Western Kentucky’s starting lineup adjustments from a season ago has produced just a .500 record. They’ll face a Belmont team in which they lost a year ago 75-72. A positive for Western Kentucky is the fact that starting senior guard Lamonte Bearden returned for his first game action in their last outing. That’ll give them a spark but look for Belmont’s winning ways to continue in the win column and ATS.

Consecutive losses from Northern Kentucky on the road offers value as they return home Sunday.  This is a veteran team that many expect to take their conference title. Miami Ohio has the weapons offensively to not be deterred in a road environment. Grab the road value coming out of the MAC in Miami Ohio.

In their last matchup Arizona nearly pulled off a great comeback win over Alabama. They fell short to suffer their first loss against a non top-ten team this season. Saturday they’ll face a Baylor team that’s coming off it’s first road game of the season, a 71-63 loss to Wichita State. That’s presented value on a Bears team that’s at it’s lowest point in the eyes of oddsmakers in quite over seven years. 

The Zags tough non-conference schedule showcased they were susceptible to key runs. Lacking the full offensive repertoire has occurred for the Zags in recent games against Washington and Tennessee. Now further travel to North Carolina puts them in further jeopardy against a Tar Heels team eager to re-showcase itself. It’s last key matchup was a nationally televised 84-67 loss to Michigan. Grab North Carolina.

Transfers amongst top programs are usually skipped over as it’s such a common occurrence. Kentucky’s guard Quade Green made the announcement he will transfer after the Wildcats loss to Seton Hall. Look for his announcement and a week of rest to be a factor ATS against the Utah Utes.  Three recent losses by the Utes against Hawaii, Northwestern, and BYU by double-digits which has skewed today’s line.

Many pre-season analysts harped on the Atlantic 10 as a poor conference this season. While the teams do struggle to score they play above average defense. VCU is one of those teams that’s not going to light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis. Today they’ll face a College of Charleston team with similar makeup but a size advantage. Yet look for free throws to key an ATS decision on the Rams side and end the Cougars five game win streak. 

Often times a young team with talent will get a pre-mature high ranking in the polls. Oregon’s 5-3 start to the season has showcased they’re far from being a top 25 team. They’ll face a dangerous San Diego team that has covered in matchups against Washington, Colorado, Ole Miss, and San Diego State. Expect the Toreros to wear down in the second half in a tough road environment. Grab Oregon.

Wichita State has obvious holes in their team makeup that will keep them from the big dance in March. At 4-4 they had respectable close losses to Davidson and Alabama before a blowout road loss this past weekend to Oklahoma. They’ll return home to face a Jacksonville State team that is a bad matchup for the Shockers. Grab the value on Jacksonville State.

The Cowboys have enjoyed six days off after their thrilling comeback win over South Carolina last Wednesday. After tonight’s game against Denver they’ll be off for ten more days. Rest and the fact that the Cowboys have not left the state of Wyoming since November 28th are factored into this spread. Grab the value on a Denver team that is winless on the road. 

For the second time this season Central Florida will host a smaller school as a ten point favorite. Against Northern Kentucky the Knights used a strong second half run to pull away and cover. Tuesday they’ll face a Georgia Southern team that was a smaller underdog against the Arizona Wildcats last week. Essentially oddsmakers are expecting the third straight road game of Georgia Southern to be an issue. Instead grab the value on Georgia Southern.

Neither Saint Louis or Oregon State’s strength of schedule is one to write home about. A strong upper class pairing for the Beavers is an advantage with Tres Trinkle Stephen Thompson. Both players are averaging over 17 PPG. With Saint Louis coming off a loss to Southern Illinois value may seem to be against them. Instead look for their defense that clamped down on Seton Hall earlier this season to be on showcase. Grab Saint Louis. 

Gonzaga has passed the gauntlet of tests thus far with wins over Duke, Creighton, and a survival win against Washington. It’s an unusual strong non-conference schedule for the Zags that has propelled them to the top team in the country. If not for an overtime loss to Kansas we could have been watching a one versus two showdown today. Expect the Vols to be the latest team to test the Zags as they cover the small number. 

When the radar is well known on bad teams that’s when attraction can be had. The California Bears were just trounced at home by the San Francisco Dons 79-60.  Yale, St. Mary’s, and San Francisco all toppled the Bears by thirteen points or more this season. Yet look for an unexpected contribution and for the Bears to be able to capitalize on a sluggish finish from the Aztecs. Grab California. 

Undefeated teams with weak non-conference schedules have been falling rapidly this past week in college basketball. After a mini-break in their schedule the Houston Cougars could be next in that department. They’ll face an Oklahoma State team that has dropped two straight on the road after an impressive home win against LSU. That’s where the value lies here as Oklahoma State does not pull off the ATS cover in their home return.

