Sometimes teams can grow getting away from their home environment. Just a week ago Seton Hall struggled playing twenty minutes away from home in a NYC tournament (lost both). Now in California they’ve grown quickly with proper rotation adjustments made by Coach Willard. Look for the Pirates momentum to continue against the undefeated Hurricanes.

Mentioned yesterday is the adjustments oddsmakers have to make making lines from neutral site tournament games to a true non-conference schedule. Wichita State’s graduating talent has left them with very little team camaraderie as they are re-developing a new starting five. Their over all play certainly doesn’t warrant a mid-teens line. Yet look for the Shockers to take advantage of a poor Rice defensive team that’s coming off allowing 105 points to BYU. 

Often times the rust of oddsmakers comes evaluating teams ATS outside of neutral site tournaments. Northern Kentucky is coming off their own home court hosted tournament that boosted their record to 6-0. Boasting an entire starting lineup of three and four year players a double-digit line is a peculiar offering. Pace of play will be an immense problem as well as Northern Kentucky adapting to a true road environment. Grab Central Florida. 

Small school tournaments often times still feature teams that are overwhelmed. That’s been the case for USC Upstate whom oddsmakers have been hesitant to place odds on the past two college basketball seasons. Consecutive blowout losses to Portland and Texas State in the Portland Classic places value on the Spartans in their final game against Cal Poly. Take the small underdog spread here.

The Utah Utes looked extremely flat on Thanksgiving in a blowout loss against Hawaii. Now in less than 24 hours they’ll take on a Grand Canyon team that has size at all positions. That’s a matchup contrast from yesterday’s small ball Hawaii team that poses as an advantage for the Utes. Look for a free throw edge and ability to find shooters to lead the Utes to an ATS win. 

Friday the Rockets travel to take on the Detroit Pistons which will cap a home-away mini series between the two. With the Rockets aiming for their sixth straight win it’ll be interesting to see how they begin the game. Coming off a holiday a sluggish start is possible. Yet look for the Rockets win streak to give them an edge in the second half ATS. 

Penny Hardaway’s beginning tenure for the Memphis Tiger produced a great-effort close result against the LSU Tigers. The nationally televised game showcased that the Tigers have some key pieces for Hardaway to work with with senior guards Jeremiah Martin and forward Kyvon Davenport. Yet one of the biggest areas for a new coach is adjusting game to game. Expect Yale to show some of the intangibles seen in a seventeen point victory over the Cal Bears. Grab Yale.

Losing a high amount of seniors due to graduation showed a tough replacement problem for the Pirates. Against Nebraska Seton Hall was blown out 80-57 as the new guard lineup struggled. Combined the starting guards went 8-29 from the field and as a team shot just 13 percent from three. That’s created a value favorite line against a Billikens team that’s 3-0 resume was against soft opponents. Grab Seton Hall

Suddenly the Lakers have hit their stride and have won six of their last seven games. They’re getting high contributions in points distribution and two of their last four wins were featured nationally televised games. They’ll take on an Orlando Magic team that is very young at key positions and bench depth. Yet look for the travel factor to be an issue as well as the Lakers defense.

A small line is offered tonight between the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets. A prime reason for the Hornets being small favorites is their extended rest versus the 76ers playing in a back to back scenario. With the 76ers new look starting lineup one may expect value to be on them. Instead grab the Hornets who have a long standing personnel group that will be ready for the scenario. 

Clearly the Wildcats did not resemble a former national title team against the Michigan Wolverines. Part of that had to do with the tremendous turnover from the Wildcats and the experience factor of the Wolverines from last year’s title game. While Furman is off to a 4-0 start look for Wright’s Wildcats to get back to defensive basics and throttle Furman ATS.

After losing three straight games at home the Miami Heat won decisively on the road Wednesday at Brooklyn. The Nets were adjusting to the season-ending injury of 18 PPG guard Caris LeVert. Now they’ll face a well-rested Pacers team whom has not played since Sunday. Also factored into the point spread is the Pacers recent win in Miami. Look for the extended rest of the Pacers to boost the Heat in getting back into this game and covering the number. 

Typically in a neutral site tournament one will not see a high spread between two undefeated teams. Especially against a team such as Davidson that boasts several returning starters including do it all player Kellen Grady. Yet Davidson struggles with the half court defensive sets similar to the Boilermakers. Expect transition baskets and easy hoops for a well-coached Purdue team.

