25* Play on Xavier (-5.5). Musketeers came through for us with a blowout 18-point win against Marquette last night, and we'll back them at our highest 25* rating tonight to in a quick turnaround spot for revenge against Seton Hall. Can't blame Xavier for coming out flat at Seton Hall two weeks ago - which was in what is pretty much the definition of a "letdown" spot after they upset the #1 team in the country - and more importantly - beat a Villanova team that has completely owned them in recent years. Xavier was held to 39% shooting while Seton Hall connected on half of their 58 shot attempts, but more importantly they were +19 in free throw attempts. That is a huge contrast to the first matchup when Xavier won by 8 points at home and won virtually every major statistic we care about. Musketeers rebounded fro that loss by shooting 53% in each of their next two games heading into tonight and won both of those games easily. No letdown spot tonight for Seton Hall to take advantage of, and if anything it's Xavier with the motivational edge looking to make up for that embarrassing showing two weeks ago. Xavier gets their revenge and wins this game in a blowout! 25* CBB Conference Tournament Game of the Year on Xavier.

20* Play on Maryland (-7.5). We do not like the way Maryland played down the stretch of the regular season and are currently not very high on the Terps, however, we like Nebraska even less and can only play against the Cornhuskers in a poor on-court matchup combined with an obvious "letdown" spot after upsetting Wisconsin yesterday. We were definitely surprised that Nebraska was able to get past the Badgers, however, Wisconsin beat themselves with an awful 30% shooting effort for the entire game. For all of Maryland's troubles, offense isn't one of them (they tend to disappear at the defensive end of the court when they are struggling) and we can't see any scenario where the Terps also suddenly go ice cold from the floor. While we can't rely on Maryland's defensive effort, this is not a problem against a team like Nebraska who doesn't really have a legitimate offensive threat. Nebraska was held to 62 points or less in each of their four games prior to their regular season finale against Rutgers (everybody runs up the score on Rutgers this year), and they put up 61 and 65 points in both games vs. Maryland this season. Coming back one day later after pulling a big upset is very hard - especially for a team that hasn't had many signature wins over the course of the regular season. The last time Nebraska was able to pull off an upset was when they won at Michigan State, but promptly came out and lost at home against Michigan by 13 points as a one-point favorite their next time out. Cornhuskers flat as Maryland advances to the next round easily! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Maryland.

20* Play on Michigan State (-13). Based on the pointspreads Michigan State was favored by when they played at home (-14.5) and at Columbus (-7), the linesmakers haven't really adjusted their opening line at all to compensate for how the Spartans crushed Ohio State in both meetings this year. The line also wasn't changed to account for the obvious rest advantage MSU has, as they were off yesterday while Ohio State needed to battle in order to get by Penn State, or even the obvious letdown spot as the Buckeyes came back to beat Penn State and give head coach Thad Matta his 20th win of the season - keeping his streak of at least 20 wins in every season of his career in tact. We love Michigan State in this game and see no reason why it won't play out exactly as the first two games did. Spartans won by 19 points on the road, having a +15% edge in shooting percentage and then won by 15 points at home (in a game that wasn't as close as the final score shows), going +20% in shooting. Buckeyes don't have a legitimate rim protector and tend to give up far too many layup attempts than a normal Ohio State defense from recent years. More importantly, they lack the start player that has been a staple of Thad Matta coached teams in recent years, and because of that they have not been able to hang with the elite teams in this conference. Buckeyes already accomplished what they wanted to do - get Matta his 20th win and now they can bow out and get ready for an NIT run. MSU advances with ease! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Michigan State.

20* Play on Purdue (-10.5). Linesmakers have set a trap line on Friday afternoon, begging for action on Illinois after the Illini upset Iowa yesterday. Purdue is a double-digit favorite, although they lost against Illinois in the only in-season meeting this year. We're not biting, and both of those reasons can easily be disregarded. As far as Illinois beating Iowa, we watched that entire game and the Hawkeyes never showed up to play. Iowa was really struggling down the stretch of the regular season and there wasn't necessarily anything Illinois did that was impressive to us. As far as the first matchup this season, Illinois shot 54% from the floor, 53% from beyond the three-point arc, and was 23-28 at the free throw line. No chance for the Illini to match what ended up being one of their best offensive games of the season, and it's important to remember Illinois only makes 42% of their shot attempts in conference overall this season. Purdue has shot 52%+ in each of their last four games, come in fully rested, and are now salivating at the chance to exact revenge from that earlier loss. It all adds up to a blowout winning margin over the #12 seed in the Big Ten Tourney! 20* CBB Afternoon Watch Party Play on Purdue.

20* Play on Indiana (-7). Tough spot for Michigan on Friday, who have to play very early after playing an overtime game yesterday - a game which saw the Wolverines survive against an average Northwestern foe. Not only will Michigan play this early game without rest, but they also lack confidence after Indiana beat Michigan by 13 points in the only in-season matchup this season - and that game was played in Ann Arbor. Michigan has not been able to hang with the better teams in the conference, and with all the rest and confidence factors at work we think this one will get out of hand early. Hoosiers have been very consistent at both ends of the floor down the stretch, and particularly on offense which is the key in this game. 38% shooting was good enough for Michigan to get past the Wildcats, but a similar offensive effort today leads to a blowout loss! 20* CBB "HIGH NOON SHOWDOWN" Play on Indiana.

20* Play on Virginia Tech (+9). We called for the Hokies to upset Florida State yesterday and they managed to come through for us. We pointed to VTech's gain in confidence down the stretch of the regular season and we never really trusted Florida State. We will come back and back Virginia Tech again on Thursday night, however under much different circumstances. While we do think Miami is a good team and will very likely win this game outright, we still believe Virginia Tech can stay well within this big number. Hokies were a six-point home underdog against this Hurricanes team in the regular season finale, and ended up winning that game outright by a surprising 15-point margin. That win means Miami won't take Virginia Tech likely, but it also means the Hokies know they can hang with his tough opponent and won't give up. Miami beat Virginia Tech by 16 points on their home floor about three weeks ago, however the Hurricanes shot 50% from the floor while VTech was held to just 29% shooting. That big of a shooting discrepancy should have led to a much bigger margin of victory. Assuming a red hot Hokies team that has gone 6-0 both SU and ATS in their last six games will NOT be held to under 30% shooting, or will be 20 percentage points worse in the shooting department, we're not sure what else Miami can do in order to run up the score enough to cover this spread. Pure value play backing a hot team that will likely not win outright, but is very capable of covering this generous spot. 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Virginia Tech.

20* Play on Wisconsin (-5.5). We do not like the way Nebraska closed their regular season - losing winnable games against Ohio State (at home), Penn State, Purdue (at home), and Northwestern before finally beating Big Ten doormat Rutgers in the regular season finale. Cornhuskers have lost five of their last six overall heading into the Big Ten Conference Tournament, and face a Wisconsin team that has quietly been one of the better teams in the conference over the past two months. Badgers went 11-2 straight up (10-3 ATS) to close the regular season including big wins against Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland (road) and Iowa (road). No surprise that defense led the way and they are peaking defensively right now holding four of their last five opponents to 60 points or less. Nebraska struggles offensively and has completely fallen apart at the defensive end of the court, allowing 50%+ shooting in half of their last 12 games in a conference not exactly known for their offense. Badgers not prone to making mistakes - a sign of a good coach - and rarely beat themselves. Don't believe Nebraska is good enough to beat a team like Wisconsin, and never really had a chance in the lone matchup this season, falling by 11 points scoring just 61 points themselves. This line doesn't accurately depict the current state of both of these teams, and we expect Wisconsin to quietly win and cover as they have been over the past two months! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Wisconsin.

20* Play on Xavier (-9.5). We have felt that Xavier has been one of the most underrated teams in the country since the start of the season - and their ATS records of 18-12 overall (as well as 10-4 ATS away from home) seem to back that up. We will back what we consider to be the best team in the Big East (yes, better than Villanova) to win easily against Marquette on Thursday night, and we point to their two eight-point victories against the Golden Eagles as evidence. Musketeers eight-point road victory was enough to give Xavier the ATS cover, but they fell short ATS at home. That game saw Marquette have one of their better shooting efforts of the season - something we don't believe they'll be able to match tonight against a normally stout Xavier defense (allowing 41% shooting on the season) - especially with this game being played without rest. That lack of rest will really show up at the defensive end of the floor - easily Marquette's biggest weakness as a team and the reason we believe Xavier will be able to run up the score and cover this big number. Golden Eagles have now allowed at least 52% shooting and no less than 87 points in each of their last four games, and while they do have a good offensive team, they can't match Xavier's scoring when the two defenses are factored in. Marquette shot better than 50% from beyond the three-point arc at Xavier and still lost by 8 points. Xavier has been a solid play all season long and we look for them to come through again as they pull away in the second half en route to a blowout! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Xavier.

25* Play on Ohio State (-5.5). Huge motivational edge to the favorite on Thursday evening, as Ohio State head coach Thad Matta searches for his 20th win of the season. That 20-victory plateau is symbolic of a good season in College Basketball, but it's especially important for Matta to reach that mark as he's had at least 20 wins in every season he's been a head coach (even prior to his coming to Ohio State). This is not lost on his players, and we expect one of the best efforts of the season from the Ohio State roster today. Buckeyes have overachieved this year with a roster that shouldn't be close to 20 wins. The got here by winning the games they were supposed to, and while they lack the skill and confidence to hang with teams at the top of the Big Ten conference, they are solid against the bottom half of the group. Buckeyes beat Penn State by 20 points earlier this season and they have owned the Nittany Lions since Matta came to Columbus. Buckeyes have won five of their last seven to close the regular season (both losses came against Michigan State) and are far better than PSU both offensively and defensively in terms of ppg and shooting percentage - both in conference as well as overall this season. Matt's quest for 20 gives OSU a massive motivational edge, and while we don't believe they should even be considered to be close to making the NCAA Tournament, they at least come through for their head coach today with a blowout win and cover! 25* CBB "King's Ransom" Play on Ohio State.

20* Play on North Carolina (-7.5). Tar Heels came through for us last week when they held on for the ATS cover at Duke - a game North Carolina basically led the entire way on the road against their arch rival. That victory felt good for the Tar Heels, not only exacting some revenge from Duke's upset win at UNC earlier this season, but also taking momentum into this ACC Conference Tournament. Pittsburgh collapsed late yesterday against Syracuse but was able to hold on for the straight up victory (did not cover the spread). Today, they face a much different opponent, both in terms of tactics as well as game pace. While Syracuse slows teams down with their matchup zone, UNC likes to play at a much faster tempo - a big edge for a rested team playing an opponent that played just yesterday. These teams met just once this season (at UNC) with the Tar Heels scoring a lopsided 21-point victory. We don't much stock into that final score as the Tar Heels made 59% of their shot attempts - a number they won't be able to match again here. However, what we do take away from that lopsided win is the fact that UNC dominated every facet of the game with the lone exception of rebounding, and after doubling up Duke 64-29 on the glass in their last game, we really don't think rebounding will be an issue here. Tar Heels are not an unstoppable juggernaut this season, but against a Pittsburgh club playing without rest that went just 10-9 in ACC play, UNC is certainly the superior team in this matchup, and we expect them to run past the Panthers and take this one by another comfortable margin! 20* CBB "High Noon Showdown" Play on North Carolina.

20* Play on Oregon State (-2.5). Both Arizona State and Oregon State are far more confident on their home floor than they are on the road, but Arizona State is more dependent on their home court advantage than the Beavers. Sun Devils are just 4-10 straight up away from home this year, losing by an average of 8 ppg while being out-shot 48% to 39.5%. Each of their last three road games resulted in SU and ATS losses - all coming by double-digits. The reason this line is so low is because the Sun Devils whipped the Beavers by 18 points in the only in-season meeting between both schools (Oregon State did not host ASU this year) - a game where the Sun Devils blew up offensively shooting 59% from the floor and 46% from behind the three-point arc. ASU has proven unable to duplicate that type of offensive production on the road, however, and we are getting excellent line value with what we consider to be the better team. Beavers with the superior record both overall this season as well as in conference (both in terms of outright victories and ATS). Beavers pulled off upset road wins in the last few weeks against both UCLA and Stanford, while ASU hasn't won outright as a dog since mid-December (prior to conference play). Beavers grind it out early and pull away late to cover! 20* CBB "Late Night Bailout" Play on Oregon State.

20* Play on Virginia Tech (+5). We did back Florida State yesterday in their 22-point blowout win versus a horrible Boston College team, but that play was more "against" BC than it was "on" Florida State. And to be honest, we weren't thrilled with the way the Seminoles played early in that game - not really pulling away until late. Coming off that big win the linesmakers have installed FSU as a small favorite tonight against Virginia Tech, and we like the Hokies to win this one outright. While Virginia Tech does have a rest advantage, we don't put too much stock into that this early in the tournament. What we do like about VTech in this game is the momentum they carry into this tournament, winning each of their last five games - four of those coming in the underdog role capped with a big 15-point win against Miami FL as a 6.5-point home underdog. That streak began with a ten-point home win against this FSU squad (as a 3.5-point home dog) - a victory that will have Virginia Tech confident when they take the floor tonight. FSU can't come out like they did yesterday and expect to win. Hokies a big step up in class compared to yesterday's opponent and we look for their winning streak to continue at least one more game! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Virginia Tech.

