Out in the Southland Conference look for the Lamar Cardinals to have success at home against Incarnate Ward. A big chance in this year’s Lamar team is they are averaging 83 points per game. That’s a big boost from last year’s matchups where they scored 64 points or less in both. 

The Denver Pioneers have shown vast improvement with a 10-6 record. They also have  respectable covers against two ranked teams in Colorado State and BYU. Look for the Pioneers to match the high scoring capabilities of Northern Colorado, and keep within this number as part of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. Grab the points here. 

Conference play can sometimes spark a team that has played subpar in non-conference. Wright State is coming off a decisive victory just two nights ago over Cleveland State. Look for their hot shooting to carry over on the road against a Purdue Fort Wayne team they defeated by double digits in both matchups last season.

In Patriot league play Lehigh will travel to face the American Eagles. Lehigh comes in with just three wins, but is playing with confidence. They picked up their first division one victory of the season in their last matchup over Marist. They also won both matchups in-conference last season over American. Grab Lehigh.

San Jose State on paper should matchup well with the Wyoming Cowboys based on their experience edge. Yet, the Spartans have been poor on the road where they are winless on the season. Road losses have come against teams such as Cal Poly, Montana, and North Dakota State. Look for the Cowboys to take advantage and end their losing streak.

Belmont still is a new commodity in the Missouri Valley Conference. They joined last season and did not have the same success as they did in their prior conference of the Ohio Valley. One of the teams that had immense success against them was Southern Illinois.  The Bruins scored their fewest points of the season of 45, and lost by 18. Take Southern Illinois.

The Buffalo endured a poor non-conference record going 1-11. With MAC conference play beginning they have a clean slate and an opportunity in their first matchup against Central Michigan. The Chippewas scored just thirty five points in their Saturday loss to Loyola Chicago. Grab the Bulls plus the points.

A strange matchup to see on today’s slate is Utah Tech hosting Florida International. The Panthers have the athleticism advantage but this is a tough travel spot coming out of the holiday break in St. George, Utah. The Panthers get another week off afterwards before conference play begins. Take the home team here in Utah Tech.

American University is just a slight road favorite today against UMBC. The Eagles dropped four of their last five games, but that was against stronger competition. UMBC is a much more favorable matchup and all we need is American to pull off the victory. Take the Eagles here.

A team that I fully expect to bounce back from a poor last outing is Arkansas Little Rock. In the Trojans last outing they lost by thirty points to Jacksonville State. Tennessee Tech is a conference opponent they had two close games against last year, with both games decided by two points. Take the Trojans here.

To open Horizon league play expect a competitive game with Oakland vs Cleveland State. The Golden Grizzlies come in having dropped four of their past five games, but have had eight days off. The rest factor and anticipation of the true beginning of conference play should lead to a great game. Take Oakland.

Wednesday, Kansas City travels to take on East Tennessee out of the Southern Conference. The Buccaneers are 4-0 on their home floor but both wins against a division one school were by two points or less. Look for UMKC to come close to an upset in this one. Take the points.

Tonight, look for the South Dakota Jackrabbits to have the advantage in a neutral site game against Wyoming. Led by Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State has a three guard lineup that should give the Cowboys problems. Take the Jackrabbits who continue to improve after starting the season 1-4.

Georgia Southern remains winless at 0-11, even though they have fought hard and come lose to victory in recent matchups. Consistent losing takes a toll on a team and today is another vulnerable spot against Florida Gulf Coast. Expect the Eagles to add another loss for Georgia Southern, which will falter again in the second half.

Valparaiso comes into today’s contest on a five game losing streak. From an ATS stand point going down to Chicago State creates a buy low spot. Look for the early start time to aide the Beacons against a Samford team that is 0-2 on the road.

It was just a couple of seasons ago that Jacksonville State was in March Madness. Through the early portion of this season they have struggled with scoring. They rank towards the bottom of college basketball averaging 67 points per game. Yet, expect sluggish play to help Jacksonville State keep this close on the road. Grab the points here.

The Quinnipiac Bobcats are off to a successful start to their season with a 7-3 record. Coming off a six point loss to Yale, look for a big bounce back spot against Holy Cross. The Crusaders are just 2-8 and have consecutive losses by double digit points.

