My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Northwestern at 7:00 ET.

The top-four Big Ten schools earn a double-bye in the upcoming tourney but in this game between the Northwestern Wildcats (13-13, 6-11 Big Ten) and the Nittany Lions (11-13, 6-10), the MAJOR goal is avoiding the first day of the tournament. Schools finishing 11 through 14 will have to play on the first day (Wednesday) of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis next month. At 6-10, the Nittany Lions are currently 10th, while the 6-11 Wildcats are 11th.

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said he and his team's mission is clear. "This was an important game," Collins said after his team's 77-65 win over Nebraska on Tuesday. "We've got three games left and we'd like to climb in the standings a little bit." Northwestern concludes the regular season at No. 25 Iowa and then hosts Minnesota (4-13).  6-10 senior Nance leads Northwestern in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (6.4) and teams with 6-10 center Young (8.8 &4.3) and the 6-9 Beran (6.5 & 4.3) up front. Junior PG Buie (15.0 & 4.4 APG) and fellow guard Berry (7.3) are joined by guard Audige, who didn't make his season debut until Dec 5. He's averaging 10.7 & 4.2 on the season.

Pickett (13.0-4.0-4.1) leads a trio of guards for Penn St, along with Sessoms (11.5-3.5-3.0) and Dread (6.5). The 6-6 Lundy (12.3 & 5.3) leads the way up front, along with the 6-9 Harrar (10.7 & 9.8) and the 6-9 Lee (7.8 & 6.9). A note of concern is that Lee has missed the last three games (? for this one).

Penn State lost to Maryland 67-61 on Monday and after tonight's contest, must visit No. 15 Illinois and Rutgers. That means, the Wildcats would have an excellent chance to escape the dreaded Wednesday bracket for the first time since 2018 with a "W" tonight over the Nittany Lions. Collins and the Wildcats get a second shot at Penn State, as the Nittany Lions shot 52 percent in the second half of a 74-70 win at Northwestern back on Jan 5. Turnabout is fair play. The pointspread indicates "close call" but I'm calling for a "W-I-P-E-O-U-T!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Late Breaker is on UCLA at 9:30 ET.

No. 12 UCLA is 20-5 (12-4 in the Pac 12) and visits Eugene, Or tonight looking to avenge an 84-81 home OT loss to Oregon back on Jan 13.  The host Ducks are 17-10 (10-6 in Pac 12), 10-6 Pac-12). UCLA is tied with USC for 2nd in the Pac 12 (Arizona leads at 14-1), while Oregon is fourth, just a half-game better than 10-7 Colorado. Oregon lost this past Saturday to Arizona, marking its THIRD loss in the last four games. Oregon is seeking to nail down a top-four seed for the Pac-12 plus is also trying to burnish it's at-large resume, which needs some help. UCLA won't catch Arizona but the Bruins are an at-large 'lock.'

UCLA made that great run to the Final 4 last season and with a 'TON' of talent back, the Bruins began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP's preseason poll. Mick Cronin's team is led by a 'Core 4' of guards. Juzang (17.5 & 4.9) leads the way, followed by Jaquez (12.0 & 5.4) and Bernard (12.0 & 4.8). All three are 6-7 and 5-11 PG Campbell (11.7 & 4.4APG) runs the show. All of a sudden, the 6-5 Clark (8.1 & 4.7) has come on to average 19.7 & 8.3 in UCLA's last three games. Oregon's Dana Altman has been a HUGE winner in his coaching career and Oregon was ranked 13th in the AP's preseason poll. However, the Ducks opened just 6-6 and now, after a 10-1 run, have lost THREE of four. Josh Richardson (15.2) is Oregon's leading scorer, while fellow guards Young (11.0) and Harmon (10.6) join Richardson in double figures. 6-11 center Dante (8.3 & 6.0) plus the 6-7 Guerrier (9.4 & 5.0) typically start, while the 6-6 Williams (7.7 & 5.0) and the 6-11 Kepnang (4.7 & 2.8) come off the bench. 

Juzang and the 6-9 Cody Riley 7.8 & 3.4 missed the Bruins' 76-50 rout of Washington on Saturday, but Jaylen Clark helped pick up the slack with a career-high 25 points. "I tried to tell you guys in October," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said, citing COVID-19 protocol pauses for slowing Clark earlier in the season. "Hopefully, we can keep him on a run. I wish he would stop trying to dunk on people. I see our season flashing before my eyes as he's up in the air." Reserve David Singleton (5.9) is also playing well and the 6-11 Johnson (4.0 & 6.1) has helped overcome the up-and-down season by Riley. UCLA's depth is too much for Oregon, as the Bruins get their revenge.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Under the Radar Crusher is on Southern Utah at 9:00 ET.

The 17-10 Montana Grizzlies will travel to the America First Events Center in Cedar City, Utah to take on the 17-9 Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Big Sky is in its final two weeks of the regular season with Montana St (13-3) sitting atop the standings followed by 12-5 Weber St. Southern Utah is tied with Northern Colorado at 11-5, while Montana is at 10-6. The teams met back on Feb 7 at Montana, as the Grizzlies won 78-67.

The 6-9 Bannen (14.6 & 8.1) is joined by a trio of Montana guards that make up the core of the team. The backcourt includes Beasley (11.9), Whitney (10.8) and PG (9.3 & 5.1 APG). Southern Utah has four double digit scorers in guards Jones (15.5 & 4.8), Knight (13.9-4.2-4.3) and Marin (10.8), joined by the 6-6 Fausett (12.8 & 8.5). Three others chip in between 6.5 and 7.9 PPG, including 6-11 starting center Spurgin (7.0 & 4.4).

I don't think either of these teams are capable of knocking off Montana St or Weber St in the conference tourney but I do see Southern Utah easily avenging its Feb 7 loss at Montana in this one. The Grizzlies have struggled on the road this season, posting a 4-9 record with recent losses at 6-20 Idaho State and 8-18 Idaho. Southern Utah hasn’t been great ATS this season but the Thunderbirds are still one of the better teams in the Big Sky, own a 10-3 home record and average 79.7 PPG to rank 21st in the nation. Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* West Conf Game of the Month is on the Min T-wolves at 8:10 ET.

The Memphis Grizzlies opened the season 9-10 but now have the league's third-best record at 41-19. The Grizzlies take to the road tonight, as the NBA gets back on the court after its All-Star break. The Timberwolves welcome the Grizzlies to Minnesota having won SEVEN of 10 and at 31-28, own the West's no. 7 seed. The T-wolves are looking to secure only their SECOND playoff berth since 2004. Minnesota seems assured of a "play-in" spot (EIGHT games clear of the No. 11 seed) but it would surely love to earn a top-six seed (currently trail Denver by a modest 2 1/2-games).

Memphis is led by one of the league's emerging stars in Ja Morant, who is averaging 26.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists a game. The third-year PG had a season-high 44 points, with 11 assists and five rebounds, in the Grizzlies' final game before the All-Star break, a 123-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The team's second-leading scorer is Brooks (18.4) but he remains out with an ankle injury (last played Jan 8). Guard Bane (17.9 & 4.5), plus forwards Jackson 16.7 & 6.0) and Clarke (10.5 & 5.5) also average in double digits. Memphis also hac FIVE others averaging between 7.0 and 9.9 PPG. Minnesota revolves around its "Big 3" of center Towns (24.4-9.7-4.0), swingman Edwards (21.9-4.8-3.6) and PG Russell (18.8 & 7.0 APG). Guard Beasley (11.9) joins that trio in double digits, while FIVE more players averaged between 7.2 and 9.2 PPG.

Memphis leads the NBA by going 40-20 ATS (22-5 SU and 21-6 ATS its last 27 games prior to the break) but don't dismiss the Timberwolves. They hobbled into the All-Star break after playing SEVEN games in 11 days but the break should have them fresh. Minnesota has the best offensive efficiency in the NBA over the past 15 games and are more than capable of matching Memphis on the offensive end (Grizzlies are tied with the Hornets for the league scoring lead at 113.8 PPG). Take the home dog!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the Atl Hawks at 8:10 ET.

Atlanta finished last season strong and then beat the Knicks and 76ers, before losing to the Bucks, the eventual NBA champs, in the Eastern Conference finals. However, it's been a struggle for the Hawks this season, as they return from the break just 28-30. That leaves them with the East's No. 10 seed (last of the 'play-in' round seeds) and just one game better than the Wizards. In contrast, the Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference this season. Chicago's 38-21 record leaves them tied with Miami for the East's best record, although as many likely know, the top-six seeds in the East are separated by only 4 1/2-games.

PG Trae Young (27.8 & 9.2 APG) is doing his part to get Atlanta moving and averaged 29.2 points in his final nine games before the break, including outings of 43 and 41 points during the span. PF John Collins (16.8 & 7.9) has played at an All-Star level but he missed the final three games before the break (heel injury) and appears unlikely to play against Chicago after sitting out practice on Tuesday. However, the Hawks are a deep team. Bogdanovic (13.3) scored at least 23 points in three of the last four games plus Hunter (13.0), Huerter (11.6), Capela (10.7 & 12.1) and Gallanari (10.6) all average in double digits. Center Clint Capela missed time with a back injury, but his absence gave former No. 1 draft choice Onyeka Okongwu an opportunity to show what he can do. Okongwu didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery, but after some early tenuous performances he has become increasingly productive. He's up to 8.7 & 5.5 on the season.

DeRozan (28.1-5.2-5.1) is the first player in NBA history to score 35 or more points and shoot 50 percent or better in seven consecutive games. The legendary Wilt Chamberlain twice did it in six straight contests. Guard LaVine adds 24.6-4.9-4.5 and while he missed the final three games before the break, he played in the All-Star game in Cleveland and is slated to play against the Hawks. Center Vucevic contributes 18.2 & 11.7. The loss of PG Ball (13.0-5.4-5.1) has not hurt as much as one would have expected, as White is averaging 14.0 PPG and rookie guard Dosunmu (8.1) has made the most of his extra "PT."

Chicago has averaged 121.2 points during its five-game winning streak but I'm expecting another late-season surge from Atlanta. "We understand exactly where we are and what we need to do," Hawks coach Nate McMillan told reporters. "We're still in the race, but we have to be better to finish the season and play ourselves into it." I'm taking the points and calling for a SU win by the Hawks.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conf Game of the Year (Horizon League) is on Purdue-Ft Wayne at 7:00 ET.

Cleveland St leads the Horizon League at 15-4, as the conference enters the final week of its regular season. The next six schools are separated by just two games but as noted, time has all but run out. That said, there is plenty to play for regarding seeding for the conference tourney. The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons will travel to the Athletics Center O’rena in Rochester, Mi to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies tonight in Horizon League play. The Mastodons are currently second at 13-6, while Golden Grizzlies are 11-6. Oakland won its home game 76-68 over Purdue Fort Wayne back on Jan 15 but "current form" favors Purdue Fort Wayne (more in a bit).

Jon Coffman is in his eighth season and brought in transfer Chong Qui (10.0 & 3.6 APG) to join a veteran backcourt group. Godfrey (15.3 & 4.4), Pipkins (13.9) and Billups (9.0) complete a solid quartet of guards, while the 6-9 Planutis (8.6 & 3.50 and Kpedi (8.4 & 6.2) are the top frontcourt performers. Oakland's Greg Kampe is in his 38th season with Oakland (you read that right!) and this year's team features arguably the league's top frontcourt in the 6-7 Cain (20.5 & 10.) plus Towsend (14.1 & 5.9) and Parrish (11.4 & 6.10. The team lacks depth but Moore (15.3 & 7 8.1 APG) is on the short list of the best mid-major PGs in the nation.

Here's the bottom line. Purdue Fort Wayne comes in on a SEVEN-game winning streak (6-1 ATS), while Oakland is just 2-5 SU in its last seven plus since beating Purdue Fort Wayne back on Jan 15, has gone 1-9 ATS! Why NOT take the points?

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on Cincinnati at 9:00 ET.

The Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights face off Wednesday in a AAC showdown at CFE Arena in Orlando. Houston (11-2) and SMU (10-3) are fighting for the AAC regular season title, while 17-10 Cincy is just 7-7 in league play, while 16-9 UCF is 8-7. This marks the lone regular season meeting between the two schools.

The Bearcats have a new coach in Wes Miller (CCAA bids with UNC-Greensboro in 2018 and 2021) and Cincy's top-four scorers are guards. DeJulius (14.7) is the leading scorer, followed by Davenport (13.8 & 5.3). Adams-Woods (9.1) and Saunders (7.2) round out the top-four. Up front, it's 6-5 SF Newman (6.6 & 4.0), the 6-11 Lahkin (4.5 & 3.9) and the 6-9 Oguama (4.5 & 4.2).

