My 8* Revenge Rout is on Western Kentucky at 7:00 ET.

The 9-6 Marshall Thundering Herd host the 8-7 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Saturday's C-USA action. Western Kentucky fell to 1-1 in the C-USA play, after a narrow 69-66 defeat at Old Dominion as a 3.5 point underdog. The Marshall squeezed by Charlotte 85-84 as a nine point road favorite, improving to 2-0 in the conference play.

Guard Tavion Hollingsworth (15.5 & 5.1) and 6-11 center Charles Bassey kept the Hilltoppers within striking distance of ODU with 19 points apiece (Bassey grabbed 12 rebounds). Guards Jared Savage (14.2 & 4.3) and Josh Anderson (9.3) are also steady contributors. Anderson had 17 points vs ODU but Savage contributed only eight points.

Marshall just couldn’t shake the stubborn 49ers, as CJ Burks (17.2) carried the Thundering Herd with 25 points. PG Jon Elmore leads the team in scoring (18.9) and assists (5.2) and added 16 points and five assists. The 6-9 Jannson Williams (9.5 & 4.7)  had 13 points and six rebounds.

Bottom line here is the revenge factor. Western Ky has had to have this date circled since last March. The top-seeded Hilltoppers were beaten 67-66 by underdog Marshall in the C-USA Tourney, costing Western Ky a spot in the Dance, as the 27-win Hilltoppers had to settle for the NIT (did make semis). This time around, Marshall will have to deal with WKU’s emerging 6-11 frosh Charles Bassey, a possible future lottery pick who has recently scored 19 points against Wisconsin and ODU (Western KY upset Wisconsin!). The Hilltoppers beat the Thundering Herd 85-74 at home and 112-87 at Marshall last season. Deja vu!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on Alabama at 3:30 ET.

Alabama began SEC play with an upset win at home over Kentucky last weekend but the Tide fell Tuesday night at LSU, 88-79. Alabama shot just 7-for-24 from three-point range and its failure to keep LSU from scoring inside proved to be too much to overcome. Alabama will now welcome Texas A&M to Tuscaloosa, standing 10-4 (1-1 in SEC play). The Aggies are the only SEC school with a losing record entering the weekend (6-7 / 0-2 SEC) and have dropped three straight following a five-game winning streak. Their latest setback came Tuesday at Kentucky, committing 19 turnovers in an 85-74 loss to the Wildcats. 

Point guard TJ Starks (14.5 & 3.8 APG) has scored at least 14 points in four straight contests and is averaging 20.5 in two conference outings, since returning to the starting lineup after coming off the bench the previous two games. Fellow sophomore Savion Flagg, a 6-7 swingman, averages 12.7 PPG plus his 8.3 RPG ranks fourth in the conference. Tennessee State transfer, the 6-8 Christian Mekowulu (9.9 & 5.8) has totaled just eight points in two league games, after averaging 16 over his previous three games.

Alabama is a perimeter-dominated team, led by Lewis (14.8). Fellow guard Petty (10.6 & 5.1) joins him in double digits, while guards Mack (9.6), Ingram (7.9 & 4.5) and Jones (7.7 & 4.9) round out the major backcourt contributors. The 6-9 Donta Hall (10.8 & 8.1) saw the first three-game double-double streak by an Alabama player in 11 years come to an end Tuesday with seven points and six rebounds.

How good is Avery Johnson's Alabama team? We will find out soon, as the schedule after today (thru Feb 2) features four road contests out of six games, including road games at No. 3 Tenn and No. 11 Auburn, plus a home game vs No. 14 Miss St. A&M is easily the least difficult opponent over this challenging seven-game span and in two true road games this season, is allowing 89.5 PPG. This is a great matchup for the Tide, as A&M does a poor job of getting to the foul line (260th in FT attempts) and converting threes (29.5% ranks 331st). Meanwhile, Alabama has won the battle of the boards in 13 of its 14 games and boasts a plus-6.4 rebounding margin, good for 34th in Division I. Blowout alert!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Rivalry Game of the Month is on Miss St at 1:00 ET.

What's going on here? Ole Miss was picked to finish last in the SEC preseason media poll but the Rebels, under first-year head coach Kermit Davis have opened the season 12-2, including 2-0 in SEC play. More importantly to sports bettors, Ole Miss is a remarkable 13-1 ATS (so much for the experts!). Ole Miss has yet to enter the AP top-25 but would if it could win here in Starkville against in-state rival Miss St. The Bulldogs are also 12-2 but 0-1 in SEC play, as they saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end in stunning fashion with an 87-82 overtime loss at South Carolina this past Tuesday.

Junior guard Breein Tyree (team-high 17.4 PPG) was named SEC Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 31 points against Vanderbilt on Jan. 5 but was held to five and was 1-for-10 from the floor in Ole miss' 82-67 home win over No. 11 Auburn on Tuesday. Senior guard Terence Davis (16.0 PPG and team-highs of 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists) is averaging 19.3 points in his last three games. 6-7 freshman KJ Buffen (6.6 & 5.4) scored 16 versus Auburn and has helped the Rebels to a plus-7.1 rebounding margin that was 25th nationally through Thursday's games. A third guard, sophomore Shuler (10.6 & 4.1) make three double digit scorers for the Rebels, who average 79.7 PPG (62nd).

Senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon (17.1 & 5.5) is MSU's leading scorer (team averages 80.3 PPG to rank 53rd). Two more guards average in double digits, PG Peters (13.4 & 6.2 APG ) and a second Weatherspoon, Nick (10.6) The 6-10 Holman (13.0 & 8.7) makes it four players in double digits and is the Bulldogs' leading rebounder. Here's a couple of notes to consider. The Bulldogs have won 12 straight when Quinndary Weatherspoon scores 20 or more points, something he's done six times this season. Mississippi State is also 9-0 this season when junior guard Tyson Carter (9.9 PPG) scores 10 or more and his average is fourth-best among SEC bench players.

The Bulldogs lead the series 143-115 but the Rebels have won EIGHT of the last 10 meetings in the SEC's most-played rivalry. However, I have to believe the Rebels are not quite as good as their record (how could they be?). Ole Miss beat one ranked team on Wednesday, can it really beat another on Saturday?

Here's the rub. If the Bulldogs had hit another shot or two, they could have beaten South Carolina. Instead, they missed an opportunity to win in regulation and another to tie at the end of overtime in that 87-82 road loss on Tuesday. The Bulldogs had an chance to win at the end of regulation, but a contested driving layup by Lamar Peters rimmed out in the final seconds. They were down three in the final 10 seconds of overtime when a turnover by Quinndary Weatherspoon turned into a dunk for the Gamecocks. Notably, MSU's bench scored a season-low two points, making just 1 of 6 shots from the floor. A date with hated-Ole Miss is "just what the doctor ordered" for the Bulldogs. Miss St in a R-O-U-T!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* CBB Eye-Opener is on Iowa St at 12:00 ET.

Kansas St got off to 0-2 start to Big 12 play, as the 6-10 Wade (13.6 & 7.7) has been sidelined since sine mid-December. The Wildcats lost by 20 points at home to Texas and then by six at then-No. 11 Texas Tech. However, KSU  rebounded in a big way on Wednesday night by rallying from a 21-point second-half deficit to defeat West Virginia, 71-69. Kansas St will take an 11-4 (1-2 Big-12) record into tonight's game in Ames, when the Wildcats face No. 20 Iowa St (12-3 / 2-1). The Cyclones beat then-No. 5 Kansas 77-60 last Saturday but then suffered a letdown after that HUGE win by dropping a 73-70 decision at Baylor on Tuesday night.

Senior guard Barry Brown Jr. scored 29 points in the win over West Virginia, including the go-ahead layup with 28.9 seconds remaining, while sophomore guard Mike McGuirl added 18 points. Brown leads the team in scoring (14.7) and steals (31). Fellow guard Kamau Stokes (10.9) and 6-5 small forward Xavier Sneed (10.6 & 5.6) are the only other player in double digits, with Wade still out. Head coach Weber expects Wade to return as soon as next week. "He's done workouts, he's done running, he's done walking, he's done jumping in the water," Weber said of Wade's recovery from a torn ligament in his foot Dec. 15. "So now get him on the court and practice a little bit. I don't want to say yes or no, but we're moving forward, so hopefully, if there's no major setback, I would say in the next week or 10 days, we hope to have him back."

"Golly, we could have taken a huge step right here, and then coming back to a home game," head coach Steve Prohm said after the Baylor loss. "But if you look at it, if you win your home games and split on the road, you're probably going to be in good position to challenge for a league championship." Senior guard Marial Shayok leads the Big 12 in scoring (20.1) and also is tied for second on the team in rebounding (5.5) with junior forward Michael Jacobson (13.9 & 5.5), sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton (12.8) and freshman guard Talen Horton-Tucker (12.6) also averaging in double digits.

The Wildcats return most of the key pieces from a team that advanced to the Elite Eight last season (of course, no Wade at the moment) but one wonders how they will react off the team's historic comeback vs West Va (note: it was the largest comeback in school history). The Wildcats were limited to just 21 points in the first half, then exploded for 50 points after halftime and used a 17-0 run to get back into the game. That AIN'T happening here Hilton Coliseum where ISU is 42-12 under Prohm and is 30-10 in its last 40 Big 12 contests on its home floor.

Iowa St averages 81.3 PPG and allows 65.0 PPG on the season (40th). Kansas St is 0-3 on the road, having averaged 58.0 PPG, while Iowa St is 8-0 SU (5-1-2 ATS) at home, outscoring opponents on average, 85.2-to-59.6 PPG, Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Por Blazers at 10:05 ET.

The 19-21 Charlotte Hornets will visit the Moda Center Friday night to take on the 25-17 Portland Trail Blazers. Since mid-December, the Hornets are 5-8 (4-9 ATS), while the Blazers are 10-4 (8-6 ATS). Charlotte's visit to the Pacific Northwest is the fourth stop on a six-game trip for a team that has dropped six of its last nine games. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have won five of their past six games and they shot 56.6 percent from the floor in Wednesday's 124-112 home win over the Chicago Bulls.

Starting shooting guard Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) returned to the lineup for teh Hornets in Tuesday's 128-109 in LA to teh Clippers, after a two-game absence. Lamb (15.3 & 5.6) recorded 16 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes and he's an important cog. "He looked solid. He looked healthy," Charlotte head coach James Borrego told reporters afterward. "I didn't feel like he was limited at all. He had a good performance and I think we've got him back in the mix now." Backup shooting guard Malik Monk (10.8) scored 24 points against the Clippers for his fifth 20-point effort of the season.However, the problem for Charlotte all season has been the lack of consistent scoring other than PG Kemba Walker (25.1-4.3-5.8).

The Blazers own a dynamic backcourt duo in Lillard (25.9-4.5-6.1) and McCollum (20.9) but it isn't going unnoticed just how well center Nurkic continues to play. He's averaging 15.3 & 10.4, while shooting 51.1% from the floor. Portland has at least 25 assists in a season-best four consecutive games, after producing 28 in its 12-point win against the Bulls

The Moda Center in Portland has been a 'house of horrors' for teh Hornets for a decade. as the Blazers have won 10 in a row (9-1 ATS) when hosting the Hornets. The Trail Blazers are 22-6 at home versus the Hornet, all-time. Not much changes tonight. Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Week is on Santa Clara at 11:00 ET.

The 8-8 Pepperdine Waves and the 9-7 Santa Clara Broncos meet in WCC college basketball action from the Leavey Center in Santa Clara on Thursday night. Both schools are 1-1 in league play. Pepperdine comes into this game looking to get back above .500 after falling to 8-8 with a 72-69 loss to 14-2 San Francisco in its last outing. 6-6 guard Kameron Edwards has been in and out of the lineup this season but had 19 points along with team-highs of 11 rebounds and four assists. He's played in just seven games but is averaging 14.7 & 6.3. Santa Clara Broncos needs to rebound as well, getting blown out in a 91-48 loss at Gonzaga in its last outing.

PG Ross leads Pepperdine in scoring (18.9) and assists (7.2), leading six double digit scorers. Kameron's younger brother Kessler (a 6-8 freshman), is among that group of six, averaging 10.7 & 4.9. The Waves average a so-so 78.9 PPG (75th) and struggle on the defensive end, allowing 74.2 PPG (247th).

The Broncos were totally outclassed by the Bulldogs, with SF Keshawn Justice leading the team with 14 points, the 6-8 while Josip Vrankic added 11 points and Tahj Eaddy added 10 points, rounding out a trio of double-digit scorers for the Broncos in the loss. Guard Eaddy (16.3) leads the team in scoring, teamed with PG Trey Wertz (11.8 & 4.9 APG). Joining Justice (10.8) in the frontcourt are the 6-8 Vrankic (12.9 & 5.5) and the 6-7 Martin (6.9 & a team-high 9.6 RPG).

SE Missouri transfer Eaddy (16 ppg) plus freshman wings Wertz & Justice have upped the athleticism quotient for Santa Clara, allowing head coach Herb Sendek to not miss the team's leading returning scorer KJ Feagin (17.5). Santa Clara couldn't stay with Gonzaga but the Broncos had won EIGHT of nine prior o that loss (including SIX straight). It's worth noting that Sendek had his team play a challenging early season schedule. The Broncos own wins over USC and Washington St plus have played Pac-12 schools Cal and Washington, along with the Big Ten's Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo Romar's Waves have yet to play a Power-5 opponent. What's more, Santa Clara must surely have this date circled, losing badly in last year's WCC tourney to Pepperdine (85-69), after winning both regular season meetings.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NBA Game of the Week is on the Den Nuggets at 9:05 ET.

The Denver Nuggets went 46-36 last season, the franchise's first winning season since 2012-13 (George Karl's final year). However, the Nuggets failed to make the postseason last year, for the fifth consecutive season. Therefore, it's impossible NOT be surprised that the Nuggets  own the West's best record at the mid-point of the current season rapidly approaches, at 27-12. Denver welcomes the LA Clippers to Pepsi Center tonight, a team which sports a 24-16 record and comes in having won seven of its last 10, after a three-game winning streak.

Los Angeles claimed a 128-109 home win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday and has won by double digits in each of its last three wins. Sixth-man Lou Williams (18.5 & 4.9 APG) had 27 points and 10 assists for his third double-double of the season, one of four Clippers to score 20 or more points. Leading the way offensively is PF Tobias Harris, who was acquired in the Griffin trade. He is averaging 21.1 & 8.0 on the season. The team's No. 2 scorer is former Denver standout Danilo Gallinari (19.5 & 6.2). LA ranks fourth in the NBA by averaging 116.0 PPG.

Denver claimed a 103-99 road win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday, as center Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season . He leads the team in scoring (19.2), rebounding (10.1) and assists). "Hell of a win," Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters afterward of a victory that came on the second end of a back-to-back that began with a 125-113 loss to the Houston Rockets. Jamal Murray (18.4) is the team's second-leading and the Nuggets are hoping gaurd Gary Harris (16.0) and PF Paul Millsap (13.2 & 6.7) stay healthy. Millsap has been back for six straight but Harris, after playing three straight, was out vs Miami with a hamstring issue and is not expected to play tonight.

These teams split two meetings in Los Angeles earlier this season but in the most recent game, Denver was routed 132-11 by Clippers at Staples on Dec 22. Anyone really think that LA will hit 57% from floor (including 10 of-20 on threes) on the road, like the Clippers in that late-December romp at home? Note that Denver, never known for its defense, is showing a different side this season, allowing just 105.5 PPG (4th-best). The Nuggets are 16-3 at Pepsi Center, outscoring opponents 112.8-to-101.7. Lay it.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on Northwestern at 9:00 ET.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have won six of their last seven games, including an impressive 93-84 triumph against then 24th-ranked Nebraska on Sunday to earn their second victory over a ranked team this season. The 12-3 Hawkeyes just missed out on entering Monday's AP top-25 but did earn a ranking of No. 25 in the coaches poll. Iowa travels to Evanston, Illinois on Wednesday, to take of the 10-5 Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern bounced back from a humbling 81-55 defeat to current No. 6 Michigan State by edging Illinois 68-66 on Sunday.Note taht both teams picked up their first Big Ten win (1-3) in their last outings.

Jordan Bohannon (11.3) scored 22 of his season-high 25 points in the second half and dished out five assists in the win against Nebraska. The 6-9 Tyler Cook added 16 points and seven rebounds against the Cornhuskers and leads the team in scoring (17.3) and rebounding (8.3) on the season. The 6-9 Ryan Kriener tallied 14 points in his first career start but the game figures to be an outlier, as he averages just 5.3 & 2.9 on the season. The 6-11 Garza averages 12.3 & 4.6 off the bench, while junior forward Isaiah Moss produced 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to register the first double-double of his career (averages 9.1 PPG on the season).

6-7 senior forward Vic Law (17.6 & 6.3) scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win against Illinois to record his first double-double of the season and the fifth of his career. A.J. Turner added 12 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to lift the Wildcats past the Fighting Illini and averages 9.5 & 3.3 APG on the year. Fellow guard Ryan Taylor knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 12 points (right at his average of 12.5 PPG). Joining Law up front is the 6-8 Dererk Pardon (13.9 & 8.3), who contributed 10 points and eight rebounds to finish in double figures in scoring for the 15th straight game (the longest streak of his career)..

The Hawkeyes hope to knock off the Wildcats for the first time in Evanston since Jan 25, 2014 but why should we expect that? After all, Iowa has lost 12 of its last 13 true road games dating back to the start of 2017-18, including its only two this season, 90-68 at Mich St and 86-70 at Purdue. Iowa may be averaging 82.9 PPG on the season but in true roads games (yes, just two), the Hawkeyes are averaging 69.0 PPG. That bodes poorly up against an excellent defensive team like Northwestern, which is allowing just 63.2 PPG (26th), whlle holding opponents to 27.6% on threes (9th). Northwestern comes in 8-2 at home, where the Wildcats are allowing only 59.0 PPG. Cheap price in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Big East Game of the Year is on Seton Hall at 8:30 ET.

Seton Hall finished with 22 wins last season, after losing in the NCAA's second round. However, Kevin Willard's Pirates lost four starters off that team. Seton Hall served notice as a Big East contender by bolting out of the blocks to begin conference play before getting tripped up in its last contest (a 75-74 loss at Depaul), halting the school's seven-game winning streak. The 11-4 Pirates look to get back on track on Wednesday, when they host Butler at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Butler won 21 games last season and like Seton Hall, lost in the NCAA's second round. The 10-5 Bulldogs snapped a two-game skid with an 84-69 triumph versus Creighton on Saturday, evening their Big East record at 1-1 (Seton Hall is 2-1 in league play).

Junior guard Kamar Baldwin (16.5 & 5.4) erupted for a season-high 28 points for Butler on Saturday, making 11-of-18 shots. Senior guard Paul Jorgensen ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.5 PPG with two big men splitting time at center. The 6-11 Joey Brunk (8.5 & 4.5) and the 6-10 Nate Fowler (5.3 & 3.9) are a solid duo plus the 6-7 Tucker (a Duke transfer) just became eligible and and is adding 7.7 & 4.5 in six games.

Junior guard Myles Powell (22.2) struggled to find his shot with a 4-for-13 performance from the floor and finished with 16 points in Seton Hall's 75-74 loss to DePaul on Sunday. Powell is surrounded by guards McKnight (8.8 & 3.1 APG) amd Cale (9.2 & a team-high 7.8 RPG). Seton Hall's size will give Butler's frontcourt fits, led by the trio of  6-10 Mamukelashvili (9.7 & 7.3), the 6-8 Nzei (9.6 & 5.3) and the 6-11 Thompson (6.2 & 2.4).

Seton Hall won both regular season meetings with Butler last season, then lost 75-74 in the Big East Tourney. Powell mad just 3-of-9 shots in that Big East tournament quarterfinal loss.I had butler on Saturday (against Creighton) and noted the team's prowess at home, as Butler's win make the Bulldogs 8-1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, after going 53--12 at home the previous four seasons. However, Butler's played just two true road games this season, losing at St Louis and Florida, getting outscored 70.5-to-47.5 PPG! Seton Hall showed its potential with an 84-83 win over Kentucky at MSG back on Dec 8 and makes a statement here, in the Big East.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Creighton at 7:00 ET.

Marquette rebounded from an 89-69 humbling at St. John's in its conference opener with a 70-52 victory over Xavier on Sunday to boost its home record to 11-0 (Marquette is 12-3 overall and ranked No. 21 in the latest AP poll). "I'm proud of my team, especially on the defensive end," Golden Eagles coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "Obviously we can play a lot better offensively. But, winning with defense is OK."  The Golden Eagles will visit 10-5 Creighton on Wednesday night in a Big East Conference matchup. The Bluejays (1-1 in Big East play) are coming off an 84-69 loss at Butler, with Creighton giving up 48 first-half points to fall behind by 19. “We played three really good halves the last couple games," head coach Greg McDermott said after his team's three-game winning streak was halted. "Unfortunately, we had a really bad one to start this game.”

Leading scorer Markus Howard (24.0-3.9-4.2) scored 26 points against Xavier, although 6-5 senior Sacar Anim played a huge supporting role. Anim ended a five-game slump by scoring a season-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. Amin averages just 7.3 & 3.4 on the season. Howard is typically supported by brothers Sam and Joey Hauser. The 6-8 Sam averages 13.5 & 6.8, while his younger brother Joey (a 6-9 freshman), averages 10.5 & 6.1.

Creighton averages 83.7 PPG (25th), while shooting 51.6%, including 43.5% on threes (both rank 3rd-best in the nation). The Bluejays have four players averaging in double figures and Damien Jefferson is at 9.9 points, so they have plenty of balance to help offset the loss of sophomore Jacob Epperson. The 6-foot-11 Epperson, who was sidelined for the past five games with a knee issue that requires surgery, will miss the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture in his back. Leading scorer Ty-Shon Alexander (16.7-3.1-3.0) matched his season low with nine points at Butler, finishing 1 of 10 from beyond the arc, although he extended his streak to 19 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer. PG Ballock (10.9-3.9-3.4), fellow guard Marcus Zegarowski (10.3) and the 6-9 Krampelj (10.3 & 5.7) round out the double digit scorers.

Marquette may be perfect on its home court this season but the Golden Eagles have lost 96-73 at Indiana and 89-69 at St John's in its only two true road games. Creighton can "light it up," as evidenced by the Blue Jays winning all three games in the Cayman Islands (over Boise St, Ga State and Clemson), while averaging 91.3 PPG. Here at home against the Golden Eagles (allowing 92.5 PPG in two true road games TY), expect Creighton to roll.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on LSU at 9:00 ET.

Alabama's football team got 'punked' by Clemson in last night's CFP championship game and the school's basketball team will visit Baton Rogue tonight, looking to avoid a letdown off its 77-75 home win this past Saturday over then-No. 13 Kentucky. The 10-3 Crimson Tide (1-0 SEC) will take on 10-3 LSU, which will be playing its SEC opener. The Tigers problem could be 'rust,' as LSU hasn't played a game since defeating Louisiana Monroe 81-69 back on Dec 28.

Alabama coughed up a 22-point lead with just over 14 1/2 minutes remaining back on Dec 4 in an 83-80 loss to Georgia State when the Panthers buried a three-pointer as time expired. I was almost, "deja vu all over again" this past Saturday, as Kentucky nearly clawed all the way back from an 11-point deficit with just over three minutes left at Alabama. However, the Crimson Tide got the stop they needed this time, when Kentucky guard Tyler Herro's three-point attempt bounced off the rim in the waning seconds.

Guard Tevin Mack (9.9 PPG) almost single-handedly kept the Crimson Tide in the game early Saturday, going 6-for-6 from three-point range en route to 20 of his team's 38 first-half points (he scored just two pints in the second-half but finished with a season-high 22 points). the 6-9 Donta Hall (11.1 &8.3 rebounds) produced this third consecutive double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Herbert Jones (7.5 & 4.8) enjoyed the best all-round performance of his career against Kentucky, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and a career-best six assists without a turnover in 23 minutes.'Bama's leading scorer, freshman PG Lewis (14.8 & 3.1 APG), made just 4 of 14 shots (14 points).

