both SU and ATS - in the final four games of the just completed trip, winning every game by double digits. So there is a chance they could come in overconfident tonight. Obviously, they are playing well. Statistically speaking, they have been the top team in the league this season. But remember they did lose to the Wizards last month. Yes, that was on the road. But the road team is still 6-1 ATS the L7 head to head meetings between these two. 

I understand that, on paper, there seems little reason to put your faith - or money - on the Wizards here. But this number is too high. This will be the most points that they have gotten in any game all season. Against Eastern Conference teams, they've been competitive, getting outscored only by one point per game. Defensively, they can't play any worse than they have the last two games. Milwaukee is due for a letdown. 8* Washington

8* Boston (7:05 ET): After they rewarded my faith by beating the Islanders 3-1 last night, I'm coming right back w/ the Bruins yet again Thursday. They've now won B2B games, including a 1-0 shutout of the Capitals on Sunday. They are still fourth in the Atlantic, but only two points out of second. A win tonight would have them no lower than third in the division and possibly tied for 2nd (Toronto hosts Ottawa). When playing in the second night of a back to back, carrying two steady goaltenders on the roster is a nice luxury to have. Fortunately for Boston, Jaroslav Halak has played just as big a role in the team ranking 4th in goals allowed as has last night's star Tuukka Rask. Look for the Bruins to keep rolling tonight.

The Rangers are not a very good team. They've dropped both of the February games, each coming here at MSG. They lost 3-2 to the Lightning (no shame there) and 4-3 to the Kings. While not completely out of contention, for all intents and purposes, the Rangers aren't going anywhere this season. This was meant to be a rebuilding year and they are clearly one of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference. They rank 25th or lower in both goals scored and allowed. Monday against the Kings was a particularly frustrating setback as they allowed the game tying goal in the final minute of regulation, then lost in overtime. It's been a long time (late December) since the Blueshirts dropped a game beyond regulation. It will be interesting to see how they respond. 

My guess is "not good" given they are facing a top flight opponent. The Bruins are actually 7-2 SU playing in the second night of a back to back, so the situation isn't really a concern. There should be no letdown from last night either considering this is a revenge spot for a 3-2 loss at home that took place three weeks back. The Bruins lost that game despite surrendering only 20 shots. They are 4-1 seeking revenge for a home loss. While the Rangers may be 6-1 SU the L7 H2H meetings, most of those were contested when they were a more competitive outfit. 8* Boston

10* Nebraska (7:00 ET): What on Earth has happened to the Cornhuskers? There is no singular answer to that question. Second leading scorer Isaac Copeland Jr is out for the season, but that injury only occurred two games ago. They've lost five in a row. Generally speaking, every loss has been close. They've also been favored to win each of their last four times out. Tonight, they'll host the team that started them on this downward slide. Even before the current five-game losing streak, Nebraska dropped a game at Maryland 74-72 on January 2nd. They're just 2-6 SU since. I do believe that the Huskers are a far better team than what they've shown recently. I'll call for them to gain a measure of revenge for what happened out in College Park a month ago. Lay the points. 

Maryland hasn't exactly been trending in a positive direction itself. The Terrapins have lost three of four, a streak which has them barely still in the polls. They were as high as 13th on January 21st after beating Ohio State in Columbus. But since then they are 0-3 SU when playing away from home. Under HC Turgeon, the Terps are 0-18 SU against ranked teams on the road. That streak continued Friday w/ a 69-61 loss at Wisconsin. While Nebraska may not be a ranked team, they were at one point and in my eyes are still on the fringes of being considered one of the top 25 teams in America even w/ the slide. The Cornhuskers are 9-3 SU at home. They allow only 56.6 PPG in Lincoln. 

In College Park last month, Nebraska had a slight lead at halftime. The game was decided in the closing seconds on a driving layup by Maryland's Jalen Smith. The Cornhuskers missed 8 of 23 FT attempts and were outrebounded 38-28. Defensively though, this team remains a force. Only one time in the last 47 games have they let the opponent shoot 50% from the floor. Now if only they could shoot well themselves. The L3 games has seen dismal shooting as they've gone 63 of 188, or 33.5%. At home, that number HAS to go up. This team has covered five out of the last six times it has been a home favorite of three points or less. 10* Nebraska 

8* Miami (10:35 ET): The Heat are limping into this matchup, having lost three in a row. Two of those three losses were pretty embarrassing. What started the skid was them losing at home to Chicago, as 10.5-pt favorites. Then on Saturday they lost at home to an Indiana team that had previously not won since the Victor Oladipo injury. Now Miami hits the road to play a Portland team that has won and covered three straight. But two of those wins were against Phoenix and Atlanta. The Blazers have actually been off for almost a whole week as the last time we saw them they delivered a very impressive 132-105 win over Utah. But let's not let recency bias cloud our judgement here. I expect a close game. Take the points. 

All that time off could be good or bad for Portland. There's no guarantee. It's the old "rest vs. rust" debate. What we do know is that it's the most time off they've had between games at any point this season. It came at a point where they probably wanted to keep playing as they are 6-1 SU/ATS the L7 games. During the time off, the front office made a trade, acquiring Rodney Hood from Cleveland. While Portland is a good home team (22-7 SU) and there's plenty to like about them going into tonight's game, I expect this to be more of a "rust" than "rest" situation tonight. 

Miami is simply going to be desperate going into tonight. They're 8th in the East, just 1.5 games ahead of Detroit. Injuries have been a hindrance all season, but the Heat have been able to hover around .500. Interestingly, they play better on the road than at home. They've won three of their last four road games and have a higher offensive output away from home. They're 15-9 ATS on the road as well. Furthermore, they are a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS when on a three-game losing streak this season. This is a good "buy low" situation on the road dog. 8* Miami 

10* Over T'wolves/Grizzlies (8:05 ET): If there's one team you can count on for a low total it's Memphis. The Grizzlies are 29th in offensive efficiency and last (30th) in PPG. They also play at the slowest tempo. They've gone Under in four straight and the last game (a win!) was a 96-84 final against the Knicks. But looking at tonight's O/U line vs. Minnesota, the number is too low. Minnesota doesn't play much defense at all and this should be a much more high scoring game than the one the two teams played in the Twin Cities last week. Take the Over.

Last Wednesday, the T'wolves beat the Grizzlies 99-97, in overtime. As you can probably guess, neither team shot well in that game. Minnesota won despite shooting 38.9% overall and 22.9% from three-point range. Memphis was actually slightly better in both categories and made two more free throws. So how did they lose? It was an issue of volume as the T'wolves simply attempted more shots. The final one they took was the most important as Karl-Anthony Towns made a desperation jumper at the buzzer. Speaking of Towns, he scored all 16 of his pts in that game after halftime. I don't see a player of his caliber getting shut out in the 1st half again tonight. 

Minnesota then lost a close game at home over the weekend, 107-106 to Denver. After scoring 38 pts in the 1st quarter of that game, they failed to do much offensively the rest of the way. Memphis is tough on defense, but I still see the T'wolves shooting better here than they did in last week's meeting. This is a team that averages 111.4 PPG and they've been under that number in four straight games. At the same time, they also give up 114.4 PPG on the road, so we should see Memphis break out offensively as well. While the Grizzlies have gone four straight games w/o breaking 100, the last three were all on the road. 10* Over T'wolves/Grizzlies

8* Boston (7:05 ET): The Islanders continue to be a massive surprise as they lead the Metro w/ 66 points. After losing their first game after the All-Star Break (1-0 to Tampa Bay), they beat the Kings on Saturday by a count of 4-2. That has them at 13-2-2 their last 17 games overall. But I don't see them going into Boston tonight and winning. The Bruins need this game as they are 4th over in the Atlantic. In terms of making the playoffs, they're not in a bad spot as they have a seven-point cushion when it comes to the Wild Card. But, like Sunday, this could be a statement over a potential 1st round playoff opponent. 

On Super Bowl Sunday, the Bruins went to the Nation's Capital and beat the defending Stanley Cup Champs 1-0. That was a much needed win as they were on a three-game losing streak. They also ended a 14-game losing streak to Washington. I thought they outplayed the Caps, outshooting them 39-24. A big key to the Bruins success this year is that they rank 4th in the league in goals allowed. The Islanders are one of the three teams above them in that category, but here at home Boston has an advantage. Their scoring goes up to 3.4 goals per game on home ice. Also, they're 5-1 SU this season after scoring 1 goal or less their previous game. 

No one saw the Islanders coming this year. I thought they'd improve some, but certainly not to this degree. Last year saw them give up the most goals in a single season in league history. Now they've given up the fewest number in the league. But goalie Robin Lehner has a checkered history vs. the Bruins, going just 4-11-4 in 19 career appearances. Boston's likely starter Tuukka Rask is 13-5 all-time vs. the Isles. Though they've dropped six of nine, the Bruins have played better as three of those losses came beyond regulation and two others were by a single goal. The Isles needed to come from behind to beat the Kings on Saturday. I don't think they can keep defying the odds. 8* Boston

8* St. Joseph's (7:00 ET): Not sure what's gotten into LaSalle, but out of nowhere the Explorers have won three in a row - all as underdogs. They were just 3-14 SU before the streak began, so let's not make the mistake of confusing this for a good team. Tonight, while the line is short, they are favored. This would be just the sixth time that has happened all year and only the second in A-10 play. The first saw them lose outright, here at home, to GW. The Explorers are just 2-8 SU at home this year and I see the "good times" being rather short-lived.

St. Joe's snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday by beating UMass 64-62. But they failed to cover the 3.5-pt number. The Hawks are playing short-handed right now as only seven players suited up for the UMass game. But leading scorer Charlie Brown Jr continues to carry the load. He has delivered four straight games of 19+ pts and led the way w/ 20 on Saturday. Overall, offense has been the primary issue for St. Joe's in conference play, but curiously they are averaging more PPG on the road this season. 

This is the first meeting of the year between these two teams. Last year, the home team won both times. But I look for a different result this go around. This is a good "sell high" point for LaSalle, which has pulled off an improbable three straight upsets. One of them saw the opponent shoot just 22% from the field. Saturday night saw them rally back from a nine-point deficit on three separate occasions against Richmond for a 66-58 road win. Note who the Explorers have beaten during this three-game win streak: Fordham, UMass and Richmond. Those are the bottom three teams in the A-10. St. Joe's happens to be fourth from the bottom, but they are demonstrably better than the aforementioned trio. Take the points. 8* St. Joseph's 

8* South Carolina (7:00 ET): The Gamecocks got off to a great start in SEC play as they won their first four league games, three of those coming as underdogs. But things have definitely slowed down since then as they've gone just 2-3 SU the L5 games. Still, it would seem to me that this team deserves a bit more respect than it is getting. They were an underdog in each of those last five games and pulled upsets over both Auburn and Georgia. Saturday saw them shoot 56.9% from the field in Athens, upsetting UGA 86-80 as 2.5-pts dogs. This is a team that took on a challenging non-conference schedule (Michigan, Virginia, Clemson), so I don't see them being intimidated tonight in Lexington.

Coach Cal seems to have Kentucky peaking right now as the Wildcats have won eight in a row. They've covered the spread in each of the last six games and are coming off a 65-54 win at Florida over the weekend. But that game was not as easy as the final score indicates. UK was actually down 11 w/ 13 minutes left to play. The defense then came up huge as Florida missed 24 of its final 33 shots, including 1 of 9 from three-point range. The Gators scored only 12 points in the final 13:53 and a 14-0 Kentucky run totally changed the complexion of the game.  