20* Play on Marquette (-7). Building off our reasoning for fading TCU (and Boston College yesterday), St. John's is another team that has fallen on hard times and has no real reason to play well tonight. The Red Storm are playing on their home court, but that hasn't helped them much at all this season going just 1-8 straight up here at home in conference play (1-17 against the Big East this year). Blowout losses against Providence and Creighton by a combined 55 points won't do anything for their confidence, and if anything we are getting great line value backing Marquette here as they are treated as a true road team by the linesmaker (line would have been three points higher if played on a true neutral court). Golden Eagles only won by five points here in the regular season, but that final score was heavily influenced by St. John's three point shooting (made nine three-point shots) and turnovers (Marquette turned the ball over 22 times). Eagles 52% to 35% shooting discrepancy is far more valuable to determining how this game should play out. Add in Marquette's 8-3 ATS record away from home and we would be surprised if this one doesn't end in a double-digit margin of victory! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Marquette.

20* Play on Texas Tech (-7). We love fading teams with no confidence or motivation in these early conference tournament games. That was the case yesterday when we faded Boston College in their 22-point loss against Florida State, and such is the case again tonight when TCU faces Texas Tech. The Horned Frogs are just 2-16 straight up in conference play this year, including 0-9 straight up away from their home floor. Not only that, but they have lost seven games in a row to close the regular season - four of which came by double-digits. Absolutely no confidence on the TCU roster after losing twice against the Red Raiders, and the reason we think Texas Tech will cover this big number has everything to do with recent offensive and defensive statistics. TCU's proof of giving up late in the year is evidenced by allowing 50%+ shooting in four of their five games, and we find Texas Tech heating up at the right time with offensive shooting numbers of 50%+ in four of their last five games. That's a deadly combination for a team that is being outscored by 13 ppg in conference play - well more than this number. Red Raiders control this one from the start! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Texas Tech.

20* Play on Pittsburgh (-3). Both Syracuse and Pittsburgh desperately need a win here to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, and any motivational elements to that scenario is basically a wash between both teams. What we do like, however, is the on-court matchup for the Panthers, particularly in the rebounding department where Pitt manhandles Syracuse in both in-season meetings. Panthers held a 43-25 rebounding edge at home in late December when they beat Syracuse by nine points (as a 7.5-point favorite), and that rebounding advantage carried over to the next game in Syracuse, with Pittsburgh finishing +20 on the boards and winning outright by 14 points (as a small road underdog). No reason to believe anything will be difference this time around, and in a game where the linesmakers look for a close game, that rebounding advantage will once again be the deciding factor. Pittsburgh knows they can wear this team down with defense (they certainly didn't do anything great offensively in either victory), and the confidence from those two victories leads Pitt to the win and cover today! 20* Play on Pittsburgh.

25* Play on St. Mary's (+2). We backed the Gaels last night in their easy win and cover against Pepperdine. In that game, St. Mary's was playing with double-revenge from a pair of regular season losses, though we felt St. Mary's was still the superior team despite those two results. In this West Coast Conference Tournament Final, it's Gonzaga that takes the court playing with double revenge, as the Gaels beat the Zags both at St. Mary's (by 3 points) and at Gonzaga (by 5 points). But unlike yesterday's game, we're not going to back the team playing with revenge, and we don't believe those two wins by St. Mary's was any kind of fluke. Gonzaga is a decent squad, but not at the same level they have been over the past several years. Zags outlasted BYU last night thanks to excellent shooting (49%) and a great night beyond the arc. Don't believe Gonzaga will be able to rely on that type of offensive production this time around, and the decisive edge St. Mary's has defensively will show up big with this being the third game in four nights for both teams. Having the #1 seeded team as an underdog gives the Gaels that extra boost of motivation and we view them worthy of our top 25* rating. St. Mary's wins this game outright, and we don't think it will be close! 25* CBB "Black Reign" Play on St. Mary's.

20* Play on Florida State (-13). While we do like the way Florida State finished their regular season - beating both Notre Dame and Syracuse on their home floor - this play is almost entirely "against" Boston College more than it is "on" the Seminoles. Eagles gave up on this season a long time ago, and literally have nothing to play for here. BC comes into this game riding an 18-game losing streak - going winless in ACC play with those 18 losses coming by an average of 17 ppg. These teams met just once in the regular season, with FSU pushing as a ten-point road favorite. What that final score doesn't show is the fact that FSU had a poor shooting game that day, making 39% of their shots including just 5-17 beyond the three point arc. They did, however, hold a 25-9 advantage in free throw attempts and a massive 46-28 edge in rebounding - two key stats that typically follow suit regardless of home/road/neutral location. Huge motivational edge to the favorite here, and BC can't end this season quick enough. No effort from the Eagles in the second half as this one gets ugly! 20* CBB ESPN2 "Watch Party" Play on Florida State.

20* Play on St. Mary's (-7). While normally a conference finals matchup with Gonzaga looming would have us fading the favored Gaels, the fact that St. Mary's lost twice in the regular season against Pepperdine means St. Mary's will be extremely focused on the task at hand tonight, and we'll back the Gaels to exact some revenge and win by a huge margin on Monday night. The Waves held St. Mary's to 41% and 44% shooting in the two upset victories, but really it was the Gaels three-point shooting that let them down in those two losses. Those two losses were exactly half of St. Mary's losses this entire season, and despite those two results the Gaels are still clearly the superior team in this matchup. St. Mary's is +11ppg in conference play on the season, shooting a very high 49% from the floor (50% shooting overall this season) while holding conference foes to 61 ppg on 41% shooting. And with this being a true neutral court setting, road play means a lot in this matchup, so St. Mary's 8-3 straight up road record compared to Pepperdine's 8-9 record is very telling. It's difficult for even a good team to beat an opponent three times in the same season, and it's that much more difficult for a lesser team to pull an upset three times in a season. St. Mary's was caught off guard the first two matchups, but they don't lose focus this time around and win by a big double-digit margin! 20* CBB ESPN "Watch Party" Play on St. Mary's.

20* Play on Northwestern (-4.5). Nebraska has basically given up on the season, and limp into this road game at Northwestern losers of four straight and eight of their last ten games overall (both wins came as big favorites of -7 and -19). The most recent loss by the Cornhuskers is the most telling - a 19-point blowout loss on their home floor against Purdue (as a 3.5-point home underdog) which really shows the lack of motivation on this roster. Northwestern has all the motivation in the world in this game, going for their 20th win of the season, and they have been vastly underrated on their home floor where they are 13-4 straight up. That home record breeds confidence, and when the Wildcats have confidence they play well - as evidenced by their last two wins (both ATS covers) against lesser teams in Rutgers (won by 39 points) and Penn State (won by 10 points on the road). Wildcats beat Nebraska earlier this season by nine points as a 3.5-point road underdog, and they take this one easily as well! 20* CBB Big Ten Demolition Play on Northwestern.

25* Play on North Carolina (-2). Best rivalry in College Basketball continues with a good story line, as Duke already knocked off a much better North Carolina team on the road earlier this season. UNC did everything right statistically in that one-point loss with one major exception - going just 1-13 behind the three-point line which ended up being the difference in the game. North Carolina held a slight overall shooting advantage, played pretty well defensively holding Duke to 41.5% shooting, was virtually even at the free throw line in terms of made free throws and attempts, and held a big +12 edge in rebounding. That sets up a great "play-on" spot for North Carolina tonight, playing with revenge from that one-point loss earlier in the season and they also have history on their side as they have covered the spread in 14 of the last 18 meetings played here on Duke's home floor. We like that trend to continue noting this is not the same quality Duke team that we have been used to seeing in the past. Blue Devils offensive production has been wildly inconsistent (back-to-back games shooting well under 40% coming into this game) and their defense has been abysmal - allowing 50% shooting in three of their last four games overall. UNC is the better team this year by a wide margin, and they prove it with a statement win to close the regular season! 25* CBB ACC Game of the Year on North Carolina.

20* Play on USC (+3). After a few seasons stuck in mediocrity, the USC Trojans have made huge strides this season, thanks mainly to a legitimate home court advantage. Entering this final game of the regular season, the Trojans have gone a near-perfect 16-1 straight up, but that doesn't tell the whole story. USC has outscored their opponents by an average of 15 ppg on this floor, and have somehow continued to stay under the linesmaker's radar going 12-5 at the betting window. We'll back USC to continue their home court dominance on Saturday and win by a comfortable margin (Trojans are a small home underdog as of this writing) against Oregon. Ducks have established themselves as one of the better teams in the Pac 12, but they are not good away from home going 6-6 straight up and 5-6 ATS. Both teams have similar defensive numbers in terms of points per game allowed when factoring in home/road tendencies, however those numbers are skewed heavily as USC plays at a much faster tempo on their home floor. If you look simply at field goal percentage allowed, USC's defense is far better than Oregon. And the offensive numbers heavily favor the hometown Trojans in this matchup. Linesmakers have been wrong on USC all season long and we'll back the Trojans to once again flex their home court muscles in an easy win and cover! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on USC.

25* Play on Arizona (-6.5). A little over a month ago, Arizona out-shot the Golden Bears 52% to 45% but came up one point shy in a 74-73 loss (as a two-point road favorite). That loss symbolizes Arizona's road woes this season, as they are just 7-6 straight up on the road this year. However, here at home they are near-perfect, going 15-1 straight up and outscoring those foes by an average of 20 points per game. Clearly confidence is the main reason for that home success (combined with lack of confidence in their visiting opponents), and we look for that home success to continue tonight. Arizona is coming off back-to-back losses (both on the road) and are extremely eager to end that losing skid with the postseason right around the corner. California comes in red hot winning seven games in a row, however a closer look at their schedule reveals the Golden Bears played five of those seven games on their home court and were favored in all seven contests. If anything, that seven-game winning streak along with Arizona's back-to-back losses is giving us tremendous line value tonight. Arizona won by 39 points the last time these teams met on up on this court, and while we're not calling for a 30+ point margin of victory, we do believe this one will be decided by double-digits. Arizona earns our highest 25* rating as we look for a very easy win and cover! 25* CBB Revenge Game of the Year on Arizona.

20* Play on Notre Dame (-2.5). Irish are coming off their worst game of the season - a 19-point blasting on the road at Florida State which saw Notre Dame have their second-worst shooting game of the entire season (36%). That was Notre Dame's third road game in a row, but now they finally come back home where they are a near-perfect 15-1 straight up this season, including victories against Louisville and North Carolina. That manner in which Notre Dame lost that game vs. the Seminoles is giving us great line value Wednesday night, and we love the Irish in this obvious "bounce-back" spot at this price. Miami has been a surprise this season and while we don't have many bad things to say about the Hurricanes, they are beatable on the road where four of their five losses have come this season. Victories against both the Tar Heels and Blue Devils prove the Irish aren't intimidated by anyone (in fact the Duke win came on the road). Irish have proved to be extremely good on their home floor, and we expect a similar effort tonight as they pull away in the second half to win by a comfortable margin! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Notre Dame.

20* Play on Purdue (-3.5). Boilermakers have lost three straight games outright on the road, however we do like they way they played tough in those games - and we believe Purdue not only wins this game outright at Nebraska, but by a comfortable margin. Cornhuskers have lost three straight, including an outright loss as a home favorite against Ohio State in their most recent home game, and proved no match for the Boilermakers earlier this year as they let Purdue score 89 points in a 15-point win and cover about a month ago. The 38-22 rebounding edge is the type of dominating statistical effort that leads us to believe Purdue can win the matchups in the paint - even as the visitor in this matchup. Nebraska has a much more winnable game up next against Northwestern, and we wouldn't be at all surprise to see Nebraska's attention shift to that game if this one starts to get out of hand. Cornhuskers have not showed a tendency to play up after getting crushed by the same opponent earlier in the year, going just 4-13 ATS revenging a loss of ten or more points. Purdue is clearly the better team in this matchup, and they prove it with a solid win and ATS cover tonight! 20* CBB "Big Ten Demolition" Play on Purdue.

20* Play on Iowa State (-14). Oklahoma State has given up. That's not uncommon at this point of the season, as some teams simply can't get motivated to finish the schedule with the necessary effort when the team has no chance of going anywhere. Cowboys have lost seven of their last eight games overall, but it's their last four games which shows the mentality of this team. Starting with their 27-point loss at Kansas, Oklahoma State has lost four straight both straight up as well as against the spread, with all four of those losses coming by double-digit margins. That includes a ten-point loss at home against a bad Texas Tech team (OSU was actually a home favorite in that one), as well as a pair of lopsided defeats against Oklahoma (lost by 22) and most recently at home vs. West Virginia (lost by 14). Iowa State is a very good home team, going 13-2 straight up while scoring 86 ppg. That is a huge difference compared to Oklahoma State's 64 ppg scoring average in conference play, and that conference scoring average is going down thanks to five games scoring under 60 points in their last seven. Fast-paced offense combined with an unmotivated visitor in their final road game of the season can only lead to a blowout winning margin, and we'll back Iowa State to cover this big number with ease! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Iowa State.

25* Play on Colorado (-6.5). The linesmakers flat out missed this one, and we are very eager to jump all over a dominant home team in Colorado and fade a horrible road side in Arizona State this afternoon. Buffaloes are a near-perfect 15-1 straight up on their home court - including a win against Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona their last time out, and are only favored by this small number for no real reason. This will be Arizona State's third road game in row, with the first two ending in 38-point and 35-point disastrous blowouts. That's nothing new for the Sun Devils, who did beat Pac-12 doormat Washington State but is 0-7 straight up and 1-6 ATS as the visitor against everyone else in conference play. The fact that Colorado puts up 83 ppg here at home while ASU has been torched defensively vs. conference foes (to the tune of 80 ppg) leads us to believe Colorado will be able to run away with this one, and Arizona State won't be able to handle the up-tempo game pace set by the host. Colorado is a near-perfect 8-1 ATS as a small home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points, and that streak continues as the Sun Devils suffer their third blowout road loss in a row! 25* CBB "King's Ransom" Play on Colorado.