Central Florida was just 11-12 last season but head coach Johnny Dawkins returned all FIVE starters. UCF is, like Cincy, pretty much a perimeter-heavy group. Guards Green (13.6), Perry (11.2-3.9-4.4) and Mahan (10.6 &4.3) all score in double digits. Mahan left the last game with a foot injury and is questionable for this one, so Johnson (5.9) and Freeman (4.9) may get more "PT." Up front, the 6-8 Walker (7.9 & 5.5) and the 6-11 Diong (6.9 & 5.8) are the biggest contributors

Cincy won FOUR of five to close January but is now just 2-4 in February. As for UCF, the Knights are a modest 4-4 in their last eight. While Cincy is not a strong road team, UCF is 1-5 ATS in its last six games against a team with a winning straight up record. Take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Marquee Classic is on Duke at 7:00 ET.

The once all-powerful ACC is having a down year, as 23-4 Duke (currently No. 7) has been the only ranked team for most of the season. That changed Monday, as 17-10  Virginia 'snuck into' the latest poll at No. 25. For the Cavs to stay in the top-25, they'll have to repeat their 69-68 win at Duke (Feb 7) tonight in Charlottesville. Duke has won all four games since its loss to UVA and at 13-3, is one game ahead of 12-4 Notre Dame for 1st place in the ACC. Meanwhile, Virginia has won FIVE of its last six games and at 11-6, is tied with Wake Forest for 5th in the ACC (note: UVA has also clinched its 11th consecutive winning ACC record!).

Coach K is on the verge of completing his 47th season as a head coach (42 years at Duke) and brought in a trio of highly-regarded freshmen for his final season. None have been more impactful than the 6-10 Banchero, who leads in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (8.4). The 7-0 Williams is also having a strong freshman season, adding 10.6 & 6.8. Freshman guard Keels (12.0-4.0-3.2) rounds out that incoming trio. Guards Moore (13.9 & 4.6) and Roach (7.3 & 3.5 APG) plus the 6-6 Griffin (9.9 & 3.5) round out the main contributors (Griffin is also a freshman).

Tony Bennett's UVA team won a national championship in 2019 and from the 2013-14 season through the championship season of 2018-19, the Cavs avenged 29.7 wins per season. The Cavs ended last season 18-7, after a first-round NCAA loss to 13th-seed Ohio U. It was a very uneven start to the current season, but the Cavs have 'settled in.' The only returning starter for UVA is PG Clark (9.9 & 4.1 APG). Guard Beekman (7.7 & 5.0 APG) is back, as is the 6-11 Shedrick (7.1 & 5.4), but UVA's two-most important players are transfers. The 6-6 Gardner comes from East Carolina and leads in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (7.1) plus guard Franklin comes via Indiana and chips in 11.6 PPG. Of concern for UVA in this game is that Franklin left his last game with a toe injury (questionable for tonight).

As always, Bennett's team is one of the nation's best defensive squads in the nation, allowing just 60.1 PPG (13th). However, Duke will bring an excellent offensive team to John Paul Jones Arena, one which averages 80.1 PPG (16th) on 48.3% shooting (17th). In contrast UVA is averaging only 63.4 PPG (333rd) and Duke's defense is no slouch, allowing 65.3 PPG. Lay the points, as the Dookies get their revenge win and a COVER!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Big East Showdown is on Xavier at 7:00 ET.

The 11th-ranked  22-3 Providence Friars got a nice break last night, as UConn knocked off Villanova. The Wildcats' Big East record fell to 14-4 (two games left), while Providence sits 12-2 with three games remaining. The Friars welcome Xavier to town and are hoping that they've gained some positive mojo after rallying from a 19-point second-half deficit to stun host Butler 71-70 in overtime on Sunday. Providence is looking to nail down its first regular-season Big East title in program history. The Musketeers trailed by 17 at halftime and cut the deficit to four with 11 minutes left in their last game, but lost 72-61 at UConn on Saturday. Xavier has now lost two straight and six of its last nine games to fall to 17-9 (7-8 in the Big East).

Xavier head coach Travis Steele was badly in need of a 20-win season when the 2021-22 CBB season tipped off back on Nov 9. He took over from Chris Mack (23.9 wins per season with NINE straight Big Dance bids), who took over from Sean Miller (24 wins per season and NCAA bids in his last four seasons of his five-year stint). The Musketeers entered the season having won just 51 games (17 per) in Steele's first three seasons, without an NCAA bid. Xavier was "looking good" at 14-3 through Jan 19 but time is running out on that 20-win season. Xavier's starting-five looks like this. The 7-0 Nunge (13.4 & 7.2) and the 6-9 Freemantle (9.8 & 5.4) start up front, with guards Scruggs (12.0-4.5-4.2), Jones (10.2 & 7.5) and Johnson (9.8) comprising a strong backcourt. Guards Kunkel (8.3) and Odom (6.0) add backcourt depth, while the 6-8 Hunter adds 5.0 & 3.4 off the bench in the frontcourt. Some bad news is that Johnson has missed the last two games with a knee injury (?).

Ed Cooley arrived in Providence for the 2011-12 season and led the Friars to FIVE straight NCAA tournaments from 2014-2018. Providence is coming off a mediocre 13-13 season last year but that's all changed this season. The Friars have three double digit scorers 6-10 center Watson (14.2 & 5.6), plus guards Durhman (13.4) and Bynum (12.2 & 4.2 APG). Reeves (9.3) adds depth in the backcourt, while the 6-8 Horchler (10.0 & 8.5) and the 6-7 Minaya (6.3 & 5.7) contribute up front. Some bad news here is that Durhma was held out of the Butler game with a sports hernia (?).

When these teams met in Cincinnati back on Jan 26, Xavier rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to take a two-point lead in the final minute, only to lose 65-62 on a three-pointer with one second left. Lots of pressure here on Providence and I'm going to take the points with Xavier.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on Nevada at 11:00 ET.

Instate rivals the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and the Nevada Wolf Pack meet in WC action from the Lawlor Events Center on Tuesday night in Reno. The Rebels lost head coach TJ Otzelberger to Iowa St and replaced him with Kevin Kruger (Lon's son), giving him his first=ever head coaching gig. As for the Wolf Pack, this is Steve Alford's (most know his history) third season at Nevada, having gone 19-12 and 15-9 in his first two seasons. However, with all five starters returning, a strong season was anticipated. However, that has NOT been the case. Boise St (12-2) and Wyoming (11-2) have been the class of the 11-school MWC, with UNLV checking in at 16-11 overall (8-8 MWC) and Nevada coming into this game just 12-13 (6-8 MWC)

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels are coming off a VERY impressive 72-51 win over Colorado State on Saturday. Leading scorer Bryce Hamilton (21.6 & 4.8) had 20 & 11 vs CSU, while the 6-9 Hamm (8.4 & 9.7) added 12 rebounds plus seven points. The 6-6 Williams (13.4 PPG) joins Hamilton as UNLV's only other double digit scorer on the season. Nevada PG Sherfield (19.5-4.5-6.4) leads the way, with fellow guard Cambridge adding 16.9 & 5.3. Nevada has a pair of 7-footers in Baker (12.0 & 5.4) and Washington (10.1 & 6.2), but Washington has been out since Jan 25 (finger dislocation).

The Wolf Pack lost 69-58 in Las Vegas back on Feb 1 (made just 3 of 17 three-pointers) but Nevada enters this game on a three-game winning streak. With road games at Boise St and Wyoming up next (the MWC's two-best teams) a "W" here against hated instate rival UNLV would be a big deal. The Rebels are just 3-8 away from home this season, so the play is on Nevada. Expect a comfortable win.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Marquee Classic is on UConn at 8:00 ET.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright owns two national titles (2016 and 2018) and was coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season with four starters coming back for the current season. 'Nova opened the year as the AP's 4th-ranked team but the Wildcats were just 7-4 through mid-December. That said, THREE of those losses came to then-No. 2 UCLA, then-No. 6 Purdue and then-No. 2 Baylor. The No. 8 Wildcats have won 14 of 16 since that 7-4 start and will take a five-game winning streak as it travels to Hartford, Ct for a matchup with No. 21 UConn. Dan Hurley had a nice run at Rhode Island (won 25 & 26 games his last two seasons with NCAA bids) which got him the UConn job. He's in his fourth season and last year got UConn into the NCAAs. UConn is 19-7 overall, including 10-5 in the Big East in the current season.

Wright is going with a basic six-man rotation so far this season. Collin Gillespie has fully recovered from an MCL injury that ended his 2020-21 campaign early. He leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16.6 PPG. Fellow guards Justin Moore adds 15.5 & 5.3 and Daniels chips in 9.7 PPG in the role of 6th-man. Up front, it's the 6-7 Samuels (10.1 & 6.1), the 6-8 Dixon (9.9 & 6.6).and the 6-7 Slater (9.2 & 3.7).

Guards Gole (16.2-3.6-4.3), Martin (13.6 & 7.0) and Jackson (6.8 & 7.4) start in the UConn backcourt, while the 6-9 Sanogo (15.1 & 8.6) and 6-9 Whaley (7.4 & 4.9) start up front. The 6-9 Polley (7.6) is the top reserve, with guards Hawkins and Gaffney combining for 10.5 PPG.

14-3 Villanova can't afford a stumble if it wants to overtake 12-2 Providence for another regular-season conference title and UConn is looking to secure a top-five seed in the Big East, avoiding an opening round game. The Huskies are currently tied with Creighton at 10-5 for third in the Big East. UConn is 12-2 at home and a win over Villanova would put them in great shape in the Big East, as two of their final three games after tonight come against 0-15 Georgetown and 3-13 DePaul. Take the home team.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Florida at 7:00 ET.

The SEC has five schools ranked in the AP's top-25 and this past Saturday, THREE of them lost (No. 3 Aub, No. 17 Tenn and No. 24 Ala). No. 18 Arkansas and unranked Florida were on the winning side of two of them. The Razorbacks' 58-48 win over Tennessee marked the second time in four games that Arkansas had beaten a ranked SEC opponent. As for the Gators, their 63-62 win over then-No. 2 Auburn was easily the school's best win of the season (Florida entered Saturday's contest 0-5 vs ranked SEC foes on the season).

Eric Musselman is in his third season at Fayetteville, after four OUTSTANDING seasons at Nevada. He won the CBI title in his first season, then went to three straight NCAA tourneys (4-year record of 110-34!). He was 20-12 in his first season at Arkansas, then went 25-7 last season (Elite 8 appearance). His current team is led by a trio of guards in double digits. The group includes Notae (18.5-4.3-3.4), Umude (11.1 & 4.6) and Toney (10.3 & 5.5). The 6-10 Williams adds 10.3 & 9.6 and is really the lone frontcourt player of note. Guard Lykes (8,6) and Davis (6.6 & 4.2) round out what has basically been a six-man rotation.

Mike White has led the Gators to four NCAA berths in the last five seasons (would have been five, except for COVID cancellation). His Gators returned six seniors or graduate transfers to start this season and Florida opened 6-0. However, the Gators are just 17-10, including 7-7 in SEC play. Florida is led by the 6-11 Colin Castleton (15.7 & 9.1). Returning starters are guard Tyree Appleby (10.7) and the 6-7 Anthony Duruji (8.8 & 4.1). Myreon Jones (Penn St transfer) adds 9.2 PPG plus the 6-5 Fleming Jr. (20.1 & 7.4 at Charleston Southern last season) but is averaging a much more modest 10.2 PPG.

Florida's upset of Auburn marked the highest-ranked team the Gators have beaten at home in school history, meaning it's either a "let down" situation for Florida, or a win to build on. Noting that Arkansas' lone victory in Gainesville was a 94-85 showing back in 1995, has me 'betting' that the Gators pick up a second straight marquee win!

Good luck...Larry

The 3rd play of my STP is a 10* on Seattle at 10:00 ET.

New Mexico St has pretty much dominated the WAC since joining in the 2005-06 season, winning nine WAC conference tourneys (2020 tourney was canceled in a year in which the Aggies were 25-6 / 16-0 in the WAC). Chris Jans is in his fifth season In Las Cruces and is his first four, produced a 95-25 record, despite last season's 12-8 mark. However, despite losing four starters, the Aggies are 22-4 overall, including 12-2 in the WAC, which leaves them tied with surprising Seattle (21-6 / 12-2 WAC). Head coach Jim Hayward was set to enter his fifth season leading the Redhawks, but he resigned on November 11, 2021, after it was reported that he had twice repeated racial slurs. Assistant coach Chris Victor was named interim head coach This si Victor's first Div I head coaching job, but he did inherit FIVE returning starters.