The San Antonio Spurs have caused severe detraction ATS with outright losses as favorites against the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Both outings the defense suffered and offensively the Spurs look out of sync. Tonight they’ll face a Clippers team that has used their home dominance at 6-1 to defeat the Warriors and Bucks. Both teams are the best in their conferences which creates peak ATS value on them. Grab the Spurs as they find a way to turn the corner from their current offensive rut. 

The Celtics record does not reflect their on court production. Thanks to a five game road trip in which the Celtics lost four of five. They return home Tuesday and will face a Bulls team that’s been good against the number against teams such as the Hornets, Pacers, Rockets, and Nuggets. Yet look for the Celtics to show no mercy as Brad Stevens expects a complete game from his starters-bench. Grab Boston.

The Brooklyn Nets won three straight games including ones over the 76ers and Nuggets before faltering on the back end of their road trip. They return home Wednesday and will be without their leading scorer in Caris LeVert for the rest of the year. With the Nets deep bench rotation one would expect LeVert’s absence not to be a problem. Yet look for the Heat and Coach Spoelstra to have answers even minus Dwayne Wade. Grab Miami.

The Wright State Raiders are coming off a poor road loss to Murray State. They return home tonight to take on a 2-0 Toledo squad. Two main factors are in-line for the oddsmaker spread. For one Wright State returned their entire starting five from last year’s 25-10 team. Secondly, they defeated Toledo on the road last season 77-69. Although the Raiders are well coached look for the Rockets to have last year’s loss fresh on their memories. Grab Toledo.

After capturing the market with a 9-1 record things have went in reverse for the young Nuggets. They’ve dropped three straight games but all were in close fashion. Two 2-point losses and a nail biter home loss to one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in the Milwaukee Bucks. They’ll face a Rockets team that has distractions involving Carmelo Anthony and is one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. That doesn’t bode well in altitude against the multi-scorers the Nuggets have. Yet the Rockets are digging themselves out of a hole and seem to be playing with a chip on their shoulder. Grab the Rockets. 

Off the radar tonight will be a battle between the Missouri Valley’s Drake Bulldogs and the Pac-12 Colorado Buffaloes. A one-game in-season experience edge lies with the Drake Bulldogs whom have been a competitive Missouri Valley squad as of late. They’ll take on a Colorado Buffaloes team that is playing their first game of the season tonight. This is a program that lost three players to graduation. Typically that makes it hard for a .500 team the prior season to adjust early the following year. Yet Colorado has a prolific scorer in McKinley Wright whom will have his chance to be the number one option. Grab the Buffs Tuesday.

One of the big off-season announcements came out of the Sun Belt and Georgia State. Their prolific scorer D’Marcus Simonds made it known that he will not transfer to a big school even though the option was there. The 20 plus points a game scorer has a bevy of upperclassmen around him including senior forward Jeff Thomas. They’ll face a Mercer team Tuesday that’s been an oddsmaker conundrum for years. The Bears are adjusting to a new starting five that features zero double-digit scorers from a year ago and none from this season’s small sample size. Yet look for the Bears to play a competitive game and close within the number.

One of the big name off-season coaching changes came with Rhode Island losing Dan Hurley to UConn. That’s expected to rattle a Rhode Island program that had a nice two to three year run with program players. Graduated their new roster is going to be a work in progress. That’s an oddsmakers calculated spread in tonight’s matchup against UCOC. The Cougars boast three starting seniors including 16PPG Jarell Brantley and 27.5 PPG scorer in Grant Riller. Yet this is a team prone to droughts offensively. Grab the value on the slight dog in Rhode Island.

The Sacramento Kings have had a bit of a slide lately after starting the season 6-3. They’ve lost three of four to drop to 7-6 as the youth mix has had its trouble recently against veteran teams. Tonight look for the team to rally for the city against a Spurs team that’s catching too many points based on their recent win over the Rockets. Grab the Kings here. 

Middle Tennessee has officially lost their talented players from their NCAA tournament run of a few years ago due to graduation. An influx of new starters mixed with transfers has led them to a 2-0 start against non division one teams. Tonight should be a different story against the octane Belmont Bruins. Under valued ATS for the Bruins is the fact that they start three freshman. They’re paired with two seniors that will be enough to clear the hurdle ATS. Grab the Bruins

Opportune value ATS is high with small dogs with poor road records. That’s an identified exact scenario with the Philadelphia 76ers against the below .500 Miami Heat. Certainly this line may have moved to a pick or on the 76ers side as favorites with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. Catching more points now look for the 76ers to rally behind the move as their starters and second unit handle the Heat. Grab Philadelphia.