San Diego has an unblemished record on their home floor at 6-0. Their undefeated home streak continued thanks to a thrilling come from behind win last Saturday against Arizona State. This was more to do with a lack of effort defensively from ASU which surrendered 61 second half points. Look for Portland State to be dialed in and improve on their 8-2 record.

Lamar from the Southland conference will host Louisiana Monroe today. The Cardinals average 82 points per game and have six scorers that average nine or more points. After a stretch of three of four road games, look for Lamar to get back to .500 tonight. 

After years of exceeding expectations, Furman appears to be headed for a down season. The departures of Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson have hurt them defensively. Books have not fully adjusted but do expect their spreads to continue to rise in non-conference play. Take Tulane as Furman drops to 0-4 on the road.

A soft schedule has helped the Longwood Lancers race out to a 10-1 record. They have defeated three non division one schools, and narrowly defeated Delaware State in two matchups. Look for Milwaukee to step up to the challenge as they return from a three game road trip. Grab the points with the Panthers.

A contrast of home and road records is in play today with Appalachian State against Queens North Carolina. Queens has a 5-0 home record, while Appalachian State is 0-2 on the road. Nevertheless, Appalachian State has rolled off six straight wins and should be able to frustrate Queens with their half court defense. Take Appalachian State

Having a tough early season schedule has put Robert Morris in an early season hole. They are just 2-7 overall with losses against Xavier and Wisconsin. Conference opponents took advantage of the Colonials as Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State won by double digits. Look for Robert Morris to play a much better game today against Delaware, and cover as the home underdog.

Sacramento State has just a 2-6 record on the young college basketball season. A lack of true home games is a contributing factor, as they have faced just two division one schools at home. Look for the Hornets to catch a Cal State Fullerton in the midst of a three game road trip. 

The Wofford Terriers are off to a slow start this season, as they have been heavily hit by the transfer portal. Now they have built a two-game win streak including their last game over Gardner Webb. Grab them today against Coastal Carolina as their former Coach Ellis just retired on Monday.

A low profile matchup is in play today as Portland travels for two games in North Dakota. Tonight they will face North Dakota State before meeting North Dakota on Saturday. For the Pilots they should be a motivated team after losing in blowout fashion to Air Force. Take the Pilots as they take advantage of a Bison team coming off a hard fought overtime win Monday against San Jose State. ..

After consecutive losses, Iowa State bounced back nicely in a nineteen point rout over DePaul. Thursday, they will meet in-state rivals Iowa looking for revenge from last year’s 75 to 56 loss. Look for bench play to key the Cyclones with Wofford transfer Jackson Paveletzke.

UNC Greensboro has been one of the top consistent programs over the years out of the Southern Conference. Thus far they are 6-1, and have a marquee win over Arkansas that has inflated their spread number. We’ve seen a steep drop from the opening number here of 9.5, and I believe there is still room on the Colonels side. Back Eastern Kentucky.

Kennesaw State’s undefeated home record should be challenged tonight by UNC Asheville. The Owls lost key players from last year’s tournament team, and UNC Asheville comes in on a three-game win streak, including wins over Western Kentucky and Wofford. Look for the Bulldogs to be ready for their first road game since their opener against Michigan. Take the Bulldogs. 

Northern Arizona has had a rough start to their season at just 2-5. They’ve had key players out due to injury including big man Carson Towt. They also lost an impact transfer in Jalen Cone who is now at California. Still, they have scorers and a four guard lineup that will give Pacific problems. Grab the Lumberjacks to cover the number.

Saturday is an extreme rare occurrence in college basketball as Georgia Southern and Jacksonville will meet for the second time this season. On November 14th Jacksonville won decisively by seventeen points over the Eagles. Look for a different outcome today, as Jacksonville is playing their fourth game in eight days. 

Friday, Liberty will play their second straight game after losing yesterday by twenty-five points at Florida Atlantic. They will face a Charleston team that has the advantage in rest as they have not played since Sunday. Look for Liberty to weather the storm early and utilize their uncanny team three point shooting to topple Charleston. Take Liberty.

Minnesota St. Thomas has lost three of their last four games, and their only other win over a division one school was by one point. On the road it has been even worse where they are 0-3. Yet, today should be a regroup spot after a flat outing post Thanksgiving against Wisconsin-Green Bay. Take the Tommies plus the points.