20* Play on Cleveland (-5.5). We just backed the Cavs in a "bounce-back" spot coming off a rare loss earlier this week when they beat Charlotte by double-digits on their home court, and after falling apart in the closing moments at Toronto Friday night (Cavs led the Raptors all the way until the closing minutes), we'll back the Cavs again in a similar spot. The theory is to back elite NBA teams after a sub par performance, as these teams tend to regain focus immediately and play extremely well in their following game. We have already successfully backed Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and the LA Clippers in this type of situation earlier this week. Washington comes in a bit overrated, getting a decent amount of respect from the linesmaker despite owning a losing record overall this year, including a losing mark here at home. Cleveland is the better offensive team in this matchup - especially after the head coaching change a few weeks back which has made the Cavs a much faster team (not properly reflected in their season statistics). But where the Cavs really have the edge is on the defensive end of the court, as Washington is giving up 105 ppg on the season (104 ppg at home) with a high opposing shooting percentage of 47%. That type of defense combined with Cleveland's stellar offense leads us to believe the Cavs will be able to take control of this game early, and cruise to an easy win and cover. Toronto's late comeback on Friday night will have the visitor keeping the foot on the gas pedal until this one is no longer in doubt! 20* NBA "Early Equation" Play on Cleveland.

25* Play on Villanova (-8.5). We faded Villanova in their outright loss against Xavier earlier this week, but that now sets up a great "play-on" spot for the Wildcats this Saturday as they visit Marquette. Villanova has lost just four times this season, and following their first three losses they have shown a tendency to bounce back immediately - winning their next game by margins of 29, 30, and 15 points. No shame losing on the road at Xavier, who is a legitimate Top 4 team in our opinion and is deserving of a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Wildcats beat Marquette by 15 points in the first matchup this season, and have beaten the Golden Eagles by a double-digit margin in each of the last five matchups overall. Marquette just 4-12 ATS at home this season and a paltry 3-11 ATS as a home underdog in their last 14 chances. Both teams similar in terms of offensive production but Villanova is by far the better defensive team, and that is where they have the big advantage in this matchup. Wildcats bounce back after this week's loss at Xavier and take this one with ease! 25* CBB "Black Reign" Play on Villanova.

20* Play on LA Clippers (-2). This game sets up almost exactly like when we backed the Cleveland Cavaliers two night ago. In that game, we were looking to back an elite team coming off a very bad effort (Clippers lost outright at home vs. the Nuggets) while also playing with revenge from a straight up upset loss the last time these two teams have met. We did take Denver in that game on Wednesday night as part of our three-game package, however we did not expect the Nuggets to win outright. Clippers have not lost two straight games since back before Christmas, and they are have shown a tendency to immediately right the ship, going 6-0 both straight up and ATS after a loss dating back to mid-January. Sacramento is not a good home team going .500 through 28 games, and is especially poor defensively giving up 109 ppg on the season (107 ppg at home). That doesn't bode well against a solid offensive team like LA - especially coming off a loss - and we'll back the Clippers to win this one going away! 20* NBA "Streak Extender" Play on LA Clippers.

20* Play on Golden State (-7.5). Last night we successfully backed Cleveland and Oklahoma City - a pair of elite NBA teams that were coming off a sub par effort in their previous game. Tonight, while not in the same exact situation as the Cavs and Thunder - Golden State is in a similar spot after nearly losing outright on the road at Miami last night. Warriors trailed for most of the game including at the start of the fourth quarter, and were bailed out by the sharp shooting of Curry and Thompson (combined for 75 points). Golden State didn't secure that win until the final minute of the game - a pretty good scare for a Warriors squad that is motivated by breaking Chicago's all-time best 72-10 record. That type of game can serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the Warriors "other" players, and we look for the team as a whole to play much more focused tonight in Orlando. We are getting great line value backing the Warriors on the road and without rest, laying single digits with a favorite that not only is 19-12 ATS on the road this year, but is 27-5 SU away from home and winning by 11.4 ppg overall this season going up against an Orlando team that isn't great at home and owns a losing record overall. Often times the linesmakers account for teams playing without rest, but that adjustment is too much for Golden State, who is 21-9 ATS playing without rest in their last 30 games. We'll lay the reasonable price as Golden State delivers one of their typical blowout performances tonight! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Golden State.

20* Play on Denver (+10.5). While we do fully expect the Clippers to win this game outright, we like how Denver has played tough lately and believe they can stay within single-digits of LA by the time this one is over. Nuggets haven't lost by double-digits on the road since a ten-point loss at Oklahoma City back in late December (12 road games total), and have played good teams tough including a three-point loss at Golden State (as a big 15-point underdog). Denver also has four outright victories as road underdogs in that span, and while we're not calling for the outright upset here, it does show that the Nuggets are not intimidated just because they are the road team. Clippers still without star forward Blake Griffin and are in a bad spot coming off a 40-point blowout against Phoenix their last time out. Those lopsided wins can sometimes lead to a team getting overconfident their next time out - especially against a weaker opponent where they are expected to win big. Denver lost by 7 points as an 18-point road underdog the last time these two teams met up in LA, and Denver lost by just four points as a 14-point road dog the time before that. Nuggets keep this one close! 20* NBA "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Denver.

20* Play on Oklahoma City (-5.5). Thunder have had three full days to think about that blowout home loss against the Cavs on Sunday, and with that time to regroup we believe OKC will come out on fire and win big on the road at Dallas tonight. Mavericks have lost five of their last seven games overall (and one of those two victories was against an awful Philadelphia team), including two outright losses as favorites. Thunder are already a perfect 3-0 against Dallas so far this season, scoring at least 108 points in all three victories. Given the Mavericks poor defense of late - five straight games allowing 103+ points and four games in that span allowing at least 110 points - we look for the Thunder's offense to resume back to their normal explosive self which has put up 110 ppg on average this season. Great motivational spot to back the Thunder tonight and getting great line value with OKC as the visitor. Thunder's offense too much for Dallas over the course of 48 minutes and OKC pulls away in the second half to win by a comfortable margin! 20* NBA "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Oklahoma City.

20* Play on Cleveland (-8). We love backing elite teams immediately following a subpar performance, and we have two such instances on Wednesday night. We'll start with Cleveland, who after making a statement on Sunday afternoon in a blowout road win against the Thunder came out on Monday night and laid an egg with an outright loss at home vs. Detroit. That sets up a great "play-on" spot for the Cavs tonight - not only in an obvious "bounce-back" situation after the Pistons game but also a nice revenge spot after Charlotte upset the Cavs in the last encounter. Cleveland let the Hornets shoot 49% from the floor in that game - the highest shooting percentage allowed by the Cavs in their last 16 games overall (dating back to that blowout home loss against Golden State). Cleveland never sustained a run in that Detroit game, but will be very focused here and we expect a typical dominating effort from the Cavs on their home floor. 20* NBA "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Cleveland.

20* Play on Michigan (-7). Northwestern slumping down the stretch losing seven of their last nine games overall, and we look for that slump to continue at least one more game as we'll back Michigan to win by a comfortable margin. Wildcats are 0-5 straight up away from home during that 2-7 stretch, with each of their last four road defeats coming by no less than eight points each (enough for Michigan to cover this number). Wolverines have lost two straight games - the latest coming in a hard-fought four-point loss against Maryland - and that is the third time they've lost back-to-back games this season. They responded with SU and ATS wins in each of the last two instances in this situation, and against a NW team that has given up 71, 71, 85, and 89 points in their last four road games we believe Michigan will be able to run up the score in the second half. Wildcats just 1-7 ATS after playing as an underdog, and that trend continues as Michigan takes this one by double-digits! 20* CBB "Slump Buster" Play on Michigan.

25* Play on Xavier (-1). Back on New Year's Eve, we backed Villanova at home to hand Xavier their first loss of the season, and they crushed the Musketeers by a lopsided 95-64 final score. Villanova has dominated this series in recent years, and the first meeting was no exception. We look for Xavier's fortunes to finally turn around tonight, however, and we'll back them at home to finally get their revenge. Xavier has been extremely good on their home court this season, going 13-1 straight up and winning by a full 14 points per game. The fact that this line is so low is extremely telling, as the linesmakers have set a trap begging for action on the #1 team in the country. We're not biting, and fully expect Xavier to not only win this game, but win easily. The home crowd will be especially rowdy tonight and no doubt the Musketeers have had this game circled ever since that disappointing effort in the first matchup. Xavier is a perfect 9-0 ATS as a home favorite of 6 points or less, and we've successfully backed them a number of times already this season. Villanova is beatable when they are the visitor as their scoring dips a full five points below their season average. Musketeers make a statement and jump up to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a victory tonight! 25* CBB "King's Ransom" Play on Xavier.

25* Play on Akron (-7). Absolute mismatch tonight - especially in terms of offensive production - and we'll back the Akron Zips to crush Miami Ohio as our top-rated 25* MAC Game of the Year. Zips are averaging 78 ppg on the season, which is 16 ppg better than Miami's 62 ppg average. And those numbers get even more lopsided when we break it down into conference play. Against MAC opponents, the Zips are still at their 78 ppg scoring pace, while Miami drops to 59 ppg - a 19 ppg difference. Better yet - this isn't a case of inflated stats with faster or slower game pace - both teams give up nearly identical numbers defensively. The linesmakers were way off the first time these teams met up, having Akron as a ten-point favorite at home exactly one month ago. Zips won that game 75-46, and Miami never had a chance. Miami has lost three straight both outright as well as ATS, and have been held to under 60 points scored in four of their last five games overall. Akron takes care of business and wins this one in the neighborhood of 20! 25* CBB MAC Game of the Year on Akron.

20* Play on Cleveland (-8.5). Cavs are coming off a huge statement win yesterday on the road at Oklahoma State by beating the Thunder by 23 points - and for those that watched the game it seemed even worse than the final score implies. Putting that win in context of their double-digit win against the Bulls coming out of the All-Star break, and it looks like the Cavs are poised for their best run of the season. They certainly have a favorable schedule ahead of them, and we look for another dominating effort tonight at home against a fading Pistons team. Detroit has lost five games in a row both straight up as well as at the betting window, and all five of those games were "winnable" contests as they were favored twice and were never listed as an underdog of more than four points. Big step up in class now facing a red hot Cavs team that has won five straight and ten of their last 12 games overall. New up-tempo offense is paying off dividends since the head coaching change, including 115+ points scored against two of the best teams in the Western Conference (Thunder and Spurs). That fast offense going up against a Detroit defense that has allowed 100+ points in nine of their last ten games overall is the key matchup in this game and the main reason we like the Cavs to cover this big number. Both teams are playing without rest and with travel, however this is the third game in a span of four days for the visiting Pistons, which adds even more stress to their defense. Cavs pull away in the second half and win in a blowout! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Cleveland.

20* Play on Wichita State (-11.5). Shockers have cruised through conference play this season with little push-back, going 13-2 straight up and outscoring those conference foes by an average score of 76-57. Not at all "shocking" that Wichita State has been successful in conference play this year, but what they have done is been extremely consistent, going 12-3 at the betting window in those 15 conference games. While the Shockers are gaining momentum with every game, Indiana State is starting to give up on this season. Sycamores have lost four straight to dip under .500 on the season (both overall as well as conference play), with three of those losses coming outright while listed as the favorite. Another telltale sign of Indiana State's motivation dissipating is their 0-7 ATS losing skid - obviously not playing up to the linesmakers expectations. Wichita State won this matchup on their home floor by a big 20-point margin despite shooting just 41% in that victory. Another easy double-digit win is extremely likely here! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Wichita State.

20* Play on Golden State (-5). Classic letdown-lookahead situation here between both teams as the Golden State Warriors are coming off a shocking 32-point blowout loss last night, while the LA Clippers are coming off a big upset win against the San Antonio Spurs. Warriors were held to under 40% shooting for the first time since their last defeat (on the road at Detroit), and they responded to that poor shooting effort by beating a good Cavs team on the road by 34 points (scoring 132 points offensively). As far as the Clippers win against the Spurs, that was done with defense (LA scored 105 points) and we don't believe the Clippers will be able to shut down this Golden State team tonight - especially missing the services of Blake Griffin - considering how the Warriors have responded to poor shooting nights in the past. Warriors are a highly-profitable 18-4 against the spread after losing by a double-digit margin while listed as a road favorite, and that's the exact spot they are in here after that embarrassing effort last night. Warriors could be excused for being rusty after the long break, but they'll be focused tonight and take this one easily! 20* NBA Game of the Month (February) on Golden State.

20* Play on Xavier (-3). Big revenge spot for the Musketeers who are looking to avenge their only home loss of the season. That game was a statistical fluke for the Musketeers, who finished the nine-point loss with their second-lowest shooting percentage of the entire season (35%) as well as allowing the third-highest shooting percentage of the season (51%). And it's not like Georgetown is a good shooting team, as they have shot better than 45% from the floor just once since that time (eight games). Hoyas have lost five of their last six games overall heading into Saturday and have no momentum, while Xavier has been a mainstay in the Top Ten for the past several weeks and has won seven of their last eight games since that Georgetown defeat. Xavier has been a bettor's dream on the road going 9-3 ATS and is 8-1 ATS after back-to-back double-digit victories. Xavier is realistically playing for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as this season winds down and will be extremely focused after Georgetown beat them at home a few weeks back. Musketeers take this one big! 20* CBB "High Noon Showdown" Play on Xavier.