An interesting NBA Sunday matchup features two of the up and coming teams from both conferences.  Yet the Bucks have lost two of three games on their current road trip and the Nuggets have lost two straight. Add in the factor of the Bucks playing in a back to back scenario and this creates value on them. Grab the line movement shift on Milwaukee

On the year the LA Clippers have failed to win more than two games in a row. That’ll be put to the test again against a Portland Trailblazers team that has been exceptional this season. In fact they’re coming off a grandiose performance against the Milwaukee Bucks. That win was as a slim underdog and has created extra value for tonight. Grab the Clippers to play a competitive road game here. 

A nationally televised game tonight features the Timberwolves against the Lakers. On paper both teams have similar struggling records. The main difference ATS is the Timberwolves horrid road record of 0-6. During their current road trip they’ve been blown out by double digits in all. Yet look for a stronger showing tonight from the Timberwolves as they cover the number. 

After playing six of their last eight games at home the Milwaukee Bucks will venture onto the road Tuesday night. Theyll take on a 7-3 Portland Trailblazers team that has built leverage with a strong bench. This has created an interesting ATS conundrum against the strong 8-1 Bucks.  Typically the Trailblazers would have the edge but look for the size and skill set of the Bucks to give the Blazers problems.

Perhaps no team got as much off-season exposure as the Duke Blue Devils. They played in a nationally televised exhibition in August and have had multiple other profiled exhibitions. They boast a starting five that’ll be tough to contend with as the season progresses. Yet look for tentativeness from the new core of players as Kentucky counters with better execution.

Last season ASU was the team that shocked everyone in college basketball as they dominated in non-conference to ascend to third in the country. Retaining several key players along with Bobby Hurley’s strong recruiting class is a recipe for another great non-conference start. Yet this is where last year’s non-conference domination has skewed todays spread. Cal State Fullerton boasts one of the top scorers in the country in senior Kyle Allman. The veteran Fullerton squad should be much improved and show more balance than their first round 74-48 exit to Purdue. 

Anytime schools meet from the Big 5 of Philadelphia it’s expected to be a grudge match. Tuesday LaSalle and Temple will meet in a rematch of a close 87-83 LaSalle win last season. With the Explorers retaining the back court of Pookie Powell and Saul Phiri one would expect them to have the advantage. Yet the loss of BJ Johnson to graduation is going to be a tough offensive void. Grab the Owls. 

One of the under the radar changes in college hoops came with the Charlotte 49ers. Their new coach in Ron Sanchez was a former assistant at Virginia. He’ll look to change over a program that hasn’t had success in five years. Starting strong under a new regime is expected especially against a struggling Southern Conference opponent in Chattanooga. The turmoil with the Mocs has decimated their program. Three players transferred out in Nat Dixon (SMU), Rodney Chatman (Dayton), and Makale Foreman (Stony Brook). In fact only one player remains from last year’s top seven player rotation. Those keys are factored into Tuesday’s line. Grab the Mocs.  

The Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers meet for the second time this season Saturday. The earlier matchup featured a close overtime win for the Detroit Pistons. In that matchup the 76ers were without Ben Simmons. That factor plus the 76ers undefeated home record are variables to side with the underdog Pistons.

The Dallas Mavericks venture to California to take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday. The Lakers continued losing is puzzling as they’ve been in the majority of their games. Now the pressure is on Lebron and his young teammates to get wins. That’s an ATS factor against a winless Mavericks team on the road. Grab Dallas.

Out the gate the Memphis Grizzlies have shown a renewed spirit. Healthy on floor veteran leadership is back with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, and new veteran additions in Kyle Anderson and Garrett Temple are helping. Opposite tonight are the Washington Wizards whom are concluding a peculiar five game road trip. That’s the value angle as the Wizards will be prepared tonight against the Grizzlies. 

Teams in back to back scenarios Sunday and Monday are noticeably poor ATS. Oddsmakers have caught onto that and rightfully boosted the Spurs tonight. Dallas ranks near the bottom of the NBA yielding over 117 points per game and were just defeated handily on their home floor Sunday night. Yet, this is far too many points on the Spurs side as San Antonio plays their third straight home game and have double-whammy Lebron-inflation. Grab the Mavericks.