LSU averages 80.7 PPG ((50th) on some excellent shooting (49.0% ranks 25th). Head coach Will Wade uses an eight-man rotation, with players averaging from 6.0-to-13.5 PPG. Guard Mays (13.5 & 3,4) leads the way, followed by the 6-10 Reid (12.6 & 5.8), PG Waters (12.5 & 5.5 APG) and guard Smart (10.2) in double digits. After finding his groove while coming off the bench the previous two games, Waters returned to the starting lineup against ULM and scored 11 points, added 10 assists and produced a career-high tying eight steals. The Tigers' four freshmen - Naz Reid, Emmitt Williams, Ja'vonte Smart and Darius Days - combined for 50 points, 27 rebounds and five blocks!

Alabama almost surely can be expected to have a letdown here and LSU is a perfect 8-0 SU at home on the season, outscoring opponents 84.4-to-66.2 PPG. The Tigers have won 15 straight in the Maravich Center and win No. 16 ina row comes "with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner i on the OKC Thunder at 8:05 ET.

The Minnesota Timberwolves fired head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau on Sunday, after he led the team to a 108-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The T-wolves never "came together" under Thibodeau, as the drama surrounding Jimmy Butler before his Nov 12 trade to Philadelphia, and dropping six of seven games during one stretch in December, eventually cost him his job. "We've gone ... halfway through the season, and I don't think we're where we thought we would be, or where we think we should be," Minnesota owner Glen Taylor told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We still have hopes to get into the playoffs, and I think with half the season left, let's see if this change will make a difference." The Thunder aren't dealing with that sort of organizational upheaval but will need to bounce back after a shocking 116-98 loss to the Washington Wizards at home on Sunday. "We did well on the road, we had some big games that we won and just one of those nights you come home and you see an opponent like the Wizards ... you just fall into that trap," Oklahoma City forward Paul George told reporters.

The 19-21 T-wolves named assistant Ryan Saunders (son of former coach Flip Saunders) as the interim coach, while GM Scott Layden will take over some of Thibodeau's front office responsibilities. The Timberwolves are winners of back-to-back games and five of their last eight but this team is two games under .500, coming off a 47-35 season. Minnesota is the very definition of average, scoring 111.4 PPG (14th) and allowing 110.8 PPG (17th).

OKC was a 10-point favorite over the Wizards on Sunday and while Russell Westbrook posted his third triple-double in the last four games with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists, he committed eight of the team's 15 turnovers in the surprising 18-point loss. George added 20 points in the loss, his the 14th straight game in which he scored 20 or more. George (26.8-8.0-4.0) leads the team in scoring, while Westbrook (21.1-11.0-10.1) is again averaging a triple-double. However, notable this season is the solid play of backup PG Schroder (15.2), center Adams (15.2 & 10.2) and PF Grant (12.4 & 4.8) plus the fact that OKC is now one of the league's better defensive teams (105.8 PPG ranks 5th).

OKC opened the season 0-4 but now sits 25-14. The Thunder are 13-5 SU at home, while the T-wolves are just 5-15 SU on the road, Expect a VERY focused OKC team here, as not only are the Thunder coming off an embarrassing home toss to the troubled Wizards (Washington is just 16-24) but they HAVE to remember the fact that Minnesota earned a 114-112 win at Oklahoma City on Dec 23, behind 30 points from Andrew Wiggins. Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on Baylor at 7:00 ET.

Iowa State made a strong statement this past Saturday, with a resounding 77-60 victory over then-No. 5 over Kansas. It was Iowa State's fifth straight win, lifting the 12-2 Cyclones to their first national ranking since the 2016-17 season (ISU checks in at No. 20 in the latest AP poll). The Cyclones will vie for their first 3-0 start in conference play since the 1999-2000 campaign, when they visit 8-5 Baylor on Tuesday at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. Scott Drew's teams had won 20-plus games for nine of the previous 10 seasons but finished just 19-15 last season. Four starters are gone from that team and hence, the school's 8-5 start.

Marial Shayok is averaging a team-best 20.1 PPG (5.6 RPG, too) and had 24 vs the Jayhawks on 9-for-12 shooting to receive Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Freshman Tyrese Haliburton (8.7-4.l4-4.3) was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after making 4-of-4 three-point attempts in scoring 14 points. The Cyclones shot 13-of-25 on threes (52.0%) against Kansas. Michael Jacobson (14.1 & 6.5) and Talen Horton-Tucker (12.9 & 5.5) are two more guards in coach Steve Prohm's four-guard offense. Iowa St averages 82.1 PPG (37th) and has topped 100 points twice. Defensively, the Cyclones are strong as well, allowing just 64.4 PPG (also ranks 37th).

Baylor nearly pulled off quite the comeback in its conference opener, as its bid to erase a 19-point second-half deficit fell just a bit short in Saturday's 85-81 loss to TCU. "Down (19), we could have never made a run, but these guys are going to fight to the end," Bears coach Scott Drew said. "You just want to pull it out when you get there." 6-9 sophomore forward Tristan Clark (started all but four games LY) answered his first double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Bears' 84-44 romp over New Orleans on Dec 29 by scoring a team-high 18 against the Horned Frogs. The sophomore forward has made at least 50 percent of his shots in every game and at least 60 percent in all but two contests this season. He leads the team in scoring (14.5) and rebounds (6.5). Guard Makai Mason, a graduate transfer from Yale (you don't hear that often), is averaging 14.1 PPG and has recorded double-digit scoring performances in nine of 10 games. Senior guard McClure checks in at 10.5 & 4.8.

Iowa St is ripe for a letdown here and don't forget, Baylor plays some outstanding D, holding opponents to just 62.3 PPG (21st). The Bears are limitng opponents to 39.2 percent from the floor (31st), including 30,7 percent from three-point range. Baylor has won 13 of 15 all-time home meetings with Iowa State (beat the Cyclones 81-67 at this venue LY), with the ISU's last victory coming in the 2012-13 season. Home dog barks LOUDLY in this one!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on Villanova at 7:00 ET.

Who'da thunk it? Villanova is the defending NCAA champion (actually, the Wildcats have won two national titles in the last three years) but when the 11-4 Wildcats welcome the St John's Red Storm to Finneran Pavilion for this Big East showdown, it's the 14-1 Red Storm who are the ranked team. St. John's is having a season more reminiscent of a championship campaign, as the school entered the top-25 Monday (at No. 24) for the first time since sitting No. 15 back in the 2014-15 season.

Chris Mullin's team entered the top-25 following a terrific first two months of the season that has featured only one loss, a controversial two-point defeat against Seton Hall. . “I think there’s tremendous excitement, optimism, and a good feeling,” Mullin said. “I think it’s great that our fan base has watched us throughout. They watched us struggle, improve, and now watch them have success. It’s a genuine and authentic way to go about it.” St John's beat Georgetown 97-94 in overtime in its last outing, thanks to Shamorie Ponds' 37 points. The junior PG is averaging 20.4 points (also 4.7 RPG & 6.0 APG) while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and better than 40 percent from the three-point line, way up from his shooting percentages from the field (42.0) and the arc (25.3) a season ago. He's surrounded by big gaurds Heron (15.6 & 5.1), Figueroa (14.7 & 6.9) and Simon (10.2 & 5.2) plus 6-7 forward Clark (13.1 & 5.2).

Guard Phil Booth (17.3-3.5-3.5) and the 6-8 Eric Paschall (15.7) are the senior leaders of a mostly inexperienced Wildcats team, one in which only sophomore guard Gillespie (11.0) joins the senior duo in double digits. Villanova was ranked No. 9 to start this season but early-season consecutive losses to now-second-ranked Michigan and Furman sent Villanova tumbling down the rankings to the mid-20s. The Wildcats moved back up to No. 17 after six straight wins but were bounced form the rankings after two more consecutive losses at Penn and at then-No. 1 Kansas in mid-December.

However, I wonder if anyone really believes that St John's is the better team? I sure don't. 'Nova head coach Jay Wright won’t have to be remind his team about St. John’s, after the Red Storm notched a shocking upset of the national-champs-to-be as a 16-point dog at the Pavilion last season, 79-75. My bet says the Wildcats REMEMBER it well!.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* 35-Club Play is on the Hou Rockets at 8:05 ET.

The Houston Rockets had their six-game winning streak come to an end with Saturday's 110-101 loss at Portland, just the Rockets' second defeat in the team's last 13 games. Notably, James Harden's run of 40-point games came to an end at five straight, as he finished with "just" 38 points!  However, he’s had at least 35 points and five assists in eight straight games, breaking an NBA record held by Oscar Robertson. The 22-16 Rockets welcome Denver to Houston Monday night, with the Nuggets arriving with a 26-11 record. That represents the West's top mark and Denver arrives on a five-game winning streak after a 123-110 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Pepsi Center on Saturday.

Denver's victory over Charlotte was the team's 10th consecutive home win (note: The Nuggets' previous home loss came on Nov 13 against the Rockets). The Nuggets are finding they have their own superstar in center Nikola Jokic, who scored a season-high 39 points on Saturday. He leads the team in scoring (18), rebounding (10.0) and in assists (7.5). Guard Jamal Murray was held to eight points on 3-of-13 shooting on Saturday but is the team's second-leading scorer at 18.5 PPG. Barton remains sidelined for Denver but head coach Michael Malone has gotten guard Gary Harris and PF Paul Millsap back. Both are being worked back into the rotation after missing nearly a month and three weeks, respectively. Harris (16.1) played his third straight game since returning against the Hornets and scored 17 points while adding six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. Millsap (13.4 & 6.7) has been back for four games, averaging 10.0 & 4.2.

Houston knows all about playing through injuries, as well. PG Paul (15.6 & 8.0 APG) has missed the last seven games and backup guard Gordon (15.6) has missed the last three. Houston won six in a row without Paul, before Saturday's loss. Harden averaged 42.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 9.5 assists while shooting 41.9 percent on three-pointers over those first six games without Paul. Since Gordon has been out, recent addition Rivers has averaged 42 minutes and 17.0 points in starting three in a row, while swingman Green has chipped in 15.7 PPG over the last three. Backing Harden  game in and game out is center Capela, who is having a career season (17.2 & 12.9), He's had 21 rebounds in each of his last two plus has topped 20 rebounds in FOUR of his last seven games.

No way I'll buck the Rockets here, as since losing 128-108 at home to Dallas on Nov 28, Houston is 9-0 SU and 8-0-1 ATS at home.Yes, Denver has the West's best record and comes in on a five-game winning streak, but the Nuggets last four wins have come over 9-32 Phoenix, 10-29 New York, 19-20 Sacramento and 19-20 Charlotte. Harden leads Houston to yet another home win, with ease!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Mil Bucks at 8:05 ET.

The Milwaukee Bucks had a five-game winning streak come to an end with a 123-116 home loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday (Bucks were also 5-0 ATS in that run), missing out on a chance to establish themselves as the top team in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee took the first four games of its homestand by an average of 21.3 points and held a double-digit lead in the first half against Toronto before falling. The Bucks wrap-up their six-game homestand Monday night, when the Utah Jazz visit the Fiserv Forum. The Jazz fell at Toronto to begin their four-game road trip but followed that with wins over Cleveland and Detroit to reach .500 at 20-20. Utah has dominated Milwaukee since the middle of last decade, winning 21 of the last 26 meetings between the two clubs.

Donovan Mitchell (20.2) scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half of Saturday's 110-105 victory in Detroit. It marked Mitchell's 20th, 20-point outing of the season. Center Rudy Gobert (14.9 & 12.2), PG Rubio (12.9 & 6.3 APG), SF Ingles (11.8-4.0-4.6) and PF Favors (11.2 & 7.0) give the Jazz a solid starting-five. Sixth-man Crowder (12.3 & 4.7) is also having a solid season plus the addition of Korver has been a good one, as the vet has averaged 8.9 PPG in 18 games, shooting 40.0% on threes.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (26.5-12.6-6.1 is clearly "the Man" in Milwaukee, although like the Jazz, Milwaukee has very good starting-five, Middleton (17.8-5.6-4.1), Bledsoe (15.4-4.,4-5.5), Brogdon (15.3-4.6-3.4) and Lopez (12.3 & 3.9) round out a group, with just three other Milwaukee players starting only a combined seven games!

Antetokounmpo scored 43 points on 16-of-25 shooting and added 18 rebounds on Saturday while matching Toronto's physical play but it wasn't enough.

I realize that Utah has dominated this series (see above for a reminder) but Milwaukee snapped a seven-game skid against Utah in last season's final meeting (117-100 home win) and this year's Milwaukee team has "turned a corner." Off a disappointing loss to Toronto, I expect the Bucks to bounce back in a big way. Milwaukee is the NBA's top-scoring team (117.1 PPG) and also owns the league's best defensive FG percentage against (43.3%). That's a sweet daily double. Also note that Milwaukee is 18-4 SU and 14-7-1 ATS at home, where the Bucks averaged 120.9 PPG. The price seems MORE than fair, Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Mia Heat at 6:05 ET.

The 19-18 Miami Heat will visit Atlanta to take on the 11-27 Hawks. However, while the Hawks are one of just five NBA teams with a winning percentage of under .300 (.289), TWO of Atlanta's 11 wins this season have come over Miami. The Hawks won 123-118 on Nov 3 in Atlanta and then took a 115-113 nail-biter on Nov. 27 in Miami.

Miami squandered a pair of opportunities to move above .500 since Christmas but finally accomplished the feat by earning a win at Cleveland on Wednesday and then knocking off the Washington Wizards 115-109 at home on Friday. The Heat have won three of their last five, which came on the heels of five-game winning streak. Miami is without PG Goran Dragic (15.3 & 4.9 APG), who had knee surgery and will be out until the All-Star break. However, Miami has won eight of its last 10 games with the bulk of that damage coming with small forward Justise Winslow serving as the team's point guard. Winslow collected 13 points and 10 assists in Friday's triumph, his sixth straight game scoring in double figures (he's now averaging 11.6-5.2-4.0 on the season). Josh Richardson (18.5) is the team's leading score but even with Dragic, Miami has 10 players averaging between 7.7 and 18.5 PPG. Center Whiteside is almost an automatic double-double nightly, averaging 13.1 & 13.0.

The Hawks were swept on a three-game road trip, capped by a 144-112 loss at Milwaukee on Friday. Atlanta was never in the game on Friday, after falling behind 43-14 at the end of the first quarter. However, the Hawks continue to develop their young roster and placed seven scorers in double figures in the loss. Rookie point guard Trae Young collected 13 points and 10 assists for his fifth double-double in the last 12 games (he's averaging 15.3 & 7.5 APG on the season). Third-year small forward DeAndre' Bembry scored a team-high 19 points off the bench while scoring in double figures for the third time in four games (he's averaging 8.3 & 4.3). Second-year 6-10 power forward John Collins (Wake Forest) is one of 17 NBA players averaging a double-double at 18.5 points and 10.2 rebounds (he was a draft 'steal!').

Have to believe that Miami has to be "fairly motivated and embarrassed," after losing the first two meetings this season to Atlanta. Note that Miami is a MONEY-MAKING 12-5 ATS (71%) on the road this season and Atlanta is the nBA's worst defensive team, allowing 118.5 PPG. I'm taking the road favorite.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Showdown is on the Philadelphia Eagles (4:40 EST).

It’s been “do or die” for the Eagles for a few weeks now and last weekend they not only had to beat Washington (24-0), but they also needed the Bears to beat the Vikings to earn this spot.

Philadelphia now has its “foot in the door” and I think it’ll make the most of its opportunity.

Chicago beat Minnesota 24-10 on the road last Sunday. 

Overall the Eagles average 22.9 PPG and concede 21.8. QB Nick Foles has 1,413 passing yards with seven TDs and four picks so far. 

Chicago averages 26.3 PPG and it allows 17.7. QB Mitch Trubisky has 3,223 yards passing with a mediocre 24/12 TD/INT. 

Trubisky though is in unchartered territory at this point. Chicago hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2010 and I think this lack of experience will in fact come back to haunt it here.

Philadelphia has the veteran leadership in Foles to steak this one outright, but in the end I’m going to grab the points.

Play on the Eagles.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* GAME OF THE WEEK is on the LA Chargers (1:05 EST).

The Chargers will need three road wins now to reach the Super Bowl. Likely not going to happen. Home field is obviously an advantage in the playoffs, but less so in the first round.

The teams which earn a bye have a clear advantage as they have extra time off to heal up and game-plan for the upcoming contest. 

But the Wildcard games, there are no breaks, and it’s just business as usual right after the regular season ends. So, I do indeed feel that this scenario is working in favor of the Chargers in this one.

Especially with a rookie QB under center for Baltimore. Lamar Jackson has been fantastic for Baltimore since taking over for an injured Joe Flacco, but in a playoff “one and one” situation like this, I’m giving Chargers’ veteran pivot Philip Rivers the clear nod in this matchup.

The Ravens have to be thrilled just to back in the playoffs after a three year absence. Baltimore barely held on for a 26-24 win over Cleveland in Week 17 to punch its ticket. 

Note that this is an IMMEDIATE “revenge” game as well, as Baltimore knocked off LA on the road 22-10 in Week 16, a setback which ruined the Chargers chances of top spot in the AFC West.

The Chargers bounced back with a win over the Broncos the following week and while RB Melvin Gordon is questionable, I still think the value lies with Rivers. He finished with 4,308 passing yards and 32 TDs. 

In the loss to the Ravens, the Chargers effectively shut-down Jackson, holding him to a season low 39 rushing yards. 

I think LA has more than enough firepower to take this game outright, but in the end I’m grabbing the points.

Play on the Chargers.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Daytime Dominator is on Northwestern at 1:00 ET.

Both Illinois and Northwestern 'limp' into this Sunday afternoon game. Illinois has the worst record in the Big Ten at 4-10 and is one of five teams (Northwestern included) without a conference victory. However, while Northwestern is still seeking its first conference win, the Wildcats are a respectable 9-5 on the season, overall.

The Illini have dropped three straight games overall, after hanging around in a 73-65 loss on Thursday night at Indiana. Illinois has four double digit scorers plus two others averaging 8.6 and 7.1 PPG. Guards Frazier (15.5) and Jordan (10.1 & 5.2) are joined by freshman SF Dusunmu (12.5 & 4.5) and the 6-9 Bezhanishvili (10.3 & 4.9). However, for all that offensive balance, the Illini average only 73.9 PPG, which ranks 181st.

The Wildcats weren't able to handle Michigan State the last time out, in an 81-55 beatdown. The 6-7 Vic Law averages a team-high 17.9 PPG but was held to season-low five  points vs the Spartans. The 6-8 Dererk Pardon (14.2 & 8.4) is is one of the most accurate shooters in the country (6.8%) and made 9-of-15 shots while scoring 19 points in the loss to MSU. He's joined up front by the 6-10 Taylor (12.5) and the 6-7 Turner (9.4).

Northwestern is easily the much better team and coming off that humiliating 81-55 loss at powerful Michigan State (Spartans are 13-2 and ranked 8th), should bounce back here vs an Illinois team that is now 4-17 in Big Ten play since the start of last season. It didn't show in the game at Michigan St but Northwestern is a defensive-minded team, allowing just 63.0 PPG (24th), whlel holding opponents to 28.9% on threes (25th). Northwestern comes in 7-2 at home, where the Wildcats are allowing only 58.2 PPG. Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Marquette at 12:00 ET.

The Marquette Golden Eagles are 11-3 (No. 16 in the AP poll) and will host 9-6 Xavier at noon ET at the brand-new Fiserv Forum. Marquette saw its eight-game win streak end in Tuesday's 89-69 loss to St. John’s (note: Red Storm are 14-1) in the Golden Eagles’ Big East opener. The Musketeers opened their Big East schedule with a 74-65 win at DePaul on Dec 29 but Xavier is coming off an 80-70 home loss to Seton Hall on Wednesday.

To say the least, Xavier has exhibited a drop-off this season under first-year coach Travis Steele, who took over after Chris Mack "took his talents" to Louisville. That said, the Musketeers still have good players, just not as many of them as they had the last few years. Xavier boasts one of the most balanced offenses in the country, as five players average in double digits, while graduate transfer Ryan Welage contributes 9.5 PPG. PG Goodin leads in scoring (13.5) and assists (5.7) plus the 6-7 Marshall (12.6 & 8.0) and the 6-9 Jones (10.0 & 7.1) are the best frontcourt players. 

The Golden Eagles entered conference play ranked in the top-30 nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.7) but allowed the Red Storm to shoot 53.6 percent from the floor. Guard Markus Howard (23.9-3.9-3.9 is Marquette's best player but he failed to reach double figures in scoring for the first time this season, as the Marquette junior finished with eight points on 2-of-15 shooting versus the Red Storm . He's supported by brothers Sam and Joey Hauser. The 6-8 Sam averages 14.7 & 6.9, while his younger brother Joey (a 6-9 freshman), averages 10.0 & 6.1.

I noted that Xavier owns excellent scoring balance but the Musketeers average a modest 75.0 PPG (161st). That's not good enough, when they allow 70.7 (171st). It's been a strong start to the season for Marquette, as its two losses are to Kansas and St John's (see above). That said, Marquette would be well-advised to take this game VERY seriously, as a visit to Creighton is next (Wednesday night), followed by a home date with Seton Hall on Jan. 12. An "L" here and the Golden Eagles could start 0-4 in in conference play.

Expect Marquette to play well, as the Golden Eagles are 10-0 SU and 8-2 ATS at home, outscoring opponents 82.1-to-61.2 PPG. Xavier's lost 62-47 at Cincy and 71-56 at Missouri. Those finals seem about right, here.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* WCC Game Of The Year is on St. Mary’s (11:00 EST).

Randy Bennett's first six seasons at St Mary's resulted in just one postseason appearance (a first round NCAA loss in 2005). However, he's led the Gaels to 11 straight postseason berths entering this season. That streak could end in 2019, as St Mary's checks in just 9-7, after a 76-72 loss at San Francisco (note the Dons are 13-2 TY). BYU comes in 9-7 as well, after a 90-87 win at Pacific.

BYU can score, averaging 84.9 PPG (19th), as the the 6-8 Childs leads the Cougars in scoring (21.7) and rebounding (10.1). Guards Haws (17.7 & 5.1 APG) and Hardnett (11.6) check in behind him. However, BYU allows 79.3 PPG (318th).

Guard Jordan Ford has doubled his average from last season (up to 22.8 from 11.1 PPG) and up front, the 6-8 Fitts (14.3 & 8.2) and the 6-10 Hunter (10.1 & 5.9) are a formidable duo. St Mary's entered this season 54-5 at McKeon Pavilion the previous three seasons and even in this 'down' year, St Mary's is still winning at home, going 7-2, while outscoring its opponents by 82.2-to-64.6 PPG.

BYU's win at Pacific (a non-cover) was its first road win of the season, as the Cougars limp in 1-5 SU and 0-6 ATS on the road this year, allowing a whopping 95.2 PPG. What's more, the Gaels have this game circled after BYU beat them 85-72 in the WCC tourney, following a series sweep in the regular season by St Mary's. The loss was a 'killer,' as despite a 30-6 record, St Mary's didn't get an at-large NCAA bid. Throw in the fact that the favorite is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the two rivals and I'm "all over" St Mary's.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the GS Warriors at 10:05 ET.

It's become obvious that the 2018-19 Golden St Warriors are NOT the same team we've seen win THREE of the last four NBA titles. There are plenty of examples but NONE are better than the Warriors' Thursday night home loss to Houston. The Warriors held a 20-point lead over the Rockets but would go on to lose 135-134 in OT. Golden State's three-game home losing streak matches its longest in the Steve Kerr era, which spans four seasons in which the team advanced to the NBA Finals each time. The Warriors travel to Sacramento Saturday night to face the Kings. The Kings are in their own slump with losses in three straight to fall to 19-19 but the franchise hasn't had a winning season (or made the playoffs) since the 2005-06 season, so 19-19 looks pretty good to long-suffering Sacramento fans (Kings won just 27 games last year!).

"I do feel we did," shooting guard Klay Thompson told reporters when asked if Golden State gave the game away. "I don't think we played with that killer instinct in that second half. I think we relaxed being up."but  Thursday's loss was 'ugly' but Golden St players are confident they will find their form. "I'm not sure but we'll stay the course and get back to doing what we do," Thompson told reporters. "It's a different year than it has in the past. Although we are not blowing teams out, we are still 11 games above .500 with a chance to go on a run here before All-Star break. It's not the end of the world." The Warriors are still waiting for center DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) to make his season debut. Is that good or bad news?