The Aggies have an excellent guard duo in Allen (top scorer and top rebounder at 20.2 & 7.0) plus Rice (12.5 & 5.7). That duo gets little help, as no other guard averages as much as 5 PPG. The frontcourt does have depth (but no major producers) in the 6-7 McCants (8.3-4.9), the 6-7 Tillman (6.8 & 3.1), the 6-10 McNair (6.4 & 4.7) and the 6-11 Alok (5.2 & 2.2). Seattle owns an excellent guard trio in Trammell (16.4 & 5.3 APG), Tyson (15.7 & 5.5) and Grigsby (13.0). However, muck like New Mex St, the frontcourt contributions are modest, led by the 6-6 Udenyi (6.5 & 5.7), the 6-10 Chatfield (4.4 & 3.7) and the 6-6 Rajkovic (4.3 & 4.0).

The New Mexico State Aggies get props based on their reputation (that's fair) but the Seattle Redhawks have played great ball this season, going 16-1 at home (10-4-1 ATS with one non-lined game), having won by an average of 15.8 points while allowing 38.8 percent shooting from the floor. Talke Seattle. Elgin would be proud!

Good luck...Larry

The 2nd play of my STP is a 9* on Samford at 8:00 ET.

Chattanooga (12-4) and Furman (11-5) are the class of the Southern Conference but Samford (18-9 / 8-7) has put together a solid season as the Bulldogs welcome The Citadel to Birmingham on Monday night. The Citadel 'limps' into Birmingham 11-15 overall, including 5-10 in conference games.

The Citadel's nickname is also the Bulldogs and is coached by Duggar Baucom, who coached VMI for 10 seasons, going just 151-159. He is now in his 7th season at Charleston and entered this season 64-118 (LONE winning season was last year's 13-12 team). One has to wonder why he's still around. The 6-8 Clark (10.1 & 6.2) is surrounded by two 6-5 forwards in Brown (18.8 & 8.7) and Roche (14.1 & 4.1). PG Moffe (9.0 & 4.0 APG) is solid plus guard Fitzgibbons adds 8.9 PPG off the bench. 

Samford's Bucky McMillan had a great career as a coach in high school and his first season at Samford was last season ((team was just 6-13 in a COVID-ravaged season for the school). However, as noted this year's team is 18-9. The quick turnaround has been fueled by transfers, none more important than PG Glover (19.0 & 4.4 APG) from Florida. The 6-6 Marshall (12.4 & 8.) came from Akron, guard Campbell (10.5 & 3.6) is a JC transfer and fellow guard Kaife (6.4) came via Loyola-Chicago. Then there is the returning 6-9 Dye (12.4 & 4.5) and 6-6 freshman Cardet (8.1 & 4.6).

These schools met Feb 5 at The Citadel and Samford got beat in a 107-93 shootout (Brown had 35 for The Citadel and Glover 30 for Samford). Revenge works here, as Samford is 11-2 at home. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

The 1st play of my STP is a 9* on TCU at 8:00 ET.

The Big 12 Conference has FOUR schools in the AP's top-25, with Kansas (11-2) leading the way over Baylor and Texas Tech (both 10-4). Tonight's game between West Va (14-11 / 3-10 Big 12) and TCU (16-8 / 5-7 Big 12) is not what one would call a marquee matchup. However, both have quality head coaches in West Va's Bob Huggins and TCU's Jamie Dixon. Both schools enter looking to end three-game losing streaks but note that West Virginia has lost 10 of its last 11 contests!

The guard duo of Sherman (18.5) and McNeil (13.2) lead the way for West Va, while the 6-7 Bridges (9.2 & 5.1) is the team's top frontcourt player, with no other frontcourt player averaging as much as 5.0 PPG. Guard Johnson (5.2), while Curry adds 8.0 PPG. TCU has a trio of guards scoring 10-plus PPG in Miles (14.7-3.8-4.0), Baugh (10.6-4.2-4.0) and Miller (10.4 & 6.4). The frontcourt starters are the 6-6 O'Bannon (9.6 & 4.1) and the 6-11 Lampkin (6.6 & 6.0).

This is the first of two meetings between the two schools but while West Va's season has imploded (was 13-2 after a Jan 11 win but is 14-12 now), TCU still harbors at-large hopes at 16-8. Getting to .500 or better in Big 12 play, would sure help the team's cause. West Va is 1-7 on the road this season, including 0-6 in Big 12 play, losing by an average of 14.3 PPG. Lay the small points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on Marquette at 3:00 ET.

Marquette (17-9, 9-6) earned a 77-66 win over Georgetown on Wednesday night to snap a two-game losing streak and will take its 17-9 overall record (9-6 in Big East play) to CHI Health Center in Omaha to face Creighton, which is 17-8 overall (9-5 in the Big East) and riding a four-game winning streak after beating DePaul 71-59 on Thursday night. The Golden Eagles and Bluejays met back on Jan 1 in Milwaukee, when Creighton came away with a 75-69 win in double overtime.

Shaka Smart was booted out of Austin after a disappointing six-year run at Texas but has done quite a job at Marquette, which did not return a SINGLE starter from last season's disappointing 13-14 team. However, Marquette has a deep eight-man rotation, led by 6-7 freshman Lewis (16.8 & 8.0) and Maryland transfer, Morsell (12.6). Joining that duo in the starting lineup are freshman guard Kolek (7.3 & 6.0 APG) plus frontcourt players like the 6-8 Prosper (6.6 & 3.5) and the 6-10 Kuath (5.5 & 3.9), Adding depth are guard Elliott (7.9), and Jones (7.7) plus 6-9 freshman Ighodaro (5.5 & 3.5).

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is in his 12th season with the Bluejays and has won 20-plus games in 10 of his first 11. However, Creighton lost all FIVE starters from last year's 22-9 team that made a Sweet 16 appearance. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Coach McDermott but he has rebuilt Creighton quickly. The starting guards are freshman Nembhard (11.3 & 4.3 APG) and O'Connell (3.4 PPG last year), who is averaging 12.3 & 5.4 this season. 7-1 center Kalkbrenner returned (5.9 & 3.5 LY) and is a 'new man,' averaging 11.5 & 7.4. The 6-7 Hawkins is a Div II transfer and leads in scoring (13.9) and rebounding (7.5). 6-7 freshman Kaluma adds 9.3 & 5.0 plus guard Alexander (5.5 & 3.8) comes off the bench and is the only other player averaging as much as 5.0 PPG.

Creighton is looking for its longest win streak of the season Sunday afternoon but will be missing 6-7 freshman Kaluma (see above) with a knee injury. These teams are pretty even but I like Marquette's depth advantage (especially with Kaluma out) and the Golden Eagles are looking to avenge a double-OT home loss to Creighton. Providence (11-2) and Vilanova will get the Big East's top-two seeds and while the top-five seeds avoid an opening round game, the third seed will draw a first-round winner, while the 4th-seed is slated to play the 5th-seed in the second round. A Marquette win moves them to 10-6, and into the third-seed spot, as Creighton would fall to 9-6. The Eagles are truly 'golden' today in Omaha.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conf Game of the Year (MAAC) is on St Peter's at 2:00 ET.

Rick Pitino's Iona Gaels are the class of the MAAC, as they are 21-6 overall, including 13-2 in league play. However, while the Saint Peter’s Peacocks and the Siena Saints are each a modest 12-10 overall, they are battling for second place in the MAAC. St Peter's is 10-5 and Siena 9-5, as the two schools meet Sunday afternoon from the MVP Arena in Loudonville, NY (Siena's homecourt). The Peacocks will look to build on a 70-59 win over Fairfield their last time out, while the Saints will try to bounce back from a 62-53 loss to Marist.

St Peter's is coached by Shaheen Holloway, who is in his fourth season (just 42-45 in his first three). The Saints are led by guard Banks (10.9) and the 6-7 Ndefo (10.0 & 6.2), who is a two-time Defensive POY in the MAAC. The 6-7 Drame brothers have also been crucial in setting the defensive tone Holoway is looking for. Fousseymi is averaging 7.4 & 7.1 and Hassam 6.0 & 5.3. Joining Banks in the backcourt are Edert (8.9) and Lee (7.1). Siena lost FOUR starters from last season and is led this season by Cal Poly transfer Rogers, who leads the team in scoring at 14.2 PPG. He's joined in the backcourt by Northwestern transfer Gaines (11.2 & 7.0) plus 6-9 returning PF Stormo adds 10.7 & 7.0. Hopkins (7.9) returns in the backcourt but Platek's (9.0 & 3.6) season ended back in early Dec and freshman guard Billups (5.7 & 4.8) is currently dealing with a knee injury (left last game and is questionable here).

These schools met way back on Dec 5, with Siena winning 60-58. In that game, the Saints made 8 of 15 threes, to the Peacocks 2 of 9. St Peter's is the better team, is playing with revenge and sports a 7-1 ATS run in road games! Meanwhile, Siena is just 6-5 SU & ATS at home this season. I'm "all over" St Peter's in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* West Coast Crusher is on Stanford at 10:00 ET.

The Colorado Buffaloes have won four in a row to bolster their postseason hopes, reaching 17-9 overall, including 9-7 in Pac 12 play. The Buffs will travel to the Bay Area to face the Stanford Cardinal, who have lost four of their last six games, with ALL losses coming by single digits (Stanford is just 15-11, including 8-8 in Pac 12 play). Colorado is looking for a sweep of its three-game road trip and has righted the ship after losing three straight and five of six in late January and early February. As for Stanford, it has a chance to finish strong, with only one of its last four games coming against a ranked team (March 3 at Arizona). 

Tad Boyle took over at Boulder in the 2009-10 season and has led the Buffaloes to 20-plus wins EIGHT times and into the NCAA Tournament FIVE times (would have been six but the 2020 tourney was shut down because of COVID. The Buffaloes have ridden the play of the 6-9 Walker (14.7 & 9.4), who has recorded a double-double in FIVE consecutive games. He had 19 points and tied a career high with 15 rebounds in a 70-62 win at Cal on Thursday night. The 6-8 Battey (11.5 & 4.5) and the 6-10 da Silva (9.3 & 3.7) start up front with Walker, while the starting guards were Barthelemy (11.0) and Parquet (6.9). However, Parquet is now lost for the season, meaning more "PT'' for guards Simpson (7.2) and Clifford (6.6 & 4.7).

Jerod Haase had a nice four-year run at UAB (80-53) and got the Stanford job when it fired Johnny Dawkins. He won two NIT titles while at Palo Alto but the school and fans wanted NCAA tourney wins. Haase may be on the 'hot seat' after going 82-74 in his first five years, with just one postseason invite in 2018, to the NIT (Cardinal lost their first game). FIVE of Stanford's top-six scorers are frontcourt players. PG O'Connell (7.1 & 3.7 APG) runs the show but the team's main production comes from the 6-8 Ingram (11.3 & 6.6), the 6-9 Delaire (10.8 & 4.3), the 6-7 Jones (10.6 & 4.3), the 6-8 Angel (7.8 & 3.0) and the 6-9 O'Keefe (4.5 & 4.8).

The Buffs are in MUCH better shape than the Cardinal but are playing a THIRD straight road game plus Stanford is playing its final home game of the regular season. A "W" here and with winnable games ahead at Cal and ASU, could get Stanford to 18 wins, prior to the Pac 12 tourney. A couple of wins there and Hasse may get that NCAA bid. It's a long shot but the 'dream' is all but over with a loss at home tonight!

Good luck...Larry

The third play of my STP is a 9* on Cal-Santa Barbara at 10:00 ET.

It's Big West conference play tonight from the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, as the Long Beach State Beach 49ers will play the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Long Beach State Beach has won 11 straight games, to reach 15-9, including 10-1 in Big West play. Meanwhile, a modest three wins in their last four have the Gauchos are 11-10, 3-5 in league play.

The 49ers are led by a quartet of guards Murray (16.) is the leading scorer and Traore is the team's leading rebounder (8.2). He also avengers 7.8 PPG and joins Slater (13.8) and Toney (10.0) on the perimeter. In contrast, Santa Barbara will have the two-best big men in the game, as the Gauchos' top-two players are the 6-9 Sow (14.8 & 8.1) and the 6-10 Norris (11.3 & 5.2). I'm NOT buying that Long Beach St is all that good and clearly the oddsmakers agree, as the home team is favored. Lay it.

Good luck...Larry

The second play of my STP is an 8* play on Harvard.

Yale (9-1) and Princeton (8-2) are fighting for the Ivy League title and are surely not looking over their shoulders at 13-9 Cornell (5-6) or Harvard 12-10 (4-6). Brian Earl is in his fifth season at Cornell, entering the current season with a 42-73 record. Using that as a backdrop, I guess this season's current 13-9 record 'ain't half bad!" Tommy Amaker is in his 15th season at Harvard and while he led The Crimson to four straight NCAA tourneys from 2012-15, the school hasn't been back since.