As hot as UK might be right now, this is too many points to lay against a team that has gone 6-2 SU in SEC play. The Wildcats are now 5th in the country, so they have a large target on their backs. Also, might they be looking ahead to a stretch where they'll play Miss State, LSU and top-ranked Tennessee. To me, South Carolina is going to be the more motivated side Tuesday night. Frank Martin's team basically led the entire way vs. Georgia and has scored at least 70 pts in all but one SEC game. They'll find a way to stay within this generous number. 8* South Carolina 

8* Loyola Chicago (7:00 ET): The Ramblers came into the year w/ massive shoes to fill after LY's squad made that improbable run to the Final Four. This year's team simply isn't as good, but they still come into tonight tied for the lead in the Missouri Valley w/ Illinois State (both have 7-3 SU records). The Ramblers have won just twice away from home this season, but fortunately for them, tonight's big showdown w/ Drake is at home. Considering they already beat Drake earlier in the year, 85-74 as 4.5-pt road chalk, this line seems a bit curious by comparison. Lay the points. 

Drake has done a decent job at staying afloat despite losing leading scorer Nick Norton (ACL) for the rest of the season. Before Norton went down, the Bulldogs were looking like a serious threat to Loyola's reign as kings of the MVC. They're still just a game back in the standings, mind you, after going to Indiana State and winning 68-62 over the weekend. That was Drake's fifth win in the last six games. But the one loss did come to a co-leader in the conference, Illinois State, and it was by double digits at home. Drake has had little to no success vs. Loyola through the years, dropping four of the last five matchups - both SU and ATS. They have not won here in Chicago in a very long time.

That first meeting saw Loyola shoot the lights out (63.3 FG%). They probably won't be that hot again tonight, but they won't have to be. This team has been "money" coming off a SU loss in conference play, going 3-0 in that role this season. Last time they were in the situation, they responded w/ a 25-point blowout of Southern Illinois. Saturday saw them lose at Illinois State, a game the Redbirds "had to have." But Loyola has still won seven in a row at home plus I just can't see Drake continuing a 16-5 ATS run. The Ramblers are allowing just 57.9 PPG at home this season. 8* Loyola Chicago

6* Dallas (8:35 ET): The Stars have come out of the All-Star Break hot, winning three in a row while giving up just two goals in the process. That's emblematic of the somewhat radical transformation of this club, which finds itself ranked 2nd in the league in goals allowed after spending many seasons ranked near the bottom of the category. The transformation actually began last season, but this year they've been even stingier. The Stars just picked up two huge division wins to begin February, beating Minnesota and Nashville. I don't see there being any kind of letdown tonight for this home game against a team they have traditionally dominated. 

Dallas is where Arizona wishes it was right now, that being third place in the division. These teams will actually become division rivals in a few years when the Coyotes move over to the Central (to make room for the expansion team in Seattle). As for right now, the 'Yotes only need to worry about trying to get into the top three in their own division, or at least procure one of the two Wild Card spots. Facing a double digit gap in points, it's unlikely that they will finish top three in the Pacific. But the WC is a realistic possibility as they're only three points out of that race despite suffering B2B losses.

Arizona has played only one time since the Break and they lost 3-2 in San Jose. Tonight will actually be their fifth straight road game, a trip that began all the way back on January 20th in Eastern Canada. That's a lot of time zones to be jumping in and out of and it's not like the Coyotes are any "great shakes" away from home (though their record is actually better on the road than at home!). Dallas just won in Nashville, which is very impressive, and has held eight of its previous nine opponents to two goals or fewer. They shut the Coyotes out, 3-0, here at home back in October. They should roll again tonight. 6* Dallas 

analysis soon

8* Virginia Tech (7:00 ET): A tough turnaround here for Louisville, who hosted North Carolina in a big game Saturday and lost 79-69. For me, that result was exactly what I was looking for, as I released UNC as a signature *10* ULTIMATE POWER release! That was a huge revenge game for the Tar Heels and snapped L'ville's seven-game win streak. The Cardinals were largely dominated on the interior and trailed big (by 16) at the half. "We didn't come out with much fire," Louisville coach Chris Mack said. "It was a great environment, and to essentially end the half with no offensive rebounds, let Carolina dismantle us on the glass, I can't tell you how disappointed I am in that effort alone." Unfortunately for L'ville, they don't have much time to figure things out. 

While that was going, Virginia Tech was dominating NC State in a manner rarely seen. The Hokies made history by holding the Wolfpack to 24 pts Saturday (yes, for the full game), the fewest scored by a ranked team in the shot clock era (goes back to 1985). Va Tech held NC State to 16.7% shooting for the game, including 2 of 28 on three-point attempts. Keep in mind this was on the road. While there's almost no way the Hokies can be that stingy again, note that this team is known for its offense. It ranks 7th nationally in offensive efficiency (per KenPom), so expect them to score far more points tonight. They're also 11-0 SU in Blacksburg, winning by an average of 28.1 PPG.

Va Tech is 18-3 SU overall w/ two of its losses coming at North Carolina and Virginia. This is a legit top 10 team in my eyes, one that won't be lacking for motivation Monday as they've gone 0-5 vs. Louisville as ACC rivals. The Hokies have also gone 5-0 ATS the last five times they've been off a win by 20 or more points. They've won three in a row overall, all by double digits. They are one of just seven teams in the country to rank in the top 20 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Take the better team laying a short number at home. 8* Virginia Tech

10* LA Rams (6:30 ET): I view these teams as pretty much even. One can only assume that the early line movement we saw on the Patriots was a byproduct of their vaunted reputation. The Rams, by comparison, are "new kids on the block" in this situation. For what it's worth, however, the Rams have produced a better point differential than the Patriots each of the last two seasons. Neither team had been an underdog all season before the respective Conference Championship Games when the Rams upset the Saints and the Pats did the same to the Chiefs. I only played one of those two games and it was against New England. That doesn't necessarily have a direct correlation to how I'm playing the Super Bowl, but it bears mentioning. I will be taking the points come Super Sunday w/ the Rams. 

Obviously, a great deal of attention has been paid to just how the Rams got here. They were an obvious beneficiary of a terrible blown call (should have been pass interference) vs. the Saints. But let's not use that singular play to discredit an entire body of work. They did end up outgaining the Saints 378-290 for the game and outscored 26-10 after the 1st quarter. The win over Dallas in the Divisional Round also was not as close as the final score indicates. The Rams led that game virtually the entire way (by as many as 16) and outgained the Cowboys 459-308. Not only does LA have a better point differential than New England, they have a better yardage differential - both on a per game and per play basis. 

Remember what I wrote about two weeks ago regarding the Patriots taking their act out on the road. Their offensive numbers go way down outside of Foxboro. Now obviously things didn't play out the way I had hoped vs. KC, but the Rams also have a better defense than the Chiefs. New England still has a losing record (4-5 SU) away from home. There is an irony here in that the Patriots' Super Bowl run under Belichick & Brady began w/ an upset of the Rams back in 2002. But remember that they have lost three Super Bowls, including last year (Philly special) and should have probably lost the last two. I think experience and reputation is somewhat overrated in this spot and will go w/ what I believe is the better team getting points. 10* LA Rams 

10* LA Clippers (3:05 ET): Truth be told, the Clippers were very fortunate to win on Saturday. They battled back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Pistons 111-101 and thus grabbed the cash as two-point road underdogs. It's a tough ask having to now go to Toronto w/o rest, but this line is pretty clearly inflated from where I sit. The Raptors have failed to cover three straight, all as favorites, losing two of those games outright. They've had two days off since being humbled by Milwaukee here at home, but are just 3-6 ATS this season when off an outright loss as a favorite. I'm taking the points here.

The Clips were down 18 at the end of the 1st quarter yday and the deficit was 23 in the third. But a 47-14 run, led by Lou Williams scoring 16 straight points, changed everything. Williams is perhaps the best bench player in this league and it's largely because of him that LA leads the league in bench scoring w/ 51.3 PPG. That tells me that this is a deep team, one that will not be hampered by playing in the second night of back to back. In fact, the Clippers are 3-1 SU and ATS playing in the second night of B2B road games, outscoring their opponents by 8.3 PPG. Maybe they won't be that successful Sunday afternoon, but they sure are getting a lot of points here. 

This is also a revenge spot for the Clippers, who lost at home to Toronto by a score of 123-99 back on December 11th. That despite the Raptors not having Kawhi Leonard for that game. Toronto got off to a phenomenal 20-4 SU start to the season, but is a pretty pedestrian 17-12 since. As we saw Thursday, there is a definite gap between them and the Eastern Conference leading Bucks, which is backed up by point differential and efficiency numbers as well. Teams are often undervalued playing in the second game of a back to back, especially playing on the road. That's what we have here. 10* LA Clippers

8* South Dakota State (3:00 ET): South Dakota State is the class of the Summit League right now as the Jackrabbits are 8-1 SU in conference play and two games clear of everybody else. They've won seven straight coming into Sunday, though they failed to cover the number in each of their last two victories. One was 83-73 over Neb-Omaha at home where they were laying 11.5. Then, on Thursday, they won by only six (86-80) at Oral Roberts as 11-point chalk. As per usual, SDSU is being asked to lay a decent-sized number here. This time, I think they're up to the task. Lay the points!

The Jackrabbits have already played Denver once, doing so back on January 10th. It was another win, but non-cover, as they prevailed 78-66 as 16.5-point chalk. That game saw South Dakota State shoot the ball very well (53% overall), so well in fact that they did not really need to worry about extending a 11-pt halftime lead. They were 10 for 12 from three-point range in the 1st half and at that point, the game was basically over. This is an excellent shooting team overall (one of the best in the country) as the Jackrabbits are better than 50% overall for the year and 41.7% from three-point range. In fact, both percentages rank third in the nation! So I would not worry about any offensive decline from that first meeting. 

Denver is in last place in the Summit League as they're just 2-7 SU in conference play. The Pioneers are off extended rest here as they haven't taken the court since lost 91-81 to IPFW eight days ago. The time off is nice, but the bottom line is that they're no more likely to slow down SDSU's shooting than if this game took place w/ "normal" rest. Denver is letting its opponents shoot better than 41% from three-point range for the year. They allow 76.8 PPG overall. They've been slightly better at home, but that's thanks in large part to one game vs. Oral Roberts where they allowed only 58 pts. There have been a lot of double digit losses for the Pioneers so far (9) and their record as an underdog (2-12 SU, 4-9-1 ATS) leaves a lot to be desired. 8* South Dakota State

8* Over Sixers/Kings (10:05 ET): Sacramento had stayed Under in 11 consecutive contests going into Wednesday night, but that didn't stop me from picking them to go Over a very high number against Atlanta. As discussed here, the Hawks are one of the league's very worst teams - overall and defensively - so I said a shootout would be in order and that's exactly what we got as the Kings went onto win by a score of 135-113. Tonight, a much better team comes to California's capital city and again the expectation here is for a high-scoring affair. I agree. Take the Over. 

Philadelphia will have to guard against a letdown here as they are coming off a huge upset of Golden State, on the road, Thursday night. The Sixers won 113-104, thanks in no small part to the Warriors shooting an uncharacteristic 11 of 38 from three-point range. It should also be pointed out that game featured a very low-scoring 4th quarter w/ both teams scoring only 18 points. Before that, the teams were on pace for a 240-point game. Sacramento may not be Golden State, but I expect them to shoot better from three than the Dubs did Thursday night. For the year, the Kings are 38.2% from behind the arc. That's the third best mark in the league.