Not seen in college basketball are division one teams in a formidable conference winless. LaSalle is 0-9 but has ATS covers under their belt against both Philadelphia area schools in Temple and Villanova. In their arena today against another Big 5 Philadelphia school one would expect LaSalle to fight to break out of their winless start. Yet look for Penn’s sound basketball play to overwhelm the Explorers. 

The Pepperdine Waves have grown in the 2018-2019 season thanks to a key move by the coaching staff. Their allowing a young back-court to thrive led by sophomore Jade Smith and 19.9 PPG scorer in sophomore Colbey Ross. The continuity is already there with the starting five but takes hits another gear thanks to their sixth man playing starters minutes in senior guard Eric Cooper Jr. Grab Pepperdine on the point drop down against Riverside. 

The makeup of the California Bears does not look like a power five collegiate team. Overall they’re just 2-4 and if not for a couple of tune up non-conference games it likely would be worse. Wednesday they’ll take on a San Francisco team traveling back from Ireland after sustaining their first loss to Buffalo. Look for the Dons to experience a bit of road travel fatigue in the first ten to twelve minutes before toppling a Cal Bears team that isn’t up to their caliber. 

A starting five with balance is hard to deter on their home floor. San Diego State boasts a starting back court of seniors with Devin Watson and Jeremy Hemsley. All five starters are relevant as each is averaging double-figures. Yet look for the Toreros to continue their ascent led by dynamite scorer Isaiah Pineiro.

The Dayton Flyers faced the tough portion of their non-conference schedule and came out of it 1-3. Three straight losses to Virginia, Oklahoma, and Mississippi State were all fairly close respectable losses. Oddsmakers see it that way as they made them sizable favorites against a young but exciting Detroit team. Detroit has an electric freshmen in Antoine Davis. Dayton’s low-scoring ways will have to change to cover a mid-teens line. Expect that to come to fruition as they increase the pace of their offense to prep for Auburn.

Central Florida has shown their versatility as a team filled with upper class-men. To start the year they’re 6-1 and have won in a variety of ways. Their strength of schedule should have them prepared against a Missouri team that’s struggling out the gate. Yet this is also UCF’s first true road game. Look for the number to be a factor and advantage for Missouri. 

The Friars will take on a Rhode Island team transitioning from prior Coach Dan Hurley. Extended rest of a full week for the Rams will not lead to expected synergy against their in-state rivals. Instead grab the value on the Friars Saturday.

Adversity in college hoops sometimes comes with anticipated scheduling. That’s the case for Nevada as they embark on a tough portion of their non-conference schedule. After traveling to Loyola-Chicago they venture to LA to take on the Pac-12 USC Trojans. The Trojans are a high scoring threat and a chance to upset a top team always poses as a scare. Yet look for the veteran Wolf Pack to continue their rapid rise.

San Diego has jumped out to a 5-1 start and could very easily be 6-0. Boasting four seniors will put them in contention to pose a threat as the second best team in the WCC. Their quality play against Pac-12 schools in Washington and Colorado is a barometer test tonight against an Ole Miss SEC squad that’s in program transition. Yet look for the Rebels depth to pose as an advantage and for the Rebels to squeeze out a late ATS cover. 

One of the eye-popping opening night comebacks in college basketball was Georgia Southern’s against George Mason. Down 20 points at halftime they roared back to win 98-89. It’s a program that’s found their niche in recruiting primarily in Georgia/Florida. While East Tennessee has the better strength of schedule Georgia Southern is the more efficient team. Grab Georgia Southern

Change over amongst the South Carolina Gamecocks features several new starters. The back court features a defensive transfer guard from Georgetown in Tre Campbell, whom should have an impact tonight against Wofford’s electric scorer Fletcher Magee. On the other side Wofford has all five starters back from last year’s blowout 73-52 loss to the Gamecocks. While the personnel has changed for the Gamecocks look for Frank Martin to deploy several defensive strategies with the Terriers veteran roster. Grab South Carolina.

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. 

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Today Old Dominion will face a Louisiana Tech team that’s been erratic at 17-15. This is the type of team that would have given Old Dominion trouble last year as their offense was prone to dry spells. With a late-season loss to Western Kentucky by twenty-two points Old Dominion looked a bit fatigued. They followed that up with a poor five point home victory over FAU (sixteen point favorites). This has created value in the C-USA tournament. Grab ODU. 