Cornell has better depth with 10 players averaging 5.5 PPG or more. The best of the bunch are guards Noll (10.2), Manon (0.2) and Patel (9.3) plus forwards Jones (10.8 & 2.9) and Boothby (8.8 & 4.0). Harvard began the season with two excellent 6-7 players in forward Ledlum and big guard Kirkwood. That duo had started along with guards Sakota and Tretout plus the 6-6 Catchings. However, Ledlum (16.7 & 9.3) has not played since Jan 7 but Kirkwood 17.5 & 5.6) has had an excellent season. Sakota (11.3), Tretout (8.5) and Lesmond (8.2) join him on the perimeter. Catchings (8.4 & 3.8) has recently begun to get help from the 6-8 Forbes, who has averaged 10.8 & 6.0 in five February games.

Cornell has no one to match up with Kirkwood and I believe that Harvard easily avenges its 76-61 loss at Cornell back on Jan 22. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

The first play of my STP is an 8* on Miami at 5:00 ET.

It's an Atlantic Coast Conference contest from 'South Beach' tonight, as the Virginia Cavaliers (16-10 / 10-6 ACC) visit the Miami Hurricanes (19-7 / 11-4). The Cavs have won four of their last five games, including victories over two of the ACC's top-three teams in Duke and Miami. Virginia defeated Miami 71-58 at home back on Feb 5. It was Miami's most lopsided ACC loss this season. Duke and Notre Dame lead the ACC at 12-3, while Miami is just ONE game back (UVA is 2 1/2-games out of first place).

Tony Bennett's UVA team won a national championship in 2019 and from the 2013-14 season through the championship season of 2018-19, the Cavs avenged 29.7 wins per season. The Cavs ended last season 18-7, after a first-round NCAA loss to 13th-seed Ohio U. It was a very uneven start to the current season, but the Cavs have 'settled in.' The only returning starter for UVA is PG Clark (9.7 & 4.0 APG). Guard Beekman (7.8-3.9-4.9) is back, as is the 6-11 Shedrick (6.9 & 5.7), but UVA's two-most important players are transfers. The 6-6 Gardner comes from East Carolina and leads in scoring (15.0) and rebounding (7.1) plus guard Franklin comes via Indiana and chips in 11.8PPG. As always, Bennett's team is one of the nation's best defensive squads in the nation, allowing just 59.7 PPG (11th).

Miami head coach Jim Larranaga has led the Hurricanes to six, 20-win seasons in his 10 years, to all three of the school's 25-win seasons and to two of the school's three Sweet 16 appearances. By the way, I could also throw in him leading unheralded George Mason to a Final 4 appearance back in 2006. The 'Canes came into the season off an 'ugly 10-17 season (4-15 in the ACC) last year but have 'righted the ship.' Miami is led by the guard trio of McGusty (17.6 & 5.2), Wong (15.8 & 4.3) and Moore (112.4), plus Miller adds 8.8 & 5.8 off the bench. Miami hasn't gotten modest production from 6-10 Waardenburg (8.4 & 4.0) plus the 6-9 Walker (5.4 & 2.5).

All said, I have to 'love' Miami in this revenge spot from that recent Jan 5 loss. The price is right," so take the 'Canes!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Marquee Classic is on Tennessee at 4:00 ET.

Two of the hottest teams in the SEC will meet tonight from Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the Tennessee Vols (19-6 /10-3 SEC) will take a five-game winning streak into their matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks (20-6 / 9-4), who have won 10 of their last 11. The SEC has five top-25 teams, with Auburn atop the league standings at 12-1, Tenn and Kentucky are tied at 10-3, while Arkansas lurks at 9-4. The Vols just won 76-63 at home over Kentucky on Tuesday, while Arkansas followed its 80-76 (OT) Feb 8th home win over Auburn (snapped the Tigers' 21-game winning streak), by losing at Alabama but winning at Missouri. This is the first of two meetings between the SEC contenders, as the teams will meet March 5 in Knoxville (regular season finale).

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has been a winner at every stop, with three NCAA berths at Providence, three in four years at Clemson and 16 in 17 years at Texas. This is his seventh season at Tennessee, and he's led the Vols to three NCAA berths the last four years (exception was when COVID shut down the postseason). Junior guard Vescovi (13.8-4.4-3.2) and freshman PG Kennedy Chandler (13.3 & 4.9APG) lead the way for Tennessee. Some bad news is that the 6-8 Nkamhoua (9.6 & 5.6) has been lost for the season, but the Vols have a solid player in the 6-9 Fulkerson (7.8 & 4.9) plus the 7-0 Plavsic (4.1 & 3.4) and the 6-10 Hartley-Hatfield (3.3 & 2.4) will see more time. Perimeter players Jordan-james (8.8 & 5.6) and Zeigler (8.7) add excellent depth. Defense has always been a Rick Barnes specialty and his team is allowing just 63.1 PPG (35th).

Eric Musselman is in his third season at Fayetteville, after four OUTSTANDING seasons at Nevada. He won the CBI title in his first season, then went to three straight NCAAA tourneys (4-year record of 110-34!). He was 20-12 in his first season at Arkansas, then went 25-7 last season (Elite 8 appearance). As noted, this year's team is 20-6, led by a trio of guards in double digits. The group includes Notae (18.8-4.5-3.5), Umude (11.4 & 4.6) and Toney (10.3 & 5.3). The 6-10 Williams adds 10.2 & 9.3 and is really the lone frontcourt player of note. Guards Lykes and Davis both average 8.7 PPG, as Musselman has basically stuck with a six-man rotation.

Tennessee had four players in double figures against Kentucky with Vescovi leading with 18 points and Kennedy Chandler adding 17. Also key was the contribution of 6-11 freshman Jonas Aidoo, who was limited by illness early in the season. Aidoo stepped in for injured Olivier Nkamhoua and played a season-high 18 minutes with five points and seven rebounds against the Wildcats. He also blocked three shots, including two against Kentucky player-of-the-year candidate Oscar Tshiebwe. His tip-in with 11:10 remaining started a 10-0 scoring run that gave the Vols a 65-45 lead with 6:27 remaining on the clock. This is a HUGE game for both sides and I'm taking the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conf Game of the Year (CAA) is on Coll of Charleston at 4:00 ET.

The Towson Tigers travel to Charleston, SC to take on the College of Charleston at the SECU Arena. Towson has rebounded from an 'ugly' 4-14 season (3-9 in CAA) play) to enter this game 20-7, including 11-3 in CAA play. The COC has a new head coach this season in Pat Kelsey, who came from a nine-year stint at Winthrop in which he was 185-95 overall, including going 24-10 and 23-2 the last two seasons. The Cougars were just 9-10 last season (COVID-shortened) but are 14-11 this season, although an unimpressive 6-7 in ACC play.

The Tigers have four double digit scorers in guards Holden (13.9 & 7.7), Timberlake (13.8 & 4.6) and Gibson (10.3) plus the 6-7 Thompson (10.4 & 6.4). The fifth starter is guard Rizzuto (8.3) plus Guar Nolan (9.6 & 4.1 APG) and the 6-8 Gray (7.1 & 4.4) are the top reserves. The Cougars can match those four double digit scorers in 6-6 forward Meeks (14.5 & 8.8) plus guards Smith (12.0), Tucker (11.3) and Underwood (7.6 & 3.4 APG). Starting alongside of Meeks, Smith and Underwood are the 6-7 Burnham (7.4 & 4.3) and the 6-8 Smart (3.6 & 4.3).

Here's the rub. Towson began its three-game road swing to end the regular season Thursday night, as the Tigers rolled past UNC Wilmington 79-55. Thompson led the way with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Gibson chipped in 14, Holden scored 13 and Antonio Rizzuto had 10. More importantly, it moved Towson to 11-3 in CAA play, just a half-game back of 12-3 UNC-Wilmington. Now, just two nights later, the Tigers play at Charleston, which 'hung' with the Tigers back on Jan 20, losing 74-67 at Towson. Of more importance, this is Charleston's FINAL home game of the season. "Upset Alert!" Take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Texas Two-Step is on Texas at 12;00 ET.

Chris Beard left Lubbock and its beloved fan base last April to take over the Texas program (after Shaka Smart was fired) and created plenty of hurt feelings that haven't been soothed over the past 10 months. Mark Adams worked under Beard since his first season as a Division I head coach (started at Arkansas-LR) and instead of following Beard to Austin, decided to stay in Lubbock as Tech's head coach. These two bitter rivals played on Feb 1 in Lubbock, with the Red Raiders exacting a bit of revenge (on Beard) in a 77-64 win over the Longhorns. The two go at it again at high noon ET on Saturday, this time in Austin.

The Red Raiders (20-6 / 9-4 Big 12) head to Austin after a come-from-behind 83-73 win at home over No. 7 Baylor on Wednesday that produced Texas Tech's first season sweep of the Bears since 2005. The 6-8 Obanor (10.3 & 5.2) had 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both season-highs, and recorded his first double-double of the season. The 6-8 Williams (13.5 & 4.5) added 17 points, while guard Arms (8.2 & 4.0) had 15 and fellow guard Shannon (11.7) added 14. The Red Raiders played without big guard McCullar (10.8 & 5.3), who was out with an ankle sprain.

Texas (19-7 / 8-5 Big 12) heads home after a two-game road trip that ended with an 80-78 win at Oklahoma in overtime on Tuesday Texas lost the first game at Baylor). The 6-6 Allen scored 20 points, including a key tip-in with 11 seconds remaining in overtime, as the Longhorns made the needed plays in the final minute of the extra period and held on. Andrew Jones (10.4) added 20 points for Texas, with PG Carr (11.1 & 3.5 APG) and the 6-7 Bishop each adding 16 points. Texas played without 6-9 center Mitchell (8.7 & 4.0) who did not make the trip with the team due to personal reasons.

Kansas leads the Big 12 at 10-2, with Texas Tech and Baylor tied at 9-4 (Texas sits at 8-5). Expect maximum intensity and physical play in this one. "We were in desperation mode, so at halftime we knew we had to get after it from the very beginning of the second half," Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. Tech rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit and outscored Baylor 51-34. "Emphasis was (to) just play hard and be aggressive. We're bigger and longer than they are, get some deflections and show our size more. And I thought we did that." Coming off that big win, I believe the motivational edge shifts to the Longhorns (and particularly to Beard), after losing on Feb 1 in Lubbock (see above). Revenge works here. Hook'em Horns!

Good luck...Larry

The third play of my STP is a 9* on San Francisco at 10:00 ET.

Full, detailed analysis Thursday morning by 11:00 ET.

The 2nd play of my STP is an 8* on Cal at 9:30 ET.

Full, detailed analysis Thursday morning by 10:00 ET.

The 1st play of my STP is a 10* on Oregon at 9:00 ET.

Dana Altman has been a HUGE winner in his coaching career and Oregon was ranked 13th in the AP's preseason poll. The Ducks did little right to open the season, splitting their first 12 games, before embarking on a season-saving run of 11 wins in their last 13 games. Oregon is now 17- 8 (10-4 in the Pac 12) and should have an NCAA Tournament bid on its mind. However, first things first. 12-1 Arizona will likely be the Pac 12 tourney's No. 1 seed but Oregon and USC (each 10-4) plus 9-4 UCLA, are all fighting to get one of the Pac 12's top-four seeds. Bobby Hurley (a member of the "Coaching Hurleys") came to Arizona St for the 2015-16 season. His six-year record (entering this season) was 104-83. After leading the Sun Devils to three straight 20-win seasons, last year's team flopped to 11-14 (7-10 Pac 12).  The Sun Devils are just 8-15 overall this season and at 4-9 in Pac-12 play, are not thinking top-four seed like the Ducks.

Oregon is coming off a 62-59 win over Washington State on Monday at Eugene, as the Ducks have won five of their past six games. However, that one loss is a concern because it occurred last week at home against California, 78-64. With four losses in conference play, and on the bubble when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Oregon coach Dana Altman said, "There is no big picture. The big picture is Thursday night, and trying to win a game," he said. "We lost a game to Arizona State in Eugene, so we should be ready to roll." Will Richardson is Oregon's leading scorer at 15.1 PPG but scored only eight points in the previous meeting with the Sun Devils. He made just 2 of 14 shots from the floor, including 1 of 9 from three-point range. He scored in double figures in each of the next 15 games, before managing just seven while in foul trouble against Washington St on Monday. Fellow guards Young (11.3) and Harmon (11.2) join Richardson in double figures. 6-11 center Dante (8.2 & 5.6) plus the 6-7 Guerrier (9.0 & 5.3) typically start, while the 6-6 Williams (7.5 & 5.0) and the 6-11 Kepnang (4.7 & 2.8) come off the bench.

Arizona State took an early season hit when returning guard Bagley (10.8 PPG) was lost to a knee injury after just THREE games (was averaging 10.4). Horne (12.5), Heath (9.9) and Jackson (9.5 & 3.9 APG) have taken up the slack in the backcourt. 6-6 SF Lawrence (10.5 & 6.9) and the 6-9 Graham (9.1 & 4.5) are the lone frontcourt players of note. Arizona is averaging a woeful 63.9 PPG (322nd) on 39.2% shooting (352nd). Arizona State is hoping that its bounce-back performance at Washington State last weekend is a sign of things to come, as the Sun Devils start a stretch of five games in 10 days. Tonight's contest launches its busy stretch with home games Thursday against Oregon and Saturday against Oregon State. After that come three games on the road next week at UCLA, Colorado and Utah.

