Auburn’s gained a half point with late line movement and is now at six. The Tigers are going to have to play to their strength of guard play while defeating Virginia’s strength of perimeter defense. We’ve seen the Virginia Cavaliers show signs of vulnerability while it seems the Tigers are gaining in momentum every game. Look for the Tigers to seize the opportunity once again and cover the spread later today. 

The Red Raiders didn’t surprise folks with the way they handled Michigan. They stuck to their strength and used their size/athleticism advantage to handle the Wolverines. Tonight they’ll need to adjust their game plan tremendously to keep up with the Zags. Yet look for the gritty Red Raiders to showcase their improved offense down the stretch of the season and cover the number tonight against Gonzaga. 

The Duke Blue Devils are coming off the biggest scare they’ve had all season fully healthy. Surviving a situation that looked like a loss is a strong signal in the NCAA tournament. Nearly every team that advances far has a situation as such. Refocused and refreshed look for the Blue Devils staff to implement plenty of new wrinkles to offset their earlier season loss against the Hokies. Grab Duke

The Oregon Ducks have had a whirlwind finish to the season. They were the only team from a power five conference to secure an at large bid based on a conference tournament title. They’re hot at the right time but now no longer have the underdog role of the past several weeks. That’s a factor for a team that has a short rotation and a slim margin of error. Look for Irvine to be the value play off of Oregon’s recent stretch of dominant play. 

Saturday the Jayhawks will face an Auburn team that nearly blew a sizable lead against New Mexico State. Yet they survived and have now won nine straight games. That momentum coupled with Kansas late season play puts the value on the Jayhawks. Grab the underdog on a small line here with Kansas. 

Throughout conference play it was clear that the Big 10 was head and shoulders over the Big 12. One of the teams that never could clear their own hurdle was Iowa State. In fact to wrap up the regular season the Cyclones had lost six of their last eight games. Yet their conference tournament run was a confidence booster at the right time. Expect Ohio State to show proper fight but for the Cyclones to wear out the Buckeyes in the second half. Grab Iowa State. 

The Huskies did themselves no favors with an ugly conclusion to Pac-12 conference play. Featured losses included a blowout Pac-12 championship loss to Oregon and a disastrous loss to California. They’ll face a Utah State team that played well in losses to Houston/ASU and grew as the season came to an end. Yet Coach Hopkins and his staff will be ready defensively with their 2-3 zone. Expect Utah State to struggle to muster baskets and for Washington to cover the small line. 

Murray State gets a chance to show the world just how special Ja Morant is. He’ll surely put on a wonderful display against a Marquette team that’s vulnerable defensively. The question ATS is can Murray State sustain prolonged offense against Marquette? Yes especially in a tournament format. Marquette is accustomed to free-flowing offense by design which benefits Murray State. Grab Murray State. 

Customary of Florida State is being susceptible to any competition. Essentially they play to the level of their opponents which has been a trait all season long. They’re size also makes them susceptible to tight man to man half-court defense. Expect Vermont to control pace and try and limit Florida State’s second chance opportunities. After last year’s run as an 11-seed Florida State is a tad over rated ATS. Grab Vermont

Sunday the Houston Cougars and Cincinnati Bearcats will play for the third time this season. In both matchups the Bearcats had the upper hand for periods before the Cougars overwhelmed the Bearcats. Both games the Cougars took care of business in the final ten minutes to pull away decisively. Sunday look for that to be a key momentum factor for the Bearcats. Grab Cincinnati.

Time and time again the main representative for the WAC in March Madness has been New Mexico State. That could remain Saturday as the Aggies take on a 20-12 Grand Canyon team. The Antelopes sustained two late season losses to both of the teams they defeated in the opening rounds of the WAC tournament. They’ll face an Aggies team that they had two close losses against in the regular season. Look for a third close result and an Antelopes cover. 

On March 5th the Minnesota Golden Gophers upset Purdue on their home floor 73-69. In the affair Purdue sustained multiple cold offensive droughts uncommon to their season. With both teams having played Wednesday one has to anticipate tournament style play affecting offense. On the contrary expect the teams to be much looser and for that to bode to the advantage of Purdue. Grab Purdue to cash ATS Friday. 