USC is one of the few teams that does not belong on the back line of last teams in March Madness. Yet that’s the predicament they’re in. Minus ineligible guard De’Anthony Melton the Trojans got stronger and a case can be made they have once again minus injured forward Bennie Boatwright. Without Boatwright they had won four straight before a double-digit loss to UCLA. It was a loss masked by an incredible late run by UCLA. Off of Oregon State’s close win over Washington, they have the look of a team primed for another tournament win. Yet, USC will showcase their superior guard play to win and cover ATS. 

Over President’s Day Weekend one of the nail-biter ATS conclusions was Stanford on the road against California. A seesaw sloppy offensive game from both teams resulted in an ATS push. It was a game that Stanford had their opportunities but you could see the Sunday evening slot combined with a road matchup affected them. Oddsmakers pushed this line up by 4 points. Expect a refreshed energized game from the Cardinal.

Boston College has been a team that has shown strides as a turn around program in college basketball. Today they’ll aim to take another big step as they take on NC State. Just a few weeks ago NC State defeated Boston College by sixteen points. Look for Boston College to carry momentum from yesterday’s tourney win and keep within the number.

Milwaukee will look to advance to the Horizon league finals as they take on Wright State. Thus far this season Milwaukee has the upper hand with two wins over Wright State. In a tournament format this is an opportune time to take the points here on Milwaukee. They run a solid half-court offense that should give Wright State problems yet again. Grab Milwaukee.

For the second consecutive year UNC Greensboro will meet East Tennessee State in the Southern Conference finals. For UNC Greensboro they survived an ugly game yesterday against Wofford thanks to the heroic efforts of Francis Alonso. East Tennessee State has the recognition of prior seasons and solid covers in the opening rounds of the Southern Conference. Yet, their late season slide of three losses in a row will rear its head with their third game in three days. Grab UNC-Greensboro.

Today in the Horizon league’s second tournament game IUPUI will take on Oakland. This is a spot where Oakland is likely feeling the opportunity is on their side with Northern Kentucky falling Saturday. Yet even with IUPUI’s subpar record they have a recent 74-67 win over Oakland. Take the points here. 

Three years ago both Manhattan and Iona were the class of their conference. Now both are having subpar years with the MAAC conference tournament beginning. Defeating a team three times in a year is always tough, but this is even a higher grade. Iona defeated Manhattan handily both times this year but their latest matchup was a mere seven days ago. Grab the value on the Jaspers. 

Out in the Sun Belt, a former popular team ATS has rebound their confidence in UT-Arlington. They’ve won five of their last seven games with high improvement offensively. Yet, they have a weak link ATS that should come into play tonight. They’ve lost eight of nine road games including four straight. Grab Texas State.

A revenge spot is in place tonight in the Big 12 as TCU hosts Kansas State. Both teams stand at 20-9 which means tonight’s game huge for seeding advancement. Yet this is a value spot on the underdog Wildcats.  The revenge angle and fact that TCU has blown out their last three opponents at home by double-digits in no sweat easy covers. 

Out in the CAA no one saw the steep slide and struggles of Elon occurring. They’ve lost four straight games, which all were by double digits. Their opponent today in Northeastern is once again near the top of the conference with a 13-4 overall record. With their twelve point victory earlier this season against Elon, you’d expect a higher spread here. That’s telling by the oddsmakers and value to not ignore. Grab Elon. 

ASU’s loss last Thursday to Arizona was an exact copy of their home loss to Oregon earlier this season.  They were to sporadic offensively and did not have enough left in the tank to fight back at the end. Traveling up to Oregon doesn’t figure to bode well for the Sun Devils, yet there were positives in ASU’s home loss to Arizona. Defensively they fought for more loose balls and had proper spacing offensively. Look for the Sun Devils to hit an unseen gear in conference play tonight. Grab ASU.

Off of two straight losses UT-Arlington is suddenly 16-12. This is not what UT Arlington fans were expecting from a team known for their strong non-conference abilities. Led by seniors Kevin Hervey (20.9 PPG) and senior Erick Neal (15.6 PPG) the Mavericks aren’t finding a defensive angle to uplift their scoring. One team that thwarted UT Arlington in an earlier conference game was Georgia Southern. With UT Arlington leading 21-8 the Eagles went on to hold the Mavericks to 38 points over the last thirty-two minutes. Grab the value on Georgia Southern once again.

ATS there may not have been a better team in the month of February than Detroit Mercy. Over the course of the month they went 4-1-1 against the number. Oddly enough their uplift in play came with a huge blow to the program on February 3rd. Multiple players were ruled ineligible due to academics including senior leader Jaleel Hogan. Grab Milwaukee to combat the improved play of Detroit.