A debate amongst the best conference in the NBA is non-negotiable with the high dominance of the Western Conference. Portland’s early success against the Lakers and Spurs have improperly boosted them against Eastern Conference opponents. Although the Trailblazers are getting dynamic bench contributions from a host of players, the Pacers home court edge will prevail. Grab Indiana. 

The number ATS continues to be an issue for a Thunder team that is obviously much better than their 0-4 record. They’ll face a Phoenix Suns team that’s been blown out in three straight games including last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. With extra emphasis on the Thunder needing this win and the Suns in a back to back scenario that’s created value on the Suns.

Line movement has occurred in tonight’s Lakers vs Spurs matchup. Los Angeles has put together consecutive wins with a blowout over the Suns and a great win over the Nuggets. They’ll also get Rajon Rondo back and face a Spurs team that they had on the ropes in LA days ago. Yet look for the Spurs to showcase similar offense that they did in LA and take advantage of the Lakers recent success. Grab the Spurs. 

The Boston Celtics were on the brink of faltering to 2-3 against an ultra hungry OKC team. On the road they rallied and held a winless OKC team to another loss. Now they’ll travel to Detroit to face the undefeated Pistons where value is on the Celtics. Detroit has had a home friendly schedule with all games decided in close fashion. Grab the Celtics to hand the Pistons their first loss. 

The undefeated Bucks venture to the Western conference to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday. An edge for bettors is oddsmakers dismissing the Bucks early season schedule which is common with such a small sample size. The depth of the Bucks is very underrated and will be the edge to clear a small road number to put them at 5-0.

An 0-3 Lakers team ventures to take on a young Phoenix Suns squad Wednesday. As bad as the Lakers start has been their are positives to sidestep their early season record. Even minus two key players the Lakers should have enough of an arsenal to get by a Phoenix Suns team that is coming off consecutive lopsided road losses.  

Injuries have repeated a similar pattern as last season for the Chicago Bulls. Early in the season it’s unaccustomed to see a team have as poor of a schedule as the Hornets. Wednesday marks their fourth straight road game that started in Florida and ventured to Toronto, Canada two days ago. Spotting the Hornets as a road favorite in this spot speaks to oddsmakers faith in the Hornets overcoming their road fatigue. Grab the Hornets. 

The 76ers have officially ruled Ben Simmons out for today’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons. That’s the type of value one is looking for early in the season in the NBA. Detroit’s 2-0 record have featured close tight games. A narrow three point victory over Brooklyn as well as a two point victory over Chicago. Look for the 76ers cohesiveness to pay dividends as they land the early season road victory. 

The new look Spurs were able to hang on at home against the Timberwolves to start the season. Now they’ll travel to take on a Blazers team that looked superb to open up the season against the Lakers. The depth and home court edge for the Trailblazers figures to give the Spurs problems. Yet look for the Spurs to be able to answer the Trailblazers runs and cover the number. 

The well documented struggles of the Warriors in Utah are long standing. They fall into the category of many teams that struggle with rotations in the altitude of Salt Lake City. Early in the season this figures to be a problem as the starters aren’t going to play a high volume of minutes and the bench rotation is the weakest it’s been in years for Golden State. With Utah’s vast depth there will be issues of the Warriors playing from behind. Yet this team knows how to close and I wouldn’t be surprised of a big second half run that closes the door on the Jazz. Grab Golden State. 

The New York Knicks lit up the scoreboard in their opener over the Atlanta Hawks. The blended roles of youth shined and now they’ll get the fortune of playing their second home game right up the street in Brooklyn. That’s where the value lies as the short trek to Brooklyn in New York City is an attractor on a small line. This early in the season it’s enough of an indicator to take the proper value on the Nets. Grab Brooklyn.

The Lakers moves for improvement went beyond Lebron James. They added several key veterans in Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo. These additions are expected to mesh well with the Lakers young talent and their fast pace style. Yet Portland is a stout home team that will have extra motivation. They had a quick exit in last year’s playoffs in which they lost four straight to the Pelicans, but they’ll also be playing for recently passed owner Paul Allen. Grab the value on Portland to spoil Lebron’s first game in LA.

Zack sees value on the Magic for his second release of the NBA season. The Heat figure to be a top threat in the Eastern Conference but come into the regular season with injuries to several key players. Dion Waiters, Justice Winslow, James Johnson, and Wayne Ellington are all likely out. This is where their success last season with injuries creates value against them Wednesday. The Magic were the second worst Eastern Conference team last year and an in-state game figures to give the Heat the upper hand. Instead look for the Magic to show proper cohesion and get the cover on the small line. 