Oregon is seeking to nail down a top-four seed for the Pac-12 plus is also trying to burnish it's at-large resume. That's motivation enough but NO WAY that Oregon forgets its 69-67 OT loss at home to ASU back on Dec 5, a time BEFORE the Ducks have 'hit their stride!' Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on the Brk Nets at 7:40 ET.

The Washington Wizards were 34-38 last season and qualified for the playoffs via the 'play-in' round. However, they were quickly bounced 4-1 by the 76ers. The Brooklyn Nets were 48-24 last season (East's No. 2 seed) and after taking out the Celtics in five games, played a thrilling seven-game series against the Bucks, losing Game 7 at home 115-111 in OT. Expectations this season were for Washington to again be contending for one of the East's lower seeds, but the Nets were favorites to win the East behind the trio of KD, James and Kyrie. The two teams meet Thursday (final game for all NBA teams before a six-day All Star break), with Washington at 26-31 and the Nets at 31-27. The Wizards are currently 1 1/2-games behind the No. 10 seed (last of the play-in spots) but also just two games back of the No. 9 seed. As for the Nets, the team imploded by losing 11 straight games from Jan 23 thru Feb 12, to fall from being at or near the top of the East standings to currently owning just the No. 8 seed, leaving them among the 'play-in' seeds. The good news is, the Nets enter this game on a two-game winning streak and are just two games back of the No. 6 seed.

Washington eked out a 113-112 home win over the Nets a week ago but is 3-10 in its past 13 contests. Three of the team's five double digit scorers on the season ware currently not available. Leading scorer Beal (23.2-4.7-6.6) is out for the season with an injury plus PF Harrell (14.1 & 6.7) and guard Dinwiddie (12.6 & 4.7 APG) have both been traded. More bad news comes in the fact that undersized center Gafford (8.9 & 6.0), is also out with an illness. Kristaps Porzingis has yet to make his debut due to a bruised right knee after being obtained from Dallas. Porzingis has missed NINE straight games since his last appearance on Jan. 29 and will sit out again Thursday. Taht leaves SF Kuzma (16.5 & 8.8) and guard Caldwell-Pope (11.7) as the only regulars from the Washington team that went 13-7 in its first 20 games.

The Brooklyn story is well-known. It began with Kyrie's non-vaccinated status, making him ineligible to play home games and then KD went down with an injury (last played on Jan 15 and is not expected to be back until sometime after the All-Star break). The final 'kicker' was Harden's trade deadline deal that sent him to Philly. However, the Nets may be regaining their footing following a pair of drastically different wins. After matching the largest comeback in franchise history, the Nets attempt to reach the All-Star break with three straight wins Thursday night when they host the Washington Wizards. The Nets halted their 11-game skid with Monday's 109-85 wire-to-wire rout of the Sacramento Kings. Two days later, the Nets erased a 28-point deficit and pulled off an impressive 111-106 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden last night, putting them in position for three straight wins for the first time since getting four straight wins Dec 10-16.

Simmons has yet to play for Brooklyn but both Curry (20 points last night) and center Drummond (11 & 19 vs the NYK) have made immediate impacts. Patty Mills is also new and he's averaging 13.2 PPG on the season. Rookie Cam Thomas (9.6) scored 16 of his 21 points in Brooklyn's 38-point fourth quarter, while LaMarcus Aldridge (13.7 & 8.8) added 18 points and James Johnson (5.9) finished with 14. Here's the bottom line. Washington 'limps' into its final game before the All-Star break having gone 3-16-1 ATS its last 20 contests. "W-I-P-E-O-U-T Alert!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on the GS Warriors at 10:10 ET.

The Phoenix Suns have pulled away in the West and at 47-10, own a 5 1/2-game lead over the 42-16 Warriors. Golden St will host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday in San Francisco The Nuggets enter at 32-25, which places them 6th in the Western Conference, the last guaranteed spot in the playoffs

Denver has played all season without Murray (21.2 PPG last season) and Porter played just NINE games (9.9 & 6.6) before going down. Last year's MVP Jokic (25.8-13.7-7.9) has basically 'mirrored' his stats from last season and is still surrounded by some solid talent. Swingman Barton (15.4-5.0-4.0), PF Gordon (14.6 & 5.7), PG Morris (12.6 & 4.3 APG) and SF Green (10.5) have been consistent. Unfortunately Morris is dealing with a concussion and will miss this game. That means Denver's reserves will need to step up. Hyland (8.8) has moved ahead of Campazzo (6.0 & 3.7 APG) as the team's second-string PG but both will get more minutes with Morris out. Swingman Forbes has been an excellent pickup, averaging 9.8 PPG in his 14 games with the team.

Curry (25.8-5.3-6.3), Wiggins (17.9 & 4.2) and Poole (16.4) have been Golden St's "Big 3" this season but now Thompson (17.1 PPG in 15 games) is back. When Thompson starts, Poole comes off the bench. Golden St has gotten used to playing without Green (7.9-7.6-7.4) with Porter (8.3 & 8.2) stepping up. Forward Kuminga (7.9) plus guards Lee (8.1) and Payton (6.7) have been valuable contributors. Then there is center Looney, who has started all 58 games, averaging 6.2 & 7.5).

Golden St lost 119-104 Monday night.at the LA Clippers, the team's THIRD loss in its previous four games. In that stretch, the Warriors have been outrebounded by an average of 48.5 to 40.3. That has to change and of course, Denver is led by Jokic, the NBA leader in double-doubles (45) and triple-doubles (15), having 15 of the former and eight of the latter in his past 16 games. Golden State has allowed at least 111 points in each of its past four games but still ranks 4th in points allowed (103.5 per), plus 2nd in both opponents FG percentage (43.%) and three-point percentage (33.3%).

I believe this is Golden St's "game to win," remembering an 89-86 home loss to Denver way back on Dec 28th. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conf (Big South) "Best of the Best" is on Gardner-Webb at 7:00 ET.

The Winthrop Eagles and the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs meet Wednesday from Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, NC. Winthrop was 23-2 last season but this season began with a new head coach in Mark Prosper. Gardner-Webb, unlike Winthrop, has not been much of a threat in the Big South during Mark Crat's tenure (now in his 9th season). The Big South has two divisions (North and South). Longwood (19-6 / 11-1) has run away with the North but Winthrop (17-8 / 10-2) is being challenged in the South by Gardner-Webb (15-10 / 9-3).

Winthrop opened just 6-6 but has won 11 of 13 since. The 6-9 Burns (15.8 & 4.5) and the 6-7 Hightower (11.2 & 5.9) are the team's top scorers, while guard Good (10.4) and the 6-7 Talford (8.9 7 4.6) contribute well off the bench. Five guards (three who start), chip in with between 4.7 & 7.4 PPG. Gardner-Webb opened 4-7 but has won 11 of its last 14 (has closed within one game of Winthrop in the South). Seven players get 21-plus minutes and the starting-five looks like this. D'maurian Williams (14.3 & 4.8) and Terry (13.8) start in the backcourt, while the frontcourt features the 6-9 Reid (10.0 & 5.3), SF Zion Williams (6.8 & 5.2) and the 6-8 Dufeal (4.3 & 6.0).

Winthrop has won four straight coming in but Gardner-Webb enters on a six-game winning streak. The phrase "defense wins championships" makes me point out that Gardner-Webb is allowing 63.2 PPG (37th), while holding opponents to 38.6% on all FG attempts (15th), including 28.)% on threes (8th). In contrast, Winthrop is allowing 70.2 PPG (221st) on 42.8% shooting (173rd), including 34.4% on threes (236th). One last thing. It's hard to overlook the fact that Winthrop is just 5-16 ATS in its last 21 road games.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Illinois at 7:00 ET.

Illinois routed Rutgers by 35 points when the teams met on Dec 3 but much has changed (especially for Rutgers), since that meeting. Illinois is one of five top-25 teams in the Big Ten and sits atop the conference at 11-3. Rutgers is unranked but at 9-5 in league play, is still very much alive to get one of the conference's top-four seeds (double-bye).

The Illini staved off a comeback effort by Northwestern to secure a 73-66 home win on Sunday. The 7-0 Cockburn went for 19 points and 15 rebounds, bringing his season averages to 21.5 points and 11.4 boards. He is a national player of the year candidate, as he is the ONLY player in Division I averaging 20 & 10. Illinois goes just six-deep, as guards Plummer (15.4), Frazier (12.5 & 4.0 APG), Grandison (10.7) and Curbelo (9.0) are joined by the 6-10 Hawkins (5.2 & 4.0). came off the bench. Rutgers has a starting lineup consisting of four guards and the 6-11 Omoruyi (11.4 & 7.9). PG Baker (12.5 & 4.1 APG) entered the season with 101 starts on his resume and 6-6 guard Harper (15.7 & 6.1) can be a 'nightmare' matchup issue for many teams. Mulcahy (8.9-4.3-5.4) & 4.1) and McConnell (6.4 & 4.9).

Brad Underwood became a star at SF Austin, going 89-14 with three straight NCAA appearances. He was hired at Oklahoma St and went 20-13, leading the Cowboys to the 'Big Dance," He was then lured to Illinois but his first two seasons resulted in 14-18 and 12-21 records. Those days are now in the rearview mirror, as the Fighting Illini have gone 21-10, 24-7 and now 18-6 so far this season. Steve Pikiell came to Rutgers (from Stony Brook) for the 2016-17 season and his 2019-20 team won 20 games (NCAA tourney was canceled) and then got the Scarlet Knights into the "Big Dance" last season, winning a game before losing in the round of 32. The current season seemed like a disappointment but then the Scarlet Knights ran off three straight wins over top-25 opponents, building off home wins over Michigan State and Ohio State with a 73-65 upset of then-No. 14 Wisconsin in Madison. It marks the first time in program history that Rutgers has beaten three ranked opponents in a row.

"The RAC" (Rutgers Athletic Center) has been a brutal venue for visiting teams. Rutgers is 12-2 at home this season and enters 40-8 (.833) at home the last two-plus seasons. That said, I just can't see Rutgers beating a FOURTH straight ranked team here. No 35-point win by Illinois this time but I do expect one by double digits.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Late Breaker is on Indiana at 9:00 ET.

The Big Ten has FIVE schools in the AP's top-20. Purdue is the highest ranked at No. 5 but at 11-4, trails No. 12 Illinois (11-3). No. 15 Wisconsin is 19-5 overall and 10-4 in the Big Ten (third-place), as it visits Bloomington, In on Tuesday to take on 16-8 Indiana, which is just 7-7 in Big Ten play.

The Badgers find themselves in a four-way fight at the top of the conference standings (Mich St is 9-4) and Saturday's 73-65 home loss to Rutgers sure didn't help. Greg Gard is now in his seventh season at Madison, taking over when Bo Ryan retired. Wisconsin featured four, 5th-year seniors and three regular seniors last season but of the 14 scholarship players this season, 10 are classified as freshmen for eligibility purposes. Guard Davison began the season with 124 career starts and is averaging 14.4 & 4.1 and is joined by freshman guard Hepburn (7.5). The "big story" has been guard Davis (7.0 & 4.1 LY), who is averaging 20.3 & 8.2 this season.  Rounding out the starting-five, after limited playing time last season, are the 6-9 Wahl (11.6 & 5.7) and the 7-0 Crowl (9.1 & 4.4).

Indiana lost its final six games of last season and the Hoosiers fired head coach Archie Miller. They then hired Mike Woodson (former Indiana player under Bob Knight) to lead the team in the 2021-22 season, Indiana opened 6-0 but is a modest 10-8 since, including 7-7 in Big Ten play). The 6-9 Jackson-Davis (17.5 & 8.3) is the team's best player, joined up front by the 6-8 Thompson (10.7 & 7.8) and the 6-7 Kopp (6.0 & 2.5). Guards Johnson (10.4-3.6-4.5), Stewart (6.7 and Galloway (6.0) are getting the backcourt minutes (Phinisee was averaging 5.1 PPG but has been sidelined with an ankle injury since late Jan).

Wisconsin is known for its defense and is allowing 66.4 PPG but it may surprise that Indiana is allowing 63.8 PPG. What's more, Wisconsin is allowing opponents to shoot 43.7% (221st), while Indiana is holding opponents to 37.6% shooting (5th-best in the nation). The Hoosiers are coming off a 76-61 loss at Michigan State on Saturday (team's third straight loss), dropping to 2-6 on the road this season. However, the Hoosiers are 13-2 at home. This contest is a rematch of the Big Ten opener for both teams back on Dec 8, a game Wisconsin won 64-59. However, the Badgers needed to rally from a 22-point deficit to edge Indiana at home. The 'shoe' is on the other foot in this one and I look for the Hoosiers to earn the win, dealing the Badgers a 'hurtful' loss in their quest for a Big Ten regular season title. Revenge is a dish best served cold and I expect it to be very 'cold' tonight in Assembly Hall for the Badgers.