Former top fifteen teams can be forgotten in a hurry at this stage of a college basketball season. USC entered the year as a top ten team before fading out in a hurry. USC currently has work to do if they’re going to sneak into the tournament. Looking back on their season one of their turn around games came at home against Colorado. It was the first game USC showed improved defense as they scored at will against Colorado. While many will see this as a revenge spot, look for the Trojans to showcase their hunger to get to the big dance. 

Clemson heads on the road Wednesday as they hope to prevent a three-game losing streak. In both losses to Florida State and Duke, Clemson had great opportunities to pull out the victories. For Virginia Tech they must showcase the same effort as their last game in which they won by twenty points against Georgia Tech. In the last two years in three conference matchups the outcome has been decided by three points or less. Yet, grab the Hokies to inch closer to a tournament bid. Grab Virginia Tech.

Top teams off a disappointing loss are hard to back ATS. Monday Northwestern will play on their home floor forty-eight hours after a heart break loss to Michigan State. In the game they led by 25 points which put their losing streak at three games. Their opponent Monday in Maryland needs to keep padding their resume(18-11) and go far in the Big 10 tournament to have a chance at a March Madness bid. Yet, look for Northwestern to erase the memory of their meltdown against the Spartans and rise to the occasion. Grab Northwestern. 

Mercer out of the Southern conference Saturday  finds themselves as slight home underdogs. This is a case of a conference leader in UNC Greensboro gaining oddsmakers trust with their season performance. This has grown to a peak with their dominating victory Monday over East Tennessee State. Yet look for an under achieving Mercer team to play beyond the level of UNC Greensboro. Grab Mercer.

Out in the MAC we will back Ohio as slight home favorites. The Bobcats are coming off a loss against Toledo in which they were down double digits the majority of the game. Yet they were able to score which should be a confidence booster at home against Miami-Ohio. Look for Miami-Ohio to show the effects from a tough game against Eastern Michigan. Grab Ohio.

Friday, the top two teams in the Horizon league square off in a nationally televised matchup between Northern Kentucky and Wright State. Wright State already has a showcase win on the road against Northern Kentucky but has lost two of four. It appears oddsmakers are valuing the Raiders road win over Northern Kentucky more. Yet don’t discount the veteran Northern Kentucky team that appears poised to get back to March Madness. Grab Northern Kentucky.

Friday, the MAC conference has a quick turn around from Tuesday’s games. Tonight Buffalo is heavy favorites at home against Bowling Green. The Bulls whom are the top team in the MAC conference with an 11-2 record will face the Falcons for the first time this season. Yet, Buffalo has tapered off a tad as their last eight games have been decided by fourteen points or less. They’ve also lost two of their last five games. Still, grab the value on a double-digit spread buy against the second best team in the MAC. Grab Buffalo.

In past seasons SMU has never been a team with a deep roster. Somehow they were able to avoid injuries but that has not been the case this season. Two key players in Shake Milton (hand) and  Jarrey Foster (ACL) are out. Losing freshman Tom Wilson as a transfer to Boise State in late December is also a forgotten piece. Yet, SMU has a style of play that matches up well against an inconsistent Memphis team. Look for better chemistry Wednesday from the Mustangs off an embarrassing 25 point home loss to the Bearcats. 

Friday, Davidson fell woefully short in a poor road performance against A-10 power Rhode Island. Traveling on the road Wednesday they’ll look to redeem that effort against VCU. For VCU this game is vital in their chances on gaining in the conference standings as a loss would put them in danger of the backline for the A-10 tournament. In the end look for Davidson’s better balance offensively to be the key. 

Consecutive losses by Kentucky has dropped them to seven on the season. Their opponent tonight in Texas A&M is suddenly back in the fold at 16-8. Texas A&M has used a better balanced offense to compete and are coming off their biggest win of the season against Auburn. Yet, Kentucky looked the most comfortable this year in a home win against the Aggies. Look for them to carry that momentum on the road against the Aggies.

One of the underperforming teams in conference this year has been Seton Hal. They were expected to contend with Villanova and instead are barely over .500 in conference. They’ve lacked the cohesion shown in non-conference play to be reliable ATS in conference. Five losses in their last seven games surely show a team wearing down. Yet, this is a good spot with a buy down line against a Hoyas team returning from a three-game road trip. Grab the Pirates. 

It’s obvious the A-10 is a down season. A positive has been Rhode Island who has ascended into the top twenty. Yet, tonight’s matchup also pins them in a tough spot. A nationally televised matchup and facing a team in Davidson that’s well prepared. Even though this is a home game look for Rhode Island look for Davidson to hold fort for forty minutes. Grab Davidson. 