Wednesday was one of Sacramento's higher scoring efforts all season. It was only the fourth time that they topped 130 pts this season. Interestingly enough, the Over is a perfect 3-0 following the previous three instances. Considering how many times in a row they went Under, one would reasonably expect things to start going the "other way."  This might be a high total for Philly, but it's not quite as high as the Golden State game and the Sixers are averaging 1117.4 points over the last five games. They also allow 114.8 PPG on the road. I think we're looking at what will be one of the higher scoring games in the NBA this week. 8* Over Sixers/Kings 

10* Houston (9:05 ET): This is the second night of a back to back for both the Rockets and the Jazz. Houston lost in Denver last night while Utah was victorious, here at home, over Atlanta. I went against the Rockets Friday as they fell to 1-7 ATS their last eight games. Sure, it was nice to see James Harden score 30+ for a 25th straight game (made a late three-pointer), but problematic is that the Rockets scored 43 pts in the 1st quarter and still lost by double digits. I know the Denver to Utah trip is among the most treacherous set of back to backs in the league. But, getting this many points, I like a desperate Houston team in this spot. Take the points. 

Utah had an easy one last night as the lowly Hawks were ultimately no match. But it should be pointed out that the Jazz trailed at the half. As predicted here back at the beginning of January, the Jazz have gone on a hot streak, winning 12 of 15 w/ two of the losses coming to Portland (other was at Milwaukee). Most of the wins have come here at home where the team is now 16-9 SU on the season. But even though Utah has been better than Houston of late, with all things equal (both teams in a back to back), I think this is just too many points for them to lay, even at home.

In a tightly bunched Western Conference, the Rockets simply cannot afford to lose many more games. The winner tonight will find itself in 6th place in the Conference, possibly higher depending on what San Antonio does vs. New Orleans. You don't see the Rockets getting this many points that often. Last night, they closed only +3.5 at Denver. I'm not sure you can say the Jazz are better than the Nuggets, yet they're favored by substantially more, even though they too are playing without rest. 10* Houston

8* Middle Tennessee (8:00 ET): Despite their pretty poor record, Middle Tennessee is a team I've had some success with this season. The Blue Raiders have covered only five games all season, but I've been on them in two of those. The last time was 1/16 when they pulled a minor upset (were 4-pt home dogs) over UTSA. The followed that w/ another SU win (over UTEP) and are now coming off their third win in five games as they beat UAB on Wednesday, 71-65 as 6-point home dogs. In a bit of a unique scheduling spot, Middle Tennessee and UAB will play again Saturday. From an ATS perspective, I expect the same result. Take the points.

I've seen this before in C-USA w/ two teams playing each other in B2B games. It happened last month w/ UTSA and UTEP and the same team (UTSA) won both games. Wednesday was a pretty close game, one that either side could have won, but in the end it probably came down to three-point shooting as MTSU went 10-25 from behind the arc while UAB was only 4 of 21. Counting on a repeat of that may be "wishful thinking" for the Blue Raiders here. After all, they have not won a single road game all season. But it's been a little while since UAB has beaten anyone by double digits. The Blazers last two wins each came by only three points. 

Middle Tennessee has now beaten UAB five straight times, covering the spread in all but one of those victories. The team is clearly picking up some confidence w/ its best stretch of the season.  I realize UAB was a 1st place team in C-USA before losing Wednesday, but in my opinion they are not as good as the other top teams in this league.This will be the 1st time in conference play that they have been asked to lay double digits. They are just 1-2 ATS as DD chalk this year against the likes of Alcorn State, North Alabama and Alabama A&M.  8* Middle Tennessee

8* Indiana (6:00 ET): Last Sunday marked the 1st time that Michigan State tasted defeat in Big 10 play. They lost 73-63 to Purdue and quite frankly, it wasn't even that close. Sparty trailed 37-19 at the half and was down by as many as 23 in the second half. A late surge certainly put a scare into me (I was on the Boilermakers), but it turned out that it was nothing worth worrying about. Tom Izzo's team has certainly had plenty of time to get over that defeat and looks to be in a good spot to bounce back tonight vs. a struggling Indiana team. But after MSU was able to cover nine straight times before losing to Purdue, I expect them to start "giving some back" and for the pointspread to be a factor tonight. Take the points. 

Injuries seem to have derailed Indiana's season as they come into East Lansing on a seven-game losing streak. If they aren't able to turn things around, then what once looked like an assured NCAA Tournament berth may not be such a sure thing anymore. The Hoosiers last won on January 3rd (over Illinois) and things are going from bad to worse as Wednesday saw them on the wrong end of a 22-0 run against Rutgers and they lost 66-58 on the road. One positive though is that Devonte Green has been upgraded to probable here after serving a suspension. Indiana is obviously a desperate team right now. I expect them to play like it. 

Michigan State may not be as infallible as they look. It was announced earlier this week that Joshua Langford is done for the year. The team had managed to go 7-1 SU w/o him, but it looks like the extra minutes being logged by his teammates are starting to have an adverse effect. As much as these teams have trended in opposite directions in 2019, I think this pointspread is simply too high. Take the points. 8* Indiana

8* Montreal (2:05 ET): The Canadiens got a nice long vacation thanks to the All-Star Break (last played a game on 1/23), so rest certainly will not be an issue Saturday when they entertain New Jersey for Eastern Conference matinee. The Habs are currently tied with Boston for 3rd in the Atlantic Division (w/ 61 pts). Of course, finishing third in your division guarantees a team a playoff berth. Montreal is also only two points out of second. So a win here would go a long way in the team's future standing in what has already been a nice bounce back season.

Barring a miracle, New Jersey is likely not headed to the postseason. They're last in the Metro w/ just 45 points. There are many reasons for this, including the fact the team ranks 28th in goals allowed. They're also pretty horrible on the road. In fact, they have the league's worst road record at 6-17-3 SU. Two of those wins have come at Pittsburgh of all places, including a 6-3 victory there in their 1st game back from the All-Star Break. But that was followed up w/ a 4-3 home loss to the Rangers on Thursday. Having already played twice since the Break puts this already subpar side at even more of a disadvantage. 

The Habs should also have a little payback on their minds tonight after losing 5-2 down in NJ back in November. No matter who ends up in goal here for the Devils, we shouldn't expect strong play between the pipes as the collective save percentage of their netminders on the road is .881, which is really bad. Only two teams are worse. Montreal's Carey Price was really strong heading into the Break, posting a .971 save percentage his L4 starts. When playing w/ three or more days rest this season, the Habs have gone 3-1. This game sets up nicely for them and should be an easy two points. 8* Montreal

10* North Carolina (2:00 ET): Needless to say, revenge will be a big factor here for UNC. The Tar Heels got their doors blown off, in Chapel Hill, by Louisville last month. It was an 83-62loss as 11-pt favorites. That game begat the current six-game win streak for L'ville that has them now ranked #15 in the country. North Carolina is #9, mind you, and has won four in a row (last two by 44 pts) since that loss to the Cardinals. Much has obviously changed since that first meeting, at least in the eyes of the oddsmakers, as this rematch is basically a pick 'em. But I still believe Roy Williams' team to be the better squad here and motivated by revenge, they should roll Saturday. 

Scary for future UNC opponents (including L'ville) is the fact the Tar Heels just won a game by 23 points despite missing 32 shots and getting just one second chance point. Overall, UNC is the ACC's top rebounding team at +9.9 per game. They've also made a total of 29 three-pointers the L2 games, which is the most over a two-game stretch in program HISTORY. Speaking of history, that 21-point loss to Louisville last month was the worst EVER suffered by Williams in Chapel Hill. It obviously hasn't been forgotten. The Tar Heels are 4-0 in ACC road games thus far, including the 23-pt win Tuesday (over Ga Tech). They shot horrifically that 1st meeting vs. L'ville, going 3 for 22 from three-point range. That won't happen again. 

The way Louisville has kind of "come from nowhere" leads me to believe they're in store for a loss. They must be careful here in February as they're about to embark on a tough four-game stretch, all against  ranked opponents. Their ACC schedule, at least to this point, hasn't been all that challenging (w/ the obvious exception of the 1st UNC game). When seeking revenge for a home loss, the Tar Heels are a perfect 4-0 ATS the L3 seasons. They are also 3-0 ATS this season after allowing 60 pts or less their previous game. Louisville is a good team, but UNC is simply better (despite what happened last month) in my eyes. 10* North Carolina

10* Denver (10:05 ET): As I've been saying for months, the majority of conference games out West are going to have playoff implications. It's such a crowded field this year. Tonight's game between Houston and Denver definitely "fits the bill." The Nuggets have been at or near the top of the Western Conference standings for the majority of the season. With Golden State losing last night, they are just one-half game back of the Dubs. Houston has overcome a poor start to find its way into sixth in the Conference and is just one-half game out of fifth. One thing I found curious when handicapping this matchup is that Denver has lost to Houston nine straight times, two of those coming this year. At home, I believe they'll put an end to that streak tonight. Lay the points. 

Houston is off an embarrassing loss to New Orleans, who was w/o Anthony Davis. The Rockets were 13.5-point home favorites when they lost outright Tuesday night. They're now just 1-6 ATS the L7 games. Not only were the Pelicans playing w/o Davis, they were without four of their other top six scorers. Yet Houston still blew a 15-point lead and lost at home. James Harden has scored 32 or more points in 24 consecutive games. But he can't carry the load by himself. There are some reports that Chris Paul may return from his back injury tonight. But if he does, I wouldn't expect much from him in his first game back. The Rockets are only 10-13 SU on the road this season.

Denver is 22-4 SU at home. One of those four losses was to Houston, but it was back in November. The Nuggets had their own questionable performance earlier this week when they found themselves down by as many as 25 to Memphis, but they came back and won. They followed that up w/ a six-point win in New Orleans. Now they're back home where they outscore teams by nearly 12 PPG. To me, even though they have only lost four times in the last 18 games, this is a statement game for the Nuggets as they have double revenge. Houston has typically NOT performed well coming off high-scoring games this year. They are 4-14 ATS after allowing 115+ points and 4-13 ATS after scoring 115+ points. 10* Denver 

10* Over Maryland/Wisconsin (9:00 ET): Wisconsin's season has really taken a turn for the better since I played them on 1.19 when they upset (then undefeated) Michigan. The Badgers enter tonight's game w/ Maryland on a four-game SU and ATS win streak. They are one of five Big 10 teams that are ranked and one of 10 that are likely NCAA Tournament bound. But then again, so too is tonight's opponent, Maryland. After going 0-2 last week, the Terrapins rebounded with a 70-52 win over Northwestern on Tuesday. With both teams coming into Friday riding their own Under streaks, my focus here is going to be on the total and I'm looking for this one to go Over.

Wisconsin's last five games have all stayed Under the total. This is due in no small part to the defense that they are playing. Over those L5 games, the Badgers have held opponents to 55.0 PPG on 33.6% shooting. That's "Virginia territory" there, folks. Wisconsin is now a top five team nationally in defensive efficiency after holding its last two opponents, Northwestern & Nebraska, both under 30% shooting. Impressive as these numbers are, they're probably also unsustainable. At the same time, the Badgers should start to improve offensively after averaging only 64.0 pts those same last five games. In Madison, they are averaging 77.2 PPG this year on 49.4% shooting (including 41.4% from 3-pt range).

The last time Wisconsin lost was 1.14 at Maryland. They shot 38.3% from the field. They also held the Terps to 34.0% shooting. Both teams should shoot better in tonight's rematch. Maryland is also coming off a stellar defensive effort, having just held N'western to 52 points on 31.0% shooting. That probably won't be happening again tonight. In its previous game, the Terps gave up 78 pts to Illinois (at MSG). The Under is 4-0-1 in Maryland's last five games, but there is value here on the Over as the number opened low. Wisconsin only made three free throws in that first meeting w/ Maryland and that number will go WAY up tonight. 10* Over Maryland/Wisconsin

10* Washington (7:05 ET): Getting a week off of work is never a bad thing (foreign to me though!), but for Calgary, they probably wished the All-Star Break came at a different time. Arguably the hottest team in the league heading into the Break, the Flames have won eight of their last nine games, the only loss coming in overtime. They lead not only the Pacific Division, but the entire Western Conference w/ 71 pts. The only team in the league w/ more points (and a better goal differential) is Tampa Bay. But you have to wonder if the Break might interfere w/ their "momentum" (hate that word). Last year, the team lost six straight after the All-Star Game. 