Sacramento's morphing into a competitive team is being led by the backcourt duo of Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox, who combined for 45 points on 19-of-29 shooting in Thursday's setback. Hield scored a team-high 29 points, giving him three straight 20-plus performances (Hield leads the team by averaging 20.2 PPG). PG Fox added eight assists in Thursday's setback and is averaging 18.1 points and 7.6 assists in just his second season. However, it's not good news that the Kings almost surely will once again be without standout rookie Marvin Bagley III (12.7 & 6.1), who has missed the Kings' last 10 games with a bruised left knee.

All of a sudden, these Northern California rivals split their four-game season series last year, each winning twice on the opponent's home floor. iIsay that because the Warriors had won 15 of 16 meetings dating back to the start of the 2014 season. Golden State has taken the first two meetings this season but by a total of just six points. Sacramento , comes on a three-game slide, losing by seven, five (in overtime) and four points. It's troubling because the Kings led the Lakers entering the fourth period on Sunday, were up nine with three minutes left against Portland in the overtime loss on Tuesday and had a 13-point halftime advantage over Denver on Thursday. t won't be a cakewalk but expect the Warriors to pull away for a comfortable win.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on Arizona State at 6:00 ET.

9-4 Colorado will be at 9-4 Arizona State on Saturday in OPac-12 play. Both schools opened their respective season 8-1 but each has dropped three of its last four games. Colorado lost its Pac-12 opener 64-56 at Arizona ,as the Buffaloes shot 35.8 percent and had 17 turnovers against only seven assists. That same night (Thursday), ASU took a 28-11 lead over Utah in Tempe, only to lose, 96-86! The Sun Devils were badly out-shot from the perimeter, 53.3-to-39.3 percent.

The Buffs averaged 84.1 PPG in their 8-1 start but haven’t scored more than 68 in their last four contests (1-3), including scoring a season-low of 56 points Thursday at Arizona.  on Thursday, which followed a nine-day layoff. PG McKinley Wright scored a game-high 17 points and leads the team in scoring (14.0) and assists (5.5). 6-7 wing Tyler Bey adds 10.9 PPG plus a team-high 9.2 rebounds, while the 6-10 Siewert averages 12.8 & 5.2.

ASU guard Remy Martin (13.1) had a career-high 22 points and 6-8 forward Zylan Cheatham (11.8 & 9.7) had 17, combining for 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting but the rest of the Sun Devils combined for 47 points on 15-of-42 shooting. Leading scorer Luguentz Dort (17.8) scored 14 Thursday but that’s been his best outing in his last five games as he’s averaged 11 points during that span while hitting only 14-of-59 shots (23.7 percent). The 6-7 Lawrence (11.2 & 4.) is the team's fourth double digit scorer.

Colorado would like to blame Thursday's effort on its nine-day layoff but that doesn't explain the team averaging 63.3 PPG in losing three of four, after an 8-1 start (averaged 84.1 PPG). The Buffs are 7-6 against Arizona State since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 but that includes 1-5 in Tempe during that span, including an 80-66 loss last season. “It’s frustrating because it was a game we had control of,” Arizona State haed coach Bobby Hurley said in his post-game news conference after the loss to Utah. “We let them cut it to four at halftime, and it snowballed from there.” The Sun Devils generated national headlines by handing then-top-ranked Kansas its first loss, 80-76, on Dec. 22 but since then, they’ve suffered home setbacks against Princeton (67-66) and Utah (96-86).

Is this deja vu all over again? The Sun Devils started 12-0 last season, including a win over No. 2 Kansas, and then dropped three of their first four Pac-12 games en route to an 8-10 conference finish. Sound familiar? It sure does but my bet says ASU rebounds here in a BIG WAY against the poor-traveling Buffs.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the Indianapolis Colts (4:35 EST).

Clearly these teams are very evenly matched. Indianapolis has the small advantage at the most important position, but the Texans have home field and the better defensive unit.

Las Vegas would agree that these teams are evenly matched, as evidenced by this spread.

However, I think that Andrew Luck is on a mission for Indianapolis and I think he’ll be the difference maker in this one.

Luck is up against DeShaun Watson, who had a bounce back year after tearing his ACL in 2017. 

Note that both teams won on the others home field by three points and each QB had a huge game in their victories.

Luck and the Colts clinched their spot in the final Week, beating Tennessee 33-17. Luck had three TD passing, while Marlon Mack had 119 rushing yards and a TD. 

Houston acquired Demaryius Thomas just before the trade deadline and the veteran WR was key in helping the Texans turn around an 0-3 start to the year. Thomas though tore his Achilles tendon in Week 16. 

I could list some strong ATS stats here, but I’m not going to bother. As good as Watson has been this year, I have to give the slight nod at QB to Luck and in my opinion, that’s enough to tip the scales in favor of the visitors today. 

While the outright win is obviously not out of the question, I’m grabbing the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Arizona at 2:00 ET.

The 7-6 Utah Utes and the 10-4 Arizona Wildcats square off in Pac-12 play Saturday in Tuscon at the McKale Center. Both schools opened conference play on Thursday, with Utah rallying from a 17-point deficit to stun Arizona State 96-86, while Arizona held off visiting Colorado, 64-56. Utah's 96-86 victory set several records as Utah hit a program Pac-12 scoring high while overcoming the largest deficit to win in eight seasons under coach Larry Krystkowiak. As for Arizona, it was the ninth straight Pac-12-opening win for the Wildcats under coach Sean Miller.

The Utes connected on 16-of-33 three-point attempts for a season-best 53.3-percent success rate. Leading scorers, guard Sedrick Barefield (15.7) and 6-7 forward Donnie Tillman (10.9) combined for 46 points on 14-of-26 shooting, including 11-of-19 from long range. Forwards Allen (9.7 & 3.5) and Gach (7.8 & 2.4) plus 7-0 center Johnson (5.8 & 5.5) add size but Barefield has little help on the perimeter.

Arizona’s two backcourt Brandons – Williams and Randolph – combined to score 25 points versus Colorado. The 6-6 Randolph averages 16.2 to lead the team, while PG Williams averages 11.2 PPG and 3.9 APG.  Center Chase Jeter failed to score in double digits (seven points) for the first time since the Dec 15 loss to Baylor, but did pull down a team-high eight rebounds and is shooting a team-best 64.8 percent from the floor this season (12.4 & 7.1 on the year).

Utah scored 96 points at ASU (Utes average 75.2 PPG on the season), while shooing 53.3% on threes (season average is 37.4). Expect the Utes to "return to earth" in this one and note that Utah has lost 12 of the 13 meetings with Arizona since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. The win over Arizona State was the Utes’ first in three road games this season, and they are 8-19 all-time at the McKale Center with their last win coming in 1986!

Arizona was shook by seeing its 52-game non-conference home win streak end in a 58-49 loss to Baylor on Dec. 15 but the Wildcats won three straight since. The Wildcats enter this contest a national-best 90-4 at the McKale Center since 2013 and for some reason, are laying fewer points at home to Utah than ASU was, just two night ago.Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Butler at 12:00 ET.

Creighton and Butler each won 21 games last season, advancing to the Big Dance (Bluejays lost their first game, with the Bulldogs losing in the second round). Creighton won its Big East opener 79-68 December 31 at Providence, while Butler looks to avoid an 0-2 start to its Big East season, after losing 84-76 to Georgetown on Wednesday (Bulldogs' first home loss of the season).

Head coach Greg McDermott's Creighton team can score, averaging 84.7 PPG (20th) on 52.0% shooting (4th). Sophomore guard Ty-Shon Alexander, after averaging just 5.5 PPG as a freshman, has stepped into the leading-scorer role for the Bluejays, averaging 17.3 points and shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range. Three players, guard Mitch Ballock (10.7-4.8-3.4), guard Marcus Zegarowski (10.4) and swingman Damien Jefferson (10.4 & 5,5) are also in double digits. The 6-9 Krampelj (9.9 & 5.5) plus guard Mintz (8.7) are not far behind.

Junior guard Kamar Baldwin leads Butler with 15.7 PPG, while senior guard Paul Jorgensen is just behind him at 13.9 per. The Bulldogs have three starters who are 6-2 or shorter but 6-10 Nate Fowler (4.9 & 4.2) and 6-11 Joey Brunk (8.1 & 4.4) split time at center plus the 6-7 Tucker (a Duke transfer) just became eligible and and is adding 8.2 & 4.6 in five games.

Butler head coach LaVall Jordan said his team was "over-anxious" against Georgetown. It must not be so aggressive on the defensive end. After all, Butler "knows defense," allowing 65.9 PPG and commits the fewest turnovers among Big East teams at 10.9 per game this season. Creighton can "light it up," as evidenced by the Blue Jays winning all three games in the Cayman Islands (over Boise St, Ga State and Clemson), while averaging 91.3 PPG.  However, here in Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Bulldogs are tough to beat. I noted that they are 7-1 SU this season (outscoring opponents 80.6-to-66.9) plus will add that Butler has gone 53--12 at home the previous four seasons (clearly, settling into Big East play). Butler beat Creighton 93-70 last year in this venue and while I don't expect that big of a margin today, I do expect a comfortable win.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Por Trail Blazers at 10:35 ET.

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the season 0-4 but as they visit Moda Center tonight in Portland, OKC sports a 24-13 record, the West's second-best record. The Thunder  have won seven of their last 10 games and face a Portland team that has also won seven of 10, leaving them 22-16 on the season (currently own the West's No. 5 seed). The Trail Blazers won all four of last season's meetings and tonight, OKC will be looking to end an eight-game losing streak in Portland.

Paul George scored 37 points in Wednesday's 107-100 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and has now topped 20 points in each of his last 12 games, averaging 32.1 points during the stretch. George leads OKC in scoring on the season at 26.7 PPG. Former MVP Russell Westbrook has been in a shooting slump all season, making 41.6 percent from the floor, only 23.6 percent from three-point range and shooting just 62.6 percent from the free-throw line. However, in the Thunder's 107-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Staples Center, Westbrook totaled 14 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, despite going 3-for-20. He became the first player in the NBA in 32 years to notch a triple-double while shooting 15 percent or lower. Westbrook is again averaging a triple-double on the season (20.7-10.9-10.4).

OKC ranks 4th in points allowed (105.4 per) and No. 1 in defensive efficiency but will have its hands full with Portland. The Blazers are led by the outstanding guard tandem of Lillard (26.7-4.8-5.8) and McCollum (21.1) plus center Nurkic (14.7 & 10.5) collected a career-best 23 rebounds in the team's Jan 1 victory over Sacramento. He also had 24 points, seven assists, five blocked shots and five steals. Nurkic is averaging 21.5 points, 13 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor in the team's last four games (3-1). Let me add that the 6-9 PG Aminu is quietly averaging 9.4 & 8.0.

Portland is 14-6 SU at home (no need to cover with this line), where it averages 114.0 PPG. How does one ignore the fact that the Blazers won all FOUR of last year's meetings (by an average of 6.5 PPG) or that the Blazers have won SIX straight overall against the Thunder OR that the Thunder haven't tasted victory in Portland since Feb 11, 2014?

Good luck...Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Week is on Toledo at 7:00 ET.

Buffalo has rightly been stealing all the MAC headlines (20th-ranked Bulls are 12-1) and Buffalo should easily take the MAC East. However, the MAC West likely features the league's second-best team. Toledo, coming off a 23-11 season, has opened 12-1 and enters its MAC opener on a 10-game winning streak. The Rockets' opponent will be Ball State, which comes in 9-4, off a 19-13 year last season.

Ball State can score, averaging 84.5 PPG (211st) on outstanding 51.3% shooting (6th). Guards Persons (16.8-4.0-5.2) and Walton (15.0 & 4.8) form an excellent duo with the 6-8 Teague (14.5 & 7.2) being the team's top front-court performer. However, injuries have sidelined the 6-8 Hazen (6.4 & 4.7) and guard El-Amin (6.3), greatly affecting the team's depth. Defensively, Ball State is worse than average, allowing 72.8 PPG (210th).

It's hard not to be impressed by Toledo's start, as the Rockets' most recent game (win) came 77-45 over Penn. That's the same Penn team which earlier this year beat Villanova. Toledo held Penn to 30.5% from the floor, including 5-of-22 three-pointers. Toledo's defense allows just 65.2 PPG (51st) and has been excellent defending the perimeter, as opponents are shooting only 29.2% (28th). Senior guard Jaelan Sanford leads a team with five double digits scorers (great balance) at 17.8 PPG. The 6-6 Willie Jackson averages 11.1 PPG and a team-high 10.7 PPG, while PG Marreon Jackson leads with 4.6 APG (just misses double digits in scoring at 8.8 per).

Toledo's early season schedule has been fairly easy but this team has the talent to replicate the 2013-14 team, which won 27 games. Here at home (Savage Arena), the Rockets have opened 7-0, outscoring opponents 84.7-to-60.0 PPG (closest margin has been 13 points!). Ball State could be the MAC's third-best team but I believe there is quite a gap between the Cardinals and Buffalo and Toledo. Ball was highly disappointing in mid-November at the Charleston Classic, losing 73-64 to Va Tech and 79-61 to Alabama, while sqeaking by Appalachian St, a 5-9 team, in OT. The fact that Toledo lost BOTH meetings to Ball State, makes sure the Rockets will be FULLY focused on their MAC opener.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on UCLA at 11:00 ET.

UCLA dismissed coach Steve Alford ahead of Thursday’s Pac-12 opener against visiting Stanford, hoping for "new day," following four straight losses. Murry Bartow (son of former UCLA coach Gene Bartow) was named interim coach for the 7-6 Bruins. The 7-5 Stanford Cardinal visit Pauley Pavilion tonight.

Stanford's only two losses in its recent stretch have come at Kansas in OT and at San Francisco, which sits a surprising 12-2 on the season to date! Senior 7-2 center Josh Sharma received Pac-12 player of the week honors after recording career highs in points (23) and rebounds (18) in last Saturday’s 93-86 victory over Long Beach State. He

struggled offensively early in the season but has averaged 9.7 points over his last seven games and ranks sixth in the conference in field goal percentage at 60.6. He's joined up front by the 6-9 Okpala (16.8 & 6.1), the team's leading scorer, and the 6-9 Da Silva (9.7 & 5.9). Sophomore guard Daejon Davis added 17 points and five assists againts LB State and is the only other player in double digits, averaging 11.8 PPG

Bartow takes over a team that has dropped its last four games by an average margin of 15 points and hit a new low with the loss to Liberty, which forced 24 turnovers and dominated the paint. Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes averages 17.5 points to lead the Bruins and fellow sophomore, PG Hands, chips in 11.5 PPG and a team-high 7.0 APG. That perimeter duo is joined by 7-1 freshman Moses Brown, who is averaging 11.5 points and 8.8 rebounds.

This UCLA team has the talent and note that the Bruins were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 preseason poll. Doubt that Bartow will get the gig but he figures to be an excellent steadying influence. That's what UCLA needs, RIGHT NOW.  Stanford lost its top-two players from last season, forward Travis Reid (19.5 & 87.), who is a graduate transfer at Kentucky, and guard Pickens (14.5). Stanford is 4-12 ATS in the last 16 meetings between these two teams and just 1-8 ATS in the last nine meetings at UCLA. Just what the doctor ordered for the Bruins. UCLA has won 37 of 42 games in Pauley Pavilion since the start of the 2016-17 season.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the SA Spurs at 8:05 ET.

The 28-11 Toronto Raptors will take the NBA's second-best record into this TNT showdown with the 21-17 San Antonio Spurs. Toronto has owned the NBA's best record for most of the season but just recently, the 26-10 Milwaukee Bucks have caught and passed them (.722 to .718). However, Toronto's 13-7 road mark is an NBA-best but the Raptors come to San Antonio with the Spurs playing their beat basketball of the season, having won 10 of 13. Then again, all of the above will take a backseat to Kawhi Leonard making his highly-anticipated return to San Antonio. Leonard was once a beloved figure and NBA Finals MVP for the Spurs but returns as a villain after last season's falling out with the franchise, following seven seasons and the subsequent trade to Toronto.

Leonard played in just nine games for San Antonio last season due to a quadriceps injury and the difference in opinions over the treatment options partially resulted in the gulf that couldn't be resolved. Leonard has sure put his injuries (?) behind him with Toronto, averaging 27.3 & 8.2. He has missed nine of 39 games this season but he's been in standout form of late, with a career-best streak of 14 straight 20-point outings, including a career-high 45-point effort Jan 1 vs Utah. Pascal Siakam (14.9 & 6.6) had a career-best 28 points with 10 rebounds in the win over the Jazz. However, All-Star PG Kyle Lowry (14.4-4.5-9.8) didn't play for the eighth time in nine games because of a sore back (not expected to play here) and center Jonas Valanciunas (12.8 & 7.2).

 The Spurs are on a 10-3 SU and 11-2 ATS run, as they welcome the Raptors to AT&T Center. Leonard's return overshadowed everything but don't forget, DeMar DeRozan felt misled when he was shipped from Toronto to San Antonio after nine seasons in Canada. DeRozan, along with center Jakob Poeltl, were moved to the Spurs from Toronto in the trade that sent Leonard to the Raptors. DeRozan, after some early reservations about the trade, has settled in to become San Antonio's leading scorer (22.9-5.2-5.9). Aldridge (19.8 & 9.0) has been a steady force plus as always with a Pop-coached team, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

The Spurs are 15-5 SU and 14-6 ATS at home and owns a 32-12 all-time mark against Toronto including a 18-4 record at home, which includes a current run of NINE straight wins at home over Toronto. For tonight, it's DeRozan over Leonard.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on Purdue at 7:00 ET.

Iowa is coming off a 14-19 season but returned all five starters from that team and has opened an impressive 11-2. Meanwhile, Purdue is off a 30-win season (made it to the Swet 16) but lost four starters from that team. Despite that fact, the Boilermakers were ranked 24th in the AP's preseason poll, so Purdue's 8-5 start has to be considered VERY disappointing. Iowa comes into this contest having won five in a row, while Purdue is hoping to put together all the pieces it needs to be a contender around All-American candidate Carsen Edwards. 

Iowa's 6-9 Junior forward Tyler Cook (16.8 & 8.5) will be the best big man on the court tonight but his partner up front, the 6-11 Luka Garza (12.7 & & 4.9) will be a game-time decision Thursday, after missing the last two contests with an ankle injury. 6-7 senior Nicholas Baer (7.0 & 4.7) would take his place in the lineup if he can’t go. Iowa has a four-guard rotation that sees players averaging between 7.1 and 11.2 PPG.

Edwards scored 24 while the Boilermakers held Belmont to almost 30 points below its average in last Saturday's 73-62 win. Edwards (25.8) is the nation's second-leading scorer but only fellow guard Cline (13.1 & 3.5 APG) joins him in double figures. Similar to Iowa, Purdue has five others contributing between 4.5 and 7.6 PPG, with the 6-6 Eifert averaging a team-high 5.2 RPG.

Iowa comes in off wins over W, Carolina, Savannah St and Bryant, which hardly prepares them for this visit to West Lafayette. The Hawkeyes shot the ball poorly in losses to Wisconsin (39 percent) at home and at Michigan State (32.8) to open their conference campaign plus note that the team's 22-point loss at Michigan St, represents Iowa's lone true road so far this season. Iowa was just 1-10 SU on the road last season, so that hardly bodes well (Iowa is 9-23-1 ATS in its last 33 road games). Purdue is 6-0 SU at home, outscoring opponents on average, 81.3-61.2 PPG. That continues a trend which has seen Matt Painter's team go 48-4 SU at Mackey Arena the previous three seasons. Throw in that the home team is 13-4 ATS in the last 17 meetings between these two teams and Purdue is clearly the play.

Good luck...Larry

My Big 12 Game of the Year is on Kansas St at 9:00 ET.

8-4 Texas and 10-2 Kansas State square off in the Big 12 opener for both teams tonight in Manhattan, Ks at Bramlage Coliseum.Texas opened the season 5-0, after beating then-No. 7 North Carolina 92-89 in the Las Vegas Invitational (late Nov), before losing 78-68 to Michigan St in the championship game. Texas is just 3-4 since that 5-0 start, with two of those wins coming against Grand Canyon and Texas-Arlington. Kansas St opened December with back-to-back road losses at Marquette and Tulsa, but has won three straight to reach 10-2.

“Texas looked like one of the best teams in the country around Thanksgiving, but then they have really struggled at times,” Kansas St head coach Weber told reporters. He's right. Five guards see significant minutes, led by Roach (14.0 & 4.9) and Coleman (10.3). Up front, 6-9 senior Dylan Osetkowski (10.1 & 8.5) and 6-11 freshman Jaxson Hayes (9.9 & 4.8) will give K-St all it wants, especially since 6-10 senior Dean Wade remains out.

Wade (13.6 & 7.7) is out of a walking boot and inching closer to a return, but it won't be here. Senior guard Barry Brown Jr. 13.9 & 4.5) has played in 117 straight games, tying Mike Evans for the fourth-longest run in school history (record is 135)  and he's joined in the backcourt by PG Stokes (11.1 & 3.2 APG). 6-5 junior forward Xavier Sneed (11.5 & 5.8) has averaged 10.6 RPG in the three contests since Wade's injury but he will need some help from the 6-9 Mawien (6.9 & 4.2) inside against the Texas big men.

The bottom line here is, Kansas St is one of the nation's best defensive teams, allowing just 57.8 PPG (6th) on 38.8% shooting (30th), which includes only 27.4% on threes, 13th-best in the nation. The Wildcats have allowed only ONE team to score more than 68 points through 12 games (Marquette got 83) and check in 6-0 SU at home this season (went 14-3 at home LY), allowing only 53.8 PPG. It's Jan 2 and this marks Texas' first true road game of the season.  Expect the Wildcats to earn their FIFTH straight victory over the Longhorns, "with room to spare!" 

Good luck...Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Indiana St at 9:00 ET.

8-4 Indiana St is on the road Wednesday night for its MWC opener against 7-6 Loyola-Chicago. The Sycamores were just 13-18 last year and had won a total of just 41 games the previous three seasons (that's just 13.7 per), so TY's 8-4 start is impressive. As for Loyola, it goes without saying that this is not the same Ramblers' team which made an improbable run to last year's Final 4. You think? Loyola finished last season 32-6 and has already matched its loss total through only 13 games of the current season.

Indiana St reached the final in last week’s Diamond Head Classic, before running into hot TCU in the title game, for the second time in as many weeks (note: TCU has won EIGHT straight and is 11-1 on the season).  However, there are a number of positives shining through for this team. Junior guard Barnes (20.8-4.5-4.2) and senior guard Key (16.9 & 4.7) have just recently been joined on the perimeter by Iowa transfer, Williams. The 6-5 guard just gained eligibility in mid-December and in four games is providing a viable third scoring option (11.3 PPG) plus his 7.5 RPG are a team-high. 

Loyola still has major contributors from last year in in senior guards Custer (13.8) and Townes (12.8 & 5.4) plus 6-9 sophomore center Krutwig (13.5 & 7.5). However, it's become obvious that the Ramblers have not been able to compensate for the loss of versatile players like Donte Ingram (11.0 & 6.4) and Aundre Jackson (11.0 & 3.2). Loyola just doesn't score enough (67.8 PPG ranks 304th) and in its last game, lost 45-42 at the Palestra to St Joe's.

Loyola hasn't played since Dec 22 (rusty?) and is just 2-5 ATS at home this season, with the team's two ATS wins coming over a pair of 5-10 teams, UMKC (WAC) and Norfolk St (MEAC). ISU's perimeter game is really strong with the addition of Williams and the Sycamores come in making 45.0 percent from three-point range, the nation;'s second-best percentage. Take the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Underdog Shocker is on Tulsa at 8:00 ET.

Tulsa visits No. 19 Houston in the American Athletic Conference opener for both schools. The 10-3 Golden Hurricane are off to their best start under fifth-year head coach Frank Haith and take a five-game winning streak into the contest. As for Houston, the 13-0 Cougars are one of just FOUR remaining Division I unbeatens plus own the nation's second-longest active home winning streak (26 games).