20* Play on Toronto(-6). Bulls showed last night they didn't have enough roster depth to compete, as they are missing three key players in Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic, and Joakim Noah. Now the Bulls have to play unrested and with travel as they host another one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, Toronto. Raptors have queitly won 14 of their last 16 games overall and start the unofficial second half of the season with a ton of confidence. Much different on the Chicago sideline, who is clearly banged up and the Bulls have dropped five straight - their last three losses each coming by a double-digit margin. And while Chicago does have home court advantage, Toronto actually scored more points than Chicago and allows less points defensively even when taking into account home and road statistics. Add in Toronto's recent hot play and Chicago's recent struggles, and we expect the Raptors to win this one by a surprisingly easy margin. Bulls just 8-18 ATS after a road game, and they won't be much of a factor until they start to get healthy again. Raptors win this one in a rout to stay close to the Cavs in the East! 20* NBA "Vegas Inferno" Play on Toronto.

20* Play on Maryland (-10). Even with Maryland being without Diamond Stone, who is suspended this game after a physical altercation in the Wisconsin game last weekend (received a flagrant 1 but was not ejected - Maryland self-imposed the one-game suspension) we look for the Terps to win this game by a huge margin. Not only is Maryland in a great "play-on" spot coming off an outright loss vs. the Badgers (as an 8.5-point home favorite), but now they get to take their frustration out on a Minnesota team that literally has nothing to play for, and has shown all the signs of a team that has already packed it in and is just waiting for the season to finally come to an end. Gophers are winless in conference play this season, going 0-13 straight up while being outscored by 11 points per game in those 13 defeats. If Minnesota has any hope of winning a conference game, it would be their following contest - a home date against Rutgers. If anything, that would lead us to believe the Gophers will be looking ahead to that matchup - not caring about suffering another loss here against one of the conference elites. Terps have come back to win and cover the spread after all three of their earlier losses this season - two wins by 35+ points - which shows an immediate refocus on the court. We expect the same here as Maryland wins this one in a blowout! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Maryland.

20* Play on Oklahoma (-4). Fantastic motivational spot to back the visitor, as Oklahoma comes into this game in an obvious "bounce-back" spot after a horrible early start at home against Kansas this past weekend - only to come back but then blow it late in an outright loss. On the other side, Texas Tech is in what is pretty much the definition of a "letdown" situation, as they just upset Baylor by a huge 18-point margin while taking the court as a monster 10.5-point road underdog. Those two motivational factors combined with Oklahoma not having to lay a big number (thanks to being on the road and last weekend's results) have us really liking the Sooners chances of covering this one easily. Oklahoma is still by far the better team on both ends of the court, as clearly evidenced by shooting percentages both offensively and defensively, and while Oklahoma admittedly becomes too reliant on the three-point shot, they have fade a very high percentage of those and actually shoot better from beyond the arc on the road. Sooners won by a huge 24-point margin in the first matchup between these teams this year, and there is nothing that would suggest Texas Tech has suddenly become 20 points better since that last meeting. Sooners bounce back from that Kansas loss and take control of this one early, then cruise to the easy win and cover! 20* CBB "Big 12 Showdown Play on Oklahoma.

20* Play on Xavier (-8). Musketeers have only lost one home game all season long (and only three losses on the entire season), and we look for their stellar home play to continue tonight as we'll back them to win by a double-digit margin against a fading Providence side. Friars slowing down in the midst of a brutal stretch of Big East play, losing three of their last four games outright while failing to cover the pointspread in all four of those games. And that's not even counting the seven-point home loss (as a 1.5-point home underdog) against this Xavier team a week before that 1-3 run began. After this game, Providence finishes the regular season with four consecutive non-ranked opponents, and we wouldn't blame the Friars if they were looking ahead to that more favorable schedule to finally get some momentum heading into the postseason. Xavier held the Friars to 31% shooting in that road win and cover less than a month ago - a game which started a trend where the Friars were held to under 40% shooting in four of their last six games overall. The big difference in the Musketeers play at home (compared to on the road) is their offense, which is putting up a staggering 83 ppg - 11 ppg more than Providence scores in conference play (9 ppg more than Providence season average). Given the scheduling factors and Xavier's fantastic home court edge, we look for this one to get out of hand in the second half as Xavier cruises to a blowout double-digit victory! 20* Play on Xavier.

20* Play on Michigan (Pick). Ohio State has done a decent job this year of winning the game they were "supposed" to - beating lesser opponents and not get caught looking ahead to the better foes on their schedule. But they have also not been able to pull off a signature win in conference play, going 0-5 straight up when listed as an underdog of more than two points. Three of Ohio State's biggest games are still to come, with a pair of games against Michigan State and one game vs. Iowa coming up in the next few weeks. We are going to back Michigan as our 20* College Hoops Rivalry Game of the Month, believing the Wolverines are the far better team in this matchup and have too much offensive firepower for OSU to keep up - even with Michigan being the road team. Wolverines are shooting 48% on the season and 47% on the road this year, and are scoring a full 6 ppg more than the Buckeyes this year. Combined with very similar defensive numbers, that offense is a big matchup advantage to the visitor. Buckeyes have no reason to be confident heading into this matchup and we look for Michigan to pull away in the second half to win this game comfortably! 20* CBB Rivalry Game of the Month on Michigan.

25* Play on Oklahoma (-4). The last time these teams met up (in Kansas), the Jayhawks needed three overtimes to get past the Sooners. Despite taking the loss, Oklahoma used that game as a huge confidence builder, and has since established themselves as one of the legitimate contenders to win the NCAA Tournament this year. Obvious revenge situation for Oklahoma, and while we don't often use revenge as a handicapping tool we do think it applies here. Not so much "because" they lost at Kansas, but that they played well enough to win and they certainly won't lack confidence going into this big matchup. Kansas is far less effective on the road than they are at home this year, winning all 13 of their home games but going just 7-4 straight up on the road. In their last four road games overall, they've lost three of those contests outright - only beating Big 12 doormat TCU (as a 17-point favorite). Oklahoma is likewise unbeaten on their home court and the home crowd will certainly be up a notch given the opponent and stakes of this game. Jayhawks squeaked by a few weeks back, but Oklahoma controls this one from the outset and wins by a surprising margin! 25* CBB "Clash of the Titans" Play on Oklahoma.

20* Play on USC (-1). Trojans have been one of our main "play-against" teams in recent years when they featured one of the worst offenses in all of College Basketball. We haven't had the same opinion of USC this season, however, as they have drastically improved and come into Friday night's game at Arizona State with an 18-5 straight up record, and profitable 15-8 record at the betting window. Admittedly, USC has done most of that damage on their home court, however, they are very are gaining confidence with every week, and this is a very winnable game for the Trojans tonight. Arizona State is just 3-8 in conference play, with all three of those victories coming in the three lone instances where the Sun Devils were listed as the favorite (two of those victories have come against PAC 12 doormat Washington State). Trojans had no problems the first time these teams met up, scoring an easy 10-point win (as a six-point favorite). Based on their 17-point loss against Oregon in their most recent home game, don't believe ASU is worthy of this much respect from the linesmakers, and we'll back USC to once again beat the Sun Devils with ease! 20* CBB Friday Night Showdown Play on USC.

20* Play on Michigan (-7). It has been a dreadful season for Minnesota, who stacked their non-conference schedule with easy opponents (and still lost many of those games), but has completely fallen apart since conference play began. Gophers are winless in 11 conference games this season, and have lost 12 straight overall. More alarming than the number of losses is the margin of victory in those games, and we find Minnesota 0-5 against then spread in their last five games when they weren't a double-digit underdog (meaning the linesmakers thought they had a chance to be competitive against lesser teams). That stat makes is very obvious to us that Minnesota has basically already given up on the season, and we'll fade them Wednesday night as a hungry Michigan team comes to town. Wolverines were able to get past the Gophers despite having their worst shooting effort in the last two months. Michigan in a great "play-on" spot here after suffering back-to-back losses against Indiana and Michigan State (both at home), and that will have them very eager to get back in the win column against an easy opponent. This line doesn't properly show the current state of both programs, with Minnesota losing by an average of 12 ppg in Big Ten play. Wolverines win this one easily! 20* CBB Big Ten Game of the Month Play on Michigan.

20* Play on San Antonio (-8). While the Spurs have been one of the two best teams in the NBA both in terms of straight up record as well as ATS record, they have admittedly been a far better team at home this season than on the road, where all of their eight losses have occurred. That fact hasn't been lost on the oddsmakers, and as a result the Spurs are typically asked to cover lower lines than normal. Tonight's game against Orlando is a perfect example, as the Spurs were a 16-point favorite against the Magic at home a week and a half ago, but are just an 8-point favorite on the road tonight. That's a difference of eight points - more than the usual 6-point swing attributed to home court advantage. San Antonio played last night but we're not worried about the rest factor as they beat Miami by 18 points and didn't have to wear out their starters in that win. Also, with this being the last game prior to the All-Star break, the Spurs don't have to worry about saving players for the immediate future. Magic are looking to get past this game and enjoy the break - as they limp in with a 3-14 record in their last 17 games and have absolutely no momentum. San Antonio far better statistically on both ends of the court, and veteran teams tend to "finish strong" - going into the All-Star break on a high, so we expect a little more motivation than usual based on scheduling. Spurs won by 15 points at home in that game vs. the Magic nine days ago despite being on the wrong side of a 19-5 discrepancy in offensive rebounds, and with that statistic unlikely to repeat, we look for another easy double-digit win by the Spurs tonight! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on San Antonio

20* Play on Ohio State (-5). We backed the Buckeyes the first time these teams met up - with Ohio State winning outright 65-56 at Northwestern as a small two-point road underdog. The oddsmakers haven't made much of a difference since that time, simply moving the line based on home court advantage. Ohio State was just the better team on that night, out-shooting the Wildcats 45% to 31%, and that 9-point margin of victory should have been more if not for a poor 10-22 effort from the free throw line. Northwestern beat Minnesota in their most recent outing, which only sets up a big "play-against" spot for them here after the win ended a five-game losing skid. Victories are few and far between for the Wildcats, so any win at this point will set up a letdown spot - especially if their next game is on the road where they have lost by a combined 36 points in their last two chances. Buckeyes far better statistically compared to NW in conference play, and are one of those teams that plays far better at home than they do on the road (almost every team plays better at home, but Ohio State's road/home difference is more than usual). We look for this one to stay close early, but with a better effort at the free throw line (and many more free throw attempts), Ohio State pulls away in the second half and wins this one in the neighborhood of 10 points! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Ohio State.

20* Play on Denver (+5.5). While the Carolina Panthers have been underrated by the linesmakers for the majority of the season, they are getting far too much respect in this game (thanks to a pair of blowout wins the last two games, but we'll get into that later) and we'll gladly take the points with the Denver Broncos playing in a great motivational spot as this will likely be quarterback Peyton Manning's final game. Panthers are laying 5.5 points against the Broncos on a true neutral field, which is the equivalent of being an 8.5-point favorite at home and a road favorite if this game were to be played in Denver. Broncos do have the type of offense that has proven to be tough against this Panthers defense - that being a pass-heavy team that doesn't really care if they establish the run or not. Remember, this is exactly the type of game plan that Atlanta used when they handed Carolina their only outright loss of the season, and similar to the games that lesser teams New Orleans and the New York Giants used when they nearly beat the Panthers outright (scoring 38 and 35 points in a pair of three-point losses but ATS covers). Carolina's big margin of victory two weeks ago against Arizona and their fast start against Seattle is the main cause for this line being as high as it is. But it's impossible to ignore the impact turnovers played in those two games (Seattle quickly made a comeback when they were able to hold on to the ball in the second half), with Arizona committing a ridiculous seven turnovers in the NFC Championship Game. Not many would argue that Peyton Manning is the best student in the game in terms of breaking down film and finding weaknesses in the defense. And while Manning admittedly doesn't have the arm as he had in recent years, he has had a number of weeks to rest up down the stretch and this game will be ideal in terms of weather - an overlooked factor as Manning has been known to be affected by the cold. We think the Broncos have an excellent chance at not only covering this generous number, but winning the game outright! 20* NFL Super Bowl Winner on Denver.

20* Play on Oklahoma City (+8). Golden State has easily been at the top of the class in the NBA overall this season, and is a big favorite on Saturday night to stay unbeaten on their home court. We do believe the Warriors will take this game outright, but there is a ton of line value backing one of the best offensive teams in the league at this price, and we'll back Oklahoma City to keep this one close. Thunder managed to hand Golden State one of their four defeats on the season, scoring 127 points in a 12-point victory in Oklahoma City about three weeks ago. OKC also has a ton of momentum going into this game, winning 12 of their last 13 games overall and more importantly they have the offensive firepower needed to keep up with the Warriors high-scoring offense. Thunder won't be intimidated by Golden State's fast tempo - in fact they thrive in that type of environment. Warriors are one of the best ATS teams in the league this year, but most of that damage has come on the road as they are just 11-10 ATS at home on the season. Too much offense from the visitor to justify this high of a line, and while we do believe the Warriors remain perfect at home, it won't be a blowout! 20* NBA Saturday Night Showdown Play on Oklahoma City.