Washington is just the opposite of Calgary in that they were glad to take some time off. They are currently on a season-worst seven-game slide and haven't won in three weeks. Prior to the current losing streak, the Capitals had not lost more than three games in a row at any point this season. Looking at the final scores of their recent games, it is not difficult to ascertain what has gone wrong here in the Nation's Capital. Over the L5 games, the Caps have surrendered an absolutely stunning 30 goals. They've given up six or more four times in that stretch. Another problem they have for tonight is that Alex Ovechkin won't be on the ice. He's suspended for his refusal to partake in the All-Star festivities.

Yes, these teams headed into the Break in the most opposite of ways possible. But I think the time off will have done the Caps some good. While they won't have Ovechkin, the team itself is still very good in spite of how it played in January. The goaltending is going to get better, if for no other reason than it can't get any worse. Calgary is one of the top scoring teams in the league, but their scoring drops by more than a full goal per game on the road (3.1) from what they average at home (4.3). As for Calgary's goaltending, Dave Rittich has really carried them. But can we really expect him to maintain a .944 save percentage away from home? His L4 starts showed some signs of "slippage" as his save percentage was down to .899. 10* Washington

8* Buffalo (7:05 ET): This will be Chicago's 1st game since the All-Star Break. Meanwhile, it's the third for the Sabres. But I wouldn't worry about any fatigue from the latter's perspective. Buffalo is finally back home and should be pretty fired up to play in front of its fans, against a lesser opponent no less. From the very start of the season, my read on the Blackhawks has been pretty consistent. The oddsmakers were slow to realize just how bad this club truly is and we've been able to take advantage numerous times by going against them, no matter the price. 

There are many reasons why Chicago has fallen so hard. Little depth is one. Being unable to keep their opponents from scoring is another. But the bottom line is that only one team (Kings) has a worse YTD goal differential, and only two (Kings, Senators) have fewer points at this juncture. The Blackhawks are 30th in the league in goals allowed and last (31st) in penalty killing. Two wins before the All-Star Break (both at home) isn't going to convince me that the second half will be much different than the 1st. The loss of goaltender Corey Crawford for the foreseeable future leaves them w/o a viable option between the pipes. 

At one point, Buffalo was the talk of the league w/ a 10-game win streak. But they've subsided since and now find themselves outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference. But there's still hope as they're only three points back of the Wild Card. They've played two one-goal games since the Break, winning 5-4 in Columbus, then losing 1-0 in Dallas the following night. But now they're back home where they haven't played since January 12th. The crowd should be happy to see them. Like Chicago, there is a depth issue here beyond the top line. But the Sabres are still on pace to blow past their preseason projection of 80.5 points and they have a 14-6-3 SU record at home. Wednesday was only the 2nd time all season that they've been shutout. Big bounce back game at home for them tonight against an easy opponent. 8* Buffalo

10* Over UTEP/Marshall (7:30 ET): While scrolling through tonight's NCAAB card, this total immediately caught my eye. Given that both of the teams involved were held below 60 pts in their last games, you'd probably think that the number was pretty high. But Marshall games, on average, have seen 161.2 PPG scored this season. The Thundering Herd just threw up one of the all-time stinkers last Saturday, losing to Southern Miss 101-51! That was their lowest scoring effort of the year and the second time in three games they were held under 60 pts. But the kicker is that their last three games - all losses - took place out on the road. Back in Huntington, we're going to see a LOT more offense from the Herd considering they average a healthy 86.0 PPG here. Take the Over. 

Aiding in Marshall's likely offensive revival is the fact that UTEP is giving up 79.4 PPG on the road. Thus, this game taking place in Huntington is significant for both sides. Marshall averages nearly 12 more points per game at home than they do on the road. UTEP allows nearly 15 PPG more on the road than they do at home. That defensive disparity for UTEP is a big reason why they have not won a single time in seven tries off campus. Marshall shot only 25.0% from the field in their last game. But something to consider is that they had gotten out to a 5-0 start to conference play before losing their last three, all out on the road. In the Herd's last home game, they scored 105 pts and that was w/o overtime!

UTEP has been, without question, an Under team this year. The Miners are 12-5 Under in all games, including 6-2 in conference play. But, coming off B2B dismal shooting nights of their own, there is hope for them offensively in this game. I say that because Marshall has allowed 100+ points FOUR different times this season! I fully anticipate tonight being UTEP's highest scoring game of the season. Teams are shooting better than 50% in conference play against Marshall. 10* Over UTEP/Marshall

10* Orlando (7:05 ET): The early returns on the Pacers w/o Victor Oladipo have not been good. Last Saturday, I faded them in what was their first game w/o Oladipo. They lost outright at Memphis. Since then, they've been hammered by both Golden State and Washington. They were in D.C. last night and even though it was the Wizards playing in the second night of a back to back, it was Indiana the had no energy nor punch. In an 18-point loss, the Pacers were held to a season-low 89 pts and shot only 39.7% from the field. No player scored more than 13 pts. I'm well aware that Orlando has not performed well in the chalk role this season, but this is a golden opportunity for them to take advantage of an Indiana team that looks both down and out. Lay the points. 

While Indiana comes in on a three-game losing skid, Orlando has done them "one better" w/ a four-game streak. Three of those four losses were by five points or less, however, and on Tuesday they lost to OKC 126-117 (here at home) despite having the lead going into the 4th quarter. The Magic's previous game, which was at Houston, may have been even more painful even though they at least escaped w/ a cover there. But they led the Rockets by as many as 16 before giving the lead away for the first time w/ only four minutes remaining. Poor shooting has been a theme throughout this losing streak, but I feel can be corrected here (Washington shot 52.6% against Indiana last night). Certainly, the Magic will be motivated to end a four-game losing streak at home. 

They should also be motivated here to erase a poor history against Indiana. The Magic have lost eight straight times to the Pacers (going 1-7 ATS) and 15 of the last 16 matchups (2-14 ATS!) That's pretty incredible when you think about it. Some might be scared off by the fact Orlando is favored, especially considering their poor 2-7 ATS mark as home chalk. But don't be. Indiana is a team that I thought would regress this year. As of a week ago, that thought appeared wrong. But now Oladipo is lost for the season and Nate McMillan doesn't appear to have a clue on how to replace the lost production. The Magic deserve to be favored given the situation and should pick up one of their bigger wins this season. 10* Orlando

6* Boston (7:05 ET): Everything lines up pretty well here for the Bruins. They're at home. They're the better team. They'll be motivated. I know that Philadelphia comes in riding a five-game win streak and is 2-0 since the All-Star Break. But I wouldn't go taking the Flyers very seriously. Even w/ the five straight wins, Philly only has 48 points. Only five teams have fewer. Their YTD goal differential of -27 is tied for 5th worst in the league. This is a team that has already matched a league record by using six goaltenders in one season. We still have 32 games to go. 

Boston lost its first game since the All-Star Break, at home to Winnipeg. The game came down to a shootout and was the fourth time in the last five games the Bruins lost by one goal. The B's really need to be careful as they've fallen to fourth place in the Atlantic, which means there's no guarantee of a playoff berth if they were to finish there. The good news though is they are only two points out of 2nd place in the division and there's only one team (Tampa Bay) in the entire Eastern Conference w/ more than 63 points. Boston has outscored its opponents this season by 14 goals and would appear to have a major advantage in goal tonight, no matter who is between the pipes.

Boston owes Philly a little payback too. One of those recent one-goal losses that they suffered was in the City of Brotherly Love two weeks ago. Incredibly, the Bruins finished w/ a 42-19 edge in shots, but still lost 4-3. That should never happen. But Boston is much stronger on home ice w/ a 17-7-2 SU record as opposed to 10-10-4 SU on the road. The Bruins also had the edge in shots (39-27) Tuesday vs. Winnipeg. Consider this: during their five-game win streak, the Flyers are somehow outscoring opponents by two full goals per game despite a shot differential of -13.0 per game! Boston is 1-4 SU its last five games despite being +12.4 shots per game! What Philadelphia is doing is unsustainable. Boston absolutely deserves to be a favorite in this price range. 6* Boston 

10* Over Hawks/Kings (10:05 ET): Unless you closely follow NBA totals, you are probably unaware that Sacramento has gone Under in 11 consecutive games. If you think that sounds highly irregular, well, you'd be right. Not only is the length of the streak unusual, but given the team in question, so is the way that it has gone. The Kings have been one the league's WORST defensive teams all season, giving up 115.1 points per game. The fact that they have gone under in 11 straight games might make tonight's high O/U line seem questionable, but the Kings are matched up here w/ the league's VERY WORST defensive team (Atlanta). I expect a shootout and won't be scared off by the number. Take the Over.  

Some of Sacramento's recent games have been "close calls" when it comes to the total. Sunday's 122-108 loss to the Clippers stayed Under the closing O/U line by half a point. Last Tuesday's game at Toronto was also just a bucket shy of going Over. It must be noted here that tonight is the Kings' first game back home following a long, six-game road trip. In those six road games, their offense largely "betrayed" them as they averaged just over 100 PPG. This is a team that averages 113.0 PPG at home and overall. So I expect a rather dramatic increase in scoring from the Kings tonight, not just because of the opponent they're facing, but also due to simple "law of averages." Over the course of the six-game road trip, Sacramento's shooting got progressively worse, "bottoming out" w/ a 39.8 FG% vs. Clippers Sunday.

Atlanta would seem to be the cure for any team's offensive woes. While the Kings rank 26th in the league in points allowed (115.1 PPG), the Hawks are dead last, giving up 117.5 PPG. Interestingly enough, Atlanta just beat the same team (Clippers) that Sacramento lost to in its last game. Of course, the Hawks happened to get the Clips playing in the second night of a back to back. Still, they (Atlanta) were able to score 123 pts, which is encouraging for tonight. I'll conclude by mentioning that the first time these teams played this season (in Atlanta), the final score was 146-115 in favor of the Kings. Expect another wild one tonight. 10* Over Hawks/Kings 

8* Cal State Fullerton (10:00 ET): Cal State Northridge seems to be a team I have greatly misread this season. Tbh, I've been unsuccessful a number of times going against them. The vast majority of games the Matadors have played this month have been close ones. That's a trend that actually extends to the entirety of the season. Twelve of the team's 20 games have been decided by six points or less. They are 6-6 SU in those games, including a 3-3 mark in the ones decided by three points or less. That's not really out of the ordinary. If anything, such a record in close games is what you'd expect. Yet the Matadors have still found a way to go 8-1-1 ATS since 12.22. A lot of their recent games have been close to a "pick 'em." So as a definitive underdog tonight, one might be inclined to grab the points. But I still view this as a poor basketball team, outside my top 300.

Tonight, the Matadors find themselves on the road playing rival Fullerton. This is the first meeting of the year between the two long-time Big West rivals. Cal State Fullerton has a pretty similar record to Northridge. In fact, they're actually a half game WORSE at 8-12 straight up. But the Titans have managed to go 4-2 SU in conference play, which is a half game BETTER than what Northridge can claim. Recently, Fullerton has turned it on w/ four straight wins and they've covered the spread in each of the last three. Two of them were on the road and they've scored 80 or more points three straight times. For tonight, defense may be the key as the Titans are allowing just 60.0 points per game at home. Consider that Northridge is giving up 82.3 PPG on the road. 