Tulsa won 19 games last year but surely has its sights on a 20-win season, this time around. The Golden Hurricane opened December with 69-64 loss at Utah (an ATS win, though) but have won five in a row, since (6-1 ATS run their last seven). Senior wing DaQuan Jeffries (13.6 & 5.8 rebounds), 6-8 junior forward Martins Igbanu (12.8 & 5.9) and PG Sterling Taplin (9.5 & 5.1 APG) are the glue that holds the team together.

Houston will open conference play ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense (58.1 PPG) and third in FG percentage defense (35.8 percent). The Cougars rely on their defense to help create offense, averaging 16.5 points off 13 opponent turnovers per game. Speaking of that offense, senior guard Corey Davis Jr. leads the Cougars with 15.4 PPG,  while junior guard Armoni Brooks adds 14.8 points and a team-high 7.2 RPG. Senior PG Galen Robinson Jr. contributes 8.8 points along with 5.4 assists per contest and leads the team in three-point shooting (40.7 percent). Up front, 6-5 SF Cedrick Alley Jr. (7.2 & 4.7) and the 6-9 Breaon Brady (7.2 & 4.9) are the two main contributors.

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is trying to manage (hold down?) expectations. "Being 13-0 is tremendous, but last time I checked they don't hand out any medals for being undefeated in non-conference play," Sampson said. "We never talk about it, it's not something that's mentioned. I don't ever remember talking to (my players) about it. We just talk about our next game. Our next game is Tulsa. We just move on" I realize winning at Fertitta Center may be a stretch for Tulsa and will note that Tulsa hasn't won a road game against a ranked team since February 2016 (at SMU). However, Tulsa is 2-0 ATS in true road games this season, extending its run to SIX straight ATS wins in true road games (going back to the end of last season). Take those HUGE points (note: road team is on a 4-1 ATS run in this series).

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Sac Kings at 9:05 ET.

It's no surprise that the Portland Blazers sit 21-16 as the calendar turns to 2019, as the team has been to the postseason in each of the last five years and is coming off a 49-win season. However, it is a surprise to see the Sacramento Kings at 19-17, as the franchise hasn't been to the postseason (or made the playoffs) since the 2005-06 season (Kings won just 27 games last year!). The teams meet for the first time this season on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center, with both coming off home-and-home series in the past week.

The Trail Blazers won 110-109 at Golden State on Thursday, before the two-time defending champs turned the tables in a 115-105 victory in the rematch at Portland on Saturday. However, Portland responded with one of its most impressive efforts of the season, a 129-95 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers at home on Sunday night. The "big news" in the win was CJ McCollum (21.2) scoring 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting. He had entered the game having shot just 38.7 percent overall and 22.5 percent on three-pointers while averaging 16.9 points in his previous eight outings. Mccollum is joined in the backcourt by Lillard, who checks in at 26.8-4.7-5.8. The duo is the third-highest scoring backcourt tandem in the NBA. Center Jusuf Nurkic (14.5 & 10.1) has put together three straight strong efforts and is averaging 20.7 points on 25-of-43 shooting and 9.7 rebounds during the stretch.

While the Blazers were dealing with the Warriors, the Kings were dueling the LA Lakers. They won 117-116 at home on Thursday but then lost 121-114 in the rematch on Sunday at Staples Center. Thursday's win improved the Kings to a season-best-tying three games over .500 at 19-16. PG De'Aaron Fox scored 26 points on Sunday, marking his sixth effort of 25 or more points in the past 13 games. Fox is a big reason why the improving Kings are two games above .500, averaging 18.2 PPG and 7.7 APG. SG Buddy Hield enters the new year in a shooting slump, having totaled just 38 points in his last three games on 13-for-43 shooting overall and 4-for-19 on threes but he is having a very good season (19.7 PPG).

These teams have similar records but while Portland has been the "more reliable" squad for quite some time now, current form favors Sacramento.Portland comes in just 8-16 ATS since mid-November, including 3-10 ATS on the road. Portland has been on a 'rollercoaster ride' since Christmas. The Blazers lost Dec 25 at Utah (117-96) but followed with a 110-109 OT win at Golden St. Golden St then won the rematch 115-105 in Portland, before the Blazers routed the 76ers the next night. In contrast, Sacramento has won FIVE of its last seven at home, falling to only OKC and Golden St (a game the Kings covered). Expect the Kings to 'catch' the Blazers on a down stroke here and win handily.

Good luck...Larry

My 10*LEGEND Play is on Ohio State at 5:00 ET.

Ohio St did not make the CFP's 'Final Four,' so Urban Meyer's last game as the Buckeyes' head coach will be the105th edition of the Rose Bowl from Pasadena, Ca. The year started with controversy for Meyer and the Ohio St program and Meyer announced that he would be stepping down as coach after the contest, primarily because of stress-related headaches stemming from a cyst on his brain. He leads the Buckeyes into this game with an 82-9 record which includes winning the 2014 national title during seven seasons at the school.

Washington opened the 2018 season ranked 6th in the AP's preseason poll but lost its first game, to then-No. 9 Auburn, 21-16.The Huskies would lose two more times before winning the Apple Cup game 28-15 at Washington St to clinch the Pac-12 North title on Nov 23rd. Washington then beat Utah 10-3 in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec 1, to clinch this Rose Bowl berth. The 10-3 Huskies are ranked 9th in both the AP poll and CFP standings. This marks the first time the Big Ten champion and Pac-12 champion have met in the Rose Bowl since the College Football Playoff began in 2014. Both schools are making their 15th Rose Bowl appearances but the schools have never previously met in Pasadena.

Senior QB Jake Browning is the school's all-time leader in career passing yardage (11,983) and TD passes (94) but he has battled consistency issues the last two seasons. He  had 47 TD passes and just nine INTs as a sophomore but followed with a 19-5 ratio as a junior, before falling to a 16-10 ratio this season. Senior RB Myles Gaskin is the program's all-time leader with 5,202 rushing yards and he's had no "drop-off issues," as his 1,147 rushing yards this season marked his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign. The Washington offense averages a modest 26.6 PPG (86th) but its defense checks in allowing 15.5 PPG (6th) on 301.8 YPG (12th).

Ohio State wins games with a flashy offense behind sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins Jr. Haskins completed 70.2 percent of his passes in his first season as a starter, throwing for 4,580 yards with 47 TD passes and only eight INTs. Dobbins has 1,029 yards and Weber 858, as the Ohio St rushing game averages 175.9 YPG. Ohio St enters averaging 43.5 PPG (7th) on 548.9 YPG (2nd). However, the defense is a worry, as outside of Ohio State's 25-6 win at Michigan St, the Buckeyes D allowed 38.8 PPG in five of its last six games.

Bottom line is that there are strong fundamental, technical and psychological advantages for Ohio State. The Buckeyes own a very well-balanced offense and while Washington has an excellent D, no one has stopped Ohio St all season. Meanwhile, Ohio State's recent defensive woes should not be exposed by Washington's below-average offense, led by Browning, who has been in a two-year free-fall (hard to call it a slump,anymore). Technically, Washington was just 4-9 ATS this season and is only 1-7 SU in their last eight bowl games when facing Power-5 opponents. teams. SIX of those losses have come by seven points or more plus the Huskies are only 2-7 ATS their last nine playing outside the Pac-12. 

Moving to Urban Meyer, his teams have covered 10 of 13 bowl games dating to his days coaching Florida and Utah. Ohio State is 36-14-1 ATS when not laying seven or more points the last 12 years (line is hovering around that number and I was able to lay 6.5). Finally, there's a likely emotional edge with Meyer stepping down and the team must still be a little ticked off at being left out of the college championship playoff. Lay it!!

My 9* Fiesta Bowl Play is on LSU at  1:00 ET.

UCF tries to complete its second straight perfect season when it takes on No. 11 LSU (9-3) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan 1 from Glendale, Az. The Knights ended last season 13-0 with a 34-27 victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl and enter this game 12-0 and ranked 7th in the CFP standings and No. 8 in the AP poll (the school's best-ever ranking in either poll). It's deja vu all over again this season for UCF, as this trip to a New Year’s Day Six Bowl is no different than the feelings of resentment it felt toward the CFP  selection committee for again being dismissed from the championship race and once again needing to prove itself against an SEC opponent (see last year vs Auburn). LSU was 7-1 and ranked No. 3 when it lost 29-0 at home vs No. 1 Alabama on Nov 3. The Tigers would end the season on a 1-3 ATS skid, the team's only cover coming as a three-point dog in a 74-72 (7-OT) loss at Texas A&M.

LSU junior QB Joe Burrow has thrown for 2,500 yards and 12 TDs but is completing just 57.4 percent of his passes. Senior RB Nick Brossette waited his turn behind Derrius Guice and Leonard Fournette for three years before getting his chance in 2018. He's run for 922 yards and 14 TDs. LSU averages 31.8 PPG (41st) and its defense is strong, allowing 20.9 PPG (24th) on 346.1 YPG (29th).

 QB McKenzie Milton (2,663 yards with a 25-6 ratio plus 9 rushing TDs) suffered a serious knee injury early in UCF's regular-season finale but the Knights won that game and then overcame a 38-21 halftime deficit against Memphis in the AAC title game to win, 56-41. Freshman QB Darriel Mack Jr. Burrow, an Ohio State transfer, completed 19 of 27 passes for 348 yards with two TDs and zero INTs, while running for four scores. The UCF defense allows 425.5 YPG (86th) but just 21.2 PPG (25th).

22 UCF seniors are determined to leave with 26 straight wins but I believe the Knights are in a "bad spot" in this one. LSU is 'bowling' for the 19th straight season and coming off that seven-OT loss in its regular season finale, will be looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since late 2015! This is the SEC vs the AAC and that's a no-brainer. I realize that UCF took down Auburn last year but that was with Milton. Yes, Mack was a star vs Memphis but the Tigers lost their bowl game to Wake Forest on Dec 22 (not exactly a FB powerhouse), allowing 37 points. When's the last time a school recorded back-to-back perfect seasons? Try Nebraska in 1994 and 1995! Lay it with LSU.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Outback Bowl Play is on Miss St at 12:00 ET.

It will be warm Tuesday afternoon in Tampa (in the 80s), as a pair of 8-4 teams take the field at Raymond James Stadium for the Outback Bowl. Iowa enters unranked, while Miss St is 18th in both the AP poll and the final CFP standings. The Hawkeyes were 6-1 and ranked 18th when they lost 30-24 at Penn St on Oct 27, a defeat which began a three-game slide. The Bulldogs beat two ranked teams at home (Auburn and Texas A&M), while losing at LSU and Alabama (got outscored 43-3). Both teams own excellent defenses, Iowa ranks 10th in allowing 17.4 PPG) on 289.6 YPG (7th). Meanwhile, Miss St ranks first in both points allowed (12.0 per) and 268.4 YPG.

Junior QB Nate Stanley had 23 TD passes this season and threw for 2,638 yards. His 26 TD throws in 2017 gives him 49 TD passes in 2017-18, tying him with Chuck Long for the most over a two-year span in Iowa history. His top targets are a pair of draft-worthy TEs, Noah Fant and Mackey Award winner T.J. Hockenson. Fant has elected to skip the bowl game to begin preparing for the 2019 NFL Draft, while Hockenson has yet to announce whether he will turn pro but he will play here.Iowa averages a modest 389.7 YPG (79th) but scores a better than expected 31.5 PPG (42nd).

The Bulldogs are led by senior QB Nick Fitzgerald, who has thrown for 1,1615 yards with 15 TDs and seven INTs. He leads the team in rushing with 1,018 yards on 5.1 YPC with 12  rushing scores. Fitzgerald has been responsible for 99 total TDs in his career, owns the SEC record for most 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (20) and is the only QB in conference history to run for more than 3,000 yards. Fitzgerald struggled the first six games this year (46.7% with 4 TDs and 7 INTs) but over his final five games, he completed 61% with 11 TDs without throwing a single INT! Expect Fitzgerald to be pumped for his final college game, as he missed LY’s TaxSlayer Bowl due to an ankle injury,

Iowa is 0-3 as an underdog this year and note that every one of Miss St's eight wins in 2018 have come by 14 points or more (average margin of victory 34.1 PPG). Helpful hint. SEC vs Big Ten in TY's bowl season. Aub 63-14 over Purdue and Florida 41-15 over Michigan.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NCAAF Bowl Game of the Year is on Texas A&M at 7:30 ET.

 Monday night's Gator Bowl features the ACC's 9-3 NC State Wolfpack going up against the SEC's 8-4 Texas A&M Aggies. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. NC State's Dave Doeren is taking his Wolfpack team to its fifth straight bowl (3-1 SU & ATS), including impressive wins the last two, a 41-17 romp over Vandy in the 2016 Independence Bowl and a 52-31 shootout win over Arizona State in 2017 Sun Bowl. Jimbo Fisher will get a chance to win his first bowl game with Texas A&M, after going 5-2 SU & 4-3 ATS in bowls at FSU (includes guiding Florida State to the National Championship in 2013 34-31 over Auburn).

NC State QB Ryan Finley led the ACC in passing with 3,789 yards, more than 1,000 more than the next-closest QB (he has 24 TD passes and just nine INTs). WRs Kelvin Harmon (81 catches /1,186 yards) and Jakobi Meyers (89 catches / 1,028 yards) became the first pair of teammates in school history to each go over 1,000 yards in the same season. However, the NC State running game offers little support, averaging 143.8 YPG (98th). Defensively, the Wolfpack are strong, allowing 22.7 PPG (37th) on 380.2 YPG (55th).

Florida St QB Kellen Mond is not as prolific as Finely (2,967 yards) but owns a similar TD/INT ratio (23-8). However, Mond is supported by an excellent running game (203.8 YPG ranks 33rd), led by Trayveon Williams(1,524 yards / 6.0 YPC / 15 TDs). On the defensive side of the ball, Texas A&M is allowing 26.3 PPG (58th) but the Aggies actually allow less yards than NC State (354.7 YPG to rank 34th, including only 92.0 YPG on the ground, 2nd-best in the nation).

NC State opened 5-0 to reach No. 16 in the AP poll but a 41-7 loss on Oct 20 at Clemson, began a stretch of THREE losses in four games. The Wolfpack rebounded to win their final three games, but those victories came against 2-10 Louisville, 2-9 North Carolina and 3-9 East Carolina. Fisher remade the Aggies into a more physical team in his first year on the job and few will forget A&M's 74-72, seven-overtime triumph over LSU in their regular-season finale. Expect Fisher's 1st A&M team to end 2018 in a BIG way!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider (Liberty Bowl) is on Oklahoma St at 3:45 ET.

Missouri and Oklahoma State were rivals in the Big Eight and Big 12 conferences, before Missouri’s move to the SEC in 2012. The Tigers lead the all-time series 29-23, including a 41-31 win in the Cotton Bowl following the 2013 season. The two former conference rivals meet in Monday's Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tn. The Tigers were 7-6 last season but enter this game 8-4. The Tigers opened 3-0, while averaging 43.7 PPG. However, a stretch of FOUR losses in five games followed, before Mizzou went 4-0 SU & ATS in Nov, averaging 39.8 PPG.

Oklahoma State entered 2018 off three consecutive 10-3 seasons and opened 3-0. However, the then-No. 16 Cowboys lost 41-17 at home to Texas Tech, as 14 1/2-point favorites. That loss began a 3-6 closing run by Oklahoma State, which left the Cowboys just 6-6 after a 31-24 season-ending loss at TCU. A loss here and it would be OSU's first losing season since Mike Gundy's first year in Stillwater. That 2005 team finished 4-7.

Missouri is led by QB Drew Lock, who passed for 3,125 yards with 25 TDs and just eight INTs. The running game is led Larry Rountree III (1,012 rushing yards & 10 TDs). The Tigers are averaging 36.9 PPG (19th) on 468.8 YPG (16th). The defense is better than average, allowing 24.4 PPG (45th) on 379.0 YPG (51st). Okla St also owns a quality QB, as Taylor Cornelius threw for 3,637 yards with 28 TDs and just 11 TDs. The offense is slightly better than Missouri's, averaging 38.4 PPG (14th) on 499.2 YPG (10th). However, OSU's weakness is on defense. The Cowboys gave up over 300 passing yards five times and also allowed more than 200 rushing on five occasions. OSU enters allowing 32.4 PPG, which ranks 97th.

Barry Odom's Missouri offense could be without a few weapons, as RB Damarea Crockett (ankle), WR Jalen Knox (concussion) and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (shoulder) were all were banged up at the end of the regular season. Let me also note that Lock was more efficient last season, when he had 44-13 ratio and threw for almost 4,000 yards. A closer look at Missouri's season reveals that the Tigers played the roll of 'bully,' running up big scores when they had fundamental edges. That's NOT the case here. It's also important to note that during OSU's 3-6 closing skid, the Cowboys beat then-No. 6 Texas 38-35 and then-No. 9 West Va 45-41 in Stillwater, while losing just 48-47 at then-No. 6 Oklahoma (as 21 1/2-point underdogs).

Missouri ended last year's regular season with six straight wins (and on a 7-1 ATS run) but flopped badly in the Texas Bowl against Texas, 33-16 (Mizzou had four TOs). OSU is more than capable of matching the Tigers score for score and I see another flop coming, here. Take the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Military Bowl Play is on Va Tech at 12 noon ET.

A four-game losing streak left Va Tech 4-6 and needing to win its final two games to qualify for a bowl. The Hokies eked out a 34-31 OT win at home against Virginia and then beat Marshall 41-20 at home, a contest that was added late in the season as a replacement for one postponed by Hurricane Florence. 6-6 Va Tech now takes on Cincinnati in the Military bowl, making its 26th consecutive bowl appearance, the nation's longest active streak (note; it's the third-longest streak in NCAA history).

In contrast to Va Tech, Cincinnati has been one of the better stories of the CFB 2018 season, going from 4-8 in 2017, to 10-2 in Luke Fickell's second year as the school's head coach. The Bearcats are going for just their third 11-win season in the program's 131-year history and have an 8-9 all-time postseason record. Cincinnati returns to postseason play for the first time since the 2015 Hawaii Bowl and will play in its 18th bowl game all time, although its 10th in the last 13 seasons.

Redshirt freshman Desmond Ridder was named the AAC Rookie of the Year, as the QB is true dual-threat, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 2,359 yards and 19 TDs while adding another 574 yards rushing along with five more scores. Michael Warren II, the Bearcats' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2012, gained 1,163 yards, along with a school-record 18 total TDs and a school-record tying 17 rushing scores. The offense averages 34.9 PPG (25th) on 458.2 YPG (24th). However, Cincy's best unit is its defense, which allows 16.1 PPG (6th) on 292.2 YPG (8th). The defense is led by All-AAC first team defensive end Cortez Broughton.

Va Tech's offense started to struggle after a season-ending injury to QB Josh Jackson. However, Ryan Willis became a serviceable replacement by year's end, passing for 2,497 yards and 22 TDs and just eight INTs (he had 332 yards passing in the finale vs Marshall to get the Hokies bowl-eligible). However, the difference between this and past Va Tech editions is on the defensive side of the ball. Veteran DC Bud Foster has had to force-feed a young unit that's allowed 30.7 PPG (85th) on 436.8 YPG (98th).

At first blush (and on paper), Cincinnati is the superior team. However, looking more closely at the Bearcats' 10-win season, let's note that the only Power-5 opponent they played was UCLA (Bruins endured their worst season in 55 years) plus Cincy lost to the two best AAC foes it faced (in OT at Temple & 38-13 at UCF). Tech endured a tough non-league schedule and then faced a combative ACC one. Note that Va Tech ended the year by beating Virginia & Marshall. In case you are unaware, Marshall won its bowl game 38-20 playing at USF on Dec 20 and Virginia beat SEC-rep South Carolina 28-0 in the Belk Bow (Dec 29). Va Tech opened the 2018 season with a Labor Day 24-7 win at Florida State (as a 7-point underdog). Don't be surprised if the Hokies win this one OUTRIGHT (at around a TD underdog), on the last day of 2018, as well!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Mia Heat at 6:05 ET.

Will the Minnesota Timberwolves ever "get it together? The T-wolves suffered a 123-120 overtime loss at home to the lowly Atlanta Hawks on Friday and got booed as they left the court. Minnesota went 21-of-38 from the free-throw line in Friday's loss, with swingman Andrew Wiggins missing seven of his 12 attempts and drawing the most scorn from the home fans.The 16-19 T-wolves open a three-game road trip by visiting the 17-17 Miami Heat on Sunday. The Heat have climbed to .500 by winning SIX of their last seven, after rolling over the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-94 on Friday.

Karl-Anthony Towns (24.2 & 11.8) had 31 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three blocks on Friday but was not happy that the team fell into a big hole in the first half. "An edge, we didn't play with no edge," Towns told reporters. Heading to Miami, the Timberwolves could be without their top-two PGs.  Starter Jeff Teague (11.6 & 8.3 APG) is out until mid-January with an ankle issue and backup Derrick Rose (18.9 & 4.8 APG)  sprained his right ankle on the final play of regulation in the loss to Atlanta. He's questionable.

Meanwhile, the Heat are without 2018 All-Star PG Goran Dragic (15.3-3.1-4.9), who hasn't played since Dec 10 and is expected to miss several more weeks after knee surgery. In his absence, the Heat have found a surprising answer in SF Justise Winslow (11.6-5.2-3.7), who had never played point guard before this month. Miami is 5-1 since it started using Winslow at the point and Winslow is coming off one of the best games of his career in Friday's 118-94 win (24-11-7).

Winslow is teaming with SG Richardson, who leads Miami with 18.4 PPG. Minnesota has had its problems with the matchups in recent years against Miami (1-7 ATS the last eight games) and a big reason is the presence of center Hassan Whiteside (13.2 & 12.8), who gives Karl-Anthony Towns fits. The Timberwolves have dropped seven of their last 10 games overall and are just 4-13 SU on the road for the season (little margin here for a cover, without a win). Meanwhile, Miami has gone 6-1 ATS at American Airlines Arena its last seven, plus has gone 10-1 ATS is last 11, overall. Miami is the bet!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Georgia at 6:00 ET.

The 7-5 UMass Minutemen visit the Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday to face the 7-4 Georgia Bulldogs.UMass comes in 2-2 its last four, with both wins coming by one point and the losses coming by just two and four points. Georgia wraps up its non-conference schedule Sunday and enters this game 4-1 SU & 5-0 ATS (lone loss by two points to Arizona St).

Junior guard Luwane Pipkins (19.8-5.4-6.2) hit the go-ahead layup to cap a rally from 14 points down in the second half against Fairleigh Dickerson in the team's last game, an 85-84 win. 6-11 Rashaan Holloway, the team's junior center, leads the A-10 in field-goal percentage (72.6 percent), while averaging 9.8 & 6.1. 6-6 SF Laurent checks in averaging 12.1 & 5.4. UMass has two guards in double digits, Cobb and Pierre (both at 10.7), but Cobb is currently suspended.

Holloway will have his hands full with Georgia' 6-11 sophomore, Nicolas Claxton (12.6 & 10.1). He impact a game in so many ways. Claxton leads the SEC in rebounding and blocked shots (3.1 per) plus also leads the Bulldogs in assists (2.6) and steals (1.4), making him one of only THREE players in the country to pace their team in those four categories.As a freshman, he averaged just 3.9 & 3.9. Another sophomore, the 6-8 Rayshaun Hammonds, has also improved leaps and bounds from last year, when he averaged 6.7 & 4.9. He leads Georgia in scoring (14.7) and adds 6.8 RPG. Guard Crump comes off the bench to lead all backcourt players with 11.0 PPG.

Georgia head coach Tom Crean hopes (expects?) to continue to build momentum with the team's SEC opener at Tennessee (currently No. 3 in the nation) up next on Jan 5. UMass is just 5-11 ATS in the team's last 16 games against the SEC and as noted above, Georgia is 5-0 ATS in its last five overall (4-0 ATS in its last four at home). Georgia is a strong team at home, as its five wins have all come by double digits, with the team's lone loss coming in a two-point defeat to No. 17 Arizona State (Sun Devils beat Kansas!). Bulldogs roll.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* GAME OF THE WEEK is on the Cleveland Browns (4:25 EST).