One of the best games on today’s college basketball slate is East Carolina against UNC Wilmington. Last season, the Seahawks got the best of the Pirates by thirteen points. Attack the revenge angle here and also an East Carolina team that has talent that has underachieved early in the season. Grab the Pirates.

Today a matchup of teams with similar records will meet as Gardner-Webb travels to face Queens NC. The difference on the young season are the quality opponents that Gardner Webb has faced, as they battled both Arkansas and Baylor. Still, Queens has a tough minded group that has a knack of staying in games. This point spread should be a bit smaller. Take Queens.

Jacksonville is a team that could be a tad bit sluggish today as they make their return from a Pennsylvania tournament. Yet, this is a team that is extremely dangerous from beyond three point range, and goes on streaky spurts. Take the Dolphins as Campbell’s poor start to the season continues.

Holiday tournaments have started to come to an end, which means true road travel is in play. That is the case tonight as Minnesota will play in their first road game of the season in San Francisco. Look for the Gophers to play a competitive game and lean on veteran Dawson Garcia. Take the Gophers plus the points.

Hawaii has had the perfect setup to start the season undefeated. That should continue today against San Diego in a neutral site tournament in Palm Springs. Hawaii has three tough guards including Jovon McClanahan. Addtionally, I expect them to have the rebounding edge with high energy big man Justin McKoy. Take Hawaii.

Losing in an early season tournament game as a ranked team is not necessarily a bad thing. Corrections can be made quickly by top tier coaches such as Nate Oats. Alabama went down yesterday to Ohio State by eleven points. Prior they had won their first four games convincingly while scoring 98 points or more. Take Alabama over the Ducks.

Yesterday Jacksonville won against Robert Morris in a game that saw both teams benches get ejected for leaving the sidelines. The emotional part of the game could catch up to Jacksonville today against a Fairleigh Dickinson team that is a bit under rated based on a weaker schedule. I like the Knights in a neutral court spot to hold well. Take them plus the points.

It’s often examined that coming out of the holiday is one of the toughest games in sports. This is usually heightened in main conferences but also in smaller conference games. Minnesota St. Thomas travels to face Green Bay a day after the holiday. They’ve had some early season tournament games and I expect to be a little flat here. Grab Wisconsin Green Bay.

Any time a team sustains a blowout loss over reaction in the betting markets will occur. Jacksonville is coming off a 107-56, fifty one point loss to Pittsburgh. Robert Morris has held tough in their losses to Wisconsin and Xavier, but the near two point line move in the market is an over reaction. Take Jacksonville plus the points.

Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers have three quality wins already over Missouri, Michigan, and Arkansas. They have a roster filled with veteran transfer talent but one that lacks experience together. That bodes to the advantage of Villanova who may not have the talent advantage but are a more cohesive group. Take Villanova minus the small number.

Michigan has lost consecutive games and will have to face Stanford. This should be a good battle with the game likely tight throughout most of the game. Look for Michigan’s small rotation to pay dividends as the Wolverines end their two game losing streak. Grab Michigan as the small favorites.

Boise State has had to endure transfers and graduations but still has a solid team at their disposal. They have only played three games on the young season, and two against division one opponents. Look for a poor loss against Clemson to serve as the wake up call for the Broncos. Grab them plus the points.

North Alabama will have just their second true road test of the season today against UT Martin. The Lions are a team that likes to attack the basket. Led by senior KJ Johnson who has attempted a minimum of eight free throws over his last three games. Look for a free throw edge to assist the Lions in getting the road cover at UT Martin.

In the Gulf Showcase tournament Long Beach State will meet the Ragin’ Cajuns. Long Beach State may be .500 on the young season but they have faced strong competition and knocked off Michigan. They should have an above average output on the offensive end of the floor against a UL Lafayette team that does not match up well in the half court. Take Long Beach State.

A difficult schedule to open the season has featured matchups against Alabama, Purdue, and Penn State for Morehead State. That can create a bottom out spot even against opponents that are on their level. Bellarmine may be 1-3 but they have been an above average school since entering division one a few seasons ago. Look for their offense to create issues for Morehead State. Take Bellarmine.