Northridge isn't exactly a strong defensive team to begin with as the number of PPG allowed on the road is pretty much in line w/ their overall season average (of 82.0 PPG). Recently, the Matadors have been better on that end of the floor, especially in last Wednesday's 86-71 win over Long Beach State. But that game also took place at home. This is a spread that I believe should be double digits. Fullerton has been pretty dominant its last two games, first shocking UCSB w/ a 21-point win (UCSB's only Big West loss) and then an 80-63 win over Cal Poly over the weekend. The Titans never trailed in that game and haven't been behind since midway through the 1st half of that UCSB. They'll show Northridge "who's boss" tonight. 8* Cal State Fullerton

10* Under Lightning/Penguins (8:05 ET): I understand that there may be some hesitation to bet these teams Under on an individual basis, let alone when they're facing off against one another. Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh rank 1st and 5th in the league in goals per game. However, know that much of the Lightning's record setting pace when it comes to goal scoring is due to what they've done on home ice where they average an other-worldly 4.32 gpg. (Calgary is fast approaching that number, however!). Tonight, TB is on the road where its scoring does experience a noticeable drop. It's also been a long layoff for them due to the All-Star Break. So I wouldn't look for the Lighting offense to be as sharp as usual and this should be played more along the lines of a playoff contest (where fewer goals are typically scored). Take the Under. 

Unlike the Lightning, the Penguins have played a game since the Break. It did not go well. They gave up six goals in a home loss to New Jersey Sunday. The offense was just fine w/ three goals scored on 40 shots. But the goaltending and overall defense was terrible, a continuation of a disturbing trend from before the All-Star Break. The Pens have now lost four of their last five games, giving up five or more goals in all four losses. That obviously doesn't sound good when getting set to face off w/ a team like Tampa Bay. But it should be pointed out that three of the goals allowed against New Jersey were on special teams. This is a team w/ a top six PK unit, so that was a surprise. 

The defense and goaltending has to start getting better in Pittsburgh if for no other reason than it simply can't get any worse. Lightning fans may want to dispute that claim, but their team has been held to two goals or fewer in three of its last four road games. Both teams will have their top goaltender between the pipes tonight. Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy in particular can help us out here as he carries a .925 save percentage into this game. The last seven times these teams have played the Over has cashed. But they haven't met since November and I think this one will be different. 10* Under Lightning/Penguins 

8* New York (7:35 ET): Last night, I played against a bad road team (Washington) that found itself laying a pretty substantial amount of points. The result was they lost outright (to Cleveland) and actually trailed by more than 20 points in the second half. Now, I'm not saying this game will turn out quite as easy for us, but it certainly bears mentioning that Dallas owns a terrible 4-20 SU record on the road. Therefore, it would seem to be fairly ridiculous to find them laying this many points tonight at MSG. Yes, the Knicks have been really bad of late, losing 10 straight and 23 of their last 25 games. But this is one where they have a legit shot at winning. 

Thanks to rookie sensation Luka Doncic, the Mavs have plenty of reason to be optimistic about their future. But the bottom line is that they are still a pretty pedestrian team overall, sitting at five games below .500. At home, they do play well. But the road has been a much different story. Only Phoenix (4-23 SU) has a worse record away from home and that's because they (the Suns) have played three more games. Dallas sees a pretty substantial decline on both ends of the floor when they take their act out on the road, but especially on defense where they are allowing 113.1 PPG. As a road favorite, the Mavs are 1-3 SU and ATS this year, losing by an average of 8.3 points per game. 

Dallas has covered its last four games, which may help explain the pointspread here (in addition to the Knicks being really bad). But the Mavs did lose their last time out, at home, to Toronto. Doncic had a triple double in that game, but the team was unable to hold the small lead it had going into the fourth quarter. Even though it was a close game, the Mavs were outscored in three of the four quarters and they had a lot go their way in the one they weren't (third). As bad as the Knicks have been over the last month, this will be the first time Dallas has been favored on the road since 12.13 when they lost outright in Phoenix. It will also be the most points they've been asked to lay in any road game this season. Take the points. 8* New York

10* Butler (6:30 ET): Marquette seems to be one of those teams (every year, there's always ONE!) destined to succeed more than the metrics say they should. The Golden Eagles are 18-3 SU and now find themselves ranked #10 or #9 (depending on which poll you're looking at), but I don't think there's anyone besides the pollsters who honestly thinks this is one of the 10 best teams in America. The key for them has been an amazing propensity for winning close games. They're now a perfect 5-0 SU in games decided by five points or less w/ three of those wins requiring overtime. Saturday may have been their "greatest escape" yet as they came back from an 11-point 2H deficit to defeat Xavier 87-82, a game Marquette really had no business winning.

Tonight, Marquette goes to Butler. The host Bulldogs are coming off B2B losses (one to Villanova), so it's not as if they need the added motivation of having a top 10 team visit their campus. Friday saw Butler get held below 40% shooting for just the third time all season, in a double digit loss at Creighton (went 5 of 22 from three-point range). While the B2B losses might seem to indicate "poor form," one thing Butler definitely has going for it is a "mastery" over Marquette. They have won and covered the last four meetings, including a pair of double digit victories last season (won by 20 on the road!). Also, the Bulldogs are a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS all-time hosting Marquette. The loss to Villanova eight days ago was one of just two home losses this season. They average 80.1 PPG here. 

So I expect Butler to be a lot better tonight at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Marquette would certainly seem "due" to lose w/ four of their seven Big East victories having come by five pts or less. I will concede that this Golden Eagles team does do the "little things" right in that they lead the conference in FG% defense - both overall and from three-point range. They are also 9th nationally in free throw percentage. But they just let Xavier, who came into Saturday ranked last in the Big East in scoring and 3-pt shooting, score 82 points on 50% overall shooting (8 of 18 from 3-pt range). The current win streak is Marquette's longest in conference play since 2012 and their ranking is their highest since 2013. I love this spot for Butler. Lay the short number. 10* Butler 

8* Ohio State (9:00 ET): One of College Sports' most well-known rivalries is renewed tonight, this time on the basketball court, with Ohio State taking on Michigan. We all know about the one-sided nature of the rivalry on the football field (OSU 14-1 L15), but the Wolverines certainly come into tonight thinking they have the better hoops program in 2019. But I'm not sure the gap is as large as the oddsmakers are expressing w/ their line here. Michigan has definitely overachieved so far this season while the Buckeyes are still a bit undervalued despite coming in off an upset win at Nebraska. Take the points.

Part of the reason Ohio State comes in as such a heavy underdog tonight is that they have not had a good January in terms of wins and losses. Before beating Nebraska on Saturday, the Buckeyes had lost five straight games and were 0-6 ATS their L6. But winning at Nebraska was no small feat as the Cornhuskers are still a legit top 20 team. The five-game losing streak that preceded Saturday's win was OSU's longest in 21 seasons. They played desperate Saturday and should be very motivated coming in as a big dog against their rivals tonight.

Michigan destroyed Indiana Friday night, racing out to a 17-0 lead and never looking back in what ended up as a 69-46 win and cover. But prior to that, they'd been struggling a bit. The previous seven days saw them suffer their 1st loss of the season (at Wisconsin) and then need a buzzer-beater to escape w/ a win over Minnesota here in Ann Arbor. Tip your cap to another phenomenal coaching effort from John Beilein this season as the Wolverines were not a preseason top 10 team. But I think the pointspread catches up w/ them here as they're only 9-9 ATS as a favorite and 5-7 ATS at home. This just feels like it will be a close game. 8* Ohio State 

8* Cleveland (7:05 ET): I just cashed the Cavs as an underdog, on Sunday, as they won outright at Chicago. Now, I know you're thinking the likelihood of them winning B2B games is rather small. But, despite the multitude of injuries this team is dealing with right now, I actually think they're in a good spot tonight. They're at home, which might be more significant when it comes to analyzing their opponent as Washington has been a very poor road team this season, checking in w/ marks of 6-19 SU and 7-18 ATS. I would never want to lay this many points w/ the Wizards on the road.

For the Wiz, this marks their third consecutive game away from home. The trip started w/ an outright win in Orlando, but then they lost by 13 at San Antonio on Sunday. That loss saw the Wizards' defensive woes continue as they allowed the Spurs to shoot 57% from the field. The fact that the Spurs were w/o DeMar DeRozan did not even matter as they had seven players finish in double figures anyway. Even though Washington has played better w/o John Wall, the fact remains that they are 29th (next to last) in the league in PPG allowed (115.9). They allow 117.4 PPG on the road. 

So Cleveland should find ways to score tonight. They've played better defense of late, giving up 104 pts or less in three of their last four contests. Coming off a win, coupled w/ the fact they have not won a home game since before X-Mas, should have them extra motivated. One of their 10 wins this season did come against the Wizards and was here at home. In fact, that 15-point win was their third largest margin all season. Washington was a 7.5-pt road favorite for that game. They have been a road fave only one time since then and lost outright again, to Atlanta. For the year, the Wizards are 2-5 SU and ATS in the road chalk role. Take the points. 8* Cleveland 

10* Over Bucks/Pistons (7:05 ET): This was going to be an interesting number from the oddsmakers as Bucks games - on average - are much more high scoring than Pistons games. Milwaukee's efficiency has fallen a bit over the last month or so, but they're still the second highest scoring team in the league right now, trailing only Golden State. As for Detroit, they're close to the bottom of the league in scoring and have averaged only 97 pts over the L5 games. Both teams are on Under streaks and the Under is 6-0-1 the L7 times they have met. But I think the number is low and we're "due" for an Over.

Milwaukee has gone Under in three straight games, but all of those had high O/U lines. The team should be plenty motivated tonight after losing at OKC on Sunday. They were down double digits at halftime as Giannis Antetokounmpo had only three points and was 0 for 6 from the field. I'm going to go out on a "limb" here and say that won't happen again here. There's been only one game since Christmas where the Bucks failed to score at least 111 points. They are also 28-14 Over the L3 seasons after allowing 115 or more points.

Detroit has seen the Under cash in each of their last five games as well as 9 out of its last 10. They've only been able to top 101 pts once in the last seven games, which is pretty shocking in the modern NBA. When they faced Milwaukee on New Year's Day, they were able to only score 98 points. But that game was on the road and still almost went Over (stayed Under by a point). The Pistons do average a respectable 107.7 PPG at home. Antetokounmpo scored only 15 in the last meeting as well. Improved offense should be expected from both sides in this one. Thus, I'm on the Over. 10* Over Bucks/Pistons 

10* Texas Tech (9:00 ET): Texas Tech is a better team that I think most people realize. The Red Raiders are #1 in the country in defensive efficiency (per KenPom), which can help a team go a long way come March. But offense is also required in this sport and that's where this team has failed at time this season. Recently, they lost three in a row, including a putrid 45-point effort at Kansas State last week. But stepping out of Big XII play proved fruitful on Saturday as they beat Arkansas 67-64. Still, they did not cover though and that leaves the Red Raiders at a money-burning 1-8-1 ATS their L10 games. 

TCU is a team that I thought was overrated coming into the season. But the Horned Frogs have fought their way back and should probably now be considered one of the top 25 teams in America. But they're still not as good as Texas Tech. Like the Red Raiders, the Horned Frogs were successful in the Big 10 vs. SEC Challenge, beating a good Florida team 55-50 on Saturday. It was TCU's second straight close win as they beat Texas (in Ft Worth) by four last Wednesday. But the problem for Jaime Dixon's team is they have yet to win a conference road game. They're 0-3 SU, having lost at Kansas State, Oklahoma and Kansas this month. 