Good luck...Larry

 My 9* Marquee Classic is on Villanova at 8:00 ET.

Big East supremacy will be at stake Tuesday when No. 10 Villanova visits No. 8 Providence. Villanova (19-6, 12-3) is the model program of the conference, while Providence (21-2, 11-1 Big East) is in first-place coming off a 13-13 season (9-10 in the Big East).

Villanova head coach Jay Wright owns two national titles (2016 and 2018) and is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season with four starters coming back, 'Nova opened the year as the AP's 4th-ranked team but the Wildcats were just 7-4 through mid-December. That said, THREE of those losses came to then-No. 2 UCLA, then-No. 6 Purdue and then-No. 2 Baylor. Villanova is 12 and 2 since then, as Wright is going with a basic six-man rotation so far this season. Collin Gillespie has fully recovered from an MCL injury that ended his 2020-21 campaign early. He leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16.2 PPG. Fellow guards Justin Moore adds 15.2 & 5.0 and Daniels chips in 9.27PPG in the role of 6th-man. Up front, it's the 6-7 Samuels (10.2 & 6.1) the 6-8 Dixon (10.0 & 6.7).and the 6-7 Slater (9.0 & 3.7).

Ed Cooley arrived in Providence for the 2011-12 season and led the Friars to FIVE straight NCAA tournaments from 2014-2018. Providence is coming off a mediocre 13-13 season last year but that's all changed this season. The Friars have three double digit scorers 6-10 center Watson (13.6 & 5.7), plus guards Durhman (13.4) and Bynum (11.6 & 4.2 APG). Reeves (8.9) adds depth in the backcourt, while the 6-8 Horchler (9.9 & 8.5) and the 6-7 Minaya (6.6 & 5.8) contribute up front.

Villanova always plays excellent defense and this season is no different (62.2 PPG ranks 26th) but Providence has held opponents to a modest 64.6 PPG (61st). This is the first of two meetings between the two schools, with the second coming Mar 1 (regular season finale for both) and Villanova is well aware that a loss here and the Friars will move to 12-1, leaving the Wildcats at 12-4 (steep hill to climb). Villanova has won SIX of its last eight road games against Providence and I'll back "the model program of the conference" in this Marquee Classic. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Division (Atlantic) Game of the Year is on the Phi 76ers at 7:40 ET.

The Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden along with Paul Millsap on Thursday from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks. However, Harden's strained hamstring is expected to be sidelined through at least the All-Star break. 34-22 Philadelphia defeated Oklahoma City and Cleveland in consecutive games this past weekend without Harden and tonight welcome rival Boston to Philly on Tuesday. The red-hot Celtics will be looking for their NINTH consecutive victory in Tuesday's game.

The Celtics were a season-worst three games under .500 when they were 18-21 thru Jan 6 but have since gone 15-4 to reach 33-25. EIGHT straight wins (10 of 11) have moved Boston into the East's No. 6 seed (last guaranteed playoff spot) and just 4 1/2-games back of top-seeded Miami (37-20). The Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 105-95 on Sunday thanks in large part to Jayson Tatum's 38 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who looked completely in sync offensively. Tatum (25.7 & 8.4) and Brown (23.5 & 6.6) lead the way but there have been times when Tatum and Brown have been criticized for "not playing well with others" but Celtics first-year head coach Ime Udoka recently said, "We know we're much harder to beat when both are firing on all cylinders. They've been shooting better, attacking better, and making plays, and we expect that from those two." However, Boston needs to keep others involved. Boston was active at Thursday's trade deadline. First, they acquired point guard Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a 2022 first-round pick. Then, they acquired forward Daniel Theis from the Houston Rockets for guard Dennis Schroder and big men Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando. Theis, a former Celtic, is averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 26 games (21 starts) this season. White has averaged 14.5-5.0-3.5 in his two games and along with Smart (11.8-4.0-5.4) form an excellent backcourt. Big men Horford (10.0 & 7.5) and Robert Williams (10.0 & 9.7) give Boston the look of a "real contender!"

Philadelphia is 34-22 (No. 4 seed) but as I've mentioned often, the top-5 East teams are separated by just 2 1/2-games. The Sixers have been resilient while waiting for Harden to make his team debut. Joel Embiid produced his fourth career triple-double with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 103-93 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday. Embiid (29.5-11.2-4.5) joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other Sixers player in history to accumulate a 40-point triple-double. Philly guards Thybulle (5.9) and Milton (10.1) are back and join Maxey (17.0-3.6-4.7), who is developing as a star at PG. Harris (18.9 & 7.4) forms an excellent center/PF duo with Embiid. SF Niang (9.3) continues to play well plus Korkmaz (8.9) and Green (6.6) add depth.

Yes, Boston has won EIGHT straight but look closer. FOUR of those wins have been on the road to. Boston's 'victims' have been 23-34 New Orleans, 12-45 Detroit, 13-46 Orlando and the free-falling Brooklyn (has lost 11 of 12). Philadelphia has taken TWO of three from Boston this season and in this final regular season meeting, will make it THREE wins in a row over the team's hated-rival.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on Cincinnati at 7:00 ET.

The Memphis Tigers got hot at the end of last season and head coach Penny Hardaway led his alma mater to the NIT championship. Memphis opened the current CBB season ranked 12th in the AP poll but it's far from 'smooth sailing' for the Tigers, who are currently a modest 14-8 and have long ago fallen from the rankings. However, the Tigers have won FIVE straight (all in league play) and are 8-4 in the AAC, 1 1/2-games behind conference leaders Houston and SMU (both 9-2). The Tigers travel to Cincinnati to take on the 16-8 Bearcats (just 6-5 in AAC play) tonight. The Bearcats have a new coach in Wes Miller (NCAA bids with UNC-Greensboro in 2018 and 2021), who was hired after John Brannen was let go amid controversy.

Memphis has remarkable depth, as 10 players are averaging 5 PPG or more. The 6-11 Dalen Duren leads the Tigers in scoring (11.3) and rebounding (7.9) and plays alongside the 6-9 Williams (11.2 & 5.5) and the 6-8 Bates (10.4 & 3.5). However, Bates has been sidelined with a bad back and is still not available. Joining big men Duren and Williams in the starting lineup are now guards Nolley (9.4), Quinines (9.4) and Lomax (6.1-3.1-3.5).

David DeJulius leads the Bearcats in scoring with 14.7 PPG while Jeremiah Davenport averages 13.3 PPG with a team-high 5.2 RPG (a team high). Adams-Woods (8.9 & 3.42APG) and Saunders (7.3) join DeJulius and Davenport in the backcourt, while 6-5 SF Newman (6.4 & 4.0) is part of the starting-five. The 6-11 Lahkin (4.9 & 4.2) and the 6-9 Oguama (4.2 & 4.2) contribute up front.

Memphis beat Cincy 87-80 at home on Jan 9 bi[ut I believe the Tigers will have their hands full here, coming off a HUGE 69-59 win last Saturday at then-No. 6 Houston. The Cincinnati Bearcats are 11-3 at the Fifth Third Arena, which has always been a tough venue for visiting teams over the years. Memphis will have to contend with a Cincy team that is allowing opponents to connect on just 38.7%, ranking 16th in the nation. Take the points but a Cincy OUTRIGHT win is the prediction.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Rhode Island at 9:00 ET.

The 17-8 Dayton Flyers and the 13-10 Rhode Island Rams meet Monday from Ryan Center in Kingston, RI in A-10 action.  Dayton is 9-3 in conference play (tied with VCU), as both chase 10-2 Davidson. Rhode Island is only 3-4 in conference play but comes off a confidence-building 72-65 win over Davidson in its last game. The two schools met back on Jan 28 in Dayton, with the Flyers barely edging the Rams, 53-51.

The Flyers have a solid frontcourt duo in the 6-10 Holmes (11.5 & 5.9) and the 6-8 Camara (19=0.6 & 6,4), joined by a trio of guards in Smith (9.4 & 4.1), Elvis (9.2) and Weaver (7.2). Rhode Island has the Mitchell twins (Maryland transfers), as the 6-10 Makhel averages 11.2 & 5.5) and 6-9 Makhi averages 9.8 & 7.2). Sheppard (10.6-3.0-3.0) is the only guard in double digits but FIVE more chip in between 5.6 & 8.5 PPG.

Dayton managed just a modest 8-6 start but the team has found some rhythm since then, going 9-2. Meanwhile, the Rams began their year at 12-4 but then had an 'ugly' six-game losing streak, before beating Davidson this past weekend. I noted earlier, I thought that was a confidence-builder and noting that the Rams almost beat the Flyers in Dayton in the first meeting (lost by TWO points), I'm calling for them to play 'spoilers' and hand Dayton a loss it DOESN'T need. 

Good luck...Larry

 My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on the Chi Bulls at 8:10 ET.

The SA Spurs had their playoff streak of 22 in a row snapped in the 2019 season when they went 32-39. The Spurs went 33-39 last season, qualifying for the play-in' round but failed to advance, making it TWO straight non-playoff years for "Pop." The Spurs are currently 22-35 and one behind the No. 10 seed, the final spot for the 7-10 'play-in' round. The Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference behind Zach LaVine and the free agent signing of DeMar DeRozan. They also picked up center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando last season (where his talents were wasted) plus added Lonzo Ball as a free agent prior to this season. Chicago is currently 36-21, one game behind the top-seeded Miami Heat in the East (note: top-5 seeds separated by just 2 1/2-games).

The Spurs head to Chicago after a 124-114 win in New Orleans on Saturday (team's third straight win), as Dejounte Murray (20.0 & 9.3) scored 31 points and distributed 12 assists in the victory, giving him the 30-10 achievement in back-to-back games. The Spurs also have five more players averaging in double digits. The group includes Johnson (15.6 & 6.0), Poeltl (13.0 & 9.0), McDermott (11.7), Vassell (11.6 & 4.3) and Walker (10.9).

The Bulls came from behind to beat Oklahoma City 106-101 at home on Saturday (also the team's third straight win) behind DeRozan's 38 points. DeRozan (27.7-5.2-5.1) has now scored 30 or more points in six consecutive games (a career-high), and the last Bull to score 30-plus in seven straight games was Michael Jordan in 1996-97. Zach LaVine (24.6-4.9-Center 4.5) missed Saturday's game with a sore left knee and left the team on Sunday to see a specialist. He is considered questionable for the contest with the Spurs and could miss the rest of the week leading up to the All-Star Break. Center Vucevic missed some time due to COVID and is currently dealing with a knee issue but he's playing these days and is averaging a double-double (18.0 & 11.7) on the season. Ball is sidelined but rookie guard Dosunmu (8.0) has made the most of his extra "PT." He is averaging just over 10 PPG since Jan 1 and in his last two games, he has scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out 19 assists.

The Spurs beat the Bulls 131-122 in San Antonio back on Jan 28, but expect the Bulls to 'return the favor tonight,' in a BIG way!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on West Va at 7:00 ET.

The Big 12 Conference has FOUR schools in the AP's top-20, with Kansas (9-2) leading the way over 9-3 Baylor and 8-4 Texas Tech. Tonight's game between West Va (14-10 / 3-8 Big 12) and Kansas St (13-11 / 5-7 Big 12) is not what one would call a marquee matchup. However, both have quality head coaches in West Va's Bob Huggins and Bruce Weber of Kansas St. The Mountaineers just got pounded 81-58 Saturday at Oklahoma State, suffering their EIGHT loss in nine games. The Wildcats come into this game with momentum after rallying Saturday for a 75-69 overtime win at Iowa State. They allowed just 29 points after halftime, limiting the Cyclones to 31.4 percent shooting from the floor.

The guard duo of Sherman (18.4) and McNeil (13.4) lead the way for West Va, while the 6-7 Bridges (9.2 & 5.0) is the team's top frontcourt player. Guard Curry (8.5) is the only other West Va player averaging as much as 5 PPG. Kansas St has a trio of guards averaging in double digits, led by Pack (17.7). He's joined by Smith (12.0 & 8.4) and PG Newell (11.5 & 5.1 APG). The 6-9 Massoud (6.3 & 2.8) and the 6-10 Ezeagu (4.3 & 3.0) add little in the way of much help in the frontcourt.

West Virginia edged Kansas State 71-68 back on Jan 9 in Morgantown. At that point, WVU was 12-2 on the season but is just 2-8 since then. It's "revenge" for Kansas St but I want NO part of laying points with the Wildcats. Interestingly, Monday night's game offers an opportunity for the winner to possibly make a late run into the 68-team NCAA field next month. Each has some high-profile games left on the schedule and with four Big 12 teams in the top-15 of the NCAA's NET rankings through Saturday night's games, a late season run and a "W" (or two) in the Big 12 tourney may just 'do the trick!' I'm with Huggins and the Mountaineers.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* SB 56 Super Pick is on the LA Rams at 6:30 ET.

