Since a troubling loss to SMU, UConn has regrouped to win six of their last seven. It's created an end of season issue for oddsmakers to implement a proper line for the Huskies. Temple on the other hand has only four wins in American Conference play with two coming against Memphis. The personnel of the Huskies against the Owls fits the strategies Kevin Ollie has been held back at implementing this season. Grab UConn to continue their upward end of season finish.

Youngstown State

Saturday value lies in the Horizon league with the home team of Youngstown State. After receiving backing in their last home game against Wright State, Youngstown State faltered with a poor final fifteen minutes. Northern Kentucky on the other hand edged out an improving Cleveland State team after nearly surrendering a twelve point lead. Look for Northern Kentucky's issues with controlling pace/lead to lurk here on the road.

The A-10 hasn't received top twenty-five recognition but that hasn't derailed solid play. Friday in-state conference rivals meet, as VCU travels to take on Richmond. In-conference Richmond has gone 9-4 by using their veteran talent to take advantage of a young conference. VCU holds even more veteran leadership featuring a nine-man rotation with five seniors and two juniors. In a nationally televised game this is a chance for the Rams to make a statement to boost their at-large March Madness hopes. Grab the Rams. 

Thursday, the Oregon Ducks will look to gain a season-sweep over the Utah Utes. After a tight win in Salt Lake City just three weeks away, one may be leery of the Ducks having a flat performance. Yet, this Ducks team is starting to show proper maturation from last year's Elite 8 run and with sixth-year senior PG Dylan Ennis. They'll be ready for Utes system offense and defense and notch the ATS cover.

An abnormal steep line resides in the Southern conference on Wednesday between Samford and East Tennessee. A prime reason for this is oddsmakers see a worn down Samford team on a current three-game road trip. They've lost to Wofford in a four overtime affair, and that effort resulted in tired legs as they lost to Furman by seventeen points on Saturday. Climbing up the ladder in competition yet again against East Tennessee State figures to be another downfall game for the Bulldogs. Yet, East Tennessee State has a knack of pulling off the gas and letting teams back in. Grab the value on Samford.

On a rapid decline have been the UCF Knights who have lost six of their last seven games. A disheartening effort after receiving public backing in their latest loss to UConn figures to lessen their ATS value today. Yet, this is a smaller line thanks to the Knights losing streak and a blown late lead to Tulsa in January. Grab the Knights Tuesday, to get back into a proper offensive flow.

Sunday, we'll grab value on the home Mustangs as they take on the Bearcats. This is a crucial game for the Mustangs as they aim to improve committee eyes for seeding in March. In a two point loss in Cincinnati earlier this season, the Mustangs in-game adjustments proved to be too late as they whittled away a double-digit deficit. Yet, look for the Mustangs to attack weaknesses exposed late in that game to grab an early lead and hold on ATS.

Wisconsin-Green Bay +3.5

Wright State will look to exact revenge from a 17 point loss earlier in conference play to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Yet, I look for Green Bay's dynamic offense to pose similar problems as their first matchup. Grab Green Bay to sweep the season series against the Raiders.

Villanova -3.5

Villanova is raking up the wins but they're falling short against the number. It's the exact opposite of what occurred a season ago. Saturday will be another tough matchup  as Xavier is searching for a statement tournament resume game. While Villanova's been playing a notch below their capabilities on both ends of the floor, they're a veteran group ready to take down an overachieving Musketeer team.

Thursday, Mercer will aim to duplicate an earlier conference win against VMI in which they won 68-50. At home, VMI has been competitive as of late losing by just a basket to Samford and holding a seven point halftime lead over East Tennessee State. Traveling on the road for the first time in five games is a cause of concern for a young Mercer team. Yet, the Bears have a knack for winning the battle at the free throw line with wide disparity. Grab the Bears to sweep the series.  

We'll grab the value here on Western Michigan traveling on the road against Miami-Ohio. Both teams have records well below .500, with Western Michigan playing far below their talent level. Issues that have caused both teams to falter are inconsistent halves of play. Western Michigan is known to blow first half leads, while Miami-Ohio digs themselves in too far of a hole in the first half. Tonight, look for the opposite as Miami-Ohio sustains an early first half lead with Western Michigan utilizing their balance to pull away in the second half.