Baker Mayfield and the 7-7-1 Cleveland Browns are on a mission to close the season strong whether they make the playoffs or not. Cleveland already beat the Ravens in OT earlier this year.

Baltimore has everything to play for here, but Mayfield and company are out to play spoiler. In a contest which I envision being decided by whichever of these hungry teams has its hands on the ball last, I’m going to grab this healthy amount of points.

The Browns come in as arguably the hottest team in the league with victories in five of their last six. Mayfield has completed nearly 65 percent of his passes for 3,394 yards and a now decent 24/11 TD/INT. The ground game has been respectable, averaging 122.9 YPG, with Nick Chubb leading the way with 972 rushing yards and eight major rushing scores. Overall the Browns allow 24.4 PG and they’re led by Myles Garrett on that side of the ball with 12.5 sacks.

The Ravens have won five of six and if they win today they’ll clinch a playoff spot. Rookie QB Lamar Jackson has completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,022 yards and a 6/3 TD/INT. Overall Baltimore gets the job done on the defensive side of the ball where it concedes only 17.5 PPG. 

I’ll point out though that the Browns are a sharp 8-4 ATS as the underdog this year, while Baltimore is just 4-6 ATS as the favorite and only 3-4 ATS at home. 

While I wouldn’t be shocked by the outright upset, I’m going to grab the points. Play on the Browns.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Wipeout Winner is on the LA Chargers (4:25 EST).

No upsets here. I expect Philip Rivers and the 11-4 Chargers to put the foot on the gas from start to finish here as they look to finish up strong. 

LA had its four-game win streak snapped in a  22-10 loss to the Ravens last week. Rivers has been exceptional this season, going for 4,132 yards and 31/10 TD/INT. RB Melvin Gordon III had 843 rushing yards and ten TD’s. Overall the Bolts are averaging a whopping 27 PPG.

The Broncos have nothing to play for here and they come in dejected after three straight losses.

Most recently they fell 24-17 to lowly Oakland. QB Case Keenum has 3,598 passing yards, but a weak 17/14 TD/INT. 

Offense has been the main issue all year for Denver, which comes in averaging only 21.3 PPG. 

I’ll point out as well that LA is 20-8-1 ATS in its last 29 on the road and 8-2 in its last ten vs. the division, while Denver is just 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 at home and only 2-7 ATS in its last nine divisional contests.

For all the reasons listed above, play on the Chargers.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* play is on the Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 EST).

The Eagles have fought themselves back into a playoff position if they win today and the Vikes lose. The Redskins will try their best to play spoiler, but after going just 1-5 in their last six, an inevitable letdown seems imminent here as well in my opinion. 

Philadelphia backup QB Nick Foles is once again dominating, last week he had four TD passes with one INT in a big win over the Texans. Foles also led the charge in an upset of the Rams in Week 15. 

The Redskins’ season officially ended last week in Tennessee, falling 25-16. The main issues come at QB, as Washington lost both starter Alex Smith and backup Colt McCoy to injury.

I’ll point out that the Eagles are interestingly 10-4 ATS in their last 14 after gaining more than 350 yards in their previous game, while Washington is a terrible 2-6 ATS in its last eight home games vs. teams with winning road records.

No need to overthink this one. With everything on the line, look for Foles and company to once again step up and get the job done.

Also note that the favorite is 4-0 ATS in its last four in this series.

Lay the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Houston Texans (1:00 EST).

The 5-10 Jacksonville Jaguars are ripe for the picking. Jacksonville has lost five of its last six on the road and backup QB Cody Kessler has 709 yards, two TDs and two INTs. 

Kessler was inserted to try and spark an inept offense under Blake Bortles direction. The ground game has been average, with an average of 111.9 YPG. The Jags have been decent defensively this year allowing just 19.7 PPG. 

This one simply means more to the Texans. A lot more. Houston needs a win here to keep its top-two seed hopes alive. 

A date at home is just what the doctor ordered as well as the Texans have won five of their last six at home. QB DeShaun Watson has 3,931 yards passing and a 26/9 TD/INT. Note that he has two more TD passes in 13 of his last 20 games. 

The Texans have been stout defensively as well this year, allowing just 20.9 PPG. 

I’ll point out as well that the Jags are just 1-4-1 ATS in their last six on the road and 0-2 ATS in their last two off an upset win by ten ore more as an underdog, while Houston is 3-1 ATS vs. teams with losing records this season and 6-2 ATS in its last eight after scoring 30 points or more in its previous game. 

Despite having won back-to-back games, I think the Jags come out flat here. Over their last four home games the Texans have outscored teams by an average of 12.25 points.

This one has blowout written all over it. Lay the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* signature 35-Club Play is on the GS Warriors at 10:05 ET.

The Warriors visit Portland's Moda center tonight, after losing 110-109 in OT just two night ago to the Blazers, in Oakland. Damian Lillard buried a three-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in overtime on Thursday, giving the Trail Blazers a one-point lead that would become the final score, when Kevin Durant missed a jumper at the other end. "That's a shot I work on every day," Durant told reporters. "I'm pissed I missed that." This contest is the back end of the home-and-home set.

The 23-13 Warriors enter having lost back-to-back games for the second time this season plus lost FOUR in a row from Nov 15-21. Clearly, this year's team is not playing like the team which has won THREE titles in the last four seasons, including B2B the last two years. KD averages 28.7-7.8-6.3, Curry 28.6-5.0-5.2 and Thompson 20.9 PPG. Green's rebounding and assist numbers are similar to the last four seasons but his scoring is down about four PPG. More troubling, he's "had his moments" being a disruptor for the Warriors, not their opponents.

Portland relies heavily on its guard tandem of Lillard (26.7-4.7-5.8) and McCollum (21.0), plus center Nurkic (14.3 & 10.2). Nurkic collected 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting and 12 rebounds on Thursday, as he took advantage of a Warriors team lacking a true center. Still, Portland's overall depth keeps them from being a serious contender for the NBA title.

Obviously, despite their struggles this season, the Warriors still have to be the favorite to win another title.

Listen to Curry after Thursday's loss. "It was just kind of stagnant in the first half," the Warriors star told reporters. "Not a lot of thrust and energy and aggressiveness. Defensively we were OK after the first three or four minutes. Other games it's been indecisiveness in certain stretches of the game. We're getting teams best shots, so we got to fight our way through it. And just claw and scratch and get to that 48-minute level that we dominate teams, and we can get there."

Note that the Warriors almost won Thursday night, despite making just 13 of 44 three-pointers (29.5%) and attempting only 15 FTs, while making only SIX (40%). Golden St shoots 48.0% from the floor on the season (ranks 1st), makes 37.6% on three-pointers (4th) and 82.1% on FTs (1st). This one will NOT come down to the wire!

Good luck...Larry

My CBB 10* Game of the Week is on Boise St at 7:30 ET.

The 8-4 Oregon Ducks and the 5-7 Boise State Broncos meet Saturday at the Taco Bell Arena. These schools met Dec 15 in Eugene, as the Ducks played their first game without 7-2 freshman Bol Bol. Oregon won 66-54, even without Bol. The rematch takes place, tonight.

Oregon's Dana Altman "knows how to coach basketball," but it's pretty tough to lose one's top scorer (21.0), rebounder (9.6), best shooter (56.1%) and best three-point shooter (52.0), all in one! Bol has been wearing a protective boot after injuring his left foot and is out indefinitely. Without Bol, junior guard Pritchard (13.103.9-4.5) is Oregon's lone double digit scorer. The Ducks rely on a defense which is holding opponents to 63.6 PPG (35th).

Boise head coach Leon Rice has led the Broncos to 21 wins or more is SIX of his seven seasons but getting to 21 wins seems like a huge stretch this season. He lost three productive seniors from last year, including the 6-7 Chandler Hutchison (20.0 & 7.7), who was the 22nd pick in last year's NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. This year's team has balance (seven players average between 6.8 and 15.2 PPG) but is that good enough?

In this revenge spot against Oregon, I think it is, at least for tonight! The 6-7 Williams (15.2 & 6.9) is a "big guard" and a tough matchup for most teams. He was an awful 0-6 from the floor vs the Ducks but has since scored 38 points in the two games, since. Oregon's 0-2 in its only true road games this season (has averaged a woeful 54.0 PPG in those contests). Meanwhile, the Broncos are 18-2 SU since 2017-18 at hostile Taco Bell Arena. The small home dog 'BARKS' in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Rivalry Rout is on Louisville at 2:00 ET.

The Kentucky Wildcats opened their season at No. 2 in the AP poll but lost their season-opener 118-84 to Duke. However, the Wildcats are now 9-2 and up to No. 16 in the latest poll, fresh off their best performance of the year, an 80-72 upset of then-No. 9 North Carolina last Saturday. Kentucky will face its toughest road test to date, when the Wildcats travel to face arch-rival Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center this afternoon. Louisville is 9-3 on the season, under new head coach Chris Mack (formerly the coach at Xavier).

The Wildcats have been best-known for their "one & done" players in the Calipari era. Yes, 6-6 freshman guard Keldon Johnson (16.5 & 5.4) is the team's leading scorer but this year's team would be in "big trouble" without senior 6-8 forward Reid Travis (15.1 & 6.5) and veteran sophomore 6-8 forward  PJ Washington (13.3 & 8.5) . Travis is a graduate transfer from Stanford and Washington leads the team in rebounding. Chris Mack's first Louisville team is averaging 80.2 PPG (63rd) but has just one player scoring in double figures. That's 6-8 sophomore Jordan Nwora (17.8). He also leads in rebound at 8.5 per game. However, SEVEN other players chip in between 6.1 and 9.7 PPG, giving this team excellent depth and balance

I'm well aware that the Wildcats have won five of the last six meetings (won 90-61 last year in Lexington) and are 9-2 against Louisville during coach John Calipari's nine-plus seasons at the school. However, Louisville is a PERFECT 8-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents on average, 83.9 to 65.0 PPG. The Cardinals have won 37 of their last 39 non-conference home games and the bet here is that Mack gets his first "signature win" at Louisville, right here!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Under the Radar Rout is on Nevada at 1:15 ET.

Arkansas State and Nevada were briefly conference-mates in the Big West Conference in the mid-90s and the two schools will meet for the first time since 1999 when they meet in the Arizona Bowl on Dec 29 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Az. This event is only in its fourth year but Nevada has fond memories after it won the inaugural Arizona Bowl over MWC rival Colorado State in 2015. The Wolf Pack return to the postseason for the first time since that game, after the program did a quick re-boot the past two seasons under head coach Jay Norvell. Arkansas State won five of its last six games (averaged 40.0 PPG in that span) with the lone loss coming against Louisiana 47-43, a defeat that cost the Red Wolves the West Division title and a spot in the Sun Belt championship game.

Arkansas State brings a four-game winning streak into this game. Senior QB Justice Hansen passed for 3,172 yards with 27 TDs, while being intercepted just SIX times (he was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year). The offense averages 464.8 YPG (20th) and 31.8 PPG (45th). Hansen ran for 399 yards, while adding six TDs. Defensively, Arkansas St allows 26.4 PPG (59th) on 376.8 YPG (48th).

Nevada QB Ty Gangi ranks 11th nationally in total offense (298.2 YPG) and completed 250-of-409 passes for 3,131 yards with 23 TDs and 11 INTs. He leads an offense averaging 32.3 PPG (40th) on 443.2 YPG (32nd). Nevada's defense owns similar numbers to Arkansas State's, allowing 28.1 PPG (71st) on 378.2 YPG (50th).

Red Wolves' QB Hansen does a few more things than Gangi, namely running. However, his TD pass total dropped from 37 to 27 this season. That said, Gangi has a more-accomplished group of WRs, led by McLane Mannix (17.5 YPC and 7 TDs) and Kaleb Fossum (68 catches). Arkansas State is in more familiar territory in the postseason, appearing in its eighth straight bowl but under head coach Blake Anderson, the Red Wolves have lost THREE of four. As for Nevada, it finished tied for second in the West Division of the MWC and had a four-game winning streak snapped in its regular-season finale by in-state rival UNLV, blowing a 23-0 first half lead in a 34-29 loss. Sure, the people in Reno are paying more attention these days to Nevada basketball (12-0 Wolf Pack are currently ranked  No. 6) but on Saturday, the football team takes center stage and gets the "W."

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Bowl Eye-Opener is on South Carolina at 12:00 ET.

South Carolina and Virginia meet for the first time since 2003, and for the first time in a bowl game, when the two schools square off at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, NC. The 7-5 Gamecocks finished in a tie for fourth in the SEC East, going 4-2 down the stretch, losing only at Florida (35-31) and Clemson (56-35). The 7-5 Cavaliers tied for third in the ACC Coastal Division but limp into this bowl game as losers of THREE of four, with their only win in that stretch against Liberty.

The Gamecocks will be missing WR Deebo Samuel in this game, who accounted for 123.2 all-purpose YPG in 2018 (scored 13 TDs). South Carolina is 'bowling' for a third straight year under head coach Will Muschamp. However, South Carolina lacked game-to-game consistency, with its only two-game win skein coming in narrow victories over non-bowl teams Ole Miss and Tennessee (by a combined seven points). The Gamecock offense averages 32.6 PPG (39th) on 440.8 YPG (35th). Junior QB Jake Bentley (63.9% with 27 TD passes and 12 INTs) started slow (7-6 TD/INT ratio in his first four starts) but picked up the pace over his last six contests after sitting out the win over Missouri with an injury, he completed 63.4%, while fashioning a 20-6 TD-INT ratio. The South Carolina D allows 27.2 PPG (67th) on 429.8 YPG (82nd).

Virginia QB Bryce Perkins, a junior college transfer, piled up 3,314 all-purpose yards while accounting for 31 TDs in his first season with the Cavaliers. He is a legitimate dual-threat, passing for 2,472 yards on 203-of-318 passing, while running for 842 yards and nine TDs on 197 carries. The offense averages 28.5 YPG (69th) on 382.2 YPG (85th) but the defense keeps them in most games, allowing 21.8 PPG (27th) on 337.2 YPG (24th).

The Cavaliers had some easy games on their schedule early in the season and converted them into wins but struggled down the stretch with conference losses to Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh. That said, it was a milestone year for the program, getting its first winning season since 2011 and returning to a bowl game for the second year in a row.  The Gamecocks had five losses on the season and ALL of them came at the hands of ranked opponents; No. 2 Clemson, No. 6 Georgia, No. 10 Florida, No. 15 Kentucky, and No. 20 Texas A&M. South Carolina is 2-0 under coach Will Muschamp in bowl games, including last year’s 26-19 win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl. Make that 3-0, as the SEC rep is 6-0 S & 5-0-1 ATS since 2011 in this bowl. The Gamecocks are the play.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Florida at 4:00 ET.

9-3 Butler will visit Gainesville Saturday to take on 7-4 Florida. The two schools met Nov 23 in the Battle 4 Atlantis, with Butler coming away with a 61-54 win. This contest marks the first-ever encounter between the two schools outside of tournament play.

Senior guard Kamar Baldwin leads Butler in scoring (16.2) and rebounding (5.3). He's joined in double digits by guard Jorgensen (15.2 & 4.2) and forward Sean McDermott (11.6). 6-7 SF Jordan Tucker, a transfer from Duke who became eligible Dec. 15 and is adding 9.0 & 4.3. Size comes in the form of the 6-11  Brunk (8.4 & 4.6) and the 6-10 Fowler (5.3 & 4.2).

Senior guard KeVaughn Allen (10.3) is Florida's lone double digit scorer but SEVEN players average between 6.2 and 9.5 PPG. Florida head coach Mike White is sure glad to see 6-6 senior  6-6 Jalen Hudson has finally regained his shooting touch after a protracted slump. He led teh team in scoring last year (15.5) but had not scored in double figures since Nov 14 against La Salle, before scoring 14 points in the 77-56 win over Florida Gulf Coast last Saturday.

Revenge is a key aspect of this play but more importantly, Florida leads the SEC in scoring defense (61.4 PPG) and it has shown excellent balance on offense. The Gators open SEC play against South Carolina on Jan 5 and should really want to keep their positive mojo going. Florida has won four of its last five contests, with the only loss coming against then-No. 10 Michigan State (now No. 8), 63-59 back on Dec 8 at home. Gators "get the cash!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Den Nuggets at 9:05 ET.

The 21-11 Denver Nuggets welcome the 19-16 San Antonio Spurs to Pepsi Center tonight. The Nuggets own the West's best record, just percentage points better than the two-time defending champion Warriors (.656 to .639). However, while the Spurs are currently on the outside-looking-in on the Western Conference playoff field, they come in the hotter team. The Spurs seek their ninth win in their last 11 games, with one of the team's eight wins over its last 10 coming 111-103 over the Nuggets in San Antonio, just this past Wednesday. Tonight's contest completes a home-and-home between the teams

The Spurs have scored at least 110 points in all eight wins during their 10-game stretch, seemingly putting a sluggish start to the season in the rear-view mirror.  SG DeRozan  (23.3-5.7-6.2) and PF Aldridge (18.9 & 9.1) have been the team's two "go-to" players. However, as with all Popovich teams, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.

Center Nikola Jokic is the team leder in points (17.7), rebounds (9.8) and assist (7.3) but was a non-factor on Wednesday, scoring just FOUR four points on 1-of-5 shooting, while collecting only FOUR rebounds in 31 minutes. The loss was Denver's fourth in a row on the road, as the strain of missing three starters seems to be taking a toll. Swingman Will Barton has missed nine weeks after core muscle surgery, SG Gary Harris (16.6) has been out eight games with a hip injury and PF Paul Millsap (13.6 & 7.0) has missed seven with a broken toe.

However, despite missing the above-mentioned three starters and with Jokic "way off his game" Wednesday night in San Antonio, Denver still had an 80-79 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Then, the Spurs went on a 15-0 spurt and went on a 23-4 run to put the Nuggets away. Juancho Hernangomez tied a career high with 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Denver, while Malik Beasley added 22 points and Monte Morris had 15, both off the bench. Denver takes a 7-0 SU & ATS home winning streak into this Pepsi Center contest, where the Nuggets have gone 13-3 SU & 12-4 ATS on the season. In this quick turnaround, revenge works!

Good luck…Larry

My 10* "signature" LEGEND Play (1st of 2 this bowl season) is on Washington State at 9:00 ET.

The Iowa State and Washington State football programs have each been around for approximately 125 years, but they'll meet for the first time on Dec 28 in San Antonio at the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Cyclones opened 1-3 but they rallied behind freshman QB Brock Purdy. Purdy made his first career start Oct 13 in a game vs then-No. 6 West Va, with Iowa St winning, 30-14. He threw three TD passes against teh Mountaineers remained a steady force for the Cyclones in leading them to a 6-1 mark as a starter. Washington State was not just unranked in the preseason, the Cougars didn't even crack the "others receiving votes," list. However, graduate transfer QB Gardner Minshew turned in the most surprising performance of the season. He led the Cougars to a 10-1 record (No. 7 in the AP and No. 8 in the CFP rankings), before losing the Apple Cup 28-15 to Washington on Nov 23 (more on that later)..

One could make a strong case that this is the best Iowa State team in decades. The No. 25th-ranked Cyclones cracked the final regular season poll for the first time since 1976, and their third-place finish in the Big 12 is their best since 1978.  Head coach Matt Campbell shared the Big 12 Coach of the Year award. RB David Montgomery has run for for 1092 yards and 12 TDs. Frosh QB Brock Purdy took over at mid-season after an injury first to starter Kyle Kempt and then the abrupt departure of backup Zeb Noland, who intends to transfer. Purdy completed 66% of his passes for 1,935 yards with 16 TDs and just 5 INTs while playing in only 9 games. The defense is top-notch, allowing 22.5 PPG (35th) on 351.0 YPG (37th).

Speaking of defense (not typically associated with a Mike Leach team), the Cougars' stop unit is just as good. WSU allows 23.1 PPG (38th) on 345.9 YPG (29th). That said, Washington St has gotten here on teh arm of graduate transfer, QB Gardner Minshew,. During the first 11 games, teams just couldn’t slow him down. The former East Carolina QB led the FBS with 4,477 passing yards, completed 70.6% and had a 36-9 TD-INT ratio. In two seasons at ECU he was good (3,487 YP, 24 TD & 11 INT. in 17 games), but NOT this good! WSU's average of 38.3 PPG ranks 15th in the nation.

While I acknowledged that this may be Iowa State's best team in decades, I do NOT believe this year's Ctyclone team is in the class of the Cougars. The snowy conditions played a big role in Washington State's loss to Washington last month, as Minshew didn't throw a TD pass for the first time this season and was held to 152 passing yards after passing for at least 319 in every other game. The team's 237 total yards against the Huskies was its worst offensive output since 2013. 

Washington State was 10-1 and in the conversation for a potential berth in the College Football Playoff, before getting derailed by that snowstorm, getting shut down against rival Washington in the Apple Cup. However, Minshew won't have to deal with adverse weather conditions inside the Alamodome. What's more, the Cougars might have a pretty big chip on their shoulders after they were left out of a New Year's Six bowl, despite winning 10 games. Simply put, I believe Wash St is CLEARLY the better team, making this pointspread a 'cheap' lay!

Good luck…Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Cha Hornets at 7:05 ET.

The Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets played a two-overtime thriller on Wednesday, one in which the Nets escaped with a 134-132 victory. The contest featured featured a number of several big shots but also, just as many key miscues. Brooklyn's Spencer Dinwiddie highlighted a 37-point performance with a four-point play in the second OT extra  and Joe Harris added 27 for the victors. Kemba Walker scored 35 points and Jeremy Lamb 31 for the Hornets but Malik Monk's turnover in the closing seconds of the game led to a layup on the other end for Harris and left the Hornets 0-4 in OT games this season.

Brooklyn's Caris LeVert was having a breakout season, with seven 20-point games already -- matching the total from his first two full seasons in the NBA. He was averaging 18.4 PPG (it still leads the team), posting career-best averages in scoring, rebounds (4.3) and assists (3.7), along with a career-high shooting percentage of 47.5 from the floor. However, he was wheeled off the court back on Nov 12 in Minnesota. There's no timetable for LeVert's return but the Nets say his coming back at some point this season is the expectation.

The Nets won two of their next three without LeVert, but then lost EIGHT in a row. However, they've now gone 9-1 (8-2 ATS) over their last 10. Dinwiddie's star continues to shine brighter as he posted his fourth game of at least 30 points off the bench -- tying the team record for one season -- while recording a season-high 11 assists in Wednesday's win. He's averaging 18.1 & 5.2 APG. Starting PG Russell is right behind him, averaging 17.5 & 6.2 APG. SF Harris (13.7 PPG) was 11-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range, establishing a new team mark for most consecutive home games (32) with at least one make from beyond the arc. 6-11 center Allen (11.8 & 8.2) and SF Hollis-Jefferson (10.5 & 6.1) are also solid contributors.

Like they did Wednesday night (see above), Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb have led the Hornets all season. Walker owns career highs in points (25.2), rebounding (4.4) and assists (6.2), while Lamb averages 15.4 & 5.7. However, only Monk (10.6) scores in double digits among the remaining Charlotte players. Case in point, outside of Walker and Lamb, the rest of the Hornets combined to shoot 23-for-62 (37.1%) from the floor, including 8-for-29 (27.6%) from three-point range on Wednesday.

All that said, I have to like the Hornets in this quick turnaround. Charlotte lost an eight-point lead in the final three-plus minutes of regulation Wednesday night, as the Nets over-played Walker. Then, Charlotte fouled DeMarre Carroll in the backcourt with 1.2 seconds left, up one. Carroll made just one free throw, sending the game to OT. To add insult to injury, Charlotte's Malik Monk fumbled the ball in the final seconds to Brooklyn's Joe Harris, who turned it into a tie-breaking layup. Expect Charlotte to "get things right," here. The Nets are NOT this good.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* Music City Bowl Play is a 9* on Auburn at 1;30 ET.