A benefit for Seton Hall is playing so close to their home for the Big East tournament. That also adds pressure as they face a confident Georgetown team that knows they can defeat the Pirates. These teams met on March 2nd as the Hoyas won in double-overtime. Although the Pirates grabbed two quality wins to close the year, look for the Hoyas to cover for the second time in as many days against the Pirates. 

All it took for Colorado was health to show their dynamic ability. Since regaining key pieces they’ve closed the season winning nine of their last eleven games. Yet Wednesday they could not find their offense against a Cal Bears team that scored just fifty-one points. Even though the Beavers dropped four of their last six to close the year, they are a veteran team that will have the advantage Thursday. Grab Oregon State.

Down the stretch Louisville lost six of their last eight games. Pressure is assuredly on them to get some momentum going in the ACC tournament. The Irish gave themselves some confidence with a stout victory over Georgia Tech on Tuesday. An issue in meeting conference opponents in March is the worry of a recent matchup. That’s the case as these two met on March 3rd. Still look for the Cardinal to have a strong focus even on a neutral court. Grab Louisville. 

Teams on the bubble obviously have to improve their stance in conference tournaments. In Joey Lunardi’s current Bracketology TCU is one of the last four teams in. Essentially a misstep Wednesday could derail their post-season from March Madness to the NIT. While the Cowboys may not get the outright victory look for a cover on a small number. 

Defeating a team handily three times is always a tough task. San Diego hurdled this feat in their last win against BYU. The Cougars had won both regular season matchups over San Diego before faltering on Saturday. The Toreros are a team with strong talent that underachieved in-conference. With three straight wins by 17 points or more they are on the cusp of getting back to pre-conference levels that saw them defeat San Diego State, Colorado, and almost Washington. Yet look for St. Mary’s to be determined and take care of business Monday in Las Vegas. 

Tonight the southern conference title will be played between UNC Greensboro and Wofford. Wofford had the better season and stronger non-conference schedule. In fact Wofford has won eighteen games in a row and has not lost in-conference. Meanwhile UNC Greensboro was on the ropes in both conference tournament games. They needed a big run late to get by Samford and erased a small deficit in the final minutes yesterday to beat Furman. Offensively Greensboro has to find a way to generate points. In both in-season losses to Wofford, Greensboro lost by nearly thirty points each outing. Expect Greensboro to elevate their play as they’ve been on the doorsteps before in the Southern Conference final. Grab Greensboro. 

The Badgers of Wisconsin get a chance to rectify their recent woes Sunday against Ohio State. Ohio State has dropped three of their last four game, with all losses coming in double-digit fashion. The need to win is certainly a factor in the spread but expect a veteran Badgers team to find a way to win in a tough environment. Grab Wisconsin. 

Washington has bounced back from a strange loss to California with consecutive victories. Yet both wins were close with a one point win over Stanford and a five-point win over Oregon State. They’ll face an Oregon team that slowed down pace in an earlier conference matchup that saw Washington win 61-56. Look for similar pace and the result on the Ducks side from a cover stand point.

UNC Greensboro has a plethora of upper classmen that want to finish off their careers appropriately. Saturday in the second round of the Soco tournament they’ll surely get a fight from a feisty Samford group. Samford has been competitive in close losses throughout conference play. In fact they lost to Greensboro by eight points in the first game of conference play. Look for another tight game but for Greensboro to close this game out at the free throw line. 

The USC Trojans have tail-spinned at seasons end. They head into the regular season finale on a three game losing streak. Overall they’ve lost six of eight games. Furthermore they’ll be concluding the season with their third straight road game. With Colorado’s confidence peaking this would seem like another bad loss for the Trojans. Instead grab the value on USC fighting ahead of the Pac-12 tournament.

The Southern Conference tournament begins Friday. Meeting in the second game will be Citadel and Samford. During the regular season the teams split the series with Citadel winning the most recent. Concluding the regular season on a four-game losing streak is not the type of momentum Samford wanted. Although Citadel has the much worse record look for the Bulldogs to play within the number here. Grab Citadel. 

Utah is coming off a three-game road trip and an overall stretch of five of seven road games. Their offense was hit a snag which returning home should alleviate the drop off. Thursday they’ll face a USC team that they’ll aim to sweep on the season. Having not played since February 28th is surely to attract people to buy on USC against Utah. Yet this is a Trojans team that just has never found traction on the season. Look for Utah to show a better level of pride as the season comes near conclusion.