Clemson +7.5

Florida State returns to their home floor Sunday after a topsy turvy three game road trip. They'll face a Clemson team that's on a two-game win streak after losing six straight. Even though FSU stormed past Miami in their latest game, there are still too many issues to back them at this number. Clemson is a veteran team that is in dire need to improve a poor tournament resume. Back the Tigers here. 

The Horizon league has been a tough conference to figure out this season. Two teams aiming to gain momentum before the Horizon conference tournament are Northern Kentucky and Wright State. While, Wright State is the hotter team I believe Northern Kentucky has glaring matchup advantages to be a top road underdog play for Saturday. Grab the Norse here.

Northern Illinois may have lost three of their last four, but they showed strong upside in a close loss to top conference opponent in Akron. Eastern Michigan themselves is also on the same slide. Coach Rob Murphy runs the same 2-3 zone defense he brought over from Syracuse six years ago. It's a style that is hard to run in power five conferences as fatigue sets in mid-way through conference play. Running it in the MAC with lesser skilled athletes wears even further. Look for Northern Illinois to have a field day against the zone Saturday.

Two teams that figured to have upside at the tail end of last season in the Atlantic ten were George Washington and Richmond. George Washington's success was thwarted with the firing of their former coach, and Richmond's failed to live up to the expectations of boasting a roster filled with upper classmen. Yet, Saturday expect Richmond's leadership and on-court skill to flourish against an overwhelmed George Washington team.

How much worse can Shaka Smart's 2016-2017 campaign get in Texas? Saturday could get ugly as TCU is returning home after an abysmal stretch. Before they went on the road to Texas Tech they Horned Frogs stood at 14-3 overall. They've lost four of their last five, and needed overtime to defeat Kansas State. Look for a refocused TCU team that will be the latest Big 12 school to pick on the Longhorns.

A team not use to a subpar season is Wofford of the Southern Conference. Thursday they must aim to avoid another season low against in-conference and also fellow South Carolina school in Citadel. Citadel has already had a prime upset over Wofford as a fifteen point underdog. Yet, Citadel is giving up a whopping 92 points a game over an eight game stretch. Grab Wofford to get revenge on a down season for them.

Central Florida will be playing their second road game in Texas, having lost to Tulsa on Saturday. In the contest UCF went from a 2.5 point underdog to Pick, in a line move that was unwarranted in an eleven point loss for UCF. Still, I'll side with UCF's advantage having defeated Houston already this year at home. Take the Knights to bounce back in Texas against a stronger opponent.

Saturday in the WCC Pacific will look to end a four game losing streak as they host San Francisco. The losing streak started with a lopsided 72-51 loss at the hands of the Dons. While, San Francisco is at the end of a three-game road trip look for them to bounce back nicely after a poor second half against St. Mary's.

The most discussed look ahead loss this week was Kentucky's to Tennessee. In my eyes it was Florida State's loss to Georgia Tech. Since Syracuse joined the ACC the Orange have dominated the Seminoles with three blowout wins. The Seminoles got their first win over the Orange late last season, and will look to end Syracuse's unblemished ACC record.

An underachieving Old Dominion team will look to regain form on the road against conference opponent Rice. Having lost consecutive games facing an opponent in Rice that they defeated a few weeks back would seem to be a confidence booster. Instead, look for Rice to be better prepared here on their home floor. Grab the slight favorite here.

Both Arizona State and Washington have had extreme downfalls in their hoops programs. Yet, ASU is coming off spirited basketball on their latest three game road trip. All were losses to Utah, UCLA, and USC, but they challenged each team. Although both teams are below .500, ASU has the scoring prowess to run away in this one. Grab the Devils.

We'll grab the value here on the home dog South Florida Bulls for Saturday. After seeing their coach let go, the Bulls have suffered blown out losses. Yet, they showed signs of better offensive play against Central Florida. Look for South Florida to take advantage of home advantage with a Tulsa team traveling across the country consecutive Saturday's.

Just two Friday's ago, Oakland was four point underdogs against Valparaiso on the road. The dominating win now looks like it may have over valued them. Over the Golden Grizzlies last three games they defeated UIC by one point, lost to Detroit as 17 point favorites, and lost to Cleveland State. Although Northern Kentucky already has lost to Oakland, I expect them to use their home crowd and aggression to attack a vulnerable Oakland team.