Former Louisville QB Jeff Brohm is a hot coaching commodity but Purdue's future appears secure after Brohm rebuffed his alma mater to stay in West Lafayette (Brohm received a raise after turning down the Cardinals and will reportedly make over $5 million per year). Brohm led Western Ky to three straight bowls (30-10 record), winning in 2014 and 2015 but did not coach in the team's 2016 game when he left to take the Purdue job. The Boilermakers are in back-to-back bowls, after a stretch of four losing seasons in a row from 2013-2016 when Purdue went 9-39. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn took over the Tigers in 2013 and led them within a whisker of winning the national title, losing a thriller to Florida State, 34-31 in the final BCS national championship game. This marks Auburn's sixth straight bowl appearance but Malzahn is just 1-4 in his first five bowl games with the Tigers. Auburn opened the year No. 9 in the AP's preseason poll and beat then-No. 6 Washington in its season opener. However, the Tigers enter this game a disappointing 7-5.

Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham will play his final college game after declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft in early December. The Baylor transfer broke out as a sophomore in 2017 (66.5 completion percentage, 3,158 passing yards, 18 TDs and six INTs) but failed to maintain that level od success  in 2018 (60.1 percent, 2,421 yards, 13 TDs and five INTs). Auburn will enter averaging 28.2 PPG (just 71st) on a modest 373.6 YPG (94th). However, Auburn's defense is first-rate, allowing 19.6 PPG (18th) on 363.6 YPG (44th).

5-9 freshman Rondale Moore is Purdue's bright shining star. The all-purpose threat set a school record for all-purpose yards in his first college game en route to finishing the regular season with 2,048 and winning the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player nationally. Moore enters bowl season with an FBS-best 103 receptions and a Big Ten-high 1,164 receiving yards (he also has 681 kick return yards and 203 yards rushing yards). Senior QB David Blough (school-record 66.6 completion percentage) had 3,521 passing yards with 25 TDs and just eight INTs. Purdue averages 31.9 PPG (44th) on 459.0 YPG (24th). However, the defense allowed 445.3 YPG (103rd) but did fare better in allowing 27.2 PPG, which ranked 68th.

This is the first all-time meeting between the two schools. Purdue opened 0-3, including a 20-19 home upset loss to Eastern Michigan, as 15-point favorites. The Boilermakers did run off four wins in a row after that, including a 30-13 home upset win over Boston College (Sep 22) and the team's signature win of 2018, a 49-20 blowout over then-unbeaten Ohio State on Oct 20 (Purdue was a 12-point underdog). However, Purdue was not able to maintain that momentum, losing THREE of its next four, before becoming bowl eligible with a 28-21 road win over rival Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket.

Auburn began the season in the top-10 and optimistically had CFP aspirations. However, the year has been a major disappointment. The Tigers’ only quality wins in 2018 were a 21-16 victory over Washington in the opener and a near-miraculous, come-from-behind 28-24 home win over Texas A&M in early November. Still, I prefer this SEC team over its Big Ten opponent. Malzahn could "really use" a bowl win, atoning for last year's 34-27 upset loss to UCF (+10) in the Peach Bowl, as the Knights capped a perfect 13-0 season (note: UCF's winning streak now sits at 25 in a row). Go Tigers. 

 Good luck...Larry

My 9* TNT Knockout is on the Ut Jazz at 10:35 ET.

The Philadelphia 76ers began their five-game road trip with a 121-114 overtime loss at Boston on Christmas Day. Philly fell to just 6-10 SU (5-11 ATS) on the road this season but checks in at 22-13 overall, good for the East's No. 4 seed. Salt Lake City is the first stop in a four-game western road swing, as the Sixers will take on the 17-18 Utah Jazz, tonight. The Jazz are starting to find their form with wins in THREE of their last four games, including the team's 117-96 dominating Christmas Day performance over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz will try to get back to .500 when they continue a four-game homestand tonight against the 76ers.

Philly center enter Joel Embiid recorded his NBA-best 30th double-double, by scoring 34 points and collecting 16 rebounds in Tuesday's loss at Boston and is having a superb season (26.6 & 13.2). Philadelphia could not overcome 19 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Celtics. The Sixers do have key playmakers on the wing like Jimmy Butler (18.8-4.9-3.2) and Ben Simmons (16.0-9.3-7.9), as well as SG JJ Redick (18.1). However, head coach Brett Brown knows he needs to start getting more out of his bench. Philadelphia's starters scored 101 of the team's 114 points on Tuesday and Brown told reports afterwards that, "The fact that the starting five for the large majority of the game was excellent. I thought the spirit was great, the energy was great, but we need to continue to grow our bench, and to work with our starters to finish out the game." 

Utah held Portland to just 39.3 percent shooting on Tuesday in the 21-point romp. Have the Jazz finally reclaimed their identity as one of the NBA's elite defensive teams?

Note that FIVE of the last nine Jazz opponents have failed to reach 100 points, as Utah is now allowing 105.6 PPG (5th-best). Center Rudy Gobert anchored the defensive effort on Tuesday with seven blocks, while adding 18 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) and 14 rebounds. It was his fifth straight double-double, as he checks in averaging 14.7 & 12.3 on the season. SG Donovan Mitchell (20.2) and PG Ricky Rubio (12.9 & 6.4 APG) join Gobert as Utah's "Big Three." 

Philadelphia swept the season series a year ago and back on Nov. 16 of this year, earned a 113-107 home win over Utah, behind 28 points and seven assists from Butler. The Sixers overcame 31 points from Donovan Mitchell and 66 points in the paint from Utah. In the rematch, I'm siding with the Jazz, who are finding their 'mojo.' Gobert, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, notched a season-high seven blocked shots against the Blazers, while also registering his 29th double-double. The Jazz  shot 55.4 percent from the floor against Portland plus overcame an 0-of-8 start from three-point range to make 13 of 21 from long distance in the final three quarters. Philly's road woes (see above) continue here in Salt Lake City.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Miami-Fl at 5:15 ET.

We don't often see two schools playing each other in back-to-back bowl seasons but that's the case Thursday at Yankee Stadium, as Miami-Fl and Wisconsin square off in this year's Pinstripe Bowl. Wisconsin won last year's Orange Bowl 34-24, as QB Alex Hornibrook passed for four TDs and the Badgers' outgoing senior class earned a record 45th win. The departure of those seniors saw Wisconsin, which opened the season No. 4 in the AP's preseason poll, take a huge backwards step in 2018. Wisconsin enters this bowl 7-5 (Badgers finsihed 13-1 last year and ranked 7th in the final AP poll). Miami opened No. 8 in the 2018 AP preseason but lost its first game, 33-17 to LSU. Five consecutive wins followed but an Oct 13 loss at UVa ('Canes were ranked 16th at the time), began a four-game slide. However, at 5-5, Miami was able to end the season with impressive back-to-back wins, 38-14 at Va Tech and 24-3 at home against then-No. 24 Pittsburgh.

Miami’s offense struggled on and off, as QB Malik Rosier fell out of favor and the team went back and forth between he and redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry. the duo combined for 2,096 yards with19 TDs and 10 INTs. Miami owns a veteran OL vet offensive line, leading the way fro a team which averages 197.3 YPG (42nd).  Seven Miami defensive players, led by A-A DE Gerald Willis III and MLB  Shaq Quarterman, were named to the all-ACC teams. Miami comes in allowing 18.2 PPG (15th) on just 268.1 YPG (2nd).

I have never been much of a fan of Hornibrook and he was hampered by injuries this season (concussion problems kept him out of three full games). Hornibrook’s interception percentage climbed, but he threw just 13 TD passes (11 INTs), compared with a 25-15 ratio last season. However, RB Jonathan Taylor has been terrific, becoming the fourth Badger to win the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top running back (he joined Ron Dayne in 1999, Montee Ball in 2012 and Melvin Gordon in 2014). He is almost certain to get the 11 rushing yards needed to hit the 2,000-yard barrier for the season as he is averaging a nation-best 165.8 yards rushing per game. The Badgers defense had its moments but was far from the same dominant unit of a year ago, surrendering 81 points total in the last two games while allowing Minnesota to rush for 201 yards in the season finale.

Yes, this is Wisconsin's 17th straight bowl appearance but this year's team is way off recent editions. I noted Wisconsin's fall-off on the defensive side of the ball earlier but will add here that this year's team allowed 24.2 PPG, its highest total in almost10 years. Miami comes into this game with some momentum, recording impressive wins at Virginia Tech and against Pittsburgh to garner this bowl bid.  Conversely, Wisconsin, which is just 3-9 ATS on the season, enters having lost FOUR of its last five against bowl-bound teams. Miami owns the better athletes and gets its revenge from LY's Orange Bowl.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the SA Spurs at 8:35 ET.

The 2018-19 season opened Oct 16 and it seemed almost a given that the Golden St Warriors would win a THIRD straight NBA title, their fourth in five years. However, as the NBA moved past Christmas Day, it's the 21-10 Denver Nuggets who own the West's best record (the Warriors are second-best at 23-12). This is the same Nuggets team which last made the postseason back in the 2012-13 season, when Denver won 57 games. That season was Denver's 10th straight playoff appearance, so naturally it fired head coach George Karl, who had led them to NINE straight postseason berths. Anyway, the Nuggets will be in San Antonio Wednesday night to take on the 18-16 Spurs, who have won seven of their last nine games, although their last outing resulted in a 108-101 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday (note: Rockets have won SEVEN of eight).

The Nuggets have been one of the NBA's best teams but they are coming off getting pounded 132-111 by the LA Clippers on Saturday, as the team's four-game winning streak came to an end. "From the get-go, we just weren't here," Denver head coach Michael Malone told reporters. "A lot of defensive breakdowns, not ready to play. Give them credit. We weren't ready. They were and they totally dominated us." The 21-point margin against the Clippers represented Denver's largest loss of the season. The Nuggets were dominated "up front," getting out-rebounded 56-37 and out-scored by a 80-50 margin in the paint. Denver center Nikola Jokic was ejected midway through the third quarter, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. He leads Denver in scoring (18.2) and rebounding (10.0). Jamal Murray (17.6) finished with 18 points, while Monte Morris added 15 points. Morris, the team's backup PG, is averaging 15.4 points on 32-of-53 shooting over the past five games.

Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan (23.1-5.6-6.3) scored 28 points in the loss to the Rockets and it marked just his third 20-point outing in the past seven games. However, DeRozan has an outstanding 65-to-14 assists-to-turnover ratio over the last nine games, posting seven or more assists on seven occasions and one or no turnovers six times. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (18.6 & 9.3) is averaging just 14 points over the last two games, after scoring 20 or more in each of the previous four contests. Out of nowhere, the "new-look Spurs" are starting to resemble "the old Spurs." 

San Antonio had garnered each of its previous five victories by at least 25 points (only the second team in NBA history to claim that feat), before falling 108-101 on Saturday at Houston. The Spurs and Nuggets split their season series 2-2 in 2017-18, with the both teams winning on their home courts. This marks the first meeting of the season for the teams and note it's the first game of a home-and-home between the them (play Friday in Denver). The Spurs seek to capture their 12th consecutive home win over Denver, as the Nuggets haven't won in San Antonio since posting a 99-94 victory back on March 4, 2012. Want to buck taht trend here, knowing that Coach Pop’s team has had the NBA’s best offense and second-best defense over its current stretch? Not I.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Brk Nets at 7:35 ET.

The date was Dec 5 and the venue was Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Nets watched (seemingly helplessly) as the OKC Thunder overcame a 23-point deficit and won 114-112 on a buzzer-beater by Paul George. The Nets felt that they were close in most games during an eight-game losing streak but the bottom line was, Brooklyn sat 8-18, well on its way to FIFTH straight losing season. However, instead of being demoralized, the Nets became one of the league's hottest teams with SEVEN straight wins. They saw that steak end on Friday but bounced back Sunday win their EIGHTH win in nine games. Brooklyn (16-19) welcomes the 16-16 Charlotte Hornets to Barclays Center tonight, a team which lost 119-103 at Boston this past Sunday to fall back to .500, after having won five of seven to get back over .500 on the season.

Charlotte had gone eight straight quarters without giving up 30 points before the Celtics piled up 39 in the second during Sunday's matchup. The Hornets are playing their second game in a stretch of 18 out of 27 on the road and are hoping to rebound from that sub-par showing Sunday in Boston. The Hornets shot 43.2 percent and allowed 50 percent shooting while getting out-rebounded 47-37 against the Celtics. PG Kemba Walker 24.8-4.3-6.2) is having a career season but note that SGs Lamb (14.9) and Monk (10.7) are the only other Charlotte players in double digits.

The Nets rebounded nicely from Friday's 114-106 loss to the Pacers, beating the Suns, 111-103. Brooklyn led for the final 39-plus minutes, gained control by scoring 13 straight points in the third quarter and provided an answer when the Suns mounted a comeback attempt in the fourth. Spencer Dinwiddie (17.6-5.1 APG) continued his run of productivity off the bench by scoring 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. It extended his streak to 28 straight games off the bench, the second-longest streak in team history. During this current streak, Dinwiddie is averaging 23 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 6.1 assists. D'Angelo Russell added 18 points and eight assists, and during Brooklyn's surge, is averaging 16.2 points and eight rebounds.

Charlotte is at .500 for the 15th time this season and is 5-3 since losing three straight Nov 30-Dec 5. Charlotte took two of three meetings last season, including a 111-105 triumph in its one visit to Brooklyn. I'll also note that the Hornets are 9-2 in their last 11 meetings with the Nets since the start of the 2015-16 season. However, Brooklyn is "the play," here. This is the front end of a home-and-home set (teams play Friday night in Charlotte). The Nets head into the first of four meetings with the Hornets in ninth place, just a game behind Detroit for the last playoff spot. They are just 1 1/2 games behind Charlotte and Miami as well (the Nets can 'smell' a playoff spot). I will NOT ignore the Nets' current 8-1 SU run. Brooklyn’s offense was one of the NBA’s best during the team's seven-game winning streak, as its 117.6 points per 100 possessions ranked 3rd in the NBA over that span. "Break up the Nets!"

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on Ga Tech at 5:15 ET.

Tech head coach Paul Johnson has decided  to "hang ‘em up after this game." He's had quite a career. He led Georgia Southern (then an FCS school() to back-to-back national championships in 1999 and 2000, before moving on to Navy in 2002. His first team went 2-10 but FIVE straight bowl seasons followed. He left the Naval Academy prior to the team's 2007 bowl appearance to take over at Ga Tech at the start of the 2008 season. This Quick Lane Bowll appearance makes it NINE in his 11 years at Ga Tech. Johnson's counterpart is Minnesota's PJ Fleck, who became famous at Western Michigan in 2016 by leading the Broncos to a 13-1 season, which ended with a 24-16 Cotton Bowl loss to Wisconsin (New Year's Six bowl). He used that as a springboard to take his "Row the Boat:" mantra to Minnesota. So far, Fleck has disappointed, going 5-6 in 2017 and enters this game 6-6 in 2018 (note: he's also just 5-13 in the Big Ten his first two seasons). .

The Gophers own an average running game (163.8 YPG ranks 71st) plus the team had to deal with a mid-season injury to starting QB Zack Annexstad. Tanner Morgan (both are freshman) was effective enough that he stayed in the lineup after Annexstad returned to the roster. However, let's note the reality, that Minnesota QBs had 18 TDP and 14 INTs on the season (passing  game has averaged 215.2 YPG to rank 81st) . The defense allows almost as much as the offense scores, yielding 27.9 PPG (offense averages 28.5 per). On a positive note, Minnesota won three of its final five games to become bowl eligible, including a 37-15 rout at Wisconsin (+12.5) in the Gophers' final regular season game, to beat the Badgers for the first time since 2003.

Johnson introduced the option to Annapolis and made the Midshipmen relevant in quick order. He made a seamless transition to the ACC with Georgia Tech and the league’s coaches could never quite figure out how to slow the Johnson option,. Case in point is that this year's team enters this bowl game with the nation's No. 1-ranked rushing offense (335.0 YPG). The Yellow Jackets reached their ninth bowl under Johnson thanks to a furious late-season hot streak, helping to erase a 1-3 start with SIX in their seven games (including victories over Virginia Tech, Miami and Virginia), before losing to powerhouse Georgia, 45-17 to end the year,.

The Minnesota rush D did hold six opponents under 100 yards on the ground but also allowed Maryland, Nebraska, and Illinois to each rush for more than 300 yards. Considering the Gophers draw the Yellow Jackets in their bowl matchup, those numbers are ominous. This is Minnesota's first bowl under Fleck but the Gophers had lost SEVEN of their previous nine bowl appearances. All FIVE of Georgia Tech's losses this year came against bowl-eligible teams and Johnson’s game management skills have always been called extraordinary. It's his "swan song" and I'll lay the points against Coach "Row the Boat!'

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Por Blazers at 9:05 ET.

The Dallas Mavericks won just 24 games last season, so it's hard to call the team's current 15-16 record anything but a step in the right direction. However, the Mavs head to Portland tonight off a 120-116 loss in Oakland to Golden St, the team's FIFTH consecutive loss. Speaking of losing, Portland saw its three-game winning streak snapped Friday night, when the Blazers were blown out at home 120-90 by Utah.

The Mavs' 6-7 rookie forward from Slovenia (Luka Doncic) leads all NBA rookies in scoring (18.8), while also averaging 6.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He is the leading candidate for the league's Rookie of the Year Award. Harrison Barnes (18.1) is again giving Dallas consistent scoring up front plus center Deandre Jordan is averaging 11.0 & 14.4 (he has 22 or more rebounds in THREE of his last four games!).

Portland is led by the guard duo of Lillard (26.9-5.9-5.8) and McCollum (21.2), while center Nurkic (14.2 & 10.1) will also be a good check on Jordan. Friday's loss to Utah dropped Portland to 12-5 at home this season. "They played well," Lillard said. "They beat us on their home floor. We competed well, but they had a better night than we did. Now they have to come to our floor. Coming off a performance like (the one against Utah), one thing you can always count on is a team coming back much sharper and playing a better game."

Portland enters tonight's game coming off its most one-sided home loss in 14 years (see above). The Blazers allowed Utah to shoot 55.3 percent and go 16-for-31 from beyond the arc in the rout. If that's not enough motivation for a "bounce-back" effort, how about this? The Blazers got their fill of Doncic back on Dec 4 at American Airlines Center, when the rookie scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Dallas' 111-102 victory. Let me add that all five starters scored in double figures for the Mavericks in that one. I won't ignore Dallas' 2-13 SU record on the road this season or that the Mavs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games. Considering the Mavs have allowed a whopping 122.8 PPG their last four and come into this game with no rest (played last night in Oakland), Portland HAS to be the play.

Good luck...Larry

 My 10* Game Of The Year is on the Seattle Seahawks (8:20 EST).

Seattle desperately needs a win here to stay in the playoff hunt. At 8-4, the Hawks need to win this game to keep pace for the Wild card. But a date at home is just what the doctor ordered for the Hawks to accomplish that as they’ve won three straight in the Pacific Northwest.

This is a big game for the Chiefs as well as they’re still trying to lock up the top seed in the AFC. 

These teams are in fact very similar, led by a dynamic, play-making QB and strong running games on offense.

The Hawks however are much better defensively and I think this is going to play a major factor in the outcome of this one.

The Chiefs are led by QB Patrick Mahomes, who has 4,543 yards and a huge 45/11 TD/INT. The ground game averages 114.4 YPG. 

Defensively though Kansas City is allowing 27.1 PPG.

Hawks’ QB Russell Wilson has 3,025 passing yards and a 31/6 TD/INT. The ground game averages a whopping 154.9 YPG and the defense concedes just 20.9 PPG. 

Note as well that the Chiefs are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven off an upset loss as a home favorite, while Seattle is already 4-2 ATS as an underdog this season, 4-1 ATS at home and 4-1 ATS vs. teams with winning records.

The Hawks come in off a horrible OT loss to the 49ers and they’ll be eager to take out their frustrations in this “do or die” situation. The Chiefs are running out of gas and I believe their shoddy defensive play will finally expose them here in this difficult non-conference road venue.

Grab the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Bos Celtics at 6:05 ET.

The 16-15 Charlotte Hornets visit the TD Garden on Sunday to take on the 18-13 Boston Celtics. It's likely the Celtics will be in a nasty mood, as Boston has lost three in a row following an eight-game winning streak. As for the Hornets, they are back above .500, after Marvin Williams scored a season-high 24 points in Friday's 98-86 home win over the Pistons. Charlotte has now won two straight and five of its last seven.

Kemba Walker, who leads the Hornets with 25.0 PPG, added 22 points on Friday, as Charlotte finished its longest homestand of the season with a 3-2 mark. Walker is also averaging 6.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game on the season, all of which are career-high numbers. However, he doesn't get much help, as shooting guards Lamb (14.9) and Monk (10.6) are the only other Charlotte players averaging in double figures.

Boston's three-game slide includes the first two games of what will be a four-game homestand. The Celtics first lost to lowly Phoenix and then Friday night, Milwaukee pulled away for a 120-107 triumph. That prompted a closed-door postgame meeting. "At this point it comes down to cohesion, being able to trust the pass, trust what we have going on out there," point guard Kyrie Irving told reporters after the door was finally opened to the locker room. "Obviously some selfish play out there where ... we have some really talented guys, but we're better as a team sharing the basketball."

Here's the rub. Off that Friday night loss to Milwaukee, Boston couldn't ask for a better opponent on Sunday than Charlotte. The Hornets are no better than an average team plus the Celtics can't possibly forget losing at Charlotte back on Nov 17, 117-112. Walker 'killed' Boston with a 43-point outburst, ending Boston's seven-game winning streak over Charlotte. What's more, the Celtics had been 11-1 SU & 10-1-1 ATS in their previous 12 series meetings with the Hornets. Boston returns to form, right here!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Battle Of Titans is on the Pittsburgh Steelers (4:25 EST).

In a contest which I envision being decided by whichever of these talented non-conference opponents has its hands on the ball last, I’m going to grab the points.

After three straight losses the Steelers got back on track with a key 17-10 win over the Patriots at home last weekend and I think they’ll carry that momentum over here.

Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger had 235 yards, two TDs and two picks in that one, while Jaylen Samuels exploded for 142 yards on the ground. 

The Saints lost to the Cowboys, but they’ve since bounced back with back-to-back victories, however they’ve been anything but easy (28-14 over the Bucs and 12-9 over the Panthers last weekend).

New Orleans’ QB Drew Brees looked particularly weak last weekend, going for 203 yards and an INT. RB Alvin Kamara had just 67 yards. 

I’ll point out as well that Pittsburgh is already 3-0 ATS in non-conference games this year and 3-1 ATS in its last four off an upset win as an underdog, while New Orleans is just 1-4 ATS in its last five after allowing 17 points or less in three straight games.

Grab the points, expect a nail-biter.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the New England Patriots (1:00 EST).

I base my picks on many different things. This one comes down to my “gut”, to the “eye test,” to just plain “common sense,” or whatever you want to call it, but after New England lost in Pittsburgh last weekend, I’m expecting the angry Patriots to take their frustrations out on the lowly Bills on Sunday afternoon.

The Bills have looked a bit better of late but they’ve still lost four of their last five on the road.

Rookie QB Josh Allen is completing just 52.2 percent of his passes for 1,633 yards and a 6/9 TD/INT. 

Buffalo has been decent defensively in conceding just 23.8 PPG, but as mentioned off the top, I think the visitors are going to have their hands full today with a motivated Tom Brady and company.

Thankfully for Brady and company, a date at home is just what the doctor ordered as they’ve already won all six games there this season so far. Brady is completing nearly 66 percent of his passes for 3,979 yards and a 24/9 TD/INT. Overall the Pats are conceding only 22.1 PPG.

I’ll point out as well that Buffalo is just 12-16 ATS in its last 28 as an underdog, while New England is 5-1 ATS as a home favorite this year and 7-2 ATS in its last nine off an upset loss as a favorite.

For all the reasons listed above, lay the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Hawaii at 10:30 ET.