Out the gate DePaul had two shocking losses to Long Beach State and Purdue Fort Wayne. Suffering early season let downs can help a team grow quicker. Additionally, neither South Carolina or DePaul has traveled yet this season. Take DePaul plus the points as South Carolina has had an easy schedule thus far for a 3-0 start. 

Both Northwestern State and North Florida are coming off tournament losses yesterday. As a result this matchup has seen a big decline on the opening spread. The underlying factor is this tournament is being played on North Florida’s floor. Look for the Ospreys to end their two game losing streak.

Tonight figures to be a poor spot for UMass Lowell. For one they are not a team that is typically on the West Coast, as most of their games are played in the American East region. They are also in the midst of their third road game of six. Back ASU in this spot.

One of last year’s tournament darlings were the Princeton Tigers. Early in the season they have kept their momentum going with a 2-0 record, including an outright win over Rutgers. Today though look for Duquesne’s pace of play and balanced scoring to give Princeton problems. Take the Dukes as the small favorite.

Early in the college basketball season we tend to see travel play a factor ATS. Mercer is in the middle of a three game road trip as they take on Morehead State today. Additionally, their third game Friday could be a look ahead spot against top twenty five ranked Alabama. Take Morehead State to take care of the Mercer Bears.

DePaul was supposed to have an easy schedule to begin the season with three straight home games. Off the bat they fell to Purdue Fort Wayne as 11.5 point favorites. There are a multitude of concerns for DePaul as they did not defend the three, and had twenty two turnovers. Long Beach State gives the Blue Demons a battle tonight. Grab the slight underdog.

One of the smallest spreads on the day lies in a lower profile game between UT Rio Grande Valley and South Dakota. UT Rio Grande Valley put in over 100 points in their first matchup. Yet, their frenetic pace creates a lot of turnovers. They also have a lot of changes to their starting lineup. Grab South Dakota to get off to a 2-0 start on the season.

Last season UMass Lowell was one of the ATS darlings in non-conference play with a 14-2 start. They still have several upperclassmen that have remained with the program, but two key players are gone in Everette Hammond and Allin Blunt. This spread has rose far to high based on the River Hawks 2022 season. Take the points here with Dartmouth.

Cal State Northridge nearly pulled off an upset in their opener against Stanford. In fact, they held a four point lead with under five minutes left. Thursday, look for a different outcome as Cal State remains on the road against Idaho. The Vandals defeated Cal State Northridge by three points last season, and should bounce back from the field after a poor performance shooting in their opener against Washington State.

UL Lafayette is expected to take a dip this season after losing Jordan Brown to Memphis and Greg Williams Jr to graduation. Youngstown State may have lost their top scorer in Dwayne Cohill, but did a good job in getting upper classmen from the transfer portal. Additionally, the Penguins won fourteen of their last eighteen games to end the season a year ago. Take them as the underdog and don’t be shocked for an outright upset.

Time and time again we see a cinderella story fade quickly into the next season. Fairleigh Dickinson had a terrific run to get to the Sweet 16, but also lost their former coach Tobin Anderson to Iona. Buffalo has a unique system of scorers at the 1 through 5 positions that is going to make it difficult for the Knights to keep pace. Grab Buffalo.

A revenge spot lies with Marshall hosting Queens University today. Last year Queens University opened their division one college basketball debut with an outright win over Marshall. That sprung the Thundering Herd as they went on to win nine straight and enjoyed a successful season. Although they have to replace Taevion Kinsey, Marshall has done a solid job developing the program for future growth. Take Marshall on the spread.

North Texas and UAB will meet for fourth time this tonight in the NIT championship. The Mean Green have the season edge with two wins but the Blazers won the most important and more recent matchup in their conference tournament. North Texas may have two victories over power five schools in Wisconsin and Oklahoma State, but UAB knows how to attack their top rated defense. Look for the Blazers to finish off the task Wisconsin blew. Take the Blazers. 

The Miami Hurricanes are back to the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year, as they face top seeded Houston. The Hurricanes have experience but have found themselves as only a basket favorite against Drake and were a small underdog to a twelve loss Indiana team.  After needing to comeback to defeat Auburn look for Houston’s focus to be much higher as they get back to the Elite 8. Take Houston and purchase the hook.