A reeling UConn Huskies squad will travel to Texas to take on an SMU team that's rolling. Over the years SMU has had it's way against UConn including an 80-54 loss in Dallas last season. Still, as much as UConn is down, this is a contest that the Huskies match up well in. They have the interior defense to pose problems for SMU, and an edge in the back court. We'll take the points here on heightened decreased value on the Huskies.

A traumatic team loss due to injury is the normal ATS value decliner. Losing a team leader via transfer is becoming more and more of an issue for oddsmakers to adjust. Before Isaac Copeland decided to transfer the Hoyas were already playing subpar. Without him they've somehow managed to find a better team identity. Look for that to be on display once again at home against a Friars team that's at the back end of the Big East this season.

Monday, we'll grab the value on DePaul as they travel to take on the Johnnies in NYC. DePaul's coming off a demoralizing 83-58 loss to Marquette just on Saturday. The Johnnies also defeated DePaul in Chicago by the score of 79-73. DePaul's grueling schedule of facing six top fifteen teams in their next nine games may obscure value. But look for them to challenge St John's as they did on their home floor.

Earlier in the season Temple showcased a glimmer of positive basketball. In consecutive games they defeated teams currently in the top ten in West Virginia and Florida State. Since, they've vastly under performed. In fact, they've lost six of their last ten games. This is a spot where you can count on Temple taking advantage of a Tulsa team off a strong win against Memphis. Grab the Owls.

We'll grab the Friars as an early AM play. At 12-4 Seton Hall seems to have the far upper hand against a Friars team that's lost five of their last six. An advantage here for the Friars is they're at home, which wasn't the case in four of their recent losses. Look for the Friars to step up to the challenge and jump on a Seton Hall team in the midst of a three-game road trip.

We'll take the points here as Wisconsin Green Bay has won seven straight, and coming off a win over Horizon power Northern Kentucky. In fact there's a 1.5 difference from oddsmakers from their matchup against Northern Kentucky. Both Wright State and Green-Bay are coming off polar opposite second half performances, in which Wright St. blew a fourteen point halftime lead while Green Bay came back to win down ten points at half. Look for Wright State to have a better defensive performance in a tough road spot. Grab Wright State.

We'll land Louisville here. This is where coaching strength plays a pivotal role ATS. Coach Pitino and his staff have the upper hand here on a Pittsburgh team filled with experienced players. Meanwhile a new staff at Pittsburgh just showed it's woes against familiarity as they were crushed by an underperforming Syracuse team. While Louisville tends to have lapses offensively, this should be a game they get both strong defense and offense. Grab the Cardinal.

Tuesday, we have two teams in the Big Ten that have fallen out of the Top 25 in Indiana and Maryland. The Hoosiers dropping out of the top twenty-five comes as a bigger surprise as they were pre-season ranked in the top fifteen. Two strong wins against UNC and Kansas have remained their lone ATS value signal callers. From a talent standpoint Maryland is no where near the level they were the last three seasons. Yet, they're getting better all around play from defined roles. That'll be the difference Tuesday. Grab the Terrapins.

In non-conference play Purdue's lone losses were against Louisville and Villanova. Fresh in people's minds was their home loss last week at home against Minnesota. In the game I profiled how Purdue let their opponent play to their strength on their home floor. While Wisconsin is a difficult team to game plan for, they are a team that has exceeded everyone's expectations offensively thus far. On the road against a quality opponent like Purdue I expect the 50/50 balls to head to the home team, and for the Boilermakers to showcase there a true contender. 

Saturday in the ACC we have several factors to make Florida State a play. One, in the opening week of conference play ACC opponents beat up on each other. Secondly, Virginia Tech's appearance in the Top 25 coupled with FSU's entrance has perceived value on the underdog Hokies. Yet, Virginia Tech is a team that I have tabbed as being a non-conference flip flopper. Meaning their strength in non-conference will not carry over to ACC play. They lack depth, size, and are a jump shooting/putback team. That doesn't bode well against a Florida State team that excels at all of VTech's mediocre strengths. Grab FSU. 