Louisiana Tech is making its fifth consecutive bowl appearance and is looking for its fifth straight win in its fifth different bowl game but the Bulldogs limp into this game having lost THREE of their last four games, leaving them with a 7-5 record on the season. It's been reported that the Bulldogs were physically and mentally spent after getting destroyed 45-3 at SEC Mississippi State on Nov 3. QB J’Mar Smith passed for 2,873 yards but completed a modest 56.9% with 14 TDs and 9 INTs. The team's rushing game has averaged only 126.7 YPG (113th), so it doesn't give Smith too much cover. La Tech's defense is solid, allowing 23.8 PPG (40th) on 350.9 YPG (32nd)

Hawaii opened the season with three straight wins (averaged 48.3 PPG), including winning its first two games at Colorado St 43-34 (+17) and home to Navy, 59-41 (+13.5). The Rainbow Warriors would reach 6-1 but then the 'bottom fell out,' as Hawaii lost four in a row while allowing 48.8 PPG. With Hawaii staring at a six-game losing streak, the Rainbow Warriors won thrillers over UNLV and San Diego State to close the regular season with an 8-5 record. QB Cole McDonald threw for 3,790 yards with 35 TDs and was dominant in the regular season finale vs SDSU, passing for 452 yards, three TDs and no INTs in the 31-30 OT win. McDonald will have to bring his "A-game," as Hawaii's D allows 35.4 PPG (111th) on 438.7 YPG (101st). 

Technical factors favor La Tech, as Skip Holtz is 4-0 SU in bowls with Tech and 17-6 as a dog since 2014. That said, this game is basically pick'em, meaning La Tech can't be expected to cover, without winning. Hawaii is 5-2 SU at home in 2018, losing to Nevada and 11-2 Utah St. Home cookin' gets the cash!

Good luck…Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the GS Warriors at 8:35 ET.

The 21-11 Golden State Warriors are still fighting for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference but the team isn't nearly as dominant as it has in the past four seasons. The Warriors will try to avoid back-to-back losses when they host the 15-15 Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Dallas is much improved from last year (Mavs won just 24 games all season!) but they limp in on a four-game skid (have lost five in a row ATS), having allowed 120, 126 and 125 points their last three.

Dallas lost Tuesday at Denver and Thursday in Los Angeles to the Clippers (to open a four-game road trip 0-2), despite two more brilliant efforts by rookie Luka Doncic, who had a 23-point, 12-assist double-double against the Nuggets before exploding for a season-best 32 points against the Clippers. Doncic averages a team-high 18.8 PPG (Barnes is at 18.2), plus adds 6.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Center DeAndre Jordan grabbed 22 rebounds on Thursday and is averaging 14.1 RPG, including 18 boards during the four-game slide.

The Warriors don't seem to be having 'fun' this season, which is quite a departure. Three of Golden State's four All-Stars have contributed to the recent slump. Green hasn't scored in double figures since October and has made just 1 of 10 three-pointers in five games since his return from a sprained toe. Klay Thompson has been held to 16 or fewer points in three of his last four games, a stretch during which he has shot 39 percent overall and 20 percent (5 of 25) on 3-pointers. Then there is Kevin Durant, who has scored 30 or more points in three of his last four games but has seen his three-point percentage fall to 35.5 percent, his lowest in eight seasons, as the result of making just 20 of his last 52.

However, here's the rub. Golden State will surely remember this seasons' Nov 17 meeting in Dallas, when the Mavs snapped a 10-game Warrior winning streak in the series, riding a 4th-Q rally to a 112-109 victory. The Warriors were without injured Stephen Curry and Draymond Green that nigh but both have since returned. Golden State's home winning streak against the Mavericks is up to 11 in a row (extends back to March 2012) and note that the Warriors averaged 222.8 points in their four-game sweep of the Mavericks last season. Blowout alert!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* AFC Seeding Decider is on the Baltimore Ravens (8:20 EST).

Baltimore is 8-6 and desperate for a victory. Baltimore has won four of its last five games. The Ravens got the better of Tampa Bay last week and got 131 yards and a TD from rookie QB Lamar Jackson (he also rushed for 95 yards). 

The Chargers are 11-3, but after four straight victories, a letdown at some point does seem imminent. Most recently Philip Rivers had 313 yards and two TDs in a win over the Chiefs. 

LA though has struggled in this spot for bettors for a while, going just 3-7 ATS in its last ten following an ATS victory.

Baltimore on the other hand is a solid 7-3-1 ATS in its last 11 on the road. 

The Chargers last three victories could have gone either way and I think LA’s “luck” runs out this week. That said, grab the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* CFB Game of the Week is on Troy at 7:00 ET.

10-3 Buffalo and 9-3 Troy each went 7-1 during their respective conference regular seasons. However, only Buffalo (MAC) played in a conference title game, as Troy lost a tie-breaker with Appalachian St in the Sun Belt East. In retrospect, Buffalo would have preferred to "stay home," as the Bulls led NIU 29-10 in the final minute of the third quarter, only to go on to lose, 30-29. The teams meet in this year's Dollar General Bowl, for the first time-ever.

There is no doubt that Buffalo has skill players on the offensive side of the ball (34.8 PPG ranks 26th in the nation). QB Tyree Jackson has thrown for 2,857 yards with 27 TDs and just INTs. His two favorite targets are Anthony Johnson(52 catches / 11 TDs) and K.J. Osborn (49 / 6 TDs). Last year’s leading rusher, Emmanuel Reed, was pushed aside this season by a pair of freshmen, Kevin Marks and Jaret Patterson, who combined for 1,751 rushing yards and 25 rush TDs this season. Buffalo’s offensive line, which was allowed just 12 sacks in 13 game. The "D" was good enough, allowing 24.7 PPG (49th) on 349.4 YPG (31st).

Troy averages a more modest 29.8 PPG but it concedes just 21.2 (23rd) on 345.6 YPG (28th). BJ Smith had 100 rushing yards in five out of his last eight games (set a school record with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games), finishing with 1,093 yards and 12 TDs. QB Sawyer Smith has been up and down since taking over for injured starter Kaleb Barker at mid-season. However, the Trojans have a stable of talented receivers that allowed both Barker and Smith to throw for over 1,000 yards, just the second time that has happened in school history.

Can anyone really trust Buffalo QB Jackson? The month of November was not kind tothe junior, as he broke the 200-yard barrier just once while the Bulls posted a 2-2 record. In comparison, over the first nine games, the MAC Offensive Player of the Year averaged 247 yards while throwing 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Those numbers dropped to 158 yards per game with four touchdowns and three interceptions in four games in November, which culminated with the Bulls allowing a 29-10 lead to slip away in the MAC championship game defeat. Buffalo is playing in just its third bowl game, having lost 49-24 to SD State in 2013 and 38-20 to UConn in 2009. You really want to trust a team from the MAC? MAC schools are just 2-15 in bowls since Christmas Day 2015!

This game is being played in Mobile, roughly three hours from the Troy campus. The Trojans have won bowls the last two years and will take an overall 30-8 record the last three season into this contest. Note that Troy will also take a three-game bowl winning streak into this game, while averaging 42.0 PPG.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on Hawaii at 5:00 ET.

The first round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu opens Saturday with four games. It's a modest field and with Hawaii being the host team (all games will be played on its homecourt, the Stan Sheriff Center), the Rainbow Warriors have (and should have), high expectations. Hawaii is a modest 6-4 and draws 5-4 UNLV in the first round.

UNLV arrives off a dramatic 92-90 overtime upset of BYU in the Neon Hoops Showcase Tourney in Las Vegas (T-Mobile Arena, not the home Thomas & Mack Center). The Rebels led 47-30 at the half but BYU battled back in the second half to send it into OT. However, UNLV's Amauri Hardy (11.6 PPG) drained the three-pointer as time expired for the win. UNLV has just three double-digit scorers but the team's best isnide player, the 6-7 Shakur Juiston (10.8 PPG and a team-leading 8.8 RPG) is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.

The Rainbow Warriors own a nice starting-five, beginning with guards Stansberry (11.8), Stepteau (11.1) and PG Buggs (8.7 & 5.4 APG). The 6-9 Purchase (11.4 & 6.4) and the 6-8 Raimo (10.1 & 6.20 start up front. Hawaii is a disciplined team, averaging only 12 turnovers per game (in comparison, UNLV ranks 332nd in TOs per game). The team also defends the three-point line well (opponents are shooting 30.2%, ranking 54th in the nation).

This will be just UNLV's second true road game, having lost previously 77-74 at Illinois, which is just 4-7. Not sure why Hawaii is NOT laying a few buckets here but I won't argue with the line.

Good luck...Larry

The third pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on UNC 10* (5:15 EST).

Chicago's United Center is the site of the CBS Sports Classic. The second game features a "Battle of the Blue-Bloods,” No. 19 Kentucky up against No. 9 North Carolina.  The schools are two of college basketball's most prestigious programs, with the two combining to play in five national championship games over the last 10 seasons, with the Tar Heels winning two titles and the Wildcats claiming one during that span. They represent two of the top three winningest men's basketball programs all-time, with Kentucky topping the list with 2,271 victories.

Kentucky opened the season on a big stage, getting routed 118-84 by Duke in the Champions Classic at Indianapolis back on Nov 6. Kentucky also lost Dec 8 in MSG, 84-83 to Seton Hall. Freshman guard Keldon Johnson is averaging a team-best 16.1 points and Tyler Herro, another highly regarded freshman guard, is averaging 12.1 points. Stanford graduate transfer, the 6-8 Reid Travis 14.6 & 6.4,) has been trying to instill some needed toughness at both ends of the court. Kentucky checks in averaging 84.6 PPG (22nd in the nation).

North Carolina's senior power forward Luke Maye is averaging 14.3 points and 10.1 rebounds. Senior guard Cameron Johnson is averaging a team-leading 16.6 PPG while freshman guard Coby White is contributing 15.2 per game, while PG Williams averaged 7.7 & 4.8 APG. North Carolina averages 94.3 PPG, which ranks third in the nation.

Hard NOT see this as a high-scoring game and the Tar Heels know about those kind of contests, having recently knocked off Gonzaga, 103-90.Meanwhile, Kentucky has failed its two toughest test away from Rupp, in neutral-site games against Duke and Seton Hall (see above). North Carolina leads the all-time series by 24-15 but Kentucky has won five of eight meetings since Calipari became coach.That said, Coach Cal does NOT have the better team here.

Good luck...Larry

The second pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on St. Joes 9* (5:00 EST).

It's an all-Jesuit battle on Saturday in Philadelphia's Palestra, as 7-5 Loyola-Chicago takes on 5-5 St Joe's. It goes without saying that this is not the same Ramblers' team which made an improbable run to last year's Final 4, as Loyola, which finished last season 32-6, already owns five losses. As for St Joe's, the school is off back-to-back poor seasons (won 16 games last year and just 11, the year before) but head coach Phil Martelli (in his 24th year at the school), is optimistic about this year's group.

Loyola is missing two key cogs from last year's team, swingman Donte Ingram (11.0 & 6.4) & PF Aundre Jackson (11.0 & 3.2). Hence, the FIVE losses after just 12 games. Guards Custer (13.9) and Townes (13.1 & 5.5) are back, plus so is the 6-9 Krutwig (13.8 & 7.1). They lead the way but Loyola's most impressive win this year is probably against UIC (not saying much).

St Joe's features two high-quality players, the 6-7 Brown (22.0 & 4.6) and guard Kimble (18.4 & 3.6). Brown has been nursing a sore ankle but he's listed as probable. Let me add that PG Bynum (13.4-3.6-3.9) and the 6-9 Funk (11.5 &6.0) are solid contributors.

Loyola has had a 'target on its back' all season and expect St Joe's to earn a fairly easy win in the "friendly confines' of The Palestra.

Good luck...Larry

The first pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on DePaul 9* (3:30 EST).

A pair of 8-2 teams will square off Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, when the Boston College Eagles visit the DePaul Blue Demons. The two schools have not met since Boston College knocked off No. 1 seed DePaul 82-75 en route to an Elite Eight appearance in the 1982 NCAA Tournament.

BC is led by the high-scoring backcourt of Ky Bowman (19.6 & 7.6) and ACC Rookie of the Week Wynston Tabbs (15.8 & 4.6). Guard Chatman (13.9) and teh 6-11 Popovic (13.1 & 7.8) are also quality contributors.Bowman's already a star but in speaking about Tabbs, Boston College's fifth-year coach Jim Christian told the media. "The game is so different and moves so fast, most freshmen don't figure it out until January or so, but Wynston has figured it out quicker than most. He's picked up some of the nuances."

The Blue Demons counter BC's backcourt with a pair of senior guards, Max Strus and Eli Cain. The 6-6  Strus averages 20.1 & 8.0, while Cain is enjoying his finest season, averaging 14.2 points and 4.9 assists. Junior guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (9.6) missed the first of what is expected to be several games after he injured his left hand in a win Dec. 14 against Illinois-Chicago but the Blue Demons got by without the Illinois transfer against Incarnate Word. That said, his absence could make things tougher against the Eagles. "However, DePaul owns a trio of 6-9 players who are all solid complements to the team's dynamic backcourt. Olujobi (10.9 & 4.9), Reed (8.1 & 6.6) and Butz (7.5 & 5.6) can all play!

This will clearly be DePaul's biggest test of the season but the Blue Demons are 8-0 at home so far, averaging 83.2 PPG. Meanwhile, this marks BC's FIRST true road game. Home cookin' works.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Villanova at 12:30 ET.

Villanova won 13 of its final 14 games last season, on it's way to a second national title in three years (won six straight in the "Big Dance," with its average margin of victory coming by 17.7 PPG!). Not sure at all that the Wildcats will storm through the Big East like last year when the calendar turns to 2019, as the Wildcats need to defeat UConn at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, just to avoid ending the year on a three-game losing streak. UConn comes into this game 9-3, quite an improvement from the last two season, when the Huskies finished 14-18 and 16-17. 

Let's give kudos to new head coach Danny Hurley but we shouldn't be surprised. After all, Hurley turned around programs first at Wagner and then, Rhode Island. UConn is coming off a season-high 32-point win over Drexel. Leading scorer Jalen Adams (17.6) is scoring slightly less than a season ago (18.1) but his efficiency is way up this year. Adams is shooting 54.6 percent overall after shooting around 43 percent in each of his first three seasons. UConn is a guard-oriented team, with Adams joined by a trio of perimeter players in Gilbert (12.1 & 4.2 APG), Vital (11.9 & 5.3) and Smith (10.8).

Guard Phil Booth (16.9) leads three double-digit scorers on the season for 'Nova. He's joined by the 6-8 Paschall (14.8 & 5.6) and fellow guard Gillespie (11.9). The 6-9 Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree adds 6.3 & 7.8. Booth scored a career-high 29 points against Kansas but thee Wildcats missed 20 of their 28 three-pointers and barely cracked 40 percent shooting overall vs the Jayhawks.Note that Gillespie has scored 36 points in the last two games and has only had two games all season in which he has committed more than two turnovers.

Villanova has fallen to local rival Pennsylvania (ending a 25-game winning streak vs Big-Five rivals) and at top-ranked Kansas in a pair of three-point decisions the last two times out. A meeting with former Big East rival UConn should be "just what the doctor ordered" for the Wildcats to get a win. Why not? Villanova is 16-1 in its last 17 games at Madison Square Garden. Lay it!

Good luck…Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Por Blazers at 10:05 ET.

Portland is now trending in the right direction. The Blazers went just 5-10 SU from Nov 14 thru Dec 12, including a pointspread drought of 3-12! However, the Blazers enter having won three in a row, over Toronto (NBA's best record) plus Western Conference playoff-bound teams like the Clippers and Grizzlies. 18-13 Portland welcomes 15-17 Utah to Moda Center tonight, with the Jazz coming off a confidence-building Wednesday win over the Golden St Warriors (108-103).

Utah's impressive win is worthy of note, as guards Donovan Mitchell (20.9) and Ricky Rubio (12.5-3.6-6.1) combined to make just 5 of 34 shots from the floor. The Jazz need to avoid a letdown here but note that the team had lost four of its previous five outings prior to the win over the Warriors. In Portland's 99-92 home over Memphis Wednesday night, Lillard (27.2-5.0-6.0) exploded for 15 of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter, hitting 5 of 8 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from beyond the three-point line. That's been Lillard's mode of operation often through this season. He leads the NBA in second-half scoring (15.6 points) and has made 46 of 96 three-point shots (47.9 percent) in the third quarter, with the 46 makes being the most in the league.

Portland’s bench also came alive, outscoring the Memphis reserves 44-14, two games after having a 58-26 edge in bench points against the Toronto Raptors. The Blazers come in 4-0 SU & ATS in their last four home games, giving them a home mark this season of 12-4 SU & 11-5 ATS. Also note that Portland is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 home games against teams with losing road records. Utah is only 2-8 SU at Moda Center the last five years and are just 1-5 ATS in its last six visits. Blowout Alert!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the SA Spurs at 8:35 ET.

The 14-17 Minnesota Timberwolves visit at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Friday to take on the 17-15 Spurs. Minnesota heads to the Alamo City after a 129-123 home OT loss to Detroit on Wednesday, one in which the Timberwolves led by 14 points heading to the fourth quarter (I remember it well, losing on the T-wolves!). Meanwhile, the Spurs return home after a  129-90 win over Orlando. The victory was the Spurs' first win away from San Antonio since Nov 26 at Chicago (Spurs are just 5-10 on the road).

Minnesota 'limps' in' having lost five of its last six games and six of its last nine. Minnesota is beginning a three-game road stretch on the heels of that devastating overtime loss to the visiting Pistons on Wednesday (Andre Drummond tapped in a putback with 0.6 seconds left to send the game into OT. "The fourth quarter is different and you have to react to what's going on, so that is disappointing," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after Wednesday's game. "I think they had 78 (points) after three, and then a 40-point fourth quarter. And then all we had to do was get a stop, and we give up a second shot. That can't happen."

San Antonio will be carrying a little swagger into this game plus benefit from a mostly rested lineup after winning six of their past seven games without needing their front-line players late in those contests. San Antonio's last four wins have all been by 25 or more points, making them the fourth team all-time to attain that mark, joining the 1971-72 Bucks (five straight), the 1974-75 Warriors and 1992-93 Rockets.

Don't look now but Pop has his team looking as good as any team in the West. San Antonio is 7-3 SU in December (7-2-1 ATS), outscoring opponents by 12 PPG and shooting 53% as a team. Need More? How about this? San Antonio will  certainly have some revenge motivation, after being blown out by 39 points at Minneapolis in late November, losing 128-89. It represents one of the Spurs' worst losses of the Popovich era. I'm NOT done. San Antonio improved to 50-9 all-time at home against Minnesota with a 112-108 win on Oct. 17 and the Timberwolves haven't won in San Antonio since posting a 108-95 victory back on April 17, 2013 in the regular-season finale when Rick Adelman was coach! 

I’m laying the 'cheap number' and expecting a rout.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Month is on Marquette at 8:30 ET.

Buffalo was one of the 'belles' of LY's NCAA Tourney, as the 13th-seeded Bulls upset 4th-seeded Arizona by 21 points in the first round. The team's 27 wins set a single-season record. Buffalo stayed unbeaten on Tuesday, winning at Syracuse, 71-59 (note: It was the Bulls' first win over the Orange since the 1962-63 season!  Buffalo (11-0 SU and 7-2-1 ATS) is one of just NINE Division 1 schools still undefeated, as the Bulls travel to Milwaukee Friday night to take on the 9-2 Marquette Golden Eagles. Marquette is as hot as any team in the country over the last month, reeling of six consecutive victories since a 77-68 loss Nov 21 against now-No.1 Kansas at Barclays Center (NIT Season Tip-Off).

Buffalo is led by guard Massinburg (17.1 & 7.1), 6-8 forward Perkins (13.1 & 8.2) and swingman Harris (12.6 & 4.9). Massinburg came up big against Syracuse as the Bulls earned their first win over the Orange since 1963. He had 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists, including 12 points as the Bulls turned a 45-40 deficit into a 67-57 lead in the second half. It reminded some of what Massinburg did against a then-No. 13 West Virginia squad Nov 19, when he had 43 points and 14 rebounds in a 99-94 overtime victory, Massinburg just could be the best player in the MAC. Speaking of  Mid-American Conference, Buffalo is the first MAC team to begin 11-0 since Toledo started 12-0 in 2013-14. 

Guard Markus Howard (23,2-4.2-4.5) is Marquette's best player. supported by brothers Sam and Joet Hauser. The 6-8 Sam is a junior averages 14.7 & 6.8, while his younger brother Joey (a 6-9 freshman), averages 10.2 & 5.7. Howard has averaged 26.2 points during the  school's win streak, which began following that loss to Kansas. The Golden Eagles have taken down then-No. 12 Kansas St (Dec 1) and then-No.12 Wisconsin (Dec 8) in their six-game streak.

Some have 'wondered aloud' whether this contest may just be the best chance for Buffalo to suffer a loss until it reaches the Big Dance in March. However, I say that question is moot. Marquette tops in the Big East in FG defense (39.5 percent) and has held eight visitors to Fiserv Forum to 36 percent shooting from the floor, including just 26.3 percent from three-point range. Marquette rules.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* Bahamas Bowl play is on FIU at 12:30 ET.

This is the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl at Thomas Robinson Stadium, featuring 8-4 Florida International up against 7-5 Toledo. FIU's regular season ended on a disappointing note, as its 28-25 loss to Marshall prevented the school from earning a spot in the C-USA title game but the Panthers still garnered a trip out of the country to face Toledo in this contest. It's FIU's second straight bowl berth under coach Butch Davis, who took over a program that last went to a bowl back in 2011 and had gone 17-43 (.283) in the five years prior to Davis' arrival. it marks just the fourth bowl appearance in the program's history. In contrast, Toledo has a much richer postseason tradition with eight bowl appearances in the last nine years and 18 overall. Friday's game marks the schools' second bowl meeting, with the Golden Panthers stunning the Rockets 34-32 on a last-second field goal in the 2010 Little Caesar's Bowl.

FIU quarterback James Morgan is a graduate transfer from Bowling Green and was named C-USA Newcomer of the Year, after setting a school single-season record with 26 TD passes (just seven INTs). He completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,727 yards.Toledo's QB situation is also noteworthy. A shoulder injury knocked QB Mitchell Guadagni out of action in late October, giving the job to backup and former Illinois soph QB Eli Peters.  Peters’ passing numbers were decent-to-good, as he completed 55% for 1,573 yards with 15 TDs and 7 INTs but the problem is that Guadagni was better (58%, 13-3 TD/INT ratio.) and he was also the team’s leading rusher at the time of his initial injury.

FIU stumbled a bit at the finish with two losses in its last four games to fall into a second-place tie in the East Division of C-USA but the team's eight wins still equaled the school record for victories in a season. As for Toledo, the Rockets soared down the stretch to keep alive their bowl hopes, winning four of their last five contests (averaged 50.8 PPG in the wins) to extend their streak of winning seasons to nine. 

Now here's the rub. The Rockets haven't won in the postseason since defeating Temple 32-17 in the 2015 Boca Raton Bowl plus despite Ohio U's 27-0 win over SD State on Wednesday, MAC schools are a mind-numbing 2-13 SU in bowl games since Christmas Day 2015. FIU is 14-6 ATS in its last 20 and 9-4 as an underdog since last season under Davis. The Golden Panthers are also 8-3 ATS in their last 11 following a SU loss. I still don't trust MAC schools in bowls (how could anyone?) and I believe the FIU defense is under-rated (24.7 PPG allowed ranks 47th and 386.7 YPG ranks 58th), giving them a legitimate shot at taking this one outright (a win sets a new single-season school record!). Take the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* TNT Knockout is on the LA Clippers at 10:35 ET.

The 15-14 Dallas Mavericks enter off a 126-118 road loss in Denver on Tuesday, the team's THIRD straight defeat. The skid comes on the heels of Dallas exceeding expectations by winning 12 of its previous 15 games(note: The Mavs won just 24 games last season!). Meanwhile, the Clippers were one of the league's biggest surprises while jumping off to a 15-6 start, but after a 131-127 home loss to Portland on Monday, they have dropped seven of nine games (including a season-worst four straight losses!).

The play of rookie Luka Doncic (18.4-6.7-4.9) has been "the talk of the town" in Dallas but after an excellent stretch (see above), the Mavericks are starting to come undone. The Mavs enter this contest on a four-game ATS slide and note that they are just 1-4 ATS after scoring 110 points or more in back-to-back games.

The Clippers allowed a season worst for points in Monday's 131-127 home setback against the Portland but I fully expect them to be fully motivated for this one. Center DeAndre Jordan returns to Staples Center as a visiting player for the first time against the Clippers, of whom he spent his first 10 NBA seasons. What's more, the Clippers lost not long ago in Dallas (Dec 2 to be exact) by the score of 114-110, as Jordan scored 16 points and added 23 rebounds (a season high he has since matched).