20* Play on Maryland (-4.5). Based on overall rankings and both teams records, you might expect this game to be evenly matched. We don't believe that to be the case, however, and we expect Maryland to win this game by a surprisingly easy margin this afternoon. Terps are unbeaten at home through 12 games, and more important than their perfect home play is how Purdue plays on the road. They struggled against lower-tier teams (only beat Minnesota by four points as a 14-point favorite, and lost outright at Illinois as a 9.5-point favorite) as well as suffered a 12-point defeat at Iowa. Also, this isn't the first meeting between these teams this year, and Maryland scored a 9-point win at Purdue a month ago. Neither team shot particularly well in that game (both teams held to under 40% shooting), but the fact that Maryland was able to be the much more physical team and earn 11 more free throw attempts (making 14 more free throws than the Boilermakers) is a clear indication of how Maryland matches up against Purdue. We look for that physical play in the paint to be even more lopsided now that the Terps are on their home court, and for Maryland to take this one by an even bigger margin of victory than they did on the road last month! 20* CBB ESPN "Watch Party" Play on Maryland.

20* Play on Cleveland (-7). Cavs had won five consecutive games in a row prior to Wednesday night's outright road loss at Charlotte - a game which saw the Cavs offense take a big step back from their five-game run. In that winning streak, and under the new direction of head coach Tyrone Lue, Cleveland has been playing at a far faster tempo and that tempo has resulted in the Cavs putting up at least 111 points in all five of those victories. That is not a fluke, by the way, as they even put up 117 points in regulation against the best defense in the NBA - San Antonio - in the midst of that five-game run. We'll back the Cavs to bounce back and for their offense to resume to the production of that winning streak tonight as Boston makes their first appearance in Cleveland since last year's playoff series. You may recall the Cavs had no problems getting past the Celtics, but lost forward Kevin Love for the remainder of the playoffs after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in what Cleveland fans consider to be a dirty play. That injury has had Boston on Cleveland's radar this year, as evidenced by their 12-point win and cover in Boston earlier this year (as a 1.5-point road favorite). Cavs didn't need a reason to get motivated for this matchup, but coming off that loss in Charlotte will have them extra motivated tonight. Cavs take this one in a blowout! 20* NBA "Vegas Inferno" Play on Cleveland.

25* Play on Maryland (-6). Terps have seemed to right the ship after a short stint of inconsistent play - having close wins against Wisconsin and Northwestern while losing outright on the road at Michigan and Michigan State. But after a feel-good win at home against Iowa, and then winning and covering the spread on the road against a decent Ohio State team last week, we feel Maryland is back on track and set to make a nice run through a favorable schedule. Just the opposite is happening for Nebraska, who had won four straight games in a row including outright upset victories on the road at Illinois and Michigan State, but they have since fallen back to their mid-level tier in the Big Ten, losing by 13 points at home vs. Michigan (as a one-point favorite) and then falling by a blowout 15-point margin at Purdue in their most recent game. After playing above their heads on the defensive end of the court, they have been miserable on defense in those last two games, allowing 53% and 59% shooting. Maryland is far better defensively in this matchup and Nebraska won't be able to "out-defend" the Terps over the course of 40 minutes. Cornhuskers only chance in this game is to have a tremendous shooting night, and based on Maryland's defensive numbers both on the road and in conference play (allow under 67 ppg on less than 41% shooting) we simply don't see that happening. All statistical and motivational factors point to a big margin of victory by the visitor tonight, and we'll back the Terps at our highest 25* rating! 25* CBB "Black Reign" Play on Maryland.

20* Play on Villanova (-12). Great spot to back the Wildcats tonight after seven straight games where they have failed to cover the pointspread (0-6-1 ATS in that span). Villanova went 6-1 outright in that time, but haven't been able to win by the huge margin the linesmaker was expecting. That failure at the betting window has this line much lower than it should be, and we'll back Villanova to win and cover with ease tonight against an overmatched Creighton foe. Blue Jays lost by 14 points on their home floor vs. the Wildcats about a month ago (as an eight-point home underdog) and are now expected to lose by a small margin tonight at Villanova where the Wildcats are 10-1 straight up and winning by 22 points per game on average. That huge scoring discrepancy is not just inflated from inferior opponents, as they crushed a very good Xavier team by 31 points on this floor. Creighton is coming off a demoralizing outright home loss vs. Seton Hall (lost by 10 points as a 5.5-point favorite) and will have no confidence taking the court here after Villanova shot 68% in the first meeting this season, as well as last year's 21-point blowout margin of victory by the Wildcats in Villanova last year. This one gets out of hand early! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition Play on Villanova.

20* Play on New York (+3). While the Celtics and Knicks have been heading in opposite directions of late, we believe the schedule was the main factor in Boston's winning ways and New York's losing skid. Knicks have faced the Clippers, Thunder, Raptors, and most recently Golden State in the last week and a half, but now have a much easier path ahead of them in the near future. Boston has won five of their last six games, but were also favored in five of those six contests, and they have not been nearly as good on the road than they have been at home - especially at the defensive end of the court. New York has been grossly undervalued by the linesmaker all season long, and are already eight games over .500 at the betting window. Coming off a blowout loss against the Warriors, we like New York to bounce back and win outright tonight on their home floor. Knicks now have a chance to make up ground in the standings where they are only three games behind Indiana for the eighth and final playoff spot, and they know this is the part of their schedule where they need to do play well in order to make up that ground. Celtics lost outright by six points as a road favorite here in New York in mid-January, and we look for the Knicks offense to come up big and hand the Celtics their second outright road loss in a row! 20* NBA "Underdog Shocker" Play on New York.

20* Play on Baylor (-5). Both Texas and Baylor had no problem getting past their SEC foes this past weekend, with the Longhorns and Bears both winning by double-digits on their home courts. Home court advantage is more meaningful in College Basketball than in any other sport in our opinion, and we'll back the Bears to win and cover easily at home against the Longhorns on Monday night at a very reasonable price. Texas is having a decent year in a stacked Big 12 Conference, but they have not done well on the road this season. Texas is just 3-6 straight up while allowing more points than they score, and here they face a Baylor team that is a near-perfect 14-1 straight up at home this season, winning those games by an average of 18 ppg. Baylor takes the court with confidence after playing very well vs. Texas last season, losing by just two points on the road but winning here at home by a lopsided 83-60 final score (as a three-point home favorite). We give a slight edge to the home side on defense (with location being a huge factor) but a massive edge offensively to Baylor. Not sure the Bears can win by 20+ points again this season, but we do expect them to win and cover by a comfortable margin! 20* CBB Big Monday Showdown Play on Baylor.

20* Play on Cleveland (-4.5). What a difference a week makes. After their blowout home loss against the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland made a head coaching change, promoting Tyrone Lue to the top spot while parting ways with David Blatt. Last Saturday - Lue's first game at the helm - the Cavs lost outright at home against the Chicago Bulls on ABC's Saturday Night Prime Time telecast. Since that loss to the Bulls, Lue's coaching style has paid immediate dividends, with the Cavs playing at a much faster pace. They scored 114, 115, and 114 points in their next three games before another ABC Saturday Night national tv game at home - this time against the Spurs. The difference in the Cavs play from this past Saturday compared to their losses against the Bulls and Warriors was night-and-day. Cavs finished with 117 points in their 14-point win and cover vs. San Antonio (as a small home underdog), and the confidence this team now has after that offensive effort against the league's best defense should carry over to Monday's game against the Pacers. Indiana has lost six of their last nine games overall and don't have the type of offensive firepower needed to keep up with this new up-tempo Cavs offense. We look for another 110+ point effort from the visitor tonight and expect the Cavs to take this one by double-digits! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Cleveland.

20* Play on Toronto (-7.5). We backed Cleveland last night in their easy win and cover against the Pistons, and we'll fade Detroit again tonight as they hit the road and face a red hot Toronto team that has won ten games in a row. Pistons ended up losing last night's game by an eight-point margin, but that doesn't do justice to how the Cavs played as they won each of the first three quarters and carried a big 18-point lead in to the fourth before resting starters late. Toronto hasn't received much publicity for their winning streak, partly because of Golden State's tremendous week and a half (beating Cleveland and San Antonio by 30+ points each) and partly because of "who" Toronto beat. Raptors were listed as the favorite in all ten of those victories, however they still played very well in covering the spread in eight of those ten wins. We expect another cover here against a weary Pistons club that just played last night and is in the midst of a five-game in seven-night portion of their schedule. This is the last game of an extended seven-game home stand for the Raptors, who will be extra motivated tonight to complete that seven-game sweep. We noted yesterday how the Pistons defense has been fading of late, and including yesterday's loss they have allowed 100+ points in all six losses during their current 4-6 losing skid. Toronto's offense is peaking right now, scoring 100+ points in eight straight games - the last four resulting in victories by double-digit margins. That offense combined with Detroit's fatigue results in Toronto's winning streak to be extended by one more game as the Raptors win this one in a blowout! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Toronto.

20* Play on West Virginia (+1.5). We have a very high opinion of the Big 12 in general, and West Virginia in particular, and believe the conference will prove it's worth throughout the day in the Big 12 / SEC Challenge. The fact that the Big 12 powers keep knocking each other off is a testament to the number of very good teams in the conference - not a lack of a true dominant team. Sam can't be said for the SEC, who hasn't really been a strong conference top to bottom traditionally, and while Florida could be counted on to be one of the best teams every year (along with Kentucky obviously), they are having a down year and come into this game with seven losses on the season and three losses already in conference play. West Virginia's pressure defense should pay off huge dividends here against a Florida team that turns the ball over at a high rate against even half-court defensive teams. Mountaineers 8-1 ATS in games with a line of +3 to -3 - a clear indicator of not receiving enough credit from the linesmaker, and we would be shocked if WVU doesn't win this game outright. Defense leads the way as West Virginia wins this one by a surprising margin! 20* CBB Underdog of the Month Play on West Virginia.

20* Play on Cleveland (-4.5). Cavs laid an egg in their first game with Lue as head coach, but their offense has come alive since then scoring 114 and 115 points in their next two games. We'll back the Cavs at a very reasonable price on the road tonight looking for that offensive production to continue against a fading Detroit defense, and Cleveland is also in a good spot with much incentive to win this game big and rest their starters late. Cavs host San Antonio Saturday night on national television, and the best case scenario for them is to build a 20-point lead in the fourth and then rest their key starters. We don't think Cleveland will look past the Pistons here, as this is a division game against a winning team and the Pistons upset the Cavs in the first meeting between these clubs this season. Pistons have lost five of their last nine games overall and have allowed 100+ points in all five of those losses. Based on that information, we think it's a high probability that Cleveland's high-scoring offense can control this game from the outset, and with extra motivation they can cruise to an easy blowout win! 20* NBA Blowout Demolition Play on Cleveland.

20* Play on Oklahoma City (-7). Thunder finish up a four-game road trip tonight in Minnesota and come in red hot winning eight of their last nine games overall. The offense has been particularly good in that stretch, and they have scored at least 106 points in each of their last four games. We look for that offense to continue tonight and put up a big number against a Minnesota defense allowing 103 ppg on the season. That defense doesn't get better at home, which us a bit unusual, as visitors are shooting 47% from the floor on this court. T-Wolves are really struggling losing 12 of their last 14 games overall and are just 7-17 at home this season. They are also in the midst of a tough part of their schedule - a stretch that sees Minnesota play seven of nine games on the road, and after tonight they go back out for a four-game road trip. This type of scheduling spot tends to go against the home team, as these teams tend to focus more on home life than basketball. Thunder have scored 100+ points in both meetings against Minnesota this season, including a 113-93 blowout win and cover in OKC in the most recent meeting. Timberwolves just 6-17 ATS at home this season, including 1-9 ATS at home when revenging a road loss. OKC wins this one in a blowout! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Oklahoma City.

20* Play on San Antonio (-10). While we were pleased with the final result Monday night when we backed the Warriors at home vs. the Spurs, we were still surprised with the big 30-point margin of victory. We thought home court advantage would be the deciding factor in that matchup, but Golden State simply destroyed and embarrassed the Spurs. We'll back San Antonio back on their home court tonight to take their frustration out on a Houston team and think this is an excellent spot to back the Spurs. Not only is San Antonio upset about that game on Monday night, but we still believe they haven't forgotten about their Christmas Day loss on national television against these Rockets (in Houston). San Antonio certainly didn't show any mercy the next time they faced Houston, beating them 121-103 while easily covering the spread as a big 11.5-point favorite. We fully expect another lopsided score tonight as the Spurs are 24-0 straight up here at home (also a very profitable 17-7 against the spread) while winning those games by an average of 16 points per game. Houston owns a losing record on the road and their defense has been flat out awful, allowing 106 ppg on the season. That is a difference of 16 points per game in terms of average points allowed compared to San Antonio. Spurs are 12-2 ATS following an ATS loss and should start the game on an early run looking to make amends after Monday's disaster. This one gets out of hand early! 20* NBA Favorite of the Month on San Antonio.

20* Play on Golden State (-5). The last two times these teams met up (both last season after New Year's Day), the home team has won by a double-digit margin. San Antonio won at home in the most recent meeting, beating the Warriors 107-92 as a six-point home favorite. Prior to that matchup, Golden State beat the Spurs by 11 points (110-99) as a 7.5-point home choice. These teams are a combined 44-0 on their home court this season, and we expect home court advantage to be the difference tonight as we'll back the Warriors to stay undefeated in Oakland. This is easily the biggest game of the entire NBA season to this point, and after Golden State crushed the Cavs this past weekend there is no doubt the Spurs and Warriors are in a class of their own. Warriors not only unbeaten at home this season but winning by an average of 15 points per game, and their home crowd will have an even bigger impact on Tuesday night given the high stakes. The big difference between Golden State's play at home versus on the road is that they play much better defensively on their home court. And while San Antonio's offense is certainly more than capable of keeping up with a fast-paced offense like the Warriors on their home court, we're not convinced they can keep up with Golden State on the road for a full 48 minutes. We rate these two teams as virtually even on a neutral court, but we do give both teams big advantages on their home floors, and expect the Warriors to pull away late to cover this relatively small number. 20* NBA "Late Night Bailout" Play on Golden State.