This is the year that Gonzaga does not have the attention of years past. They had a few losses in the West Coast Conference and do not have the same caliber NBA talent. Yet, March Madness is all about draws and Gonzaga gets another solid matchup against UCLA. An under the radar Zags team takes down many people’s favorites to cut the nets in UCLA. Grab Gonzaga. 

Getting by ugly in March Madness is one of the best carry over value angles. TCU did not deserve to get past Arizona State as they were outplayed by a wide margin. They fought and with new life they draw a Gonzaga team that suits their style better. The Zags lack the athleticism of Arizona State and will have issues handling the spurts of TCU on the defensive end of the floor. Tail TCU.

Baylor has the name of the past three seasons and still possesses key talent. But Creighton is a team all season that underachieved largely due to injuries and a tough Big East. They are rounding into shape at the perfect time and have the will to win after last year’s tough exit against Kansas. This time they get by a Big 12 opponent. 

I’m on another underdog in March Madness for today and it is Michigan State. There are teams that get in with double digit losses that are much stronger than their record reflects. Coach Izzo’s Spartans are not the sharpest on the offensive end but play high level defense. It should give the Golden Eagles problems and look for the Spartans to cary over the momentum offensively they exhibited in the second half against USC. Play Michigan State.

Year over year we have seen the success of play-in eleven seeds, but a seed line that also does well is power five eight-nine seeds. In the round of thirty two they have done surprisingly well. Arkansas fits the mold as a young team that can play far better than their seed. Anthony Black will be a matchup nightmare for Kansas and this should come down to the wire. Grab the points here with Arkansas.

Much like Furman in the Southern Conference, Kent State has been a team multiple years in the waiting to make it to March Madness. They play with an edge and that’s what cost them a season ago, when four players were suspended heading into the conference title game against Akron. They’ve regrouped from that experience and should hold their own against Indiana. Look for one surge to catapult Kent State against the spread.

The Providence Friars stumble into March Madness having lost four of their past five games. It’s a stretch that’s hard to ignore no matter how talented they are. Although there is motivation with former Wildcat Bryce Hopkins and tenured talent, look for Kentucky to exhibit a more fluid game plan. Tail the Wildcats which should be a dramatic ATS finish. Purchase the hook if you can not get minus four.

In conference tournament play NC State went from one of the more surprising blowout wins, to quickly exiting in a blowout loss the following night to Clemson. The Wolfpack can lean on that experience to come out more composed for a full forty minutes against Creighton. The Bluejays have experience but were just 4-5 in neutral court games this season. Grab the points here with the underdog Wolfpack.

Tonight’s night cap of day one for March Madness should be a fantastic game between Penn State and Texas A&M. The Nittany Lions ended the season winning eight of their final ten games, and pushed Purdue in the Big Ten Conference Tournament title game. As great as their finish to the season was, Texas A&M has been stronger and has the determination after missing out on last years tournament. Buy the bargain price here on the Aggies.

The Volunteers are one of the few four seeds favored by a big margin. Double digit losses on the season they will face a dangerous UL Lafayette team that went 26-7 on the season. What the Volunteers do a great job on is elevating their defense each stretch of the game. Expect their adjustments to cause havoc for UL Lafayette, and back the Volunteers. 

Northwestern stumbles into March Madness having lost four of their past five games. They’ll face a Boise State team that starts four seniors including sixth year player Marcus Shaver. Although Boise State may have an experience edge the pace and play of Northwestern will give them difficulties. Look for another stumble out of the Mountain West, as Northwestern edges to victory.

For the second consecutive year, Kent State will have the difficult task of facing Akron in the semifinals of the MAC conference tournament. At the tail end of the season Kent State actually needed overtime to defeat Akron on their home floor. Yet, the MAC has shown year over year it’s a very difficult conference to be a repeat champion in. Look for Kent State to knock off Akron in a very competitive game.

Arizona has a scary matchup on their hands tonight as they’ll face a Stanford team that defeated them on February 11th. The Cardinal have a big lineup that should pose problems for Arizona once again. Guard Michael O’Connell actually had his best game of the season by far with twenty-two against Arizona. Look for a tight game that Arizona pulls away from late but the Cardinal do enough to cover the double digit spread.