Down the stretch the Colorado Buffaloes have elevated their play thanks to improved team health. They’ve also taken care of their home floor having won four of their last five at home. Thursday they’ll take on a UCLA team they have already defeated at UCLA 84-73. That’s a boosted line factor for Thursday as well as the fact that they haven’t left Colorado since returning from Washington February 23rd. Play the dog here on the revenge angle and ending the Buffaloes mini-home run. 

The Pac-12 will not draw many bids for March Madness but is still worthy of high ATS attention. The Washington Huskies are coming off a poor loss to California but a bounce back road win over Stanford. Returning home should boost them against an Oregon State team that lacks fire power offensively. Yet it appears Pac-12 teams have find a few wrinkles to attack the Huskies. Grab Oregon State to be the latest to cover against Washington. 

Syracuse will host Virginia in the ACC Monday in hopes of improving their March seed line. For Virginia they’ve answered every non-Duke test this season. With both teams having played Saturday the quick turn around favors Virginia. Yet Syracuse has shown some new wrinkles as they’re starting to show sings of a know your role Virginia copycat team. Look for the Cuse to show these improvements tonight. Grab Syracuse. 

Arizona will attempt for their fourth straight win of the season as they take on Oregon. Both teams will be playing on short rest as they both played games on Thursday in the Pac-12. After losing three straight games Oregon blew out ASU to gain a bit of redemption on their season. On the small number here grab the value on Arizona. 

Earlier in Pac-12 conference play the Utah Utes blew out an undermanned Colorado Buffaloes team. Since Colorado has now became healthy and played a bit better on the court. Before their current two-game losing streak they had won five in a row, including wins over ASU, UCLA, and USC. The Utes can struggle with offense at times but grab them to avoid the revenge angle against the Buffaloes.

Out in the Southern Conference the Mercer Bears just hit a new low on their season. On Thursday they lost to VMI which puts them at just 11-18 on the year. Typically when seasons are down and out such as Mercer’s you can find underdog value. Saturday, Mercer will take on a UNC Greensboro team that has been in a bit of a funk. Two straight losses have been followed by narrow victories including a Thursday come from behind win over Citadel. Grab the underdog here in Mercer.

Tonight the MAAC is the main conference along with the Ivy League for college hoops. The MAAC is a conference that features bunched up teams atop the conference but also capable teams of winning the conference tournament towards the bottom. Off of consecutive losses Marist is down valued tonight because of an earlier home loss to Fairfield. Look for Marist to counter that outing with a solid output offensively tonight. Grab Marist. 

The Oregon Ducks early promising season slid quickly. Ousted out of the top 25 before December they have faltered even further in Pac-12 play. Now on a three-game losing streak they’re attempting to salvage for prospects of next season. They’ll face an ASU team that has had chemistry issues of their own lately, including a sloppy first half against California. Although they recovered look for a hungry Ducks team to capitalize tonight. 

The Hoosiers went from a team that looked young and capable to out of the picture quickly in Big 10 play. The vast depth of the conference was overwhelming including today’s matchup against the Badgers. Yet today is also a very winnable game for a team that’s below .500. Having lost twelve of thirteen games a small line shows where the oddsmakers are leaning. Grab Indiana.

Earlier in A-10 conference play the Dayton Flyers defeated UMass 72-67. From an ATS stand point oddsmakers had the Flyers as ten point favorites. Typical to the majority of the Flyers games they had sporadic lapses that allowed UMass to make it a game in the final ten minutes. At the tail end of conference play look for the home team in UMass to play up to the level of the Flyers once again. Grab UMass.

Out in the American Conference it’s been a whirlwind for both Wichita State and the Memphis Tigers. The Shockers have been the class of the American conference for the past two seasons, while Memphis is adjusting to having Penny Hardaway as their Coach. For the Tigers their biggest issue has been their road woes. They have lost four of five on the road. Yet look for the nature of this being a big matchup to elevate their play. Grab Memphis. 

The Oregon State Beavers will look to sweep the season series over the USC Trojans. They’ll face an improved Trojans team that has countered their poor start to the year to recover to a respectable 15-12 record. Yet the issues that parlayed the veteran group earlier in the season are still there. While they may have the upper hand with talent look for the Beavers to showcase better overall team camaraderie. Grab Oregon State. 