20* Play on Ohio State (-8.5). Buckeyes have had some really good games (beat Kentucky outright) and some really bad games (lost by 35 points at Maryland) this season, but overall they have been decent - especially here at home where they are 10-3 straight up including 3-0 against Big Ten competition. None of those three conference home wins came against the top teams in the conference, and they face another lower-tier Big Ten foe Monday night as Penn State comes to town. We'll back the Buckeyes to cruise to an easy win and cover noting their 26-point home blowout win against Rutgers in their previous home game and 20-point home victory against the Nittany Lions last year in Columbus. Penn State has lost five of their last seven games overall and already have two Big Ten road losses by 17+ points (at Michigan and at Purdue). In previous seasons when Ohio State was a conference powerhouse, they could have treated this game as a "gimme game", and may have had a tough time covering a big number. But this year is different, and the Buckeyes need to win every game vs. "easy" teams. Buckeyes are coming off back-to-back road losses but are much more comfortable on their home floor, and we don't believe Penn State has enough offensive firepower to stay close. 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Ohio State.

30* NFL Game of the Year on Arizona (+3). Fitting that Arizona and Carolina meet up with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line as the Cardinals and Panthers have easily been the two best and most consistent teams in the NFC all season. And while we very much like Carolina, we think this is a fantastic matchup for the Cardinals and we expect Arizona to not only win outright, but win big. We faded the Panthers in their only outright loss of the season at Atlanta, noting the Panthers defense is very susceptible to good passing offenses and while they have been winning games this year, they have done worse than most people realize against the better passing teams they have faced. This is especially true in the second half of the season, beating the Saints and Giants by slim three-point margins and then allowing 294, 309, and 325 points in their last three games. If not for an unbelievable first half against Seattle, Carolina might not even be here right now, as the Seahawks went pass-heavy in the second half and outscored the Panthers 24-0. Cardinals have one of the best passing attacks in the entire NFL, and the one thing in common in all three of their losses was turnovers. Arizona committed three turnovers in each of their three losses and two or fewer turnovers in 13 of their 14 victories. Arizona does not need to run in order to win, having three victories while being held to 82 or less yards rushing (including last week vs. Green Bay). Carolina's rush defense is superb, but we don't think Arizona will be committed to running the ball here when they know they can beat the Panthers secondary. On the other side of the ball, Arizona's rush defense is pretty good too, and their active secondary has forced two or more turnovers nine times this year. Panthers have been playing with fire many times down the stretch and have been able to escape almost every time, but against an elite Arizona pass offense we believe their luck runs out. Cardinals have been undervalued by the oddsmaker all season long away from home, going 7-1 straight up and a profitable 6-2 against the pointspread, and a perfect example of that undervalue is Arizona's ATS record in games with a line between +3 and -3. Accounting for different scenarios we have Arizona winning game game every time and we'll back the Cardinals as our 2015-16 NFL Game of the Year! 30* NFL Game of the Year Play on Arizona.

20* Play on New England (-3). We backed the Pats last week in their seven-point win and one-point cover at home vs. the Chiefs. That margin of victory does not accurately portray New England's victory in our opinion, as the Patriots scored a touchdown on their opening drive and held the lead the entire way. In fact, after opening a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter, New England led by at least a touchdown for the rest of the game - allowing a late Kansas City score in garbage time when the outcome was hardly in doubt. We'll back the Patriots on the road to win again and advance to the Super Bowl, once again noting the huge edge in passing offense as they had last week. Peyton Manning did enough to get past a wounded Steelers team last week, but he was hardly the dominant quarterback he's been in the recent past finishing with just 215 yards passing. And Denver's defense - which has been tremendous all season long - showed once again that they can be beat through the air in allowing Big Ben to go for over 300 yards even while missing his top receiving threat. Oddsmakers have set a trap begging for action on the Broncos at home, but we're not biting and we look for a much more reliable New England offense to get the job done. Brady vs. Manning has been one of the best quarterback rivalries the NFL has ever seen, but time has caught up to the Denver quarterback and few would argue Brady is currently the better passer. Pats very good in recent years playing with in-season revenge and while the end of the regular season wasn't great statistically, they were more focused on getting healthy for the postseason (the right call in our opinion). Brady finally has most of his receiving weapons back on the field, and we look for New England to win this one by a surprising margin! 20* NFL "Watch Party" Play on New England.

20* Play on Arizona (-2.5). Wildcats stumbled on their last road trip, losing by a combined five points at UCLA and USC, but have since regained control of the ship with three consecutive blowout wins and covers. They handily beat Washington and Washington State by blowout margins of 32 and 24 points, and then won by a comfortable 14-point margin on the road at Stanford in their previous game (as a six-point road favorite). That road win vs. Stanford is what has us liking the Wildcats to keep their momentum going on Saturday night, as they were able to defeat their "road demons" and played very well on both ends of the court, holding Stanford to 57 points on 31% shooting while finishing with statistical edges in rebounding and turnovers while also shooting a respectable 48% from the floor. Cal comes into this game with a perfect 12-0 home record, but they are not as good a team as that record indicates - boosted almost entirely by a weak non-conference schedule. Cal went 0-3 on their most recent road trip, and they will have no confidence going into this game as Arizona has absolutely dominated this series with four consecutive wins by a minimum of 22 points each. Not necessarily calling for another 20+ point margin of victory this time around but we do fully expect Arizona to win and cover by a comfortable margin, and for the Wildcats to move to 21-7 ATS vs. conference foes! 20* CBB Saturday Night Showdown Play on Arizona.

25* Play on Cleveland (-10.5). While the dismissal of David Blatt as head coach of the Cavs can't be viewed as "shocking" to anyone that has followed this team closely over the past year and a half, it's still an unconventional move to fire a head coach that is 30-11, in first place in their conference, and coming off an NBA Finals appearance. Clearly this move was made to rejuvenate a stacked Cleveland roster that is surely elite in terms of talent, and we expect that move to pay off immediate dividends, starting tonight at home against the Chicago Bulls on national television. That head coaching change was a signal that nothing short of a Championship is expected for this team, and the immense pressure to come out with a statement win tonight is evident. Cavs roster, and LeBron James in particular, were not shy about their good relationship with new head coach Lue, and while that head coaching change may have come as a surprise, it's not going to be a distraction or have a negative impact on this team. Bulls are reeling losing six of their last eight games outright and going just 1-7 against the pointspread in that span, and can't match up on either side of the court with this Cavs team. Playing without rest and with travel makes it an even bigger challenge for the Bulls, and with a Cavs team playing with more motivation than in any game to this point this season, we honestly believe Cleveland can win this game by a 20+ point margin. 25* NBA TV Game of the Year on Cleveland.

20* Play on Xavier (-8.5). If Xavier's 88-69 home victory against a good Butler team after suffering their first loss of the season (at Villanova) is any indication of how the Musketeers come out and play angry after losing, then Seton Hall is in for a long afternoon this Saturday. Xavier lost their second game of the season earlier this week - a game that saw Georgetown hit the three-point shot with incredible accuracy as well as Xavier delivering their worst offense shooting effort of the season (35%). But despite that loss, Xavier is still one of the top ten teams in the country in our opinion (possibly even top five). Xavier averaging 82 points per game on the season, going 16-2 straight up and a telling 12-6 ATS - telling because it shows the oddsmaker hasn't yet given the Musketeers the respect they deserve and have been consistently undervalued even when they climbed up the rankings. Seton Hall has lost three of their last four games overall and couldn't have caught this road game at Xavier at a worst time with the Musketeers coming off that disappointing loss. Fully expect Xavier to come out fast and jump to an early lead, then cruse to a decisive win and cover as they move to a perfect 8-0 ATS at home after a home conference loss! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Xavier.

20* Play on West Virginia (-3.5). This line is far lower than it should be thanks almost entirely to West Virginia's outright home loss against Texas in their previous game - falling 56-49 as a big 12-point home favorite vs. the Longhorns. Mountaineers finished with a poor 31% shooting effort in that defeat, but the real cause for that loss was the massive letdown spot West Virginia was in after beating #1 Kansas on their home floor and then nearly beating #2 (de facto #1) Oklahoma on the road in a two-point loss just prior to that Texas game. Now that their letdown spot is over with, we'll back West Virginia to resume their inspired play and win convincingly against an average Texas Tech team. Red Raiders had lost four games in a row prior to beating TCU in their previous contest, and lack the confidence to hang with the elite teams in the conference. West Virginia's active defense works much better against weaker ball-handling teams, and we believe Texas Tech qualifies as such. WVU was 2-0 both straight up and ATS in a pair of double-digit victories in this series last year, and they deliver another easy win and cover this afternoon! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on West Virginia.

20* Play on Indiana (-9). While many of the top teams throughout College Basketball have suffered a number of upset losses - including the two powers in the Big Ten (Maryland and Michigan State) - Indiana has been very consistent so far and has been flying under the radar. Hoosiers come into this game winners of 11 games in a row including a seven-point win against Notre Dame. Indiana is also a perfect 11-0 here at home, where they are very comfortable on offense putting up 93 points per game on 53% shooting. That type of offensive production is simply too much for a visiting Northwestern team to handle, and we'll back the Hoosiers in what we expect to be a lopsided final result. It's not fair to the Wildcats to judge this game on averaging scoring, as Northwestern plays at a far slower pace. However, the home team (especially in College Basketball) tends to set the game pace, and Northwestern is not comfortable in up-tempo games. Also, Northwestern is shooting just 41% from the floor in Big Ten play (compared to Indiana's 49% shooting vs. the Big Ten), and there's really no way to justify NW staying close in this game on the road. Hoosiers win big! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Indiana.

20* Play on Golden State (-13). The combination of Indiana's roster issues and what we expect to be a motivated Golden State team after forward Draymond Green wasn't voted in as a starter in the All-Star Game. Pacers are missing guards Hill and Stuckey, and starting center Mihinmi is listed as questionable but even if he does play he won't be anywhere near 100%. That's too much talent missing for a visiting Pacers club that takes on the best offense in the NBA, and a Golden State team that is already a perfect 19-0 at home this year and averaging 115 points per game on the season. This line seems high on it's own, but when put into the context of Golden State's +15.4 ppg differential here at home, it's clearly not high enough. Pacers play tomorrow night against Sacramento, and we expect Indiana to pull up early and save their energy for tomorrow's winnable game rather than expend their energy tonight in what we fully expect to be a blowout loss. Golden State is 15-2 ATS after back-to-back victories by 15 or more points, and with a statement game by Green in particular, the Warriors run away with this one! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Golden State.

20* Play on Toronto (-3). Raptors are on a roll right now, entering Wednesday night on a five-game winning streak (going 4-1 ATS) and have a huge momentum edge in this matchup with Boston, who comes in losing five of their last eight games overall. Celtics have been pretty good on the road at the start of the year, but have since been far less reliable losing four of their last five road games outright as well as at the betting window. That includes three outright road losses as favorites, and they go up against a good home team tonight as the Raptors are a respectable 12-6 at home this season, including 4-1 in their last five. Celtics are no longer a slow-paced, defensive team as they are scoring and allowing more than 100 points on the season, and while that style of play is great against most Eastern Conference teams, the Raptors are more than capable of keeping up with that fast game tempo. Raptors putting up 102.5 ppg here at home and Boston's defense has been lacking of late, allowing 100+ points in six of their last seven games overall. Tough travel for the Celtics going from Dallas all the way to Toronto while the Raptors stayed home after hosting Brooklyn on Monday night. Toronto beat Celtics by double-digits in Boston in the only in-season matchup so far, and we look for Toronto to cover this small number with ease tonight! 20* NBA "Slump Buster" Play on Toronto.

20* Play on Xavier (-10). Musketeers have been kind to us all season and we'll go back to the well one more time and look for the X-Men to win big and cover easily tonight at home against Georgetown. Hoyas getting too much respect from the oddsmaker here - likely because of their traditional success but this year sees Georgetown being a step down from recent teams. Georgetown already has seven losses on the season including a pair of embarrassing defeats against non-lined foes Radford and UNC-Asheville. We also catch the Hoyas in a great "play-against" spot after they played one of their best games of the season - holding #4 Villanova to just 55 points total but still falling short in a 55-50 defeat. Georgetown was held to 33% shooting in that loss, and now have to travel and face a very good Xavier team that has reached #5 in the polls. Despite that high ranking, Xavier is not yet getting the type of respect a top-five team normally receives, and as a result they are one of the top 12 teams in all of college basketball in terms of total ATS profit heading into Tuesday's action. Musketeers went 3-0 vs. Georgetown last year including a blowout 17-point win at home. We feel Xavier is better this year while Georgetown has dropped off some, and we fully expect another double-digit blowout this time around! 20* CBB "Vegas Inferno" Play on Xavier.