There was more pressure on Charleston to win yesterday’s semi-final matchup against Towson, than the championship game tonight against UNC Wilmington. That’s indicative in the spread which was just 4.5 against the Tigers but is ten tonight. Simply put this a poor matchup for UNC Wilmington. Charleston dominated the Seahawks in what was UNC Wilmington’s worst loss of the season 93 to 61.  Grab Charleston.

Merrimack will not be in March Madness as they are ineligible, but this is still a chance to win a championship. We have seen this just as recent as last year with Bellarmine winning the Atlantic Sun conference tournament even though they were ineligible. The growth for Merrimack in-season can be examined by their record in both losses against Fairleigh Dickinson. In the first loss they were 2-13 and in the second loss 7-16. Since the second loss they have won ten straight. With the Knights ticket already punched tail Merrimack to be the stronger team.

The Mocs do not have the same personnel that won the Southern Conference tournament last season, but they are a group better than their .500 record. They should be able to challenge a Samford team that peaked in-conference with a 15-3 record. Yet, this is a new stage of the season and Samford showed in non-conference with a seven game losing streak how vulnerable they can be. Tail the Mocs with the pressure on the conference co-leaders in Samford. 

Out in Conference USA two struggling teams will meet in Louisiana Tech and Florida International. The Bulldogs have dropped six straight games, but four of those were on the road. For Florida International their only win over their last six games was against Louisiana Tech. Look for the Bulldogs to clean up the offensive rebounding issues they surrendered against the Panthers, and to be more efficient offensively. Take Louisiana Tech.  

Over the years the Sun Belt conference has been filled with outliers in conference tournament play. This year should be no different with four conference newcomers in James Madison, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, and Marshall. Old Dominion has already had a tight contest against Texas State on February 11th, which was just a 70 to 68 victory. Grab the points here with the Bobcats.

California Baptist is just 1-6 over their last seven games straight up against division one schools. Tonight is finally a spot where their spread number may seem high but is actually a bargain. They faltered as seven point road favorites to UT Rio Valley Grande earlier in conference play. Tonight expect a better effort where the bettor only has to pay 3.5 more points on the Lancers home floor. Grab California Baptist. 

Saint Josephs will host their final game of the season tonight against the Richmond Spiders. The Atlantic 10 was filled with talented teams this season, thus creating a cluster of middle of the pack teams. Richmond was in the mix but have lost six of their past nine games. Nevertheless this Spiders team still has some talent from last year’s Sweet 16 team. Take the Spiders who are a bit under valued being led by Assistant Coach Peter Thomas.

Winning ugly in conference tournament action can spark success, especially in smaller college basketball tournaments. Queens NC practically handed a win to Florida Gulf Coast last night as they went seven minutes of game action in the second half without a basket. Prevailing they now face the top seed and host of the Atlantic Sun tournament in Kennesaw State.  Queens had one lone victory over their final six games and that was on the road against Kennesaw State. Take the points here. 

Virginia’s consecutive losses could have been much worse. The Cavaliers should have lost to Duke where a foul in the last second was overturned incorrectly. Virginia then went on to barely defeat Louisville and the Irish. For as poor of a stretch as the Cavaliers have had they are filled with a core of veteran players that can bounce back before March hits. Take Virginia in a regroup spot against Clemson.

Minus key player Colin Castleton the Gators have struggled with three straight losses. Additionally, they have lost five straight road games. During a down turn minus Castleton has allowed for freshman guard Riley Kugel to blossom. He’s averaged eighteen points per game over the Gators last five. Take the Gators to hold off Georgia and end their road losing streak.

Season grand finales can bring betting value against an oppositions senior night. Bryant has the opportunity to do that tonight on the road against Maine. They’ve already torched the Bears with a decisive 71 to 53 victory on February 1st. Grab the smaller number based on Bryant losing three of their past four games. 

One of the more disappointing teams in the Big Sky has been Northern Colorado. They returned a ton of players including Daylen Kountz. Their defensive struggles have been the reason for a mediocre season. On senior night there will be lots of runs but also value to be had against the Bears. Take Idaho State who already has a seven point win over Northern Colorado. 