Out in the Southern Conference most eyes will be on today’s key matchup between Wofford and Furman. This is a matchup of contrasting styles as Furman does not have the skillset to run and gun. Wofford on the other hand features a bevy of quick strike shooters that can score in bunches. Having won fourteen straight it’s going to take a strong defensive effort from Furman to gain the upper hand. Utilizing the home crowd and better than expected offense grab the small line on Furman. 

One of the more impressive non-conference wins this season came via Princeton. They defeated a ranked Arizona State team in Tempe as a double-digit underdog. In Ivy League play tonight they’ll be attempting a season sweep over Cornell. A value indicator for tonight was their nine point road win over the Big Red on February 2nd. Grab Cornell.

At the tail end of conference play Marist has found their rhythm. They’ve won four straight overall which included three road games. They’ll now return home to take on a St. Peter’s team they lost to by nine points in the first matchup. The string of losses for St. Peter’s has reached eight games. Grab the value on St. Peter’s.

The Washington Huskies have been the class of the Pac-12 this season. A solid resume and overall great record does not mean their solid ATS. They’re not a team that wins in blowout fashion and rely heavily on their zone defense. Utah has the perimeter shooters and have shown to be a pesky team ATS. Grab Utah

The Georgia Bulldogs have not had much luck in SEC play. Overall they’ve won just two games and have dropped six straight overall. Today they’ll face a Mississippi State Bulldogs team that has got back to .500 in SEC play thanks to consecutive victories. Even minus suspended guard Nick Weatherspoon they should continue their winning ways. Grab the value on the road favorite against the reeling Bulldogs. 

Earlier in Missouri Valley Conference play the Drake Bulldogs ran away from Bradley 69 to 52. It was a game that got out of hand early as Bradley could not buy a basket in the first half. Since that matchup Drake has distanced themselves from the pack record-wise at 20-7. The co-leaders of the Missouri Valley should have their hands full against a Bradley team that will want to avenge one of their sloppiest outings of the season. Grab the underdog in Bradley. 

Suddenly the shortened rotation of the Miami Hurricanes has adapted. If not for a great comeback by UNC they’d be on a three-game win streak. Sunday they’ll travel to Massachusetts to take on a Boston College team that has been dangerous at home this year. Still featuring Ky Bowman there a team that can go on a big run in a hurry. Still look for Miami’s newfound momentum to be a catalyst on a low number. 

Losers of five of their last six the Chattanooga Mocs will face a Samford team they defeated earlier in conference play. That’s certainly factored into today’s line along with the fact that Samford is returning home after a recent stretch of four of six road games. Extended rest is also on both teams side as each has not played since last Saturday. Grab the road value here on the Mocs. 

Record-wise the Keydets are in the same boat as years past. Where they’ve made a difference is the ability to not get blown out and gain covers ATS. Today they’ll continue their road travels as they head down to take on Furman a team that has quality wins over Villanova and Loyola-Chicago. They’re also coming off a victory over UNC-Greensboro on Thursday. Yet look for VMI’s offense to keep them within range of the spread similar to their recent loss against Wofford. Grab VMI. 

After a four-game losing streak the Iona Gaels have won two straight. That puts the Gaels above .500 in conference. Continued wins in the MAAC could give them confidence to win the MAAC tournament and ignore their poor overall record. To continue to gain momentum they’ll look to defeat a St. Peter’s team Friday that has lost five straight and has the worst record in the MAAC. Grab the Peacocks to give the Gaels a solid contest here. 

The worst team in the Southern Conference in VMI will take on the undefeated Wofford Terriers. Wofford’s ability to score in bunches is certainly factored into the line as well as VMI’s poor overall defense. In fact of VMI’s four five conference road games thus far they’ve lost all but one by massive double digits of eighteen points or more. Yet VMI has the offense to hold within a steep spread. Grab VMI. 

After a slim loss to Marquette the Wildcats return home to take on Providence. One would expect a high level of concentration and a team to feed off their home crowd. That’s likely going to occur but look for Providence to show some grit. After winning eleven straight games prior there is a little bit of inflation on the Wildcats. Grab Providence.