Texas Tech's #1 ranking in defensive efficiency and being at home should go a long way tonight. They are 11-1 SU in Lubbock and give up only 52.0 PPG. TCU shot just 36% from the field against Florida, so I think points are going to be very difficult to come by for them this evening. Nine of the past 13 meetings have gone the Red Raiders' way, including both last season. I look at T.T. as a very undervalued side here, likely due to the fact they've recently struggled so much against the spread. But, even off a win, this qualifies as a great "buy low" spot as they'll be desperate to snap a three-game losing streak in conference play.  10* Texas Tech 

10* Memphis (8:05 ET): The Grizzlies were a 10* Game of the Week winner for me on Saturday as they upset the favored Pacers here at home. Despite how badly Memphis has struggled - both SU and ATS - over the last month, I thought that line was curious at best considering Indiana was w/o its leading scorer (Victor Oladipo) for the contest. Tonight shapes up as a tougher task for the Grizz when they play host to Denver. The Nuggets have been a surprise this year in that they are keeping pace w/ Golden State for the top spot in the West. But I think this is too many points to lay Monday night. Take the points in this one.

Both teams are playing a third game in four nights. For the first two, in both cases, the teams have been fortunate enough to play at home. But now the Nuggets must hit the road for just the 2nd time in 16 days. They have not won away from home since beating Miami by four on January 8th. Since then, they've been upset by Phoenix and also lost to Utah. I played against them in that Utah game, which dropped them to just 11-11 SU on the road this season. The Nuggets have actually been outscored on the road and they're only 5-6 ATS when favored. 

Denver has scored 70+ pts in the 1st half of each of their last two games. But those games were against Phoenix (worst team in the West) and a Philadelphia squad that was playing w/o both Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid. Don't look for anything close to a similar offensive output tonight as Memphis is 2nd in the league in PPG allowed at 104.0. You have to figure the Grizzlies will start to perform better at the betting window after going a money-burning 3-19 ATS over the 22 games prior to beating Indiana on Saturday. I look for Memphis to slow this game down and cover the spread. 10* Memphis 

10* Winnipeg (7:05 ET): The Jets were one of the league's top teams in the first half of the season. They entered the All-Star Break tied for 1st place (w/ Nashville) in the Central Division. Only two teams - Tampa Bay & Calgary - have more points. But here Winnipeg will be looking to rebound from a defeat in their last game, which took place nine days ago in Dallas. They start the 2nd half in Philadelphia Monday night where they'll find a Flyers team that's on a rare three-game win streak. The Jets are simply the much better team in this matchup and thus should be played accordingly.

While Winnipeg has established itself as one of the NHL's top teams, the Flyers reside at the opposite end of the league spectrum. Only a few teams have a worse goal differential this season. Philly has given up 30 more goals than it has scored and has the second fewest number of points in the league. Only Ottawa & New Jersey (both 43) have fewer and it's only a one-point difference. I mentioned earlier that the three-game win streak the Flyers are currently on is pretty rare. It's only the second of its length for the club all season. The last one (Nov 5-10) was immediately followed up by them losing six of their next seven games. 

The Flyers totaled 16 goals in the three wins before the All-Star Break. That's a high number for them as they're only tied for 20th in the league in goals per game. More problematic though has been the goaltending. They've already tied a NHL record by using SIX different goaltenders this season and we still have 34 games left. Philly ranks 29th in the league in goals allowed and has terrible special teams to boot. When these teams met last month in Manitoba, the Jets absolutely dominated, winning 7-1. 10* Winnipeg

8* Miami FL (6:00 ET): Miami played a bad game Thursday, losing by 20 at the Carrier Dome. But Syracuse had been a hot team (well, until yday), so maybe that loss can be excused. Then again, another loss was the last thing they needed down in Coral Gables as the Hurricanes have gone just 1-5 SU their last six games to fall to 9-9 SU on the year. But it should be pointed out that the Canes have faced most of the best teams in the ACC so far. The one exception is their only conference win, 76-65 over Wake Forest, which came here at home two weeks ago. I'll take the points here as Miami is desperate and Florida State is a shaky road favorite.

FSU did get back on track itself w/ a 77-68 win over Clemson on Tuesday. But before that, the Seminoles had lost three in a row to tumble out of the top 25. I personally never bought the Noles as a Top 25 team so said tumble was not surprising to me. The key vs. Clemson was three-point shooting as they made 10 shots from behind the arc, their most vs. any ACC opponent and second most in a game all season. This is a team that went into that game shooting just 31.3% from long distance. On the road, I would not expect the Seminoles to have another prolific game from three-point range today. 

FSU's last two road games were losses to BC and Pitt, two of the ACC's weaker teams. So them being favored today seems like a precarious bet at best. They were favored in those two previous losses as well, dropping them to a 6-11 ATS as a favorite overall this season. Miami is averaging 77.3 PPG at home this season where it has gone 7-3 SU. One of those three losses was to North Carolina. The other two were by a combined eight points. Florida State may again be w/o one of its best players, Phil Cofer, who is battling a foot injury. 8* Miami FL

10* Cleveland (3:30 ET): The two worst teams in the league square off again Sunday afternoon. The Bulls have certainly gotten the better of the Cavs this season, going 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) in head to head meetings, including a pair of double digit wins in Cleveland. The most recent matchup took place just six days ago w/ the Bulls winning 104-88 as three-point road favorites. That is Chicago's only win of 2019 as they are 1-12 SU the L13 games. Not to be outdone, Cleveland also has just one win in 2018 and is 1-18 SU its last 19 games. Other than Chicago being 3-0 SU in the H2H meetings, there really isn't that much of a difference between these teams. I'll take the points. 

You have to figure Cleveland is due to play better against Chicago than it has the last two tries. Now the Cavs are extremely banged up right now w/ the likes of Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr all out. It's not like the post-LeBron roster was particularly strong anyway. But two nights ago, the Cavs at least earned themselves a cover at home against Miami. They led that game outright at the half. One player to keep an eye on is Cedi Osman, who has been a double digit scorer in 31 of the team's 48 games. He's scored a total of 54 points the last two games. 

The Bulls blew a 12-point lead in their last game, which ended up being a 106-101 loss here at home to the Clippers. So I wouldn't exactly trust them in the role of favorite, which they are in today for just the 4th time all season. Two of the previous three instances have been against Cleveland and they did NOT cover the spot at home. The Bulls, like the Cavs, are dealing w/ a lot on the injury front. I would not expect them to shoot the ball as well from three-point range here as they did last week in Cleveland when they were 15 of 30. The Bulls are only 5-19 SU at home this season. 10* Cleveland 

10* Purdue (1:00 ET): This shapes up as a heck of a contest. #6 Michigan State has won 13 in a row, the third longest such streak in the nation, trailing only Tennessee (14) and Hofstra (16!). But I have Purdue as the most underrated team in the country right now. The advanced metrics LOVE this Boilermakers squad in spite of their somewhat pedestrian six-loss resume. One of those six losses came up in East Lansing about three weeks ago, 77-59 as 7-point dogs. Today, they'll get their shot at revenge and to prove they're as good as those advanced metrics say they are. I think they get the job done. Take the points.

Now Michigan State hasn't just won 13 straight games. They've also covered the spread nine straight times. They are 9-0 SU/ATS in conference play and coming off an 82-67 win at Iowa on Thursday. But despite the rather convincing final margin of victory, that wasn't an "easy" game for Sparty per se. They trailed at the half. Also, Iowa shot very poorly from the field. The Hawkeyes finished the game at 38.6% overall and were 5 of 24 from three-point range. Some of the credit must go to the MSU defense (#6 nationally in efficiency), but I expect Purdue to shoot a lot better here than Iowa did. A big part of the reason the Boilermakers are still unbeaten here in West Lafayette (9-0 SU) is that they average 81.4 PPG on 48.5% shooting.

Another key in Michigan State picking up its school record 21st consecutive Big 10 victory Thursday was that Iowa, the nation's best team at getting to the FT line, only had eight attempts from the charity stripe. Michigan State also turned it over 19 times in Iowa City. Purdue, who has gotten hot w/ four straight wins to get to 6-2 SU in the Big 10, is a better team that Iowa. Their ONLY loss since X-Mas was the one to Michigan State. Despite a slow start Wednesday, the Boilermakers still won by double digits at Ohio State (even w/ the Buckeyes shooting 52%). Michigan State has not won here in West Lafayette since 2014. This is a rare home underdog opportunity w/ Purdue. 10* Purdue

8* San Francisco (10:00 ET): Not sure if the "bloom is off the rose" or what, but the Dons are deserving of far more respect than this! This is a team w/ a 17-3 SU record and two of those losses are to Buffalo and Gonzaga. The other one was a 2-pt loss at UCSB after a week-long holiday layoff. The Dons sport a strong defensive efficiency rating (34th), which is the highest in the West Coast Conference. I don't see San Diego measuring up tonight. Lay the short number. 

Consider this: San Francisco has already beaten two Pac 12 teams this season. Now that may speak to how bad the Pac 12 actually is this year, and the two teams were Stanford and Cal, but those wins came by an average of 14 PPG. That's right in line w/ the Dons' season-long scoring margin. They're also 4-1 SU in "true" road games. Their last three have all been decided by three points or less (six pts total!), so maybe that's the reason for the short number here. But I just don't see any area where San Diego is a better basketball team. The Dons also have double revenge here, stemming from a pair of losses last season. 

USD is off an impressive DD win at home as they beat Loyola Marymount by 13 on Thursday. But USF is also off a DD win at home as they beat Portland by 22. San Diego has followed up every conference win this year w/ a loss. One of those losses took place here at home, as eight-point chalk, to a Pepperdine team that rarely wins on the road. USD has also been fortunate to avoid Gonzaga to this point, but that ends next Saturday when they'll head to Spokane. San Francisco is the 2nd best team in the WCC this season and they'll demonstrate that Saturday night. 8* San Francisco 

8* Boston (8:35 ET): So the key here is that Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to probable for the Celtics. I was tempted to take Boston here even w/o him, but his presence was the "cherry on top." I'd like to state for the record that if for some reason Kyrie does NOT play, this play still stands. The Celtics are a great play as a home underdog, even against the vaunted Warriors.

Golden State has won nine straight while clearly hitting its stride. But this will be their 4th consecutive game out on the road and second in three nights. Much of the win streak has come against lackluster competition. Only thee of the nine wins have come against teams with winning records and one of those was the LeBron-less Lakers. One of those others was over the struggling Clippers, who are now 27-22 SU. The win at Denver is very impressive. Other than that, the Dubs have simply taken advantage of the schedule.

Look for Boston to make a move up the Eastern Conference standings. They're already a better team than the two teams in front of them - Indiana and Philadelphia - no matter what the records say. Now Indiana is without its leading scorer (Victor Oladipo) the rest of the season. The Celtics' YTD point differential of +6.5 PPG is basically identical to that of the Warriors (+6.8), so getting points with them here at home seems like a very solid value. Boston is on its own win streak right now, having won five in a row, all by comfortable margins. They are 19-5 SU here at home. Take the points. 8* Boston

10* Memphis (8:00 ET): As bad as things have gotten in Memphis, I don't think they should be getting this many points at home, even in the second night of a back to back. I say this because their opponent finds itself in a far more precarious situation Saturday. This will mark Indiana's first game since losing leading scorer Victor Oladipo for what will be the rest of the year. This is a crippling loss for a Pacers team I believed would regress this season anyway. That regression call seemed incorrect for most of the year, but all of a sudden it's looking like a reality. 

Memphis lost last night 99-96 to Sacramento. It was not just their third loss in a row as a home favorite, but also their eighth straight loss overall and 14th in the last 15 games. Things have rapidly fallen apart here w/ the team also going an unfathomable 3-19 ATS in its last 22 games. But tonight they're facing a wounded foe, getting points at home, and in a better spot than most think. This will be just the third time in eight home games in 2019 that they are the dog. The other two were vs. San Antonio and Milwaukee. They upset the Spurs. 