The Super Bowl is back in the Los Angeles mark for the EIGHTH time, as only Miami (11) and New Orleans (10) have hosted more. Sunday's game will be played at SoFi Stadium (home to the Rams), as for the SECOND consecutive year a team has played host to a Super Bowl playing in its home stadium (the Bucs hosted SB 55 last year at Raymond James). No team had hosted a Super Bowl in its home stadium for the first 54 Super Bowls but it's now happened in back-to-back seasons. Could the Cards make it three years in a row by hosting next year's Super Bowl in Glendale, Az? Seems like a stretch but how many had the Bengals, coming off a 4-11-1 year and having last won a playoff game in the 1990 season, reaching this year's Super Bowl? Or for that matter, how many had the Rams as the NFC favorite to be here, led by Matthew Stafford and his 0-3 career record in the postseason during his 12 years with the Lions? Anyway, it's the Bengals and Rams in Super Bowl 56, playing in the same city as the first-ever Super Bowl. That game was played in the LA Coliseum, as Lombardi's Packers beat Hank Stram's Chief 35-10. The game was played on Jan 15, 1967 (1966 season) with the official merger not coming until the start of the 1970 season. Those were the days!

How the teams made the postseason: The Bengals went just 4-11-1 in Joe Burrow's rookie season but their 10-7 record in 2021 was good enough to win the AFC Central for the first time since 2015 (it didn't hurt that the Ravens ended the season on a SIX-game losing streak!). Burrow had an excellent season (70.4% for 4,611 yards with 34 TDs and 11 INTs), while RB Mixon had a career season, running for 1,205 yards with 13 TDs, while catching 42 passes (3 TDs). WR Chase caught 81 passes (18.0 YPC / 13 TDs) plus fellow WRs Higgins (74 / 14.7 YPC / 6 TDs) and Boyd ( 67 / 5 TDs), as well as TE Uzomah (49 / 5 TDs) gave Burrow an excellent receiving corps. Perhaps overlooked, was that the Cincy defense allowed 22.1 PPG, a significant improvement after allowing 27.1 PPG over the previous three seasons. As for the Rams, they opened the season 7-1 but then lost THREE in a row, falling to 7-4 (Cards were 9-2 thru 11 games). At that time, it looked as if the Rams were headed for a wild card berth (at best) and the Cards for the division title. However, the Rams would win FIVE straight games (Cards would finish 2-4) and even with a Week 18 home loss to the 49ers, were able to earn the NFC West title, as the Cards lost in Week 18 at home to Seattle. Stafford struggled some down the stretch but had an excellent season, completing 67.2% for 4,886 yards with 41 TDs and 17 INTs. His QB rating of 102.9 was the best of his career in which he played a full season, The LA running game suffered a ton of injuries but WR Cooper Kupp had 145 receptions for 1,947 receiving yards. Both rank second in single-season NFL history to Michael Thomas' 149 catches and to Calvin Johnson's 1,964 receiving yards, respectively. He also led the NFL with 16 TD receptions. The Rams have an excellent defense but for most of the season, the D was considered underachievers.

The Playoffs: Burrow has been good (not great), throwing for 842 yards, completing 68.8% with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. He has a terrific receiving corps, with Chase leading the way with 20 catches in the three wins. However, Cincy's running game has disappeared, averaging just 88.0 YPG on 3.8 YPC. The Cincy defense has been OUTSTANDING, allowing just 35 points to the Raiders and Titans (17.5 per) in the team's first two playoff wins. Then after allowing the Chiefs to score 21 points on their first three possessions in the AFC championship game, the Bengals D shut down Patrick Patrick and company, as KC had just 83 yards and two interceptions during seven second-half possessions). KC's only points came on a FG (0:00), which sent the game to OT. As for Stafford, after throwing SEVEN interceptions in his final three regular season games (104 attempts), he's completed 72.% of his passes in three playoff wins, throwing for 905 yards with six TDs and just ONE interception (in 100 attempts!). Like Burrow, he's gotten little or no help from LA's running game (94.3 YPG on 2.9 YPC) but Kupp (25 catches / 15.4 YPC / 4 TDs) has been spectacular and OBJ (19 catches) is playing as if he cares. The LA defense has turned it up a notch, dominating the Cards (holding them to 11 points on 183 yards), while holding the 49ers to 17 points (282 yards) in the NFC championship game. The only 'blip on the radar' was allowing Brady and the Bucs to overcome a 27-3 deficit to tie the game at 27-all, before LA won on a late FG.

The BIG game: Not only will neither No. 1 seed be represented in this game, but the to-3 three seeds in both conferences are out, leaving us with two No. 4 seeds. By the numbers, Super Bowl underdogs are 13-6-1 ATS the last 20 years and since 1999, Super Bowl underdogs of plus 3.5 or higher are 10-2 ATS, including a perfect 6-0 the last six times. Does that mean Cincy plus the points? I say NO! I love Burrow but I believe this is "Stafford's time" and he's been terrific this postseason (see above). While I've chronicled Cincy's defensive improvement, the LA defense has been dominating all postseason, save that stretch when it coughed up a 27-3 lead from the late-third quarter to when the Bucs tied it at 27-all with 42 seconds left. However, the Rams, not the Bengals own defensive superstars like Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey. Then there is the Zac Taylor vs Sean McVay coaching matchup. Taylor owned just a 6-25-1 mark his first two seasons (prior to this year's run), while McVay is now in a Super Bowl for the SECOND time in four years (career record in the regular season is 55-26, .679). Sure, the atmosphere of a Super Bowl mitigates the home field edge somewhat but I believe it's still a significant edge for the Rams (seemed to work OK for the Bucs last year). Of course, Stafford is no Tom Brady (no one is) but for one game, he can be "Just like Tom!" I say Sunday is that game!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on Colorado St at 4:00 ET.

The 19-3 Colorado State Rams (9-3 in MWC) and the 19-5 Boise State Broncos (10-1 in MWC) meet Sunday afternoon from the ExtraMile Arena in Boise in a major showdown in the MWC. Boise St is tied with Wyoming at the top of the conference standings, while CSU sits 1 1/2-games behind the two leaders. This is the first of two meetings between the two schools, who will meet again March 5 in Fort Collins (season finale for both teams).

CSU's head coach Niko Medved is in his fourth season at Fort Collins, coming off a 20-8 record last season in which the Rams finished fourth in the NIT. Colorado State lost just ONE of its first 17 games but then lost B2B games to UNLV and Wyoming, before winning three in a row. David Roddy leads the Rams in scoring (19.3) and rebounding (7.7), while PG Isaiah Stevens averages 15.5 PPG and a team-high 4.9 APG this season. John Tonje (10.3) comes off the bench to give the Rams a third double-digit scorer. Guards Jacobs (5.2 & 4.2) and Moore (5.8) join the 6-9 Thomas (6.2 & 3.5) to complete the starting-five. Lake, Rivera and Moors combine to contribute 12.9 PPG.

Boise St's Leon Rice is in his 12th season, having produced EIGHT 20-win seasons in his first 11, including two NCAA teams (the most recent coming back in 2015). Last year's team went 19-9, before losing in the NIT quarterfinals, just missing a ninth, 20-win campaign. The Broncos opened just 3-4 but have won 16 of 17 since, losing only Feb 3 at Wyoming (72-65). Boise St has depth issues but has a very solid starting-five. The backcourt is missing Doutrive (9.4 & 4.6), who last played on Nov 30 but Shaver (12.7 & 3.7) and 6-8 guard Akot (11.0 & 3.2) form a quality duo. Up front, it's the 6-7 Kijab (14.1 & 6.4), the 6-7 Degenhart (10.3 & 3.7) and the 6-10 Armus (6.9 & 8.3). The 6-7 Smith (5.3 & 3.2) comes off the bench. Defense is Boise's 'bread-and-butter,' allowing 59.2 PPG (9th). 

This is a HUGE game for Colorado St, as loss likely leaves the regular season title to either Wyoming or Boise. However, a "W'' keeps them right in the mix. Let me note that Boise St comes in on an 0-4 ATS run in its last four home games. Take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Big East Showdown is on UConn at 12:00 ET.

St. John's (13-10, 5-7 Big East) will host No. 24 UConn (16-7, 7-5) in Madison Square Garden at high noon on Super Bowl Sunday. The Red Storm haven't played since Tuesday, when they trailed by 20 points with four minutes left before mounting a furious rally in a 75-69 loss to No. 15 Villanova. UConn also ran out of time in its 74-68 loss Friday night at No. 25 Xavier. The Huskies allowed Xavier to shoot almost 50 percent from the floor (26-of-53) and never led in the second half. They trailed 47-37 with 13:39 left before getting within three points three times, including twice in the final two minutes.

Mike Anderson (no connection at all to St John's or the Big East) was a surprise choice as the Red Storm's head coach after Chris Mullen left and the 'jury is still out' in his third season. The 6-8 Champagnie is listed as a guard and leads St John's in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (6.6). The 6-9 Wheeler (9.6 & 4.1) and the 6-11 Soriano (6.1 & 5.7) are the Red Storm's lone big men of note. Guards Alexander (14.9-4.6-5.2), Addae-Wusu (9.3 & 4.3), Mathis (8.3 & 4.0) and Smith (6.3) give St John's a deep perimeter group. Dan Hurley had a nice run at Rhode Island (won 25 & 26 games his last two seasons with NCAA bids) which got him the UConn job. He's in his fourth season and last year got UConn into the NCAAs. Guards Gole (16.3-3.7-4.4), Martin (13.7 & 6.6) Jackson (7.0 & 7.3) start in the backcourt, along with the 6-9 Sanogo (15.2 & 8.3) and Whaley (7.4 & 4.90. The 6-9 Polley (7.6) is the top reserve.

Here's the rub. St John's has BOTH Champagnie (exited the last game with a hip injury, and it is unclear if he will suit up against UConn) and Alexander (missed the previous game due to a right ankle injury, and it is uncertain if he will play vs UConn) listed as questionable. I'm NOT sure I'd want St John's if that duo was 100 percent healthy and I sure won't take St John's with the current status report. Remember, the Huskies own a 115-109 double overtime win over Auburn (Nov 24) and even though they limp in having lost three of four, that lone win was an 80-72 victory over No. 18 Marquette on Tuesday.

This is a great matchup for UConn. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My Late Breaker is on CS-Fullerton at 11:59 ET.

The 14-7 CS-Fullerton Titans will travel to the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu to take on the 11-8 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors this Saturday night in Big West play. A close look at the Big West standings reveals that while 10-1 Long Beach St (10-1) is the 'class' of the conference, the 8-2 Titans and 7-3 Rainbow Warriors are still within striking distance. Fullerton lost 71-61 this past Tuesday at Long Beach St, while Hawaii lost its 3rd straight game two nights ago, 73-66 at home to Long Beach State Beach.

Fullerton is led by the 6-7 Anosike (16.5 & 8.1) and only guard Milstead (10.9) joins him in double digits. However, five more players chip in between 7.0 & 9.8 PPG, led by guard Maddox (9.8) and the 6-8 Lee, who is the team's top rebounder (6.9) outside of Anosike. Hawaii features a solid starting-five. Guards Coleman (14.9) and Madut (10.4) are joined by a frontcourt of the 6-7 Desrosiers (11.6 & 7.4), the 6-9 da Silva (11.1 & 6.8) and the 6-10 Hepa (9.6 & 4.9).

Both teams are coming off losses to conference 'bully' LB St, so a "W" here is priority No. 1 for both Fullerton and Hawaii. I view Fullerton as the better team and the Titans are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a ATS loss. Meanwhile, Hawaii is only 1-6 ATS in its last seven games vs a team with a winning percentage above .600 (Fullerton is 14-7, .667). Fullerton doesn't play again until Feb 17, so why not enjoy their one-game stop in 'paradise!' The Titans are the play.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on UCLA at 10:00 ET.

All remember UCLA's great run to the Final 4 last season and with a 'TON' of talent back, the Bruins began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP's preseason poll. USC was 25-8 last season (made the Elite 8) but head coach Andy Enfield (who will ever forget Florida Gulf Coast!) has retooled the Trojans, after losing Evan Mobley to the NBA draft (3rd overall pick). USC opened the current season 13-0 and in the Jan 10 AP poll, was ranked No. 5. It was the school's highest ranking since also being No. 5 way back in December of 1974! Now, on Super Bowl Eve, less than 10 miles from where the big game will be played, cross-town rivals No. 12 UCLA and No. 21 USC meet at Galen Center in a game with Pac-12 Conference title implications.