Monday, conference tournaments officially begin in college basketball as the Atlantic Sun begins their first round. Name recognition exists with Florida Gulf Coast since their dunk city days. Conference newcomer Queens University has backpedaled to close out the season with losses in five of their past six games. Yet, look for new life of a conference tournament and already having a narrow 84 to 82 victory over the Eagles to pay dividends. Take Queens NC.

Towards the tail end of conference play value can be had against underachieving teams. Western Kentucky had the talent to be a formidable threat, but in the middle of conference play suffered five straight losses. UAB should be able to get revenge from a home loss to Western Kentucky, as the Hilltoppers string of wins or close losses in seven straight games comes to an end. 

A solid matchup exists today in the Southern Conference between Wofford and Chattanooga. Both teams have represented the conference in prior years but are both in transition phases. An upper hand for the Mocs has been the rising play of former power five guard Jamal Johnson. A senior he will look to close out his final regular season collegiate game on a high note. In the interior look for emerging freshmen Sam Alexis to have an impact as well. 

In any conference it is tough to gain a season sweep. Out in the MAAC Niagara will attempt to do so tonight against Fairfield. The problem for the Purple Eagles is they have dropped three straight games. In fact, they needed to erase a 17 point deficit against Quinnipiac in the second half or they would be on a four game losing streak. Fairfield may have the poorer record but have been competitive winning two of their last four, and the two losses were both by a point. Tail Fairfield. 

To close out the season Drexel has hit a wall with losses in three straight games. This included a demoralizing loss to UNC Wilmington as Drexel surrendered a fifteen point lead. Thursday, should be a solid bounce back spot for Drexel as it is their final game of the season. They also had one of their best conference wins over Northeastern in which they won 76 to 55. Take Drexel. 

Longwood will endure their third of four road games tonight as they travel to Gardner Webb. A quality trait for the Lancers is the upperclassmen they have, and their ability to play team defense. Since January 12th they have allowed an average of 62 points per game. Take Longwood as the small road underdog as they stymie the Runnin’ Bulldogs for the second time this season. 

Long gone are the former days of Cal State Northridge being a contender in the Big West. Over the past few seasons they have been one of the worst lower level conference teams in all of college basketball. Over their past four games Cal State Northridge has actually managed to be competitive on their home floor. They’ve won three of their past four home games and the lone loss was by eight points. Take the home underdog in the Matadors. 

Monday’s light college basketball slate will feature a big portion of games out of the MEAC conference. One of the matchups will feature two teams with just five wins in South Carolina State and Delaware State. The Bulldogs have actually won two of their last three games, and have non-conference wins over Samford and East Carolina. Yet, Delaware State won the first matchup and on their home floor should pull out another close win. Tail Delaware State.

Stanford draws a small number tonight considering the record disparity of the Cardinal and USC. The Trojans stand ten games above .500 but lost two consecutive games to Oregon and Oregon State. A blowout win over California is downgraded with how poor the Golden Bears have been. Stanford has a knack of playing well against USC and has kept the result within six points in three of the last four matchups. Take the underdog with Stanford. 

Out in the Big Sky one can expect a competitive game between in-state rivals Montana State and Montana. In fact, their game this season and both last year were decided by seven points or less. Yet, this is where Montana State can lean on their experience and pedigree to disrupt the five game win streak of the Grizzlies. Lay it with Montana State. 

There’s no discounting a devalued emerging contender. Creighton began the year as a serious viable threat as a top ten team in the country. Injuries and a hard non-conference schedule took their toll on the Bluejays. Now healthy one can get a discount ATS-wise as they are playing like a top ten team but not getting the spreads of one. Take Creighton who already ran St. John’s out the gym 104 to 76 in their first matchup.

Wright State has recovered with a recent winning streak to boost a .500 season to 16-11. They of course were the representatives of the Horizon League in March Madness last season with a similar late January through February run. One team that has got in their way has been Cleveland State. They took both conference games last season and already have an eight point victory this season. Take the Vikings Friday in Horizon League action. 

Loyola Marymount has shown a knack for toppling the top teams in the WCC. They already have a one point victory over Gonzaga at Spokane and just defeated Saint Mary’s last Thursday. Yet, outside of that Saint Mary’s win they’ve actually lost three of their past four games. Take the Zags to come out with passion and assertiveness against a Loyola Marymount team that ended their 75 game home winning streak.