Portland is yet another team that is showing out of nowhere signs trending upward. They’ve now won four of their last six games in the West coast conference after beginning league play at 0-6. One of their biggest embarrassments of conference play was an 84-61 home loss to San Francisco. Yet the final score is a bit misleading. Portland was within twelve points at the official timeout of the seven minute mark before San Francisco poured it on. Look for a much more competitive game in a revenge spot for Portland.

A conference team that no one expected to turn around their season was Stanford. Entering Pac-12 play they had a record below .500 at 6-7. Thanks to consecutive wins they’ve now moved to 7-4 in the Pac-12. Now they’ll face a stiff conclusion to their season as five of their last seven games are on the road. While Utah may seem in desperate need of a win, expect Stanford’s confidence to withstand to push through ATS.

Northeastern staved off a feisty UNC Wilmington team Saturday in overtime to avoid a three game losing streak. Thursday they’ll travel to Delaware in hopes of a season series sweep. In the prior matchup Northeastern actually trailed at halftime 31-28 only to explode for 48 second half points. Amidst a six game losing streak a home dog will get support. Yet expect Northeastern to pull away in similar fashion to the first meeting. Grab Northeastern. 

Four of five losses have dropped Louisville from a borderline ranked team to now in jeopardy of March Madness aspirations. Oddsmakers have shaded the line to double digits against a Georgia Tech team that has lost five of six games. Yet, Louisville’s struggles have surged defensively as they were exploited by a poor shooting Syracuse team Monday. Look for the Yellow Jackets to be the latest to find offensive success. Grab the Yellow Jackets.  

LaSalle has showed signs of turning things around in-conference as they’ve won two of their last three games. They’ll travel on the road against a George Washington team that is just 2-8 in conference. In fact, the Colonials have lost eight of their last nine games. Scoring efficiency has been their detriment as well as dynamic scorers in the A-10. Yet, look for George Washington to capitalize on being a slight home underdog. Grab GW.

Virginia continues to get it done on a big scale with just one loss. They’ve done it with improved offense and their suffocating half court defense. Syracuse already has a loss to Virginia earlier in conference play but found their rhythm at the tail end of that game. Look for the Orange to finally showcase some offense and pull out the cover in the dome.

Two teams with identical conference records at 5-7 meet tonight in Horizon league play. Green Bay will travel to Milwaukee hoping to emulate a home 99-92 victory earlier in conference play. Apparently oddsmakers have boosted Milwaukee in the revenge spot but also a lengthy home stretch. Tonight marks Milwaukee’s sixth consecutive home game that began on January 18th. This also marks Green Bay’s first road game since January 12th. Grab the value on that angle. 

Both Mercer and Furman come into Thursday’s matchup with five days rest since last Saturday. Oddsmakers continue to dangle improper value Mercer’s way. Throughout their current 10-12 season they’ve been underdogs of four points or higher only three times this season. They’re talent is apparent on the court but has not developed in the fashion you would expect in the Southern conference. Grab Furman to cash.

Two teams with identical 12-9 records will battle in the MAC as Eastern Michigan hosts Western Michigan. Both teams are coming off wins which makes tonight matchup even more important. With a small point spread Vegas is banking on the same thing. Here expect Eastern Michigan’s overall better defense and home court edge to prevail and get the cover for backers. 

Maintaining proper production for forty minutes on the road is extremely difficult in-conference. UT-Arlington found that out the hard way as they led for thirty minutes in their latest matchup against Georgia State, before the Panthers pulled away. Today, UT Arlington will get a better matchup against Georgia Southern. Yet, a consecutive road game produces the same result for UT Arlington. Grab Georgia Southern.

Jamie Dixon’s Horned Frogs are back in the fold after faltering for a stretch. They’ll travel to Vanderbilt as part of the Big 12 vs SEC classic. This should be a solid test for TCU even with Vanderbilt’s 7-13 record. On the year TCU has not been a good road team at 1-3. That’s where the value lies. Grab the Horned Frogs.

The Aggies precipitous fall from the top twenty-five looks uncommon from the outside. The fact of the matter was they were on the bubble of being ranked week one and gained momentum in non-conference. Yet they’ve won consecutive games in the SEC to move to 2-5 in conference. With both wins at home oddsmakers are putting bettors in an unseen position as the Aggies are 0-3 on the road in-conference. That’s where value lies. Grab the Aggies.

Thursday UCLA will travel to take on an Oregon State team that fared unsuccessful in a road trip to Arizona. The Beavers showed strong competitiveness to show their improvements against Arizona, and had a great chance to defeat ASU before melting late. For UCLA a possibility of looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup in Oregon is plausible. Still, even minus depth look for the Bruins to pull away from the Beavers.