The Clippers are 9-4 SU at home (6-3 as a home favorite), where they average 114.8 PPG. In contrast, the Mavs are just 2-11 SU on the road and this pointspread won't leave them much of a "margin of error" to cover without winning SU. Revenge works here, so for all the reasons listed above, play on the Clippers.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* play is on USF at 8:00 ET.

Marshall and USF meet for the first time in Thursday's Gaspariila Bowl. 8-4 Marshall is a dominating 11-2 all-time in bowl games and enters having won its last six (HC Holliday is 5-0 SU & ATS). Meanwhile, USF's 7-5 record includes them opening the 2018 season 7-0 (garnering a ranking of 21 in the AP poll), then losing its last five regular season games.

The Herd may have won six straight bowls, but I think they’ll have their hands full with this hungry USF side.The Herd will have Tyler King and Brenden Knox in the backfield and they will present a formidable challenge for a Bulls' defense that allowed 39.6 PPG during its five-game slide. The Bulls rely on RB’s Jordan Cronkrite and Jonny Ford, who had nearly 1,800 combined yards rushing and 17 TDs between them. USF did not have No. 1 QB Blake Barnett in two of its last three games because of a shoulder injury and he may return. Chris Oladokun or Brett Kean would step in if Barnett can’t go.

Head coaches Doc Holliday (Marshall) and Charlie Strong (USF) coached alongside each other as Florida assistants and I believe Strong could REALLY use a win. Why can't he get that win, as he's playing at home. The Bulls are 21-6 SU at home the last four seasons.USF has a chance to erase its poor finish with a third straight bowl win and the school's SIXTH win in its last seven bowl appearances.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on Fordham at 7:00 ET.

The 7-5 James Madison Dukes will be looking for their eighth win of the season when they travel to Rose Hill Gymnasium to take on the Fordham Rams. James Madison comes in off a listless 66-53 loss at George Mason, the school's third straight road defeat. Fordham is 8-3 after just 11 games, quite a turnaround from last year, when the Rams finished 9-22!

The Dukes' inconsistencies continue to haunt them. They are 3-3 in their last six games, averaging 77.3 points in their last three wins but putting up only 54.7 PPG in their three losses. Stucky Mosley (17.1 PPG) lead the way for three double-digit scorers. The Rams are led by a pair of freshman guards, Nick Honor (top scorer at 17.6 PPG) and Jalen Cobb (11.1 PPG), who have joined FIVE returning starters.

Fordham has taken advantage of a 'soft' early season schedule and has played EIGHT of its first 11 games at home. The Rams are 7-1 SU in those contests, holding opponents to just 63.3 PPG. As noted above, JMU has been wildly inconsistent but the Dukes have been sadly consistent in losing their last three road game, while averaging only 54.7 PPG. Lay the points with the revved-up Rams!

Good luck…Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Week in on Loyola Marymount 10:00 ET.

The 4-6 Boise State Broncos will visit the Albert Gersten Pavilion Wednesday night to take on the 10-1 Loyola Marymount Lions. Boise head coach Leon Rice has led the Broncos to 21 wins or more is SIX of his seven seasons but getting to 21 wins seems like a huge stretch this season. He lost three productive seniors from last year, including the 6-7 Chandler Hutchison ((20.0 & 7.7), who was the 22nd pick in last year's NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. This year's team has balance (seven players average between 6.7 and 14.3 PPG) but I'm not sure that's good enough.

Loyola-Marymount's Mike Dunlap entered his fifth year at the school this season with a 48-75 (.390) record but he was optimistic about the year, after his team played an exhibition schedule this summer in Australia. All five starters are back and this year's team is led by senior guard James Batemon (19.5) and 7-3 junior center Mattias Markusson (10.7 & 8.7). Most notably, the team's defense has been outstanding, allowing a modest 58.3 PPG (9th). Opponents have shot just 38.5% overall (31st), including only 24.7% on threes (3rd0.

Boise is 0-3 in true road games this season although the Broncos did win one of three neutral-site games in the Cayman Islands Classic from Nov 19-21. Pretty sure that doesn't bode well against the Lions, whose only loss this season came at UCLA. The Lions have won at UNLV and beat Georgetown in the Jamaica Classic back on Nov 16. The Lions are 5-0 at home and this will be the team's first home game in almost a month (last played at home on Nov 29). Lay the modest points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* GAME OF THE WEEK is on the Minnesota Timberwolves (8:05 EST).

To say this is a “revenge” game would be a bit of an understatement. These teams don’t see each other very often, but Detroit has won six straight in the series, including taking both meetings last year.

Both teams come into this one struggling, meaning that home court advantage can not be overlooked as a very real deciding factor in this particular matchup in my opinion. 

Detroit enters off a 107-104 home loss to the Bucks on Monday and it’s now lost seven of eight. Blake Griffin was once again a bright spot in the setback with 19 points, 11 assists and ten boards. Overall the Pistons average 109 PPG and concede 109.9.

The Wolves average 111.6 PPG and they concede 110.6. Minnesota went 0-4 on a recent road trip, but a little “home cooking” is just what the doctor ordered to get things turned around, as they’d go on to destroy the Kings 132-105 in their most recent action on Monday. And there’s no reason not to think that they won’t carry that momentum over here now as well.

Note as well that Detroit is just 3-5 ATS already this year after playing three consecutive home games, while Minnesota is already 7-3 ATS as a home favorite this season.

For all the reasons listed above, lay the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Frisco Bowl Situational Stunner is on SD State at 8:00 ET.

While the outright win is clearly not out of the question, I will in the end recommend grabbing as many points as you can.

SDSU backed its way into the bowl season with three straight losses to UNLV, Fresno State and Hawaii, but the MWC school is still loaded with talent. 

Ohio comes in off back-to-back wins over Buffalo and Akron.

The Bobcats rank eighth in the country in rushing offense with an average of over 262 yards per game. 

But SDSU ranks fourth nationally in rush defense, allowing just 94.5 YPG, or 2.75 YPC. The Aztecs will have their hands full with the Bobcats’ AJ Ouellette, who had 1,142 rushing yards and 12 TDs this year.

The Aztecs got hit by the injury bug early, with QB Christian Chapman missing six games and RB Juwan Washington missing four. Both however are playing today and each has something to prove after a somewhat wasted campaign.

I think Ohio will be neutralized here though against SDSU’s strong run defense. 

I’ll point out as well that SDSU has been money in the bank for bettors in this spot, going 7-1 ATS in its last eight as an underdog (including 3-1 ATS this season), while Ohio is a poor 2-5 ATS in its last seven after scoring 42 points or more in its last game.

In conclusion: Frank Solich has been a 'savior' for Ohio U (10th bowl in 14 seasons) but he is just 3-6 in bowl games with the Bobcats. Maybe more importantly, we've already seen two MAC schools lose this bowl season, Eastern Mich (Sat) and NIU (last night), as MAC schools are now 1-13 SU in bowl games since Christmas Day of 2015. Getting back to   SDSU, the Aztecs (+14) lost 31-10 at Stanford back on Aug 30 (1st game of the season), as the favorite "got the cash." However, the underdog went a PERFECT 11-0 ATS over the Aztecs' next 11 games! 

So let's get this straight. MAC schools are now 1-13 SU in bowl games since Christmas Day of 2015 and I can add that SDSU is 13-0-1 SU all-time vs MAC schools. Then we have the fact that the underdog is a PERFECT 11-0 ATS over the Aztecs' last 11 games! I'm NOT 'stepping in front of that train!'

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Oddsmaker's Error is on Syracuse at 8:00 ET.

The Buffalo/Syracuse rivalry (schools are separated by a 152-mile drive across I-90) began way back to the 1917-18 season. Buffalo scored its first win over Syracuse in the final game of the 1918-19 season but Syracuse leads 27-5 all-time in a series. Syracuse and Buffalo played every year from 1965-66 until 1977-78 but the two schools have played just twice since then, on Dec. 18, 1997 and again on Dec. 30, 2001. Buffalo's last win over Syracuse came in overtime, way back during the 1962-63 season! 

However, as the teams get set to meet tonight at the Carrier Dome, 10-0 Buffalo, not 7-3 Syracuse, comes in ranked. No. 14 Buffalo remained one of NINE undefeated Division I teams with a 73-65 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday. Meanwhile, then-No. 25 Syracuse fell out of the AP top-25 after a 68-62 home loss to Old Dominion, when the Orange lost a 13-point lead and were outscored by 16 in the second half.

The Bulls have defeated then-No. 13 West Virginia as part of their undefeated start (last won 10 straight back in 1964-65), but the team will be tested with this game at Syracuse and Friday's game at current No. 20 Marquette. Buffalo is led by guard Massinburg (17.1 & 7.1), 6-8 forward Perkins (13.1 & 8.2) and swingman Harris (12.6 & 4.9). The famous Jim Boeheim zone is again doing its job, holding opponents to 62.8 PPG (29th). IGuard Battle (18.5), along with forwards Brissett (14.9 & 8.2)  and Hughes (14.3 & 4.4), give Syracuse enough 'punch' to get the job done against Buffalo..

Buffalo was one of the 'belles' of LY's NCAA Tourney, as the 13th-seeded Bulls upset 4th-seeded Arizona by 21 points in the first round. The team's 27 wins set a single-season record. As noted Buffalo is unbeaten (10- 0 SU and 6-2-1 ATS) but is coming off its second-lowest scoring output of the season, as the Bulls scored 73 in Saturday's non-covering win over Southern Illinois. So just which team is David and which Goliath in this matchup? 

The Bulls have lost the last 18 games in the series, including an 81-74 defeat last season in which Syracuse closed on a 14-6 run. The Bulls have not beaten the Orange since 1963. Syracuse was 17-4 SU at home last year and is 6-1 SU at home, this year. With this modest impost, LAY IT!

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the LA Lakers at 7:35 ET.

The 18-12 LA Lakers are coming off a 128-110 thumping on Sunday in Washington (trailed by as many as 27 points) but let's not ignore that LA is 16-7 over the team's last 23 games. Meanwhile, the 13-18 Brooklyn Nets are on a five-game winning streak, their longest since March 25-April 3, 2015. The current run follows a frustrating eight-game losing skid that saw them struggle to close out games.

LBJ was held to a season-low 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting on Sunday and said, "We have to get some rest." James was held under 20 points for just the fourth time this season and added, "We have two days so no excuses obviously with the game being on Tuesday. I watched the game before we played. They put up 140 something points, so we have to be ready to defend for 48 minutes." Sunday's loss followed a 28-point win in Charlotte on Saturday night when James and Lonzo Ball both recorded triple-doubles but the Lakers could not produce an effective follow-up performance as they committed 22 turnovers.

Brooklyn's five game winning run began with an overtime home win against the Toronto Raptors on Dec 7, then continued with road wins over the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers before the Nets returned home to beat the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks. During the streak, the Nets are averaging 122.8 points, while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor (including 40.4 percent from three-point range). The Nets are also averaging 27.4 assists and assisting on 63.1 percent of their baskets.

Bottom line is this. Do the above just-noted numbers sound ANYTHING like the Brooklyn team we've come to know and love? Yes, the Nets have scored at least 120 points in three straight games (all wins) but that's despite allowing at least 54 percent shooting. FYI...They are the first team to do so since the Houston Rockets in 1987-88. Off an embarrassing Sunday loss at Washington, LBJ carries the Lakers to a comfortable win, here.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the SA Spurs at 8:35 ET.

No need to really over think this one. The 76ers come in off a big 128-105 win at Cleveland last night and I think they’ll struggle to find energy in the second game of the back to back in this non-conference west coast contest. San Antonio won’t be lacking any motivation today either, because it had its four-game win streak snapped in a humbling home loss to the lowly Bulls on Saturday:

“That’s a tough loss,” Spurs’ head coach Greg Popovich lamented afterwards. “I give Chicago a lot of credit. (Interim) coach (Jim) Boylen had them ready, and the character and fortitude they showed being down at the half by 19 is a real tribute to what they are trying to establish in Chicago. Their defense took us out of things. We turned it over because of their pressure. The ball stopped moving, and at the right time, they started making some shots down the stretch. They deserve a lot of credit, and that’s a real tough loss for us.”

I think describing the setback as “tough” is being gentle. San Antonio can’t be happy whatsoever and I think it bounces back with a vintage performance here in this favorable situation. Note that San Antonio had not just won four in a row before lowly-Chicago came back from by 21 points down in the third quarter to win 98-93, but the Spurs had won those four games by an average of 22.3 points! 

Yes, Philly won both meetings last year with the Spurs but I sure HAVE to believe that Pop will remind his club that Philly held the Spurs to a season-low 78 points in the second encounter at San Antonio on Jan 26, 2018.

For all the reasons listed above, play on the Spurs.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* MNF GAME OF YEAR is on the New Orleans Saints (8:15 EST).

Carolina started the season 4-1, but it enters this one at 6-7. Unbelievably perhaps the Panthers still have a shot at the second Wild Card spot, with four other teams in the NFC sitting with an identical record. But after five straight losses, including a deflating 26-20 setback at Cleveland last weekend, I think Carolina is ripe for the picking.

The Saints are already assured a playoff spot, but they still have a lot to play for here as well as they look to lock down top spot in the NFC and the coveted first round bye and home field advantage. 

Last week New Orleans beat the Bucs 28-14, holding a fifth consecutive opponent to 17 or fewer points. 

Last week Panthers’ QB Cam Newton failed to throw a TD pass for the first time this year. Newton has been hit or miss this year, as while he does have nine TD passes during the five-game slide, he’s also been intercepted at least once in all five losses and he has eight picks overall. 

I’ll point out as well that New Orleans is already 7-3 ATS as a favorite this season and 3-1 ATS vs. the division, while Carolina is just 5-11 ATS in its last 16 vs. the division (including 1-2 ATS this season) and only 1-3 ATS this year off an upset loss as a favorite.

With a chance to cement their lead and to end their rivals playoff chances, I look for the high-powered Saints to deliver the knock out blow.

Lay the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Hou Rockets at 8:05 ET.

The Jazz look poised for another letdown here in my opinion after getting upset 96-89 against Orlando in Mexico City on Saturday. 

The Rockets on the other hand, have started to turn things around. The team's impressive 105-97 road win at Memphis on Saturday was the Rockets' third in a row (also 3-0 ATS). Reigning MVP James Harden has averaged 37.0-7.7-8.3 during the streak.

Note that this is a “double revenge” scenario as well, with Utah having already taken both earlier meetings this year, including a 118-91 home blowout victory in the most recent matchup December 6th.

The Jazz average 106.8 PPG and they concede 106.6. It’s a fine line that Utah has to balance each night and right now it’s not going so well as the Jazz have lost three of their last four. Donovan Mitchell was a bright spot in the loss last time out with 24 points. 

Houston's season numbers are underwhelming but the feeling here is that the Rockets are beginning to show signs of looking more like last year's 65-win team. It’s a perfect storm of factors working in favor of hungry Houston. I’m laying the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* SNF Magic is on the LA Rams (8:20 EST).

Philadelphia won’t have Carson Wentz under center and they come in off a deflating 29-23 OT loss to Dallas last weekend, all but assuring the final nail in the coffin as far as trying to repeat as Super Bowl champs. 

LA will be eager to get back on track here after a lacklustre 15-6 road loss at Soldier Field last weekend.

Philadelphia averages only 21.6 PPG and with Wentz out, I think that his backup will struggle to find chemistry right away. Nick Foles was superb during Philly’s big SB run, but there’s no question he’s being thrown to the wolves this weekend.

LA averages 32.7 PPG and it allows only 24.1. With a victory today the Rams will clinch first place in the NFC West and they’ll be well on their way to clinching a first round bye as well.

Additionally note that Philly is a poor 4-7 ATS in its last 11 as a road underdog, while the Rams are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games following a road loss in which they were held to six points or less.

This one has blow-out written all over it. Play on LA.

Good luck…Larry

My 9* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Tor Raptors at 8:05 ET.

It's mid-December and who could have predicted that a Toronto/Denver matchup would feature a contest between the top teams in the Eastern and Western Conference. The 23-8 Raptors own the NBA's best record and the Nuggets lead a crowded field out West (four teams are within 1 1/2 games), topping the conference with a 19-9 mark (note: Denver sits atop the Western Conference this late in the season for the first time in its history). 

Both teams are facing serious injury issues. Denver is missing three starters from Opening Night, PF Paul Millsap (broken toe), guard Gary Harris (hip) and swingman Will Barton (core muscle surgery). As for Toronto, center Jonas Valanciunas underwent surgery on his dislocated left thumb Thursday and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Kawhi Leonard scored 28 Friday night at Portland after missing two games with a hip injury but PG Kyle Lowry is listed as questionable for Sunday's game with a thigh injury. He didn't play against the Trail Blazers.

The Raptors will be hungry for a victory here after dropping four of their last seven. Toronto most recently fell 128-122 at Portland, two nights after destroying the Warriors in Golden State. Despite the setback, the Raptors are still an excellent 12-4 on the road this season. Denver has won nine of its last 11, most recently a 109-98 win over OKC on Friday, led by 24 points, 15 boards and nine assists from Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets are 11-3 at home but note that they’re just 6-14 ATS in their last 20 after two or more consecutive SU home wins. As noted above, Toronto has been one of the league’s best road teams this season and it’s also been great in this spot for bettors by going 4-1 ATS as a road underdog and 4-0 ATS after playing three straight road games.

Final thought: The Nuggets snapped the Raptors' eight-game winning streak with a 106-103 victory on Dec 3. That was less than two weeks ago and the Raptors will remember. Lowry missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it in that one but tonight, the game won't be close in the final minutes. Take Toronto.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Week is on St Louis at 3:00 ET.

St Louis is 7-2 and will visit Houston (9-0 and ranked 24th in the AP poll) on Sunday. This marks the 38th meeting between the two former MVC and C-USA rivals, with St Louis holding a 24-13 lead in the series. However, in the most recent meeting last year,  Houston won 77-58 at St Louis. In that game, the Billikens had two starters foul out and coughed up 16 TOs in the 19-point loss.

Houston has yet to lose and considering that the Cougars enter on a 22-game home win streak (the nation's second-longest!), a 10-0 start would not come as a surprise (note:  This is the third time the Cougars have started 9-0. Houston was also 9-0 in 1969-70 and won all 28 regular-season games in 1967-68 on the way to a Final Four appearance and 31-2 record).  However, I think the Billikens will keep this one a lot closer than what this spread would suggest. 

In its first game since entering the national polls last Monday, Houston rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat LSU 82-76 on Wednesday. That comes on the heels of another emotionally-draining 63-53 win at Okla State on Dec 8. St Louis has lost twice this season, by two points to Pittsburgh (in Brooklyn) on Nov 21 and by five points at Southern Illinois on Dec 5.

Houston has struggled lately from behind the three-point line, hitting 25.5 percent during its past four home games. That doesn't bode well against a St Louis defense holding opponents to 26.9% on threes (12th-best) and 61.7 PPG, overall (20th). I feel that the Billikens' aggressive defensive play keeps this game competitive until the final moments. It’s also worthy of note to that the road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five in this series.

Grab the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* CRUSHER is on the Baltimore Ravens (1:00 EST).

The 5-8 Buccaneers had their two game win streak snapped last week and they’ve now lost five of their last seven. They tried their best to play spoiler to division rival New Orleans, but with that attempt coming up short, I have a hard time seeing the struggling visiting side mustering up the same energy levels in this difficult non-conference road venue.

Bucs’ QB Jameis Winston has 2,154 passing yards and along with a weak 14/12 TD/INT. The ground game has been terrible, averaging only 98.7 YPG. 

The main issue for Tampa though has been on the defensive side of the ball as it allows an atrocious 29.5 PPG. 

Playing defense has been no issue for Baltimore most weeks though, as it allows just 18.5 PPG, No. 1 in the NFL. This is a crucial game for Baltimore as it looks to keep pace for the Wildcard. QB Lamar Jackson had 687 passing yards and a 4/3 TD/INT, while also rushing for over 400 yards already. 

I’ll point out as well that Tampa is just 2-5 ATS in its last seven off a loss vs. a division rival, while Baltimore is 7-2 ATS in its last nine off a road loss.

For all the reasons listed above, lay the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Oddsmakers Error is on the Green Bay Packers (1:00 EST).

The 5-7-1 Green Bay Packers invade Soldier Field looking to pull off an outright upset. While I do indeed feel it’s possible, I will in the end recommend grabbing as many points as you can. 

Green Bay kept its slim wild card hopes alive with a convincing 34-20 win over Atlanta last weekend and there’s no reason not to think that Aaron Rodgers and company can’t keep that momentum rolling here in this “do or die” scenario. 

Rodgers has 3,700 yards passing and a ridiculous 23/1 TD/INT. Davante Adams has 1,196 receiving yards and 12 TDs. Overall the Packers are averaging 24.2 PPG.

The Bears enter off a very satisfying 15-6 win over the Rams in their last outing and I think they’re primed for a predictable letdown here. The pressure is now on the Bears to deliver the goods, as a victory will lock up the division. QB Mitch Trubisky has 2,579 passing yards and a ho-hum 21/12 TD/INT. Overall Chicago averages 19 PPG.

Additionally note that the Packers are 14-8 ATS in their last 22 after playing a home game, while Chicago is just 1-4 ATS in its last five off an upset win as a home dog. 

The Bears play with revenge, but the Packers are playing for their lives. In a contest which I envision being decided by whichever of these hungry teams has its hands on the ball last, I’m grabbing the points.

Good luck…Larry

The third pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on MTSU 10* (9:00 EST).

MTSU is 8-5 and App State finished 10-2. Regardless of that, I think the Blue Raiders are going to at the very least, take this one right down to the wire in the New Orleans Bowl.

Appalachian State beat Louisiana in the Sun Belt Title game to earn this spot. QB Zac Thomas had 75 yards passing, 59 yards rushing and two TDs. 

MTSU fell to UAB in its conference championship game. QB Brent Stockstill had 362 yards passing with two TDs, while Zack Dobson posted 52 yards rushing. 

I’ll point out though that MTSU is 4-1 ATS In is last five following an ATS loss, while App State is only 2-6 ATS in its last eight following a two weeks or longer break between games. 

I think Stockstill is the difference and i look for the talented pivot to keep his underdog team in this one late. Grab the points.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Revenge Rout is on Miss St at 8:30 ET.

Cincinnati looks primed for a letdown here in my opinion after nine straight wins.

Mississippi State comes into this one ranked No. 18 and on a five-game win streak of its own.

In closing, Cincinnati has yet to crack the top-25 this season despite a 9-1 record. Meanwhile, Mississippi St is 8-1 coming off an impressive 82-71 win last week over Clemson on a neutral court in Newark, N.J. and is ranked 18th. Note that this will be Bearcats' most challenging away game of the year (by far) and that the Bulldogs' confidence is running high after not only the Clemson win (19 made three-pointers were a school record) but also a 65-58 road win at Dayton (Nov. 30).

Cincinnati won 65-50 over Miss St last year at home, a game in which MSU head coach Ben Howland claimed his team did too much standing around and not enough ball movement vs the Cincy zone. Expect that to change here and remember, the Bearcats are missing players that produced 49 of their 65 points in Jacob Evans III, Kyle Washington and Gary Clark. Two are NBA players and the other is playing professionally overseas. REVENGE works in a big way here!

Good luck…Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on the Memphis Grizzlies (8:05 EST).

I don’t think that the home court advantage can be overlooked as a very real deciding factor in this contest.

One wonders how the Rockets can be just 13-14, after winning a league-high 65 games last season? Meanwhile, after winning only 22 games last season (only the Suns with 21, won fewer), Memphis checks in at 18-12. Yes, Houston's off a 126-111 win over LA on Thursday (Harden had a 50-point triple-double) but Houston entered that game on a 3-8 ATS run. Memphis is 4th in the league in defensive efficiency (ranks 2nd in points allowed at 102.0 per), while Houston is 24th (ranks 12th in allowing 109.6 PPG). Memphis actually split four games with Houston last season (remember, Houston won 65 games and Memphis just 22), so the home dog sure seems like it has a great chance to 'bark loudly' in this one!

Good luck…Larry