The Boston Celtics had one of the more impressive runs based on injuries in postseason memory last year. Now they must find a way to blend in Irving/Hayword and blend in everyone else’s roles. These chemistry issues were on full display as the Celtics struggled in pre-season. This is a factor in Tuesday’s small line against the experienced and hungry 76ers team that has revenge on their minds. Yet look for the Celtics to combat the 76ers and show they are the team to beat in the East. 

The Lakers showed last year that they take the summer league as serious as any team. They played key young talent and both rookies in Lonzo Ball/Kyle Kuzma extended minutes. The same has been showcased this year along with key young talent in Josh Hart and Alex Caruso. Still, look for the Bulls to limit the offensive explosion the Lakers showed in their debut Friday. Grab Chicago. 

A day off of rest and a new arena could be troublesome for the Memphis Grizzlies summer league team. They’ve made the trek down from Salt Lake City as they take on a Detroit team that will be looking to bounce back from a loss yesterday. Summer league play usually has teams switch the look of their rosters as days go on. This should bode to the advantage of the Pistons getting a steep plus four Saturday.

Summer league continues Saturday as the Brooklyn Nets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nets fell short on Friday as their roster was not indicative of whom they played on the floor. The big name NBA roster players are not playing which has created value against the Thunder whom lost by a point Friday. Terrance Ferguson is one of the big names that generated solid minutes with the Thunder and creates this value opportunity.

Summer league continues Saturday as the New York Knicks will host Trae Young’s Hawks. Anyone whom watched the Hawks saw Young’s struggles as his team looked out of sync. Young couldn’t buy a basket and will now face tougher defense in a bigger tournament in Las Vegas. Yet look for the Hawks to finally display a team effort as they get the cover Saturday. 

Summer league provides opportunities of value based on makeshift short term teams. Value today lies with the fact that the Denver Nuggets first round pick in Michael Porter Jr. won’t be playing throughout the summer league. This comes via a team that traded away some of their younger assets in Emmanuel Mudiay and others. Grab the value on them as slight underdogs. 

Finding value in the summer league can get tighter as days go on. The reason being is more dynamic players begin to rest and some wrap up contracts to play overseas. Yet the new Sacramento/Salt Lake schedule brings high value. One today lies with the Memphis Grizzlies as they take on the host Utah Jazz.  Both teams are coming off day one dynamite victories but look for the Grizzlies to continue to shine offensively. Grab Memphis. 

On paper the Celtics seemingly are under manned. Yet the results beg to differ as the Celtics immense depth has flourished with their youth. They’re under valued home court has dominated ATS in the playoffs with a 5-0 mark. Yet the level of offensive efficiency witnessed in game one is not a familiar scene for the Celtics. Expect the 76ers high talent to adjust appropriately. Grab Philadelphia.

Key returning stars are always hard to re-implement in the playoffs. Steph Curry’s return surely will take away minutes from bench contributors as well as shots from the first-unit. The Pelicans have gelled with their post DeMarcus Cousins roster where nearly every player knows their role. Curry’s return combined with the Warriors game one dominance has created value on the Pelicans for Tuesday.

The Thunder and Jazz series is showing what we’ve become accustomed to with superstar player led teams. A more balanced Jazz team has the arsenal and schemes to outdo the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Carmelo’s downgraded play has been the majority of the season it’s Russ and Paul George’s play that’s more troubling. Both have been held in check for stretches in this series. At home in a potential season ending game value lies on the Jazz.

Recognition of line movement in a playoff series is crucial. After a dominating game three win by the Jazz, oddsmakers curiously lowered the game four spread. It’s noteworthy and centered around the improbability of the Thunder winning the series if they sustain another loss. Expect the Thunder to be much more prepared for game four even as Billy Donovan tinkers with rotation minutes. Grab the Thunder.

Instances of chaos this season amongst the Washington Wizards players were well documented. Yet the fact of the matter is the Wizards missed Wall for key games that derailed their true seed. Games three performance seemed to give the Wizards the jolt they need. While they may not have the same dominating output look for a cash out plus the points.

At the start of the NBA playoffs few teams have shown carry over value from the regular season. One team that has are the Western Conference top-seeded Houston Rockets. Houston destroyed the number and the Timberwolves in game two as the Timberwolves could not contain Houston. Yet, today is a value spot with yet another home team. As great as the Rockets have been against the Timberwolves this is a heightened line. Grab the underdog.  