One of the toughest things to do in sports is face a team again in a short turn around. That’s the case today in the American Conference as South Florida hosts East Carolina again after a matchup on January 26th. The Pirates heavy guard presence allowed for South Florida to create turnovers and get easy baskets in transition. With South Florida on a four-game win streak look for their momentum to continue. 

Attention in the Southern Conference has had it’s moments this year on teams such as Furman, East Tennessee State, and Wofford. The team that has been a top the conference in UNC Greensboro has been a bit of an after thought. This is a team that still has key core talent that are now seniors in Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy. Look for their level of team focus to continue to fly under the radar. Grab Greensboro. 

After two impressive road wins over Colorado and Utah the Oregon State Beavers had a severe slip up. They were blown out at home to the tune of 83-60 by the Stanford Cardinal. On the schedule for Saturday is one of the worst teams in college basketball in California. The fact that they’re 0-10 in Pac-12 play combined with the Beavers recent home loss is why the line is skewed. Grab the value on Cal.

Out in the SEC a battle of mid-tier teams record wise will take place between Arkansas and South Carolina. While the Gamecocks may be .500 they’re fourth in the SEC conference with a 6-3 record. In fact their lone home loss in-conference was against Tennessee. Look for Arkansas to be set to exploit the Gamecocks offensive execution. 

After winning four of five games it appeared that Iona would creep back into MAAC contention. Another losing streak has ended that possibility. The Gaels have lost three straight and now will face a Quinnipiac team that’s in their fourth of five road games. Although Iona has still shown ATS might in the MAAC look for another let down Friday.

Out in the Southern Conference one of the best games on Thursday will be between Wofford and East Tennessee State. Both teams have nineteen wins yet it’s a scheduling scenario that has created value on the Terriers. East Tennessee State returns home after a three-game road trip while Wofford is concluding the third leg of their road trip. Grab the small value on the Wofford Terriers. 

The Hurricanes plummet from the top 25 in November to their current phase is almost unheard of. They’re just 1-8 in ACC play as they’ve been out of sync on both ends of the floor. Tonight they’ll take on a Notre Dame Irish team that is coming off a road win against Boston College but has also had prime issues this season. The depth of the Hurricanes is an issue but look for Miami to play with intensity on their home floor. Grab Miami. 

Boston College is coming off consecutive home losses in which the money side was showing on them. At just 11-9, Boston College must find a way to stay in the game on the road at Duke. Duke on the other hand has been rolling since their win over Virginia. Three straight wins have been by double-digits including a blowout win over St. Johns. Yet this is too high of a number that BC should be able to close within. 

Out in the A-10 today will be a nationally televised ESPN game between Davidson and St. Bonaventure. At 15-5 Davidson is starting to make some noise as they’re coming off an upset win on the road over Saint Louis. Rest will be on both teams side as they have not played since Saturday. Look for the Bonnies to take advantage of their home court and cash Friday. 

After losing four straight games Penn broke out of their slump with consecutive victories. Today they’ll travel to upstate New York to take on Cornell. Cornell has won three of four games and did play Syracuse to within single digits. Yet expect Penn’s ability to score to give the home team Cornell problems. Grab Penn.

Tough losses have been the norm for the Penn State Nittany Lions. To start Big 10 conference play they’ve went winless with an 0-9 record. Bench production is lacking as well as an ability to overcome poor shooting. That’s a big problem facing a Purdue team that can switch gears when needed on both ends of the court. Just as in their last three home games expect the opposition to pull away late. Grab Purdue. 

UNLV +10.5

One of the more difficult teams for oddsmakers to evaluate ATS is Nevada. They have only one loss and handily defeated teams such as USC, Loyola Chicago, and Arizona State in non-conference. With the wide disparity of the Mountain West Nevada has had a wide range of high numbers ATS. With UNLVs well documented subpar outings this would seem like another blowout. Instead grab the value on the Rebels. 

Zack has a Big 12 prime play available for college hoops Tuesday.  Kansas has lost two of three games and now has to face a Texas team they narrowly beat at home. The result was indicative of the Jayhawks allowing a late flurry from the Longhorns. Meanwhile Texas has underachieved all season with a record that is barely above .500. Grab the value here on the small number with the Longhorns.