Two familiar top Horizon opponents square off Friday between Oakland and Valparaiso. Over the years this has been Valparaiso's conference to run. With several upperclassmen leading the way including Tevonn Walker and Alec Peters, one would believe Valpo is the side here. Yet, the departure of former Coach Bryce Drew has left this team with an unclassified strength. Oakland's balanced scoring will be enough to cover this small number on the road.

ASU's a team that has had as many issues as any major conference team. Second year coach Bobby Hurley lost every nationally televised game in lopsided fashion to Kentucky, Creighton, and Purdue. This is where you can envision the strength of a non-conference schedule raising value. As Colorado played a subpar non-conference schedule that featured their strongest wins as a two-point win over Xavier and a win over an over rated Texas team. Grab ASU here to cover as a slight home underdog.

Coaching at the start of conference play is an obvious strength for top programs. A forgotten top coach has been Mark Few of the Zags. He has his Zags in line for a strong year and delivered an obvious message at halftime in their latest victory against Pacific. In the win the Zags trailed 34-29 at halftime before hitting a new gear in the second half. The Dons are a competitive team but no match for the defensive intensity the Zags are capable of. Grab the Zags as steep road favorites.

Out in the Colonial conference we'll aim to grab value on Delaware as a double digit road underdog against Northeastern. Northeastern has the standout value attractive to sports bettors with wins on the road over UConn and Michigan State. Yet, they're also a team that was below .500 at 4-5 December 6th. Five straight wins has skied their value ATS. Facing off against a Delaware team that has a tall order of issues offensively would seem to pose value for Northeastern to reach 10-5. They might but look for the Blue Hens under rated defense to be a factor, and for the Blue Hens to convert some three point shots. Grab Delaware.

Is this the moment of the season Richmond starts to show their veteran poise? Led by senior TJ Cline the Richmond Spiders are coming off their most impressive win of the season in a road victory over Davidson. Still of their seven wins this season they've only mustered one winning streak (Robert Morris-Hampton), which is a cause for concern in a conference game. With Fordham having lost seven of their last eight games value is detracted from this point spread by a solid margin of two to three points. Grab the Rams here.

Perhaps there aren't two teams that have shocked thus far in the ACC as much as Boston College and Wake Forest. Boston College defeated Providence as double-digit underdogs and took apart Syracuse's zone defense this past weekend. Wake Forest on the other hand had started off 9-3 before losing their first two ACC games. While many would expect Boston College to lay an egg heading on the road here, I believe they have gained confidence. Look for Wake Forest to feel the pressure of needing this win to avoid an 0-3 ACC conference start.

Monday, College of Charleston will travel to Delaware as sizable favorites. Delaware as a whole is a team with experience, but also one that has vast skill set deficiencies across the board. On paper they've managed to stay in half their losses competitively in narrow defeats. In their wins they have won with defense but have managed an average of 63.5 points. That's the key here as the College of Charleston's strength is defense, which should disrupt a turnover prone Delaware squad. Grab Charleston.

The Pac-12 has had an interesting start to the season, as UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona have flip-flopped continuously in the top twenty five. Both Colorado and Utah were prior top twenty-five teams in years past but are now dealing with the loss of top graduating classes. Although Utah lacks the skill set offensive players Colorado has, they do still play solid half-court defense. Look for the Utes to carry the strength of their defense and home crowd to victory Sunday.

Present and past Butler teams have been known to lose head scratchers. Losses to Indiana State and St. John's showcase that this season. Yet, this is a team capable of being a top fifteen team and I expect them to bounce back solidly before a big mid-week game against Villanova. While the Big East has drawn praise for the top-level conference teams, Providence has been the lone regression strength team from prior seasons.

There's no denying Mark Price's solid job in what is perceived to be a turn around from his first year. The 49ers started off 6-2 before losing their last three games to Wake Forest, Florida, and Maryland. While North Texas's non-conference schedule was considerably weaker with similar results, this is a solid matchup for them. They run an effective small ball lineup similar to Wake Forest that posed immense issues for Charlotte. Look for the balance of North Texas to cause fits for the home 49ers.

George Washington has done their best to stay on target after losing players to transfer with the firing of their former coach. In fact, they had won five of their last six prior to their last loss against Miami. Friday, facing a Saint Joseph's team that's lost just as much talent from last year's tournament team figures to be a proper challenge for the Colonels. Yet this is a home spot where you can expect Saint Joseph's to close out this game in the final five minutes. Grab Saint Joseph's.