The Pelicans have now won seven straight games as they defeated Portland in games one and two on the road. Thursday’s game will put to the test both teams as it’s a quick transition of just a couple of days rest. With the Pelicans struggles in second halves this may open the door for another close finish. Yet, look for the Pelicans to continue to get just enough from role players to go along with AD and Holiday. Grab the Pelicans to secure their eighth straight win and small line cover. 

The hindered Celtics looked like the flip-seed of the Bucks in game one. Yet, they had just enough in the tank to withstand the Bucks. While the depth and skillset advantage continues to lie with the Bucks the Celtics continue to have the upper hand in coaching. Knocking two points off game one’s point spread has withered away underdog value and posed proper value on the Celtics. Grab Boston.

Utah’s run post All-Star break was truly a spectacle to watch. They went from a team at 21-28 to a post-season team in the elite Western conference. From an oddsmaker stand point today’s line has more to do with Utah’s rise and layoff. Both the Jazz and Thunder have had four full days to rest after the regular season conclusion Wednesday. It’ll be a tight game but expect the Thunder to beat the number by a mere few points.  

The Pelicans enter the playoffs as the overlooked one-man show team. In this ERA of the NBA it’s almost unheard of seeing a team reach the heights the Pelicans have with one star. Portland’s home dominance and spurts will be a dangerous combination for a Pelicans team susceptible defensively. Still the Trailblazers looked out of sync as the NBA season wound down as they lost four straight games before a win over Utah. Grab the Pelicans to come out the gate in this series and cover.

Pelicans -3.5

Tonight the Pelicans will aim to keep their playoff intensity level secure as they take on the San Antonio Spurs. Having won four games in a row put the Pelicans in the playoffs without a worry in Wednesday’s regular season conclusion. Still, look for old school coach Alvin Gentry to continue to demand a solid output as the Pelicans aim for five wins a row. Grab the Pelicans.

The Celtics blow on losing point guard Kyrie Irving for the remainder of the season is official news. Friday will be the first game that we see how the team handles the situation. Key starters in Al Horford and Jayson Tatum also won’t be playing Friday against the Bulls. That’s created drop down value on the Celtics as the Bulls have shown no signs of tanking with three straight victories. Grab the Celtics.

The Dallas Mavericks travel to face the Orlando Magic Wednesday. This is an interesting spot as the Mavericks are coming off a home win last night against Portland that concluded at 8PM PST. Travel for tonight’s game is further impacted as the Mavericks have decided to sit Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes, Dwight Powell, and Dennis Smith Jr. Still look for the Magic to showcase a bit of rust as well after a blowout win last night at Madison Square Garden. 

One of the biggest mystiques in the NBA has been the sporadic level of play of the Washington Wizards. This year they received a pass due to John Wall’s health. Now back the Wizards are devalued against the NBA’s ATS juggernaut in the Houston Rockets. In their last two games Houston has not been sharp with a narrow win against the Suns and a blowout loss to the Spurs. Look for the spread to be a factor once again and not on Houston’s side. Grab Washington. 

The assumption that Lebron can get his team to hit another gear at the tail end of the season is a fact. He’s led his Cavs/Heat teams to the title game in countless consecutive years. With just a handful of games left in the regular season this is where you’d expect a playoff intensity performance from the Cavs. Yet, the Cavs are no where near the level of play seen in recent Lebron post-season runs. With a league-wide day off Monday value has been created on the Raptors. Grab Toronto. 

Villanova has continued to play their style of basketball and dominate ATS. They’ve covered all games in the tournament culminating in the best performance seen in the Final Four in quite awhile. Meanwhile Michigan has served as the Loyola-Chicago of power five schools with narrow sloppy victories. Persevering no matter what the scenario has put them as the value play Monday. All tournament Michigan’s guards have been outplayed but this is a matchup that the guards can outshine Villanova’s and where John Beilein can match Jay Wright’s in-game adjustments. Grab Michigan. 

With virtually identical records the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves will square off Sunday. Where the ATS implications from oddsmakers circle around the log jam of five teams from the 4th-8th position separated by one game. The Timberwolves stout home record is voided here as the Jazz have been one of the hottest teams in the league. Grab the oddsmakers hint and play on the Jazz.  

For the first time on their road trip the Indiana Pacers will face a team that is near full strength in the LA Clippers. LA does not have a starter below 6’5 now that Danilo Gallinari is back. Yet the Pacers should be able to shake off their rusty performance against the Kings and get a hard small number cover in LA. Grab Indiana. 