20* Play on Cleveland (-3). Rematch of the NBA Finals on Monday night and the Cavs first crack at the Warriors on their home court since last April. Cleveland has had this game circled on their calendar since the schedule was released and we are more than comfortable actually laying points with the Cavs against the Warriors on Monday night. Cleveland played very well defensively in their Christmas Day loss at Golden State, holding the Warriors to a season-low 89 points on just 41% shooting. Cavs couldn't score either, shooting a season-worst 32% from the floor including 5-of-30 (17%) from beyond the three-point arc. Those shooting numbers can only improve here at home where Cleveland is 15-1 straight up, and with another strong defensive effort along with the obvious motivational factor and in front of what we expect to be a raucous crowd, there's a reason the linesmakers have listed the Cavs as the favorite in this game. Warriors are coming off a sloppy 18-point loss at Detroit on Saturday, and have lost some steam from their tremendous start losing two of their last three games outright and going 0-3-1 ATS in their last four. The renewed sense of defense for Cleveland (having much to do with guards Shumpert and Irving returning to the lineup) is a big plus for this specific matchup, and with the Cavs truly believing they had a chance of winning it all if not for injuries to Irving and Love in the playoffs will be put to the test tonight. Cavs get some revenge with a win and cover Monday night! 20* NBA "Watch Party" Play on Cleveland.

25* Play on Pittsburgh (+7). While we do like the fact that Denver was able to rest QB Peyton Manning for this playoff run, we don't like the idea of backing Manning against a blitz-heavy defense in cold weather. With the temperatures expected to be in the 30's at kickoff, and given Manning's sub-par play in cold weather throughout his career (even when he was at the top of his game, which he clearly is not anymore), we love getting this many points with a solid Pittsburgh team. Steelers are dealing with injuries, but that is nothing new to this team as they have been dealing with injuries all season long and still found a way to make it this far. Not sure if Pittsburgh can win this game outright (although it wouldn't surprise us if the Steelers were able to come away with an outright victory), but we do look for this game to come down to the wire regardless of who wins and for the Steelers to cover this generous number. Denver's secondary was torched for 354 yards in the only in-season meeting between these teams and they can expect another dose of heavy passing plays this Sunday. Not fair to label Denver's offense as ineffective down the stretch as Manning wasn't playing in those games, but we don't believe the Broncos will all of a sudden become an unstoppable offense now that Manning is back under center. Pittsburgh has the type of pass offense that takes away Denver's strength defensively, which is taking risks and stopping the run. We look for this game to stay close throughout with the Steelers having a chance for an outright win late, and we'll back the Steelers at our highest 25* rating! 25* NFL "King's Ransom" Play on Pittsburgh.

20* Play on Arizona (-7). Packers offense came alive last week against a sub-par Washington defense, scoring 35 points which represents their best scoring output since the third week of the season. Green Bay hasn't really seemed right since the preseason after suffering a number of injuries (including the key loss of WR Jordy Nelson), and injuries to the Packers figure to be a big concern here as WR Adams and CB Shields are both listed as doubtful. Those injuries are even more significant considering the opponent. Arizona has proven to be one of the most formidable passing teams in the league this season, and will no doubt put up big offensive numbers after averaging 31 ppg and 288 passing yards per game on the season. Losing Shields in the secondary only boosts Arizona's matchups in the secondary, and we don't believe Green Bay will be able to do much on the ground against a Cardinals defense that has held four of their last six foes to under 75 yards rushing. That puts a ton of pressure on Packers QB Aaron Rogers, who has the name value as an elite QB but not the stats to back it up this year. Packers have been held to under 275 yards passing in each of their last six games, and while much of that blame can go to injuries in the receiving corps, it doesn't change the fact that Green Bay's passing game is not what it has been in recent years. Arizona just beat these Packers by a blowout 30-point margin a few weeks ago, and while we don't expect another 30+ point margin of victory we would be surprised of Arizona didn't take this game by double-digits! 20* NFL Saturday Night Showdown Play on Arizona.

20* Play on New England (-4.5). We give Kansas City all the credit in the world for making it this far - especially since they lost their main offensive weapon early in the season with RB Jamaal Charles going on the IR back in October. That being said, they face a very bad on-field matchup this week in New England in a contest that we feel the Patriots have a lopsided advantage in the passing game, and we are very comfortable laying the small number with New England expecting the Pats to win this one easily. While Kansas City has used defense and a time of possession type of offensive game plan with a heavy emphasis on their running game and short passes, that is not the formula for success against an elite New England offense. KC didn't get any help with the weather, as the forecast calls for temperatures well above freezing which will not hurt New England's passing game. Both Edelman and Gronkowski are expected to suit up and play for Brady, and we expect both to have significant contributions in the passing game. While Kansas City is very good at stopping the run, the loss of running backs Lewis and Blount turn an already pass-heavy New England offense into an even bigger pass-heavy offense this week, and the Chiefs have been hurt by the better passing teams they've faced this year. Home field advantage is big for NE, going 7-1 straight up here at home and outscoring foes by an average of 14 ppg. Chiefs do not have the type of offense that can get back into the game after falling behind, being held to under 180 yards passing in each of their last six games. Too much offense from the home side and the Chiefs can't run their way back into it! 20* NFL Saturday "Watch Party" Play on New England.

25* Play on Oklahoma (-6). While we very much like the Sooners this year and were extremely impressed with their effort in their triple-overtime loss at Kansas recently, this is more of a play "against" West Virginia than it is "on" Oklahoma. Mountaineers are in what is pretty much the textbook definition of a letdown spot, coming off an upset double-digit win against the #1 team in the country (Kansas) and now having to play their next game on the road against another quality foe. Sooners have recovered from that Kansas defeat by beating both Kansas State and Oklahoma State (although they failed to cover the spread in both victories), and we feel their hangover is now over with a ranked team coming to their court. Sooners are unstoppable on their home court scoring nearly 90 ppg and easily winning all eight games played here. And while West Virginia's stats are also impressive, they pale in comparison to the Sooners offensively and their defense suffers when traveling. West Virginia is just 5-17 against the spread on the road after three or more conference victories, but the real handicapping situation is the huge letdown spot WVU finds themselves in, and we expect the Mountaineers to come out flat and for Oklahoma to come out with a strong effort with the overall #1 ranking up for grabs! 25* CBB "Black Reign" Play on Oklahoma.

20* Play on Xavier (-6.5). Musketeers are climbing the rankings but are still not getting nearly enough respect from the linesmakers, who have them listed as a relatively small road favorite against Marquette on Saturday afternoon. We are eager to take Xavier at this price and fully expect the Musketeers to win this game by a comfortable double-digit margin. Xavier recovered from their lone defeat this season with three straight victories, including a 19-point blowout win against a good Butler team and most recently a 20-point blowout win vs. DePaul. Marquette is 12-5 overall this season but just 2-3 in conference play, already losing by double-digits against both Seton Hall and Georgetown before their most recent loss - a 15-point defeat at Villanova earlier this week. So make that three double-digit losses in conference play, and the confidence has to be extremely low with Xavier coming in this weekend. Marquette's defense seems to disappear against the better teams they face, and that spells doom against an Xavier side that is already putting up 80 ppg on the season. Musketeers won here by 20 points last year (as a 3.5-point road favorite), and while we're not calling for a 20+ point margin of victory this time around, we do expect Xavier to win by a comfortable double-digit margin! 20* CBB "Blowout Demolition" Play on Xavier.

20* Play on Ohio State (+10.5). While we do believe Maryland will beat Ohio State outright on Saturday afternoon, this is a great spot to take the generous spot afforded by the linesmaker as we are getting double-digits backing an underrated Buckeyes team that has won eight of their last nine games overall, including an outright victory against Kentucky as a big 10-point underdog. That win vs. the Wildcats shows how Ohio State steps up to big challenges, and we expect a strong effort from the Buckeyes on the road this afternoon. Also a great spot to fade Maryland, who is coming off a depressing three-point road loss at Michigan, so they are in a bit of a letdown spot here after they know they will likely lose their top-5 ranking when the new polls are released next week. Both teams are off to fast 4-1 starts in conference play, and while we won't argue Ohio State is the better team in this matchup, we do believe they are good enough at both ends of the court to stay close to the Terps for the entire 40 minutes. Betting trends favor a play on the Buckeyes as Maryland is just 4-12 ATS as a double-digit home favorite. Maryland wins this one by a close margin as Ohio State covers easily! 20* CBB "Early Equation" Play on Ohio State.

20* Play on Cleveland (+1.5). Cavs have no reason to hang their heads from last night's loss in San Antonio, as Cleveland controlled that game in a very tough environment (San Antonio is still unbeaten at home this season) for the majority of that contest. Cleveland hurt us with a put-back in the final second of regulation to sneak under the number, and while we're still disappointed with that finish we are very impressed with how Cleveland has come around over the last month. Cavs offense was not at all affected by San Antonio's league-leading defense through the first three quarters and they go from that stingy defense to playing a team tonight that plays very little defense at all. Houston is allowing 105 ppg on the season and has been one of the most disappointing teams in the league overall. Rockets continue to be one of the worst ATS teams in the league and now face an angry Cavs team coming off last night's loss. Houston comes into this game riding a five-game winning streak, but that speaks more to their recent level of competition more than anything else. Cleveland more than capable of keeping up with Houston offensively in a fast-paced game, but the Cavs have the big edge on the defensive end of the court. Rockets don't do well against good offenses, and are just 3-15 ATS when the total is between 200 and 209.5 points (when the linesmaker looks for a high-scoring game). Cleveland bounces back tonight and wins this one easily! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Cleveland.

25* Play on San Antonio (-5.5). While we very much like the way this Cleveland team is playing since getting guards Shumpert and Irving back in the lineup, they are still a ways away from where the Spurs are right now, as San Antonio is arguably playing as good as anyone in the NBA right now (including Golden State). Spurs are easily best in the league in terms of defensive scoring - 6 ppg better than second-best Miami - and they are also tops in the league in terms of ppg differential at +14.1 (Golden State is second at +11.7). More importantly for this game, San Antonio is playing at home where they are a perfect 22-0 straight up and 16-6 against the spread, winning by 16 ppg. Cavs are also very good on their home court going 15-1 straight up, but on the road they have been far less effective going 12-8 straight up (7-12 ATS), where they have covered the spread just once in their last seven road games going back to Christmas Day. If this game were played in Cleveland then we may have a different opinion, but based on the road/home tendencies of these two teams we expect San Antonio to win by a double-digit margin on Thursday night! 25* NBA "Clash of the Titans" Play on San Antonio.

20* Play on San Antonio (-7). Spurs are getting great line value here because they are playing without rest after crushing the Nets by 27 points last night, and typically teams playing the second of back-to-back games have that rest factor reflected in the pointspread. But since San Antonio won by such a large margin, rest really isn't a factor here as they were able to coast through the fourth quarter without having to play their starters heavy minutes. Tonight the Spurs take their eight-game winning streak into Detroit in a good matchup against a Pistons team that likes to go at a fast pace. This fits perfectly into San Antonio's style of play, as the Spurs are putting up 104 ppg and are used to up-tempo games playing in the Western Conference. While both teams scoring numbers are very similar, San Antonio has a massive edge at the defensive end of the court, allowing only 89.4 ppg on the season and 89.6 ppg away from home. That is a huge difference to Detroit's 99 ppg (97 ppg at home) on the defensive end of the floor, and where San Antonio can really build a big lead. Faster tempo leads to more possessions, which can only help the favorite's chances of covering. Spurs won here by 17 points last year in Detroit (as a similar 6-point road favorite) and we expect another easy double-digit win by San Antonio on Tuesday night! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on San Antonio.

25* Play on Seattle (-4.5). On December 6th, Seattle came here to Minnesota and absolutely crushed the Vikings 38-7. And while that final score is certainly impressive, the box score shows how dominant Seattle really was in that game. Minnesota was held to just 31 yards rushing total (Peterson held to 18 yards on 8 carries) while quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finished with 118 yards passing with no touchdowns and one interception. When taking sacks into account, the Vikings were held to just 94 yards passing. With extremely cold temperatures in the forecast for Sunday's game, that will put a heavier emphasis on the running game for both teams, and we expect Seattle to take this one in a blowout once again. Despite being the road team, Seattle is the biggest favorite on the board this Wild Card weekend, and for good reason. We have noted before how we don't like Bridgewater in cold conditions - going all the way back to his college days at Louisville. Bridgewater is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL in our opinion, as Minnesota has been held to under 200 yards passing on ten occasions this season. You can get away with low passing numbers when the running game is working, but Seattle has proven they can take the Vikings rushing attack away, which leaves the Vikings with no viable offensive options. Seattle with a ton of momentum going 6-1 both straight up and against the spread heading into this game, and have won each of their last three road games by blowout margins of 30, 29, and 31 points. All signs point to a blowout here and we'll back Seattle at our highest 25* rating to win big! 25* NFL "Black Reign" Play on Seattle.

20* Play on Pittsburgh (-3). We waited to see exactly who was going to play and who was going to sit out before we released this selection, and with Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton not suiting up for this game, we are very comfortable laying the points on the road with the Pittsburgh Steelers to win this game with ease. Bengals have been held under 200 yards passing in all three games McCarron started down the stretch, and Pittsburgh's 33-20 win here in Cincinnati four weeks speaks volumes in terms of how the Steelers will approach this Wild Card matchup. Pittsburgh will be even more pass-heavy than usual on Saturday night, but that fits perfectly into the way Cincinnati defends, as they are susceptible against the pass but very good against the rush. Don't believe the Bengals have enough fire power with Dalton out to stay close or play catch-up in the second half of this game. Bengals have a history of coming up short in the month of January, going just 3-12 against the pointspread in January games long term. Steelers meanwhile have very good history against the Bengals, going 20-5 straight up and 19-6 ATS here in Cincinnati. Big Ben clearly has enough playoff experience and we tend to put a heavier emphasis on quarterback play come playoff time. A Roethlisberger vs. McCarron quarterback matchup can only be viewed as a big edge to the visitor, and we'll back the Steelers to win this one by a comfortable margin! 20* NFL "Watch Party" Play on Pittsburgh.