Record-wise Northern Kentucky (9-4) versus Detroit (2-10) looks like a clear mismatch.  Yet, oddsmakers aren't fooled by the non-conference schedule of Northern Kentucky. Detroit's youth in the starting lineup (2 Freshman/2 Sophomores) has caused senior Chris Jenkins to struggle thus far. In non-conference play he shot the ball a career low 39.8% from the field, well below his sophomore low of 45%. Northern Kentucky's lapses defensively have been on exhibit against lowly Austin Peay and top twenty-five West Virginia. Look for Detroit to find their confidence to start conference play.

We've tailed against Michigan State throughout non-conference play. Pre-season expectations were clearly misleading as the Spartans tallied five losses, including a head-scratcher to Northeastern as 12.5 point favorites. The Gophers have played well against the Spartans in years past against their formidable teams. A 12-1 start would  seem to suggest this is a spot to take the Gophers. Instead, look for the Spartans to lean on their tough schedule to test a Gopher team that's strongest matchup was their lone loss against Florida State.

Will SMU's balanced attack and size advantage get them past Memphis? Both teams enter conference play with three non-conference losses. To not be mistaken in this matchup is Memphis's ability to score just as well as SMU. The two point spread on SMU's side has more to do with their strength of schedule and better overall defense. Yet, I'll back Memphis here on a home court advantage and their ability to score in bunches. Grab the Tigers.

A subpar San Diego State team looks to avoid their fifth loss of the season against San Francisco. The game takes place in Hawaii as part of the Diamond Classic. Yet I like SDState here based on their strength of schedule versus the Dons, whose one main win comes against a Utes team also struggling. Grab SDState to right the ship before Mountain West play begins. 

A fairly weak schedule looks even worse for the Eagles as they've lost three of their last five games. Losses were to Harvard, Hartford, and Fairfield, which has shone the spotlight on today's spread. Providence is 8-2 and showcasing the defensive-offensive balance that has boosted Ed Cooley led Friars squads of the past. Still, this is not the same level of Friars team we're use to seeing. Look for the Eagles to play with a high intensity and put forth a sound effort.

South Florida

South Florida had issues prior but now those have grown as top scorer Jahmel Murray has decided to transfer. That leaves a steep void of twenty points per game against a veteran Delaware team. Still, Delaware does not have great size or boast solid defense. This is the type of methodical game you'd expect the Bulls to be able to handle. Grab South Florida.

There may not be a team in need of conference play more than Georgia State. Boasting former Indiana Hoosier Jeremy Hollowell, former Charlotte 49er Willie Clayton, and Alabama transfer Devin Mitchell has not helped elevate the Panthers. Their last two losses have been by double-digits against Mississippi State and Old Dominion on single-digit point spreads. In fact, all four of their road games this season were losses by an average of fifteen point. Relentless style of play from Middle Tennessee is going to create rushed shots, turnovers, and a brand of basketball uncomfortable to Georgia State.

This would seem like a spot that the Blue Jays would slip up. It's the end of non-conference play and the Blue Jays showed rust in their last game(1-point win over Oral Roberts). ASU also has intel on the Blue Jays as they defeated the Blue Jays last season 79-77. Still, the Sun Devils are a disorganized team that is playing below standard similar to Oregon State. Grab Creighton to pounce on the Sun Devils even on the road.

The Pirates offense rank is abysmal, as they're coming off an atrocious performance against Charleston. Now the Pirates step up in class against another Carolina school in UNC Wilmington. This figures to be a mismatch with how potent the Seahawks are. Yet, the Pirates are a veteran team that have received downgraded play from both Kentrell Barkley and BJ Tyson. Look for both to step up and be catalysts against the Seahawks. Take the points here.

SMU's talented starting five has rolled off four straight wins after a 4-3 start. In fact SMU's offensive efficiency features four players that average double-figures led by senior Ben Moore and Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye. At home they're undefeated at 7-0. Yet the bench recently thinned as they lost Harry Froling who decided to transfer. That's an issue against a defensive minded Stanford team. Even though they've lost two of three I like the points here on a line two to three points higher than it should be.