The Villanova Wildcats are fully healthy and playing at peak ability. It’s an uncommon occurrence to happen yet Jay Wright has found a way to get it done yet again. For Kansas their strong season will be put to the test against Villanova’s uncanny offensive spurts and defense. As was the case two years ago look for a similar pull away outcome from the Wildcats. Grab Nova. 

Phoenix +10

A home dog of double digits is an eye opener but not with the Phoenix Suns. They continue to rest or sit out key starters while signing-starting D-League talent. It’s a scenario oddsmakers have caught onto ATS in spots. Tonight is one of those spots as the Clippers have held well ATS recently. Grab the reverse tank value line here on Phoenix.

Minus Kyrie Irving the Celtics have relied on their young roster. That has resulted in  four straight wins and three consecutive on the road. Heading to Salt Lake City will be a stiffer test as the Jazz have won 24 of their last 29 games. Still in a nationally televised game look for the Celtics to continue their surprise road efforts. Grab Boston. 

For Tuesday, will take the value on the Denver Nuggets in consecutive road games. This comes in a spot that after last night’s blowout loss to the 76ers. This also marks the sixth straight road game for the Nuggets. Toronto’s standout home record has been in reverse with two home losses in their last three. While Toronto likely will maintain a double-digit lead early look for Denver for to finish on the proper side ATS. Grab Denver.  

Certain times top teams get flip-flopped ATS for appropriate reasons. Although Kansas is the one-seed and Duke has nine losses, it’s clear that Duke is the overall better team. This is a region mismatch for Kansas. Surely they’ll hang around but expect Coach K’s adjustments and depth to over ride Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Grab Duke. 

A winning streak is always going to catapult an ATS edge. The Spurs come into Sunday’s road matchup with a six-game win streak. The wins have been over quality teams such as the Pelicans, Timberwolves, Warriors, Wizards, and Jazz. Yet Saturday’s line move against the Bucks has more to do with the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Just hours before game time the line has continued to move north on the Spurs, hinting at Giannis resting another game. Either way, expect the Bucks to hold court at an irregular Sunday start time. 

Both Florida State and Michigan have elevated their regular season play in the big dance. Florida State’s combination of size/length is what gave Michigan problems in the Big Ten. Yet this is a case of a power five conference school over achieving and granting ATS buy down with top defeats over Xavier/Gonzaga. Grab Michigan.

Yesterday the Suns lost in blowout fashion on the road in Cleveland, and now travel to Orlando tonight. Phoenix has just one lone victory in their last twenty-one games and that came against tank-friendly Memphis. In a back to back scenario and both teams in tank-mode this is an opportunity to cash in on the underdog Suns. 

Both Texas Tech and Purdue faded late in the season. The Boilermakers lost three straight while Texas Tech lost five of seven. Yet the Red Raiders have the combination of defense and high depth advantage to get by Purdue. In fact, the Aggies are one of the few teams that have used their disposal of depth to over ride an opponents starting five. Not skipping a beat with substitutions in March Madness will be the thin line advantage for Chris Beard. Grab the Aggies.

After a two-game home stand the Miami Heat head back on the road to face Oklahoma City. The Heat have been sporadic on the road which was showcased in their most recent road trip. Yet, they’re coming off two dominant home wins in which they showcased an average of 134 points. Meanwhile Oklahoma City is coming off a sloppy road loss to Boston. Look for OKC to showcase the tired legs returning home. Grab Miami. 

A coaches nightmare in March Madness is facing a conference rival. Friday, West Virginia meets Villanova whom were former conference rivals in the Big East five years ago. While Coach Huggins has adapted his team over time to fit the Big 12, Jay Wright has kept the core philosophy intact for Nova. That’s a high strength for the Wildcats to attack a West Virginia team that lacks consistency. Grab Villanova.

Aside from two home games the Detroit Pistons have spent March on the road. In fact, dating back to February 25th they’ve played ten of thirteen games on the road. Tonight’s matchup in Houston marks their seventh consecutive road game. While Houston has been an ATS juggernaut this is a spot that screams value on Detroit. Grab the Pistons.

Familiar coaches have reappeared in the sweet sixteen. Quietly overlooked over this week has been Michigan’s John Beilein. Perhaps with the conference not in peak form has something to do with it. Yet, tonight’s matchup for Michigan could be their best thus far in the tournament. Texas A&M has dominated with size but still has issues with their back court. Look for Beilein’s plethora of depth at the guard position and offensive balance to offset the Aggies. Grab Michigan. 