Oladipo left Wednesday's game vs. Toronto with a knee injury. The worst was feared and those fears were confirmed 24 hours later when it was announced Oladipo was done for the season. Having to go the rest of the season w/o their leading scorer is obviously tough. It's even worse here when you consider they give up over 108 PPG on the road. There's no way to properly quantify how the Pacers will play w/o Oladipo right now, but you have to guess it will be "worse." I'm a little shocked to see the public basically disregarding the injury and betting the Pacers anyway. That may have more to do w/ Memphis' play over the last month, but I look for the Grizz to take advantage tonight. Take the points. 10* Memphis

10* Georgia Southern (5:00 ET): Texas State is off to an absolutely stunning start to the season as they're 17-3 SU and all alone in 1st place in the Sun Belt. Such a start to the season has not been seen in San Marcos since the 1959-60 campaign, something that I'm sure very few remember. The Bobcats have 1st place to their lonesome by virtue of upsetting Georgia State Thursday. They did so in highly impressive fashion, going on an 18-0 second half run and ending up w/ an 81-68 win (as 3.5-pt dogs). But I think it speaks volumes that this team again comes in as the underdog, as they stay in the Peach State to face Georgia Southern. 

While Texas State is off a SU win as a road dog, Georgia Southern is off an outright loss as a home favorite. So it's the exact opposite situation for them as they get set to play a second home game in three days while Texas State is on the road for the second time in three days. The Eagles lost as 9.5-point faves to TX-Arlington on Thursday, which was a pretty stunning setback all things considered. Ga Southern led by six at the half and by 13 early in the second, but completely fell apart down the stretch. They didn't make a single basket in the final 3:35 and finished only 5 of 21 from three-point range. It's somewhat perplexing how a team that averages 89.0 PPG at home is only 5-3 straight up in its own gym. 

Georgia Southern's last four losses have all been by five points or less, so their record could be a LOT better coming into this game. One of those four close losses came against Texas State, 73-70, back on January 3rd. That game saw the Eagles again betrayed by three-point shooting as they went just 3 of 19 from behind the arc. That won't be happening again today, especially after another shaky performance from long distance. Perhaps the Eagles should focus on the interior as - despite less than stellar numbers from 3-pt range - they are still shooting 50% overall for the year. The situation calls for a big-time performance from the home side here. 10* Georgia Southern

10* Xavier (2:00 ET): Going by the top 25, I have Marquette as the most overrated team in the country right now. Certainly, tip your cap to the Golden Eagles for starting 17-3 SU. But two of those losses were blowouts to teams (Indiana, St. John's) that simply aren't as good as we thought they once were. For a frame of reference, I have Marquette as just the 29th best team in America. So that's a big difference from where the pollsters have them (12th). They were able to escape earlier this week against DePaul. But it should be a different story this afternoon at Xavier. 

The Musketeers are in dire need of a win here. They enter this game off B2B defeats, one at the hands of Villanova (no big deal) and the other vs. Providence. The loss to Providence came Wednesday here at home. Xavier turned the ball over 18 times in that game, which ended up being a difference maker in a two-point game. The Musketeers are now just 3-4 SU in Big East play. One thing that's not up for debate is that this is a huge revenge game for the home dog today. They lost up in Marquette earlier this month, 70-52, as 7.5-point dogs. Oddsmakers have definitely adjusted their view of the teams for this rematch. There's now some real value on Xavier. 

In that first meeting, Xavier had a dreadful shooting night. They went just 17 of 54 from the field (31.5%), which included a horrible 1 of 17 from three-point range. They won't shoot anywhere close to that poorly again here as they're averaging 77.1 PPG on 49.6% shooting here at home. On the flip side, Marquette does not play good defense away from home, giving up 85.2 PPG. The Golden Eagles have played just four "true" road games previously. They were blown out by Indiana and St. John's. Their two wins, over Creighton and Georgetown, were by a total of five points and one (Creighton) was an overtime game. They trailed at the half in both. It's time for this team to drop a game. 10* Xavier

8* Georgia State (1:00 ET): The Sun Belt traditionally employs a Thursday-Saturday schedule, meaning you get a lot of teams playing two road games in three days. That's the case this afternoon for Texas Arlington, who just upset Georgia Southern two nights ago, on the road. The Mavericks improved to 6-1 ATS in SBC play w/ a 72-67 outright victory as 9.5-point underdogs. That win moved them into a second place tie w/ Saturday's opponent, Georgia State, who happens to be coming off an outright loss to first place Texas State (here at home) on Thursday. This is an excellent sell high/buy low spot with the two teams involved here. 

Georgia State's loss to Texas State on Thursday was the second straight time they've gone down in conference play following a 5-0 start. The Panthers had actually won seven in a row before going to Troy last Saturday and getting upset there as well. That was a 77-75 loss where Troy hit the GW three-pointer w/ 1.7 seconds remaining. Thursday was equally as disappointing w/ 1st place in the Sun Belt on the line and Texas State came in and laid it to them. That game was all about an 18-0 2nd half run (by Texas State obvi). But it bears noting that this Georgia State team has been to the NCAA Tournament two of the last four years and was the favorite to win the SBC coming into 2018-19.

Georgia State hadn't lost at home before going down at the hands of Texas State Thursday, and I don't see them losing two straight here in Atlanta. UT Arlington averages just 62.6 PPG away from home this year. They are a surprising 3-0 SU on the conference road so far, but were actually 6.5-point underdogs when they visited Appalachian State, who is now 0-6 and the last place team in the SBC. A five-game win streak has the Mavericks overrated coming into Saturday while at the same time, the B2B losses for Georgia State clearly have them undervalued. I'll lay the points w/ the vastly superior side as the Panthers average 83.1 PPG here at home. 8* Georgia State

8* Iowa State (12:00 ET): Iowa State is the better team here, although you probably could have already ascertained that simply by looking at the line. But I say that the Cyclones still aren't getting the respect they deserve in this Big 12 vs. SEC Challenge matchups. Yes, the game will take place in Oxford. But, Ole Miss has twice proven that they probably don't belong in the Top 25. Earlier this week, they were blown out by Alabama (73-54). That was the Rebels second straight Thursday loss as they week prior saw them beaten here at home by LSU. Iowa State is a legit Top 15 team in the country and will make a statement here. 

ISU is off a loss themselves. On Monday, they fell by four at Kansas, a tough result considering they led at the half. For virtually the entire 1H, the Cyclones were out in front, but a 14-0 run by KU in the second half changed things dramatically. The Jayhawks wound up shooting nearly 52% from the field and when they do that, they're extremely tough to beat at Allen Fieldhouse. Yet, Iowa State still only lost by four points. Consider that four of the Cyclones' five losses this year have been by four points or fewer. They easily could have an 18-1 SU record coming into this game. 

Ole Miss has definitely been a surprise in the SEC (were picked to finish last!). Taking advantage of low expectations, they have a 15-3 ATS record. But double digit losses in two of their last three games tell me that the Rebels are finally "coming back down to Earth." They did not play a very challenging non-conference schedule, so the fact they are 11-1 ATS outside the SEC doesn't mean as much as you might think. After losing to LSU last week, the Rebels did bounce back with a nice win (here at home) vs. Arkansas. But Iowa State is a much tougher foe than Arkansas. Ole Miss simply did not look very good against Bama, scoring a season-low 53 points. Iowa State will be their best team they have faced all season. 8* Iowa State

10* Over Pistons/Mavericks (8:30 ET): Both teams have been seeing a lot of Unders this month, but I look for that to change in a major way Friday night. Detroit comes in having gone Under in four straight games and 8 out of its last 10. Dallas is also on a 4-game Under streak and is 9-2 Under in January. But you'll notice this number has been set much lower than recent O/U lines - for both sides. I feel we have a number we can exploit here as Pistons' games are averaging 214 points this year while Mavs' games are at 218.9. Over is the play in the one. 

No one will mistake the Pistons for a sharpshooting team. But Blake Griffin is having a great season, averaging 26.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He's shooting 48% from the field and just went for 37 in a win Wednesday night at New Orleans. The rest of the team contributed only 61 pts, a number they almost certainly "have" to top tonight. At the same time, I do not expect Detroit to maintain its recent defensive numbers, which have seen their last five opponents average only 101.2 PPG. Remember the New Orleans team they faced two nights ago did NOT have Anthony Davis. 

Dallas does have Dennis Smith Jr back in the lineup and that's certainly a good thing as he and rookie Luka Doncic form one of the more exciting young backcourts in the league. The Mavs went 2-4 SU in a six-game stretch w/o Smith, whose absence reportedly had to do w/ him being upset over his diminished role because of Doncic. Smith scored 17 in a 106-98 win over the Clippers Tuesday. I would expect the Mavs' offensive numbers to start going up w/ him now back in the fold. The Mavs have only shot 42.9% the L5 games, which is well below their season average. They average 111.6 PPG at home. 10* Over Pistons/Mavericks

8* Indiana (6:30 ET): It's been a pretty shaky week for Michigan, who suffered its first loss of the year (at Wisconsin) last Saturday and then barely escaped Minnesota (at home) on Tuesday. The former saw the Wolverines turn in a season-worst performance. They weren't a whole lot better vs. Minnesota, scoring fewer than 60 pts for a second straight time. They needed a buzzer-beater just to prevail and they're now a dismal 20% from three-point range (8 of 40) the L2 games while being well below 40% shooting overall. Things will get no easier tonight in Bloomington as the face a desperate (and revenge-minded) Indiana team. 

The Hoosiers come into this Friday night showdown on a five-game losing streak. The streak began w/ a 74-63 loss at Michigan on January 6th. Foul trouble cost IU that game. At the time, they were ranked 21st in the country and on a seven-game win streak. They've been playing short-handed recently, which has certainly contributed to the current losing skid. But they've still only lost one home game this season (to a vastly underrated Nebraska squad). Like Michigan against Wisconsin, I faded Indiana in that home loss. So I feel I know these teams well. 

At home, I expect the Hoosiers to come out hot in this one. They are 0-4 SU/ATS vs. Michigan the L4 meetings. But I am a bit surprised to see them getting points at home. This will be the 1st time they're a home dog all year. I suppose it makes sense given Michigan's lofty ranking, but I believe the Maize and Blue are a bit overrated right now. Race Thompson, who has missed the entirety of the season so far for Indiana (concussion), could debut here. The Hoosiers are a significantly better team at home and Michigan is struggling right now. Take the points. 8* Indiana

8* LA Lakers (10:35 ET): LeBron James is still out and this will be the second time this month Minnesota gets to face the Lakers w/o him. The T'wolves won the first time, 108-86, but that was at home. On the road, this team is a lot more shaky. Even after winning at Phoenix, their road record is just 7-16 SU on the year. That's a big difference from their 16-8 SU record at home. The Lakers may only be 5-9 SU since James went down on X-Mas, but I like them here as a home dog as they'll at least be getting PG Rajon Rondo back in the lineup. Tonight is actually the 4th time these teams have met this season. The home team has won every time. 

Let's look at the respective competition these teams have faced recently. Minnesota is coming off a home and home w/ lowly Phoenix. They won both games, but the Suns were the only team in the Western Conference w/ a win percentage below .400 entering yday. Meanwhile, the Lakers are coming off a three-game gauntlet of Oklahoma City, Houston and Golden State. Despite being w/o James, LA beat OKC and led Houston by as many as 21 (before losing in OT). Golden State has regained its mojo and the Lakers simply could not keep pace from behind the three-point arc. So that was a tough one. But there's no denying that Minnesota is a clear drop in class from what the Lakers have faced over the past week.