Having won three straight the Michigan State Spartans are now 7-4. Losses to Arizona, Kentucky, Duke, and Baylor will look like an acceptable resume when you creep to 8-4 and 9-4 before conference play. Yet, I like the value here on Northeastern. At 5-5, they have not won or lost a game by more than ten points. In fact all five of their losses have been by six points or less. They'll play tough for the full forty minutes and give the Spartans another hard fought battle.

Playing well below their capabilities have been Old Dominion. At 5-4, many people probably have already forgot that their first loss came in two overtimes against a talented Louisville team. They also were in all three of their other losses to LSU, Rhode Island, and recently VCU (surrendered a double digit lead late). Georgia State's subpar defense should open the door for an Old Dominion team that has under achieved offensively.

UIC +8.5

Finding offense after losing a player that averages twenty points per game is tough to do in a power five conference. UIC will try to do it as they lost Dikembe Dixon to an ACL tear in their latest game against DePaul. Loyola Chicago has won six of their last seven, with an added offensive dimension to their typical strong defense. Sometimes subtraction of a star player brings forth a strong effort and higher level of focus on both sides of the court. Look for UIC to play team basketball and hold within the spread.

We'll grab Bradley on Friday, against a UT-Arlington team that may be a bit over inflated. Off a big win over Saint Mary's, UT-Arlington does not lack offensive talent. With the Braves struggles at 5-5, it'd appear this is a clear overmatch. Yet, at the tail end of non-conference play you start to see teams at .500 gain better traction. Grab the Braves to play some of their best basketball of 2016.

Two 7-3 teams will battle it out Thursday as College of Charleston heads to East Carolina. The Pirates are coming off a steep twenty-three point loss to Virginia, and should have thoughts of getting out early against Charleston. While East Carolina may be the veteran team and at home, Charleston has the better core talent and cohesiveness. Grab the small line on the underdog Cougars.

The sports betting market is always quick to remember the cinderellas, especially in non-conference play. Middle Tennessee State was one last year as they advanced to the sweet sixteen. Facing Belmont hasn't tricked oddsmakers, and I believe this line should be slightly in their favor. They have a way of finishing off games as they did recently against Evansville, and will do so here again tonight. Grab Belmont.

Monmouth +3.5

Based on strength of schedule one can see why Memphis is the slight favorite. They're the home team tonight and the well known school. Yet, neither Monmouth or Memphis has been stellar in non-conference play. Both have lost to the main schools on their schedule---Monmouth (Cuse, South Carolina), and Memphis-(Providence, Ole Miss). This is where I'll lean to a veteran Monmouth team that's played several top schools dating back to last season. Lacking the same fire power as a year ago may stray folks from backing Monmouth as their last three wins over Canisius, Wagner, and Army have been subpar. Grab the contrarian play here with Monmouth.

Are the Bruins seeing too high of a line adjustment or are they still devalued? I'm on the devalued side especially against a Michigan team that's issues are hidden via their record. They lack the ability to play two halves of solid basketball which is a scary proposition against an old school potent Bruins squad.

Off a poor loss the Butler Bulldogs will look to bounce back against a Bearcats team built to play for forty minutes. Yet, the Bearcats have had a long layoff not having played since last Sunday. They've also not traveled much early in the season with all home games besides their win against Iowa State and an early tournament in Connecticut. Grab the Bulldogs here on downgraded value off their first loss.

On paper one has to wonder why Dayton is a seven point favorite. East Tennessee State not only has shown great scoring ability but also turns teams over at a high rate. While Dayton may not be at it's strength of two seasons ago they have a carbon copy of style of basketball that East Tennessee State tries to enforce. A smaller rotation on Dayton's side equals better balance in my opinion. The Bucs depth and lack of solidified rotation hurts them in this matchup. Grab the Flyers.

We'll grab the Irish in a spot that makes you do a double-take on the spread. Villanova has been a non-conference juggernaut ATS the last three seasons and also have their March tournament run fresh on people's minds. Yet, the one flaw on this newly made over Villanova team is excelling on the defensive end of the floor. Minus big man Daniel Ochefu interior shot blocking is gone, and on-ball defense is not as strong as well without Ryan Arch. Look for the veteran Irish to stand ground as their record suggests and get a big day from VJ Beecham and Steve Vastruria.