Winning consecutive games at the buzzer is a recipe for falling short the next round. For Loyola Chicago having a break before the sweet sixteen was the best thing for them. They can now regroup to face a Nevada team more fortunate than them to be in this scenario. That’s the difference tonight as Loyola has showcased an ability to play forty minutes while Nevada is more of a streaky team. Take Loyola Chicago. 

Monday, St. Mary’s will take on a Washington team that surprised everyone in the Pac-12 this year. New Coach Mike Hopkins has brought in the 2-3 zone from Syracuse. Bettors minds are now infatuated with the zone off of Syracuse’s week and may be setup for the trap here. Washington’s youth combined with the Pac-12’s abysmal showing in March are worrisome. Grab the Gaels here.

Clemson showed off a new skillset against New Mexico State with on outpour of offense. That was against a smaller less athletic team. Can they do the same against Auburn? This is a spot where both teams faded down the stretch in the regular season but for Clemson it was injury driven. They’re the better coached team and likely would have been a three-seed if not for five losses in their final eight games.

The Rockets aim for a four-game series sweep over the Minnesota Timberwolves. All of which have been blowout victories by the margin of eighteen points. With the Timberwolves in a back to back spot and oddsmakers had no choice but to inflate this line. Grab the Timberwolves who have the depth to play in an up and down affair with the Rockets. 

Typically teams from the mid-majors with a strong resume garner much attention ATS. New Mexico State’s been a key force the past several years without any mid-major buzz. Meanwhile Clemson has not been the same force they were in the middle of conference play. They wore down a bit and are missing that one key piece for the tournament. Grab New Mexico State.

Out in the ACC one of the more under-rated teams this year was Virginia Tech. One can argue this team of the Hokies is less talented than last year’s, but they’ve found a way to play true team basketball. Look for the Hokies to snap a late-season slide that saw them lose three of four games. That’s created value against the momentum building Tide. 

The twelve versus five matchup is always circled and has a right to be here. Kentucky came on hot to conclude the regular season but are they a true five seed? Likely not which spells trouble against a Davidson team that boasts two electric scorers. Peyton Aldridge whom averages 21.5 points and Kellan Grady who averages 18. Look for Davidson to hold their own against Kentucky. Grab Davidson.

Once post-season begins you can count on oddsmakers tilting the line on certain teams. Duke is one against an Iona team that isn’t of the caliber of years past. Still, Duke has struggled to contain teams down the stretch in the ACC, and has shown a vulnerability defensively. That’ll be enough for the Gaels to cover a steep number. Grab Iona.

Grand Canyon will aim to defend their stout home record of 17-2 as they take on the Mercer Bears. Out of the Southern conference this is an odd time slot for Mercer coupled with the time zone change. The Bears led by four seniors seemed to show a last hoorah effort towards the end of regular season with eight straight wins. Playing in a post-season tournament of the CBI’s caliber usually is looked down upon from big programs for letdowns. Here, look for that to be the case for a Mercer team that had high hopes to win the Southern Conference. Grab Grand Canyon.

Cal State Fullerton looks to grab a three-game edge on the season over UC Davis. They won a home affair in blowout fashion of 85-70 and a road late season matchup in a close 68-66 game. Those two victories are the difference in CS Fullerton being a subpar Big West team which is who they are. At a neutral site oddsmakers the value lies on UC Davis. Grab the Aggies.

The boosted theme of Arizona being re-energized finally looked the part yesterday. They pulled away from Colorado after a tight first half. Yet this is a tricky spot for Arizona. UCLA is one of the teams that has caught a new level. With them being on the bubble they’ll come out with another heightened game of intensity. Grab UCLA. 

There are typically chase teams in the NBA that bettors can’t get off of. Detroit started the season with an impressive home record with favorable lines. The addition of Blake Griffin has not done much to boost their performance. With a close overtime loss to the Raptors tonight’s game against the down trodden Bulls screams chase. Eight points is far too high. Grab the Bulls.

You hardly see a team with eleven straight victories not get much ATS attention. Yet that’s the case for St. Bonaventure and with good reason. They’ve pulled out wins with late runs and tight finishes. Richmond has been a popular underdog in the A-10 and won with ease against a dark horse Duquense team Thursday. Yet, St. Bonaventure will sense the moment to solidify a bid tonight. Grab St. Bonaventure.