20* Play on Arizona (-2). After UCLA upset Kentucky on their home floor in early December, the Bruins have been overrated since and have been asked to cover pointspreads that they were not worthy of. No surprise UCLA has lost five straight games against the pointspread heading into tonight's home matchup against a very good Arizona team - and in fact they have lost three of their last four games outright. That includes back-to-back outright losses as favorites on the road against Washington and Washington State, and we look for UCLA's losing streak to continue as Arizona is an elite foe that is more than capable of winning this game by a blowout margin. Bruins shooting has not been stellar, but it's their defense that has really been the cause for their poor play - allowing 80+ points in four of their last five games - the lone exception being against McNeese State as a monster 29-point favorite (only won by 14). That poor attention to defense is a death sentence against Arizona, who has scored 80+ points in six straight including 94 points scored in their most recent game - a 12-point victory at Arizona State (as a 3.5-point favorite) to open conference play. Similar small line to cover here for the Wildcats, who are 17-5 ATS vs. conference foes dating back to last season. Wildcats win this one big as UCLA's defense is no match for Arizona's fast-paced offense! 20* CBB "Watch Party" Play on Arizona.

25* Play on Oklahoma City (-5.5). One month ago we backed Oklahoma City on the road against Memphis noting the Grizzlies were a horrible matchup against the Thunder's high-powered offense and fast-paced tempo. Thunder came through for us with a huge 125-88 blowout winner, and we'll back OKC once again in the same matchup - this time on their home court - and at a very good price. And while we're not calling for another 35+ point margin of victory, we would be shocked if the Thunder didn't win this game by a double-digit margin, and in fact we like this game so much we're giving it our highest 25* rating. While Oklahoma City has been great at winning games outright this year (24-11 SU and 16-5 SU here at home), they have been awful against the pointspread going just 13-22 - down more than 10 full units overall. That early lack of success at the betting window has us getting great line value backing the Thunder now - especially against teams that don't like to play fast such as the Grizzlies. Memphis is not a good road team going 8-11 straight up while scoring just 94 points per game. If that blowout win in Memphis proved anything it's that Oklahoma City knows how to dictate pace and tempo against the Grizzlies - something that is far easier to do as the home team than the visitor. Based on average scoring margins for home/road scenarios, Oklahoma City is 14 points better than the Grizzlies, and that's about the margin of victory we expect tonight. 25* NBA "Black Reign" Play on Oklahoma City.

20* Play on Xavier (-15). We've made money both backing and fading the Musketeers, and we feel we have a pretty good feel for this team. Xavier is a legit top-ten team this year, although their perception took a big hit when they were blown out at Villanova last week. That is the lone defeat on an otherwise perfect resume for Xavier, and after watching them destroy a good Butler team by 19 points in their most recent outing, we're confident laying the big number looking for the Musketeers to win by a big margin again tonight. Xavier has been very good on the road outside of that Villanova loss, as they are 5-1 away from home this season both straight up and ATS. And those road games haven't come against inferior competition - they beat Michigan outright in Ann Arbor, won and covered against Alabama, USC, and Dayton on a neutral court, and then beat Wake Forest on the road in conference play. After upsetting Syracuse as a big 10-point underdog, St. John's has completely fallen apart. They have lost five straight overall, including two bad losses against Incarnate Word and New Jersey Tech. No way they can suddenly rebound here against a quality Xavier foe that is averaging over 80 ppg offensively and allowing just 41% shooting defensively. Complete mismatch on both ends of the court and Xavier shows no mercy in a blowout win and cover! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Xavier.

20* Play on Ohio State (+2.5). After a very slow start to the season, Ohio State was able to upset Kentucky in mid-December and has used that game as a big confidence-booster. Buckeyes haven't lost a game since and come into Northwestern on Wednesday night riding a red hot six-game winning streak. We don't believe Ohio State is good enough to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament, but this is a great time to back the Buckeyes who are clearly playing their best ball so far this season. More importantly, we get to fade a Northwestern team is who extremely overrated thanks to a misleading 13-2 overall record. Similar to football teams that stack their non-conference schedule with easy wins, the Wildcats have played a virtual cakewalk of opponents this year, and it's no surprise that the two credible foes they did go up against beat Northwestern by double-digits (North Carolina and Maryland). Now that Big Ten play is underway, NW is not properly prepared for this level of competition and that was clearly evident in their 13-point loss (as a 4.5-point home underdog) Saturday vs. Maryland, shooting just 37% from the field. Buckeyes have an obvious edge in motivational factors with confidence and momentum on their side, and they use those factors to their advantage in an outright road win tonight! 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Ohio State.

20* Play on Cleveland (-7). We backed the Cavs on Monday night in their 22-point win and cover at home vs. Toronto, and we'll back them again in a big revenge spot on the road Wednesday night at Washington. That blowout win vs. the Raptors on Monday pushed their overall home record to a near-perfect 15-1 this season. We bring that up because that lone defeat came at the hands of these Wizards, and we believe this Cleveland team will use that loss a big motivation to come back and even the score tonight. While Cleveland is surging with four straight victories overall - the last two by blowout margins of 22 and 25 points - Washington is slumping with three losses in their last four games - the most recent one in embarrassing fashion. Wizards were held to a measly 75 points in a blowout home loss vs. Miami on Sunday, and are now below the .500 mark both overall this season as well as here at home. Defense has been their biggest nemesis, allowing 104 ppg on better than 46% shooting. Cavs offense laid an egg when Washington won in Cleveland, as the Cavs shot just 34% from the field. No chance for that happening again, however, as this team is drastically improving on both ends of the court now that guards Shumpert and Irving are back from injury. Cleveland's recent run is extended at least one more game as they win this one in a blowout! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Cleveland.

20* Play on Villanova (-15). Wildcats took it up a notch when they hosted an Xavier team ranked in the top ten on New Year's eve, shooting 63% from the floor and crushing the Musketeers by 31 points as a 6-point home favorite. That game really brought out the best of Villanova, and that great play carried over to their next (and most recent) game as they shot a whopping 68% from the floor in an easy 14-point win and cover on the road against Creighton. We have no hesitation laying this big number backing the Wildcats at home again against a Seton Hall team that is simply overmatched on both ends of the court. Villanova has shown a tendency to win by blowout margins here at home, and in fact they are a perfect 8-0 here at home winning by an average of 28 ppg! Wildcats also have recent history of blowing out Seton Hall on this court, winning by 26 and 17 points (both easy ATS covers) the last two seasons. Another blowout on the horizon tonight noting Villanova is a perfect 6-0 ATS as a home favorite of 12.5 to 18 points, and a dominant 18-5 ATS against conference foes. 20* CBB "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Villanova.

20* Play on Atlanta (-8). Great situation to back Atlanta on Tuesday night, who lost outright against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden as a small favorite but get an immediate revenge spot on their home court against the Knicks tonight. The NBA will schedule a few home-and-home series in the regular season to try to build up rivalries, and while that really hasn't worked out in most cases, it does set up some interesting revenge angles. Hawks are a far better home team than they are on the road, going 12-6 straight up and scoring 103 points per game. More importantly, Atlanta comes into this game both angry and confident. Hawks shot just 31% from the floor in that loss, but already own a pair of double-digit victories against New York this season, including a blowout 117-98 win in the lone matchup played here in Atlanta. We don't often like to use revenge as a handicapping tool but with this being an immediate rematch it's a factor we can't ignore. Hawks are 14-3 ATS at home revenging a loss where they gave up 110 or more points, and 17-7 ATS after losing outright as a favorite. Those two long-term betting trends fit perfectly into this situation, and we'll Atlanta to score their third double-digit win against New York this season on Tuesday night! 20* NBA "Vegas Inferno" Play on Atlanta.

20* Play on Kansas (-6). Last week we faded Xavier to suffer their first loss of the season when they went on the road and were blown out at Villanova. This is a similar type of situation for Oklahoma, who comes into Kansas with a perfect 12-0 record, but we expect the Sooners to not only fall outright, but lose big on Monday night. Oklahoma has failed to cover the spread in each of their last three games, netting close wins against Iowa State (won by four) and Hawaii (won by three) in that span. Sooners gave up north of 80 points in each of those close wins, and while we do expect Kansas to have a big offensive night here, we don't believe Oklahoma will be able to match that type of offense. Kansas opened Big 12 play with a 102-74 blowout win at home against Baylor, and while the triple-digits on the scoreboard certainly sticks out, it's their defense of late which really makes us like this play. Kansas has allowed under 40% shooting in each of their last four games, and seven of their last eight opponents have been held to under 70 points. No hesitation laying this number knowing the Jayhawks are already 8-2 ATS as a favorite this season, and we look for the home side to pull away in the second half en route to a blowout win and cover! 20* CBB ESPN "Watch Party" Play on Kansas.

20* Play on Minnesota (-6). While we can't reveal the exact specifics of our NBA "Secret System", we can tell you that it involves playing against certain teams in their first game back home after an extended road trip. Philadelphia fits this "play-against" system, returning home after a long West Coast swing that began on December 23rd. Normally fading the 76ers results in having to lay a ton of points, but not this time around as Minnesota only a small road favorite. T-Wolves have not been good as of late under any circumstances, however, they have been a great team to back away from home this year going a respectable 7-9 straight up and a highly profitable 11-5 against the pointspread. On the other side, Philly has been horrible here at home going just 1-12 straight up and 3-9-1 versus the number. Notable advantage to the road side in both scoring and scoring against - both in terms of season averages and in specific home/road settings. Key betting angles show Philadelphia 4-12 ATS after a double-digit loss, while Minnesota is a near-perfect 9-1 ATS on the road after a double-digit home loss. 76ers just happy to be back home and they show little effort (especially early) as Minnesota takes this one easily! 20* NBA "Secret System" Play on Minnesota.

20* Play on Cleveland (-8). Great spot to back the Cavs - playing at home against an Toronto side that played yesterday and will obviously play this game with travel against the top team in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland played with a 20+ point lead for seemingly each of the last three quarters against Orlando on Saturday night, so they are well-rested in this final game before they head out for an extended road trip. We really like what Cleveland has been doing lately at the defensive end of the floor, and that can only be attributed to guards Shumpert and Irving returning to action. Shumpert is the team's best perimeter defender, and Irving's speed and scoring ability makes opposing guards spend their energy playing defense (not offense). In their last seven games, nobody has shot better than 46.1% from the floor against the Cavs and only one of those seven opponents has reached triple digits on the scoreboard in that time (Portland). Toronto is not a great road team going just 10-8 straight up and overall they have dropped seven of their last ten against the pointspread. Wrong place, wrong time for Toronto on Monday night, and playing with travel and without rest makes it all the more difficult! 20* NBA "Blowout Demolition" Play on Cleveland.

20* Play on San Francisco (+3.5). Much like our play last week on Atlanta when they upset Carolina, we don't expect this selection on San Francisco to be a popular choice. But we are calling for the 49ers to end their season with an upset victory in a pretty good matchup for the home side. St. Louis has virtually no passing threat whatsoever, instead relying on their running game to move the ball offensively. That style of offense has resulted in low numbers of 15 ppg scored on just 280 yards of total offense on average for the Rams in their road games this year. 49ers are underrated in terms of rush defense - especially here at home where they are only giving up 92 rushing yards per game on a low 3.3 yards per carry. Teams with bad records like the 49ers have their rushing numbers (against) skewed since teams tend to run out the clock in the fourth quarter. Rams have scored at least 21 points in each of their last three games, but their offensive statistics don't support that type of scoring and we don't believe they can sustain that type of production one more week. Another big factor to consider is the Rams massive letdown spot after shocking Seattle last week as a 10.5-point road underdog. That's the second time this year they've upset Seattle, and after the first one they came back on the road the next week to lose by two touchdowns against (at the time) a bad Washington team - scoring just 10 points on 213 yards of total offense. Rams are 0-6 ATS after a division win and also 0-6 ATS after a win by points or less. 49ers take this one outright! 20* NFL Underdog of the Month Play on San Francisco.

20* Play on Buffalo (+3). The only justification for this line is New York "needing to win" this game, and thus the average sports bettor believes the Jets will play harder to secure their playoff spot. We never understood that rationale, as it not only implies that teams don't try hard to win in the rest of their games, and it also ignores any motivational factors of the opponent. Buffalo already beat the Jets on the road this season - holding New York to just 280 total yards - and if anything they would love nothing more to spoil a division rival's playoff chances. New York is in a bad motivational spot here - coming off their biggest win of the season when they beat the Patriots in overtime last week, and that sets up an obvious letdown situation this Sunday. We don't trust the Jets on the road, and going over their last four road games we find they have unimpressive three-point wins against a pair of bad NFC East teams (Giants, Cowboys) as well as outright losses as favorites against Houston and Oakland, with both of those defeats coming by at least a touchdown. Buffalo does not come off as a team that has given up despite being eliminated from playoff contention, and they have been especially good on the ground going for 240 and 236 yards the last two weeks. Buffalo wins this one outright! 20* NFL "3-Game Power Pack" Play on Buffalo.