Iowa travels on the road Sunday to take on Minnesota.  Both teams will be looking to erase the memories of a recent loss. Iowa lost in blowout fashion on their home floor to Michigan State while Minnesota was narrowly defeated by Michigan. The Gophers near win over Michigan on the road presents value on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Grab Iowa to take of business on Sunday.

Cleveland State’s struggles are well documented as they’ve lost eight straight games. They’ll take on a Youngstown State team with a similar record at 6-15. This should be labeled as a golden opportunity for Cleveland State to break out of their rut as Youngstown State is in the midst of seven of nine road games. Yet look for the Penguins to have the energy to hold off Cleveland State ATS. Grab the points here on the underdog. 

Letdowns in-conference are inevitable. Fresno State will hope to avoid one as they travel on the road to take on Colorado State. Yet I think the Bulldogs learned a lesson from their last outing against San Diego State in which they came out with a lackluster start. Coming back from a twenty-point deficit is great but also a wake-up call. Look for the Bulldogs to be prepared for a forty minute effort. 

Since East Carolina’s home outright win over the Cincinnati Bearcats they’ve dropped four straight. Today they’ll take on a South Florida team that’s also struggling in American conference play. In fact they’ve yet to win a road game in-conference at 0-3. Off of East Carolina’s big blowout loss to Houston and return from a road trip grab the value on the Bulls.

UC Irvine travels to Hawaii for the final game of Wednesday’s college basketball board. Both teams boast just one loss in-conference in the Big West. The late start time offers value on the away team as well as UC Irvine’s recent string of losses. They’ve lost three of their last seven games. Grab the value here on Irvine to spoil Hawaii’s return home from a two-game road trip. 

The Tar Heels have started strong to ACC play and return home Monday to host Virginia Tech. Line value for this matchup lies strictly on the Hokies lack of road experience. In non-conference play their lone road matchup was a loss to Penn State. In-conference during a small sample they struggled to beat Georgia Tech and were blown out on the road against Virginia. That Virginia experience will be a big aid for another hostile environment tonight. Grab the Hokies.

Thus far the talent mix and chemistry of the Colorado Buffaloes has not transferred over the first portion of the season.  Yet Sunday is an opportunity for on court growth against a Utah team that is over achieving. At .500 they lack secondary and third scoring options leaving them vulnerable on a small home favored line. Grab Colorado 

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a chance to improve their top twenty-five position as they host Illinois Sunday. Iowa’s strong start to Big 10 conference play has featured two wins over top twenty-five teams and a big comeback win over Penn State. Yet Illinois has confidence as they played a full forty minutes in a tail-kicking over Minnesota. They’ve also been in close losses thus far in Big 10 play. Grab the points here with Illinois. 

Lately Arizona State has become an ATS detractor. They were blown out last week by Stanford and blew a big lead to cost backers against Oregon State. Now they’ll face an Oregon team that’s grown offensively and is coming off two strong wins over USC and Arizona. This is a game where ASU can lean on their home court edge and minimize their second half offensive issues. Grab ASU. 

Texas Tech finds themselves in an unusual spot Saturday, and that’s avoiding a second consecutive loss for the first time this year. They’ll face a Baylor team that has not won consecutive games since non-conference play. Yet I believe we saw two teams hit opposite strides their last game. Look for Baylor to gain in confidence off their win against Oklahoma State and cover as a small underdog.

Butler appears to be in a year of transition as they’ve dropped to 10-7. Consecutive losses by one point have been heart breakers against quality opponents in Seton Hall and Xavier. They’ll face a DePaul team that hung in to defeat both Seton Hall and St. Johns. Look for this moment not to phase the Blue Demons as they take care of business against Butler. 

An interesting matchup lies in the Missouri Valley for Wednesday in college hoops between Drake and Bradley. Drake has the impressive record of 12-5 but has just a 1-3 record in-conference. Meanwhile Bradley is even worse in conference ranking dead last at 0-4. This is a spot where the pressure is more on Drake than it is Bradley. Look for Bradley to utilize their ability to be in close games and win the game ATS at the free throw line. 

The USC Trojans are coming off another questionable shaky loss against Oregon State. In a matter of forty-eight hours they’ll now face another opponent in the Pac-12 in Oregon. The Ducks have also been inconsistent and are coming off blowing an eight point lead in the last forty seconds against UCLA. Yet the value here is on the Trojans and oddsmakers devaluing the fact that they are winless (0-5) on the road this season. Grab USC.  