Minnesota isn't too far removed from a coaching change. They are 4-3 SU since Ryan Saunders (son of Flip) became the HC, but I'm not exactly sure they're a demonstrably better team now, if better at all. Three of the four wins under Saunders have come by four points or less. The exception was at Phoenix on Tuesday, a game where the opponent was severely short-handed. The Suns entered the game w/o Deandre Ayton, then lost Devin Booker to an ankle injury and T.J. Warren to an ejection. The Lakers are obviously short-handed themselves, but Rondo being back will help. Meanwhile, Minnesota is still missing Jeff Teague. 8* LA Lakers 

10* Under Pelicans/Thunder (8:05 ET): New Orleans would seem to be in some real trouble w/o superstar Anthony Davis and tonight is NOT a spot where they're likely to "figure things out." They just lost last night, at home to Detroit, and what made that loss all the more painful is that it was the first time all year they dropped a game when allowing fewer than 100 points (final score was 98-94). The fact they failed to score 100 pts themselves (just the sixth time this season) may very well be a "sign o' the times" without Davis, who is going to be out until at least next week.

Oklahoma City has actually been one of the league's top defensive teams for most of this year. They enter Thursday tied (w/ Utah) for the third best defensive efficiency rating in the league. After a few wild (i.e. high-scoring) games earlier in the month, things have settled down a bit for the Thunder over the L7 days as they've won three straight. This would seem to be a favorable spot for them as New Orleans is just 1-6 SU/ATS when playing in the second night of a back to back. But I'm not sure OKC can score enough to cover what is a lofty pointspread.

Therefore, Under is the call here as the Pelicans should continue to struggle to score w/o Davis. I already mentioned how they typically struggle when playing in the second night of a back to back. Those struggles are actually more about the defense, but this is a massive total, one where neither team's YTD scoring average would add up to an Over. Even the Pelicans, whose games - on average - are the highest scoring in the league (231.5 PPG) don't add up to what the oddsmakers are calling for here. This total is simply too high considering NO is w/o Davis and OKC is inconsistent shooting the ball. 10* Under Pelicans/Thunder 

8* Appalachian State (8:00 ET): It would appear as if Appalachian State has little going for itself going into Thursday night's game in Jonesboro. The Mountaineers are 0-11 SU on the road and have dropped six in a row overall. They are the only team in the Sun Belt w/o a conference win. So you may be wondering why they're only a small dog on the road. Well, Arkansas State isn't very good either. The Red Wolves have their own three-game losing streak coming into tonight and are 0-5 ATS the L5 games. In what shapes up as an "ugly game," I'll take the points.

App State has generally been competitive here in conference play. Three of the five losses have been by six points or less. Saturday's game at Coastal Carolina was certainly their worst effort yet against a Sun Belt opponent as they fell by 17. Really, the game was "over before it started" w/ CC racing out to a 16-0 lead to start the game. From there, App State played basically an even game, but it hardly mattered. After such a brutal start to a game, I expect the Mountaineers to come out far more focused tonight against an opponent they know they can beat. 

App State definitely "owes" Arkansas State after losing to them three straight times, all by five points or less. Last year's two meetings were decided by a total of eight points and the last two times the Mountaineers have come to Jonesboro, they've lost by one and three points. Arkansas State was 0-2 last week, scoring just 59 and 64 points in losses to TX-Arlington and Texas State. Both losses were on the road. While the Red Wolves have been better at home, you have to think this line is a little bit curious. Note Arkansas State was on the wrong end of a 30-0 (!) run in their last game as they missed 12 consecutive shots. This entire three-pack is based on fading shaky looking favorites and that's what the Red Wolves are here. 8* Appalachian State 

8* Middle Tennessee (8:00 ET): It's been a pretty ugly year for the Blue Raiders. They're 5-14 SU and 4-13 ATS. But that hasn't stopped me from cashing them twice already this month. The first time was at Southern Miss exactly two weeks ago when they covered as 10.5-pt dogs in a 77-70 loss. Things worked out even better last Thursday when I had them as a four-point dog and they won outright over UTSA, 89-86. While that game ended up being close, note MTSU had a double digit lead for most of the second half and led by as many as 19 points! Let's make it three Thursdays in a row w/ this team as I'll again grab them as a road dog this week. 

The good news didn't stop last Thursday for Middle Tennessee. They followed up their "upset" of UTSA w/ another win, this one over UTEP, also at home and by three points. This is the Blue Raiders' first win streak since starting the season w/ two wins over non-board teams. While the win over UTSA saw them jump out to a big lead early and hold on, MTSU was forced to rally vs. UTEP, coming back from an early 13-point deficit. The game was close for much of the second half and the Blue Raiders really helped themselves by scoring 27 points over 20 UTEP turnovers.

Rice is the opponent for Middle Tennessee this Thursday. The Owls have lost three in a row, all on the road, the last two each coming by a point. Those two one-point losses were both heartbreakers w/ the Owls losing on a buzzer beater each time. Saturday's 76-75 loss to North Texas (who is a good team) was really painful as the Owls blew a 16-point lead in that one. I know they've had four days off, but I wonder how much Rice will have left in the tank after a week like that. This is a team that gives up 79.2 PPG on the year. Wouldn't want any part of laying points w/ them right now. 8* Middle Tennessee

8* James Madison (7:00 ET): The number of teams w/ unbeaten conference records seems to be rapidly dwindling. Count Hofstra among the survivors though as the Pride are off to a 7-0 start in the Colonial and have won 14 in a row overall, which is the nation's longest active win streak! They've already built a two-game lead in conference play. They are 7-1 ATS on the road (14-4 ATS overall), but I'd be a bit worried about this outfit considering it ranks an ugly 186th in the country in defensive efficiency. I'll take the points here as I'm not yet sold on this Hofstra team.

James Madison should be more than excited to be back home. The road has been unkind to the Dukes this season as they just dropped two more games last week away from home. They lost to Delaware on Thursday and Drexel on Saturday to fall to 2-5 in the CAA, which has them tied for last. Six of JMU's last nine games have been played on the road and they've lost all six. But they went 2-1 SU in the three home games w/ the one loss coming by only three points. The Dukes are 6-2 SU at home for the year and I think it's important to note that it's been over a month since this team lost a game by more than seven points. 

Hofstra's two road wins in league play were both three point games. They needed three overtimes to win one of them (William & Mary) while a 74-71 win at Elon required them to battle back from an eight-point halftime deficit. The team can score, but it's shooting percentage are down considerably when on the road. James Madison certainly looked as if it was headed for a win Saturday at Drexel when it jumped out to an early 22-4 lead. But it was not to be and they lost 73-68 as a 3.5-pt road dog. Their own offensive numbers are way up here at home as they average 78.7 PPG on 47.5% shooting. They will be a tough out tonight. 8* James Madison

10* Utah (10:35 ET): While I haven't been correct about everything this NBA season, one of my more "spot on" calls came earlier this month when I said the Jazz were set to go on a major run. Sure enough, that's exactly what's taken place. The team has gone 8-2 SU its L10 games, though they did lose Monday (here at home) to Portland, 109-104 as five-point chalk. As hot as they've been, I don't see the Jazz dropping B2B home games. A big reason for their success this month has been their play at home. They'll be hosting a Denver team that has played just one of its last six games on the road and that was at Phoenix, where they lost outright 102-93. Lay the points here. 

Overall, the Nuggets are just 11-10 SU on the road this season. Now let's not sell this team short, shall we? They are 31-14 SU overall and just a game back of Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference. But of course the Warriors did humiliate them last week - at home - in a 142-111 beatdown. Since then, Denver has gotten back on track w/ B2B blowouts over Chicago and Cleveland, the two worst teams in the league. Fatigue certainly shouldn't be a factor for the Nuggets here as they've been off since Saturday. But what about rust? The team is only 1-3 ATS this season when playing w/ three or more days rest. 

The Jazz have certainly had the Nuggets' number here in Salt Lake City through the years, winning 38 of the past 46 matchups here. Perhaps what happened to Utah Monday night was a product of what could very well happen to Denver tonight. They could have been a bit overconfident following a recent string of wins, although in the end it simply boiled down to the fact the Blazers shot the ball a whole lot better. Denver is 6-0 SU/5-1 ATS in division games this season, but this sets up as a big revenge spot for the Jazz, who lost badly in the Mile High City back in November. They're certainly playing a lot better now and I look for them to beat the Nuggets for an eighth straight time here in SLC. They've held Denver below 90 pts in five of those seven previous wins, which have come by an average of 14 PPG. 10* Utah

10* Vancouver (10:35 ET): Few, if any, would have expected the Canucks to be playoff contenders going into the All-Star Break, but that's precisely where we're at right now in British Columbia. The club has 52 points entering Wednesday, which has them tied for a Wild Card spot in the not very deep Western Conference. Vancouver is unlikely to catch any of the top three (Calgary-San Jose-Vegas) in the Pacific, but right now they have as good a shot as any at grabbing one of those two WC spots. Tonight, they are benefiting from facing an opponent that is playing in the second night of a back to back. Look for the Canucks' somewhat "improbable" run to continue here! 

Carolina not only played last night, they lost in OT. For them, this is the end of a three-game trek in Western Canada. It started Sunday in Edmonton (where I took them) and they won there 7-4. But last night's loss to Calgary was all too emblematic of the kind of season the team from Raleigh is having. They outshot the Flames, 35-25, but it didn't end up mattering in the end. The 'Canes own the top shot differential in the league, but that simply has not translated into wins as they are below .500 and probably have a worse shot at making the playoffs than does Vancouver. Carolina's shooting percentage for the year is just 7.7% (woeful) and their goaltending does them no favors w/ a bottom five save percentage. 

While Carolina is playing its third road game in four nights and the second of a back to back, tonight marks the sixth straight home game for Vancouver, who has also been off for the last two days. Two key returns have sparked a two-game win streak for the Canucks. One is rookie Elias Pettersson, who leads all rookies w/ 44 points. Pettersson had a goal and an assist in Sunday's 3-2 win over Detroit. Goaltender Markstrom is also back and he stopped 35 of 37 shots in that same game. Note the Canucks have not been beaten in regulation during this homestand as they've gone 3-0-2. 10* Vancouver 

8* Long Beach State (10:00 ET): We return to our "previously scheduled program" of fading Cal State Northridge, a team I maintain is getting too much respect from the oddsmakers on a game by game basis. Perhaps the joke is on me, however, as the Matadors have managed to go a somewhat impressive 7-1-1 ATS their last nine games. But that one ATS loss happened to be the last time I played against them, which was 1.17 at home vs. a Hawaii team that hadn't played on the road in months. The Matadors did cover over the weekend against UC Irvine, but lost the game straight up, by six points (they were getting seven). 

Long Beach State is off an outright loss here as they lost by two, at home, to Cal State Fullerton. That was an overtime game as the 49ers were able to rally back from a 10-point halftime deficit. But, it was not to be as the extra period saw them only able to grab the lead briefly. Still, this is a team that has been beaten in regulation only one time since blowing an eight-point halftime lead on December 10th and that was at Stanford. While they did not cover either game LY vs. Cal State Northridge, LBSU did win both. They also won their last road game, beating UC Irvine exactly one week ago. 

Cal State Northridge has been involved in a LOT of close calls so far this season. Their last nine games have all been decided by eight points or less w/ eight of them decided by six or less. They've managed to go 5-4 SU and 7-1-1 ATS in that stretch, but the loss to UC Irvine on Saturday was pretty crushing as it not only came here at home, but also saw the Matadors blow a 16-point halftime lead. They were outscored 43-21 over the game's final 20 minutes including a 14-0 run by UC Irvine in the final six minutes. Cal State Northridge was only able to secure the cover when they hit a "meaningless" three-pointer w/ two seconds remaining, their only made basket in the game's six minutes. 8* Long Beach State