The Dayton Flyers have struggled with defensive lapses which has made them tough on steep spreads. Case in point was their melt down two Saturday’s ago on a similar line against Georgia Southern. Yet this is a spot where they should be prepared to avoid such a scenario. Grab the Flyers to overmatch a UMass team reeling on their current losing streak. 

Out in the Pac-12 ASU will aim to continue their recent momentum. After a mini-slide they’ve blown out fellow conference opponents in California and Colorado. Their Saturday opponent in Stanford has struggled to adjust to conference play with an 0-3 record. Inefficiency on the offensive end has been their problem as that has translated to the defensive end. Yet look for the Cardinal to show some composure and keep within reach of the Sun Devils. 

The Jayhawks depth has allowed them to sidestep missing key starter Udoka Azubuike. In fact it’s allowed them to play smaller at times and utilize some of their guard depth off the bench. Saturday they’ll take on a Baylor team that has two poor losses on their resume against Stephen F Austin and Texas Southern. Yet in conference play coaches know weaknesses to attack. Look for Baylor to pull of the home cover. 

A surprise start in Horizon league play has occurred with Detroit. Before their last game loss against Northern Kentucky they had won three straight all by double-digits. Their electric freshman scorer in Antoine Davis combined with new team confidence has been the catalyst. Yet look for Wisconsin-Green Bay to build off their thrilling buzzer-beater win against Cleveland State.

There are three portions of a college basketball schedule that you re-evaluate a team that’s still not living up to their expectations. Butler is not there yet but there home win against Creighton Saturday could be a positive spark. Tonight they’ll head into a tough road environment against a Seton Hall team that has passed nearly every matchup they’ve had since early November. This is a very important game for Seton Hall as they are coming off three of four on the road including a loss to DePaul. Grab the small line dog value here on Butler.

We’ll grab value out in the Colonial conference as Towson hosts Cornell. Cornell has some talented players that have even shined against strong non-conference opponents. Meanwhile Towson’s basketball program appears a bit rattled. They’ve lost three consecutive matchups to bring their record to 5-11. Tonight look for a confidence boost from the home Tigers as they get it done against Cornell. 

Tuesday, the Red Raiders will hope to start 3-0 in the Big 12 as they host the 23rd ranked Oklahoma Sooners. This will be their toughest matchup since they lost to Duke in a mid-December neutral site matchup. Yet I expect the Red Raiders to matchup well with the Sooners in half court defensive sets. The Red Raiders are just a point below ATS of what the line was when the Sooners faced Kansas. Grab Texas Tech.

Regrouping at the beginning of conference play is tough to do. The Badgers find themselves in that spot with two straight losses.  They’ll face a Penn State team that’s going to be without their coach because of a one game suspension.  That’s enough of an edge to side with the Badgers

Sunday in the ACC the Miami Hurricanes will travel to take on the Louisville Cardinal.  The Hurricanes once ranked have lost five of their last eight. Furthermore they’ll take on a Cardinal team playing their first game in 2019. With the Hurricanes on shorter rest the value lies with them. Grab Miami

Both San Diego and Pacific sustained losses to open conference play in the WCC. Yet things seem to be more worrisome for a veteran San Diego team. They’ve lost two of their last three games and are dropping off offensively. Pacific on the other hand showed composure to come back in a close loss to BYU. Look for Pacific to continue to show they’re shining youth and cover a sizable road number. 

Arizona State is off to a very similar start in conference play as they were a season ago. Consecutive losses one to Princeton and the other against Utah shows just how young the Sun Devils are. The problem is their national attention is not going to fade away. With Colorado coming off a loss in Tucson expect them to have supreme focus in hopes of not leaving Arizona with two losses.

Road travel beats up on teams as conference play for lack thereof in non-conference. That has been the case for Georgia Southern as they will play in their sixth road game in eight games Saturday. Coming into Saturday’s matchup they have lost three straight on the road which has created value for Saturday. Grab the Southern Eagles to bounce back in a nice spot against a young UT Arlington team. 

Throughout non-conference play Kansas was vulnerable ATS but managed to pile up wins. They’ll take on an Oklahoma team that’s had a home friendly schedule. In non-conference play they only went on the road once besides a neutral court tournament. Look for the Jayhawks to be prepared and ready to cruise over the Sooners. Grab Kansas. 

St. John’s spoiled an opportunity this past weekend to defeat Seton Hall. Holding a double-digit lead the Johnnies couldn’t sustain the offense they showed in the first half. That’s a value detractor for Tuesday’s matchup against Marquette. The Golden Eagles have won eight straight games and should have clearance against St. Johns Tuesday.  Grab Marquette

San Diego State on paper has a talented team. Thus their 7-5 record is peculiar especially considering recent losses to Brown and California. Tuesday’s matchup against Cal State Northridge is supposed to be a tune up for Mountain West play for San Diego State. Instead grab the value on the double-digit dog in Cal State Northridge. 

After extended holiday rest it can be difficult to regroup in college basketball. Detroit will play their second game in three nights both on the road. Cleveland State on the other hand will attempt to rectify their recent home loss.  Value here is tied into that angle and sides with the road team in Detroit 

Northeastern has caught the attention of the betting markets for years with upsets galore over power five conference teams.  They’ll face a Delaware team that’s reeling with a string of losses.  The easy play here would be Northeastern but lean Delaware to play within a big spread 

For the final play of Saturday we’ll grab the value on St. Johns. Their undefeated record has zero opponents even close to the top 75 in the country. Seton Hall on the other hand is on a big winning streak that’s featured wins over Kentucky and Maryland. Yet look for the Johnnies back court strength to key them to an ATS cover over Seton Hall. 

Charlotte +14.5

The Colorado Buffaloes came into the Hawaii tournament boasting an 8-1 record. Consecutive losses have forced them into a first-game Christmas Day matchup against the woeful Charlotte 49ers. While the Buffaloes should come out with a high sense of urgency their defense will be susceptible to a double-digit spread. Grab the points here on the 49ers. 

For the second consecutive day both San Diego and Drake will take the court in Las Vegas. They’re playing in the Continental Tire Classic at the Orleans Arena, with both teams boasting great records. Trickle down value occurs here based on time of the game action yesterday. San Diego was in the last time slot which means their sleep schedule and rest could potentially be an issue. Yet they’re use to the arena from the WCC tournament and are a team full of upperclassmen. Grab the value on the Toreros.

Certain instances in non-conference play present themselves as opportunistic spots. Arizona State increased their level of non-conference play and had opportunities to defeat Nevada and Vanderbilt. With not as much experience as last years team that upset Kansas many may see the value on the number one team in the country. Instead look for Bobby Hurley to outreach Bill Self as he did a year ago, and for the ASU fanbase to be a road distraction for the Jayhawks.

Pirates Coach Kevin Willard did a fantastic job adjusting his lineup after early consecutive losses to Nebraska and Saint Louis. Today they’ll get one of their toughest challenges to date against Maryland. The Terrapins two losses on the year were narrow defeats against Virginia and Purdue. Their strength at guard should also help negate the Pirates lone main scorer in Myles Powell.

Look for San Francisco to sharpen back up on the offensive end today against Stanford. Stanford has done well against non top twenty five teams this year. In fact all of their losses have come to teams such as Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, and Wisconsin. Their close loss to Kansas may seem like a value buy for today’s game against a close cross town team. Yet San Francisco’s offense features a bevy of scorers unlike Stanford. Grab San Francisco.

DePaul looks to continue it’s surprise start with a home matchup Saturday against Boston College. DePaul’s balance beings with the senior guard tandem of Max Strus (20PPG) and Eli Cain 14 PPG. With an 8-0 home record there is pressure on the Demon Deacons to continue their hot start. Yet look for Boston College to be able to counter the Demon Deacons impact offense. Grab Boston College. 

The Houston Cougars have ascended into the top 25 with quality wins over Oklahoma State, LSU, Oregon, and BYU. Yet they’re not the type of team that’s showcased offensive synergy for two halves. With fan attendance likely down tonight look for Utah State to learn their lessons from losses to ASU and BYU. Grab the Aggies to cover ATS. 

Wednesday we get to see one of the best remaining non-conference matchups between UCLA and Cincinnati. The Bruins have shown flashes of their strong youth to begin the season 7-3. With both teams coming off losses this may seem like a typical Bearcats slow points production game. Instead look for the Bearcats to have their way on both ends of the floor. Grab Cincy.