UCLA (17-4, 9-3 Pac-12) fell from the conference lead last week with a pair of losses at Arizona and Arizona State. The Bruins responded Tuesday by carrying a double-digit lead through much of the second half to win at Stanford 79-70. USC (20-4, 9-4) held Arizona State to 22-of-67 shooting (32.8 percent), including 3 of 21 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range a week ago Thursday, in a come-from-behind 58-53 victory. USC held a late lead at Arizona last Saturday but were outscored 18-3 down the stretch and fell 72-63. USC then had to rally on Tuesday in a 74-68 win over Pacific, a non-conference opponent that was added to replace a game canceled because of COVID-19 issues earlier in the season. The Trojans trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half.

Mick Cronin's team is led by a 'Core 4' of guards. Juzang (18.1 & 5.2) leads the way, followed by Jaquez (13.2 & 5.6) and Bernard (12.8 & 5.1) All three are 6-7 and 5-11 PG Campbell (11.2 & 4.7 APG) runs the show. Enfield has retooled the Trojans this season, with GREAT success. Mobley's 6-10 older brother Isaiah leads in scoring (14.7) and rebounding (8.5) and is joined by the 6-9 Goodwin (11.9 & 6.8) and the 6-9 Agbonkpolo (7.8 & 3.6) in the frontcourt. Ellis (12.8), and Peterson (10.9 & 6.1) make for an excellent backcourt duo.

Here's the 'state of the union' in the Pac 12. Arizona leads at 11-1, with Oregon tied with UCLA at 9-3, while USC lurks at 9-4. These teams will meet again in their respective season-finale in Westwood on March 5 but by then, the Pac 12 will likely be decided. Isaiah Mobley missed Tuesday's matchup after coming away with a non-displaced nose fracture at Arizona. Enfield said Mobley is "day-to-day." Just what does that mean here? I like the Bruins even if Mobley plays!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on Bradley at 8:00 ET (3rd of my STP).

Drake's Darian DeVries is in his fourth season in Des Moines (70-29 his first three) and you may remember Drake opening 18-0 last season. However, the Bulldogs lost in the MVC tourney (Arch Madness) but the Bulldogs still went 'dancing,' earning the first at-large bid in program history (Drake also finished at 26-5). What's more, Drake returned all FIVE starters from that team. Bradley's Brian Wardle is in his 7th season at Bradley, having gone just 93-102 in his first six (12-16 last season). Drake come is 17-8 (8-4 in MVC) and Bradley 14-11 (8-5 in MVC). The teams meet tonight from the Carver Arena in Peoria. 

Drake' head coach Darian DeVries had the inside track on recruiting his son Tucker (Gatorade POY in Iowa) and he's delivered by leading the team in scoring at 13.4 PPG. Three more guards join him in the starting lineup, the 6-3 Sturtz (11.2 PPG and a team-high 7.6 RPG), Penn (10.6) and Wilkins (10.8). The 6-6 Murphy (9.3 & 5.3) is the fifth starter, while the 6-6 Hemphill (9.3 & 5.3) and the 6-10 Brodie (6.6 & 5.0) are important role players. Terry Roberts leads the Braves in scoring (15.2) and assists (4.5) and four other guards combine to chip in about 21.5 PPG. The frontcourt once featured the 6-9 Mast (11.1 & 8.4), the 6-6 Henry (10.4 & 4.9) and the 6-9 Leons (10.2 & 6.0). However, Henry has played just ONE game since mid-Dec.

No. Iowa (10-3) leads the MVC, with 9-3 Loyola and 9-4 Mo St trailing. Drake hopes to bounce back from a 66-62 loss to Missouri State last time out, while Bradley Braves looks to build on back-to-back wins, including a confidence-building 68-61 win over Loyola-Chicago its last time out. The tech trends all favor Bradley, as Drake is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 road games and 1-6-1 ATS in its last eight games following a SU loss. Meanwhile, Bradley is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall and 4-0 ATS in its last four home games. The home team is the play.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conf Game of the Year (WAC) is on Utah Valley St at 4:00 ET.

New Mexico St has pretty much dominated the WAC since joining in the 2005-06 season, winning nine WAC conference tourneys (2020 tourney was canceled in a year in which the Aggies were 25-6 / 16-0 in the WAC. Chris Jans is in his fifth season In Las Cruces and is his first four, produced a 95-25 record, despite last season's 12-8 mark. However, despite losing four starters, the Aggies are back atop the WAC at 20-3 overall, including 10-1 in league play. Utah Valley St has nowhere near that kind of pedigree and Mark Madsen is in just his third season as a head coach. The Wolverines were just 11-19 and 11-11 in his first two seasons but Madesen (who will EVER forget him 'dancing' while celebrating a Lakers' title) has this year's team at 15-8 overall but just 6-5 in WAC play.

 The Aggies have an excellent guard duo in Allen (top scorer and top rebounder at 19.6 & 7.0) plus Rice (12.8 & 5.7). That duo gets little help, as no other guard averages as much as 5 PPG. The frontcourt does have depth (but no major producers) in the 6-7 MCants (8.5-5.0), the 6-7 Tillman (6.6 & 3.1), the 6-10 McNair (6.5 & 5.0) and the 6-11 Alok (5.9 & 2.4). As for Utah Valley, the 6-11 Aimaq (18.9 & 13.2) is the best big man in this game and gets some support from the 6-9 Fuller (7.3 & 4.6). Four guards chip in between 7.5 and 11.3 PPG, led in scoring by Harding (11.3 & 4.2) and in assists by PG Nield (4.5). New Mexico will likely win the WAC tourney title again but this Utah Valley St team is 'sneaky good' and is 8-2 at home this season. I'm issuing an "Upset Alert!" Take the points. 

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on George Mason at 4:00 ET (1st of my STP).

The VCU Rams and George Mason Patriots meet Saturday in A-10 action from the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va. The VCU Rams come in having won FIVE of six and are now 15-7 overall, including 8-3 in league play. George Mason beat Richmond on Wednesday but enters just 3-3 in its last six games (12-10 overall and 5-4 in league play). Davidson leads the A-10 at 10-1, while VCU is tied with StL and Dayton at 9-3.

 
VCU's Mike Rhoades has some pretty good credentials in his first four seasons in Richmond, going 80-41 with two NCAA bids. Last season's NCAA bid ended before his team was able to play its first-round game with Oregon, as the VCU team had a COVID outbreak. The Rams opened just 3-4 this season but as noted, are now fighting for the top spot in the A-10. The 6-6 Vince Williams Jr. (12.6 & 6.1) is the team's best player and gets some help up front from the 6-7 Ward (6.8 & 5.3) and the 6-8 Stockard (5.9 & 2.7). PG Baldwin (10.6 & 5.1 APG) is joined in the backcourt by Curry (9.9) and Nunn (8.1). VCU's strength is a defense allowing 60.3 PPG (15th).

The Patriots have a first-time head coach in Kim English. He inherited a 13-9 team that lost FOUR starters from last season. The Patriots are "not going anywhere" in the A-10 but English has a VERY good starting-five. All five average 30-plus minutes, led by the 6-9 Oduro (17.9 & 6.8). The four other starters are guards. Schwartz (15.9 & 4.8) is the top producer, joined by Cooper (12.7), Gaines (11.4 & 8.7) and Johnson (7.7-4.4-4.8). Oturo had missed the previous two games in the concussion protocol but returned Wednesday with 22 points and 14 rebounds!

 
Which team 'blinks' in this one? The Rams are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 road games, while the Patriots are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 home games. GMU is 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS at home this season, winning by an average of 10.5 points. That's the way I'm going.

Good luck...Larry 

My 9* play is on Morehead Dt at 4:00 ET (2nd play of STP).

The Murray State Racers just entered the AP poll on Monday (at No.23), for the first time since a one-week stay in March of 2015. Having won 13 straight games since a Dec 22 loss at Auburn, tends to build one's resume. Murray St (23-2 / 13-0 in OVC) will travel to Ellis T. Johnson Arena to take on the Morehead State Eagles late Saturday afternoon. Morehead St is 19-7 overall and 11-2 in OVC play (tied with Belmont).

Murray State Racers won their 13th straight game this past Thursday, by beating Tennessee St 73-62. Murray State trailed 36-29 at the half but dominated on both ends of the court in the 2nd half and pulled away. The 6-10 Williams leads in scoring (17.7) and rebounding (8.6), while SG Brown (17.0-5.6-3.4) and PG Hill (13.6 & 5.0 APG) join him in double digits. Murray St averages 80.9 PPG (11th) and allows 62.9 PPG (33rd). That's a pretty 'sweet 'daily double.'

Morehead State had its 3-game winning streak snapped and in a 48-47 loss at Belmont this past Thursday. The Eagles went into halftime with a 29-22 lead but really struggled on the offensive end in the 2nd half, and Belmont won on a game-winning floater with :05 seconds left in regulation. The 6-10 Broome (16.7 & 10.6) is a match for Williams inside plus Moorehead St has a nice trio of guards in Hollowell (11.2), Potter (11.0 & 5.2) and Cooper (9.0-4.6-6.2)

Murray St is on a roll but playing o-its first game as a ranked team on the road against a Morehead St team that's 12-0 on its home floor, is a prime spot for a letdown. I’m sure no Power-5 school is going to want to face the Racers in the NCAA Tournament but I'm "all over" Morehead St in this one as a home dog. Bow Wow!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* West Coast Crusher is on Fresno St at 9:30 ET.

The 16-7 Fresno State Bulldogs and the 18-3 Colorado State Rams meet Friday in MWC play from Moby Arena in Fort Collins. Fresno State is just 6-4 in MWC play, while Colorado St is 8-3, trying to run down MWC leaders Wyoming and Boise St (both are 9-1).

Fresno State was 10-4 run to start the year but then had a postponement break from December 28 to January 11. The Bulldogs have gone 6-3 in their last nine, losing to Nevada plus the two conference leaders, Boise State and Wyoming. The 7-0 Robinson leads in scoring (18.7) and rebounding (8.3) but is also Fresno's lone big man. Six guards chip in between 5.4 and 10.1 PPG, led by Hill (10.1) and Holland (9.7 & 6.1). Fresno's strength is a defense that's holding opponents to 57.6 PPG (5th-best in the nation!).

Colorado State lost just ONE of its first 17 games (notably a 79-49 road loss to San Diego State) but then lost two straight, before rebounding with back-to-back wins. Guard David Roddy leads the team in scoring (19.2) and rebounding (7.8) and the Rams' strength is their perimeter game. Fellow guards Stevens (15.5 & 5.0 APG) and Tonjie (10.4 off the bench) add double digits. Guards Moore (6.1) and Jacobs (5.5 & 4.2) join the 6-9 Thomas (6.2 & 3.5) to complete the starting-five.

CSU plays solid defense, allowing 67.4 PPG but that's 10 points MORE than what FSU allows. Yes, CSU is 11-1 SU at home but FSU is getting close to a 'touchdown' worth of points here and the Bulldogs are 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 overall, including 5-0-1 ATS after an ATS loss this season. Take the points with the better defensive team.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on the Den Nuggets at 7:40 ET.

The Den Nuggets were just 18-18 thru Jan 5 but have won 12 of 18 (SEVEN of their last 10) to move to 30-24. Denver is now the West's No. 6 seed, the final guaranteed playoff spot. The Nuggets will have a tough job moving up in the 'loaded' West, so keeping teams like Minnesota and both LA teams 'at bay,' is priority No. 1. Denver is in Boston tonight to take on the Celtics, who enter on a SIX game winning streak (eight of 10 since sitting 23-24 on Jan 21). 31-25 Boston is currently the East's No. 7 but is just ONE game back of the No. 6 seed plus more notably, only FIVE games behind the East's No. 1 seed.

Denver has played all season without Murray (21.2 PPG last season) and Porter played just NINE games (9.9 & 6.6) before going down. Last year's MVP Jokic (25.8-13.6-7.9) has basically 'mirrored' his starts from last season and is still surrounded by some solid talent. Swingman Barton (15.6-4.0-4.1), PF Gordon (14.7 & 5.7), PG Morris (12.6 & 4.3 APG) and SF Green (10.3) have been consistent. Unfortunately Morris is dealing with a concussion and will miss this game. That means Denver's reserves will need to step up (more in a bit).

Tatum (25.5 & 8.4) and Brown (23.9 & 6.5) lead the way. There have been times when Tatum and Brown have been criticized for "not playing well with others" but Celtics first-year head coach Ime Udoka recently said, "We know we're much harder to beat when both are firing on all cylinders. They've been shooting better, attacking better, and making plays, and we expect that from those two." However, Boston needs to keep others involved. Boston was active at Thursday's trade deadline. First, they acquired point guard Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a 2022 first-round pick. Then, they acquired forward Daniel Theis from the Houston Rockets for guard Dennis Schroder and big men Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando. Theis, a former Celtic, is averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 26 games (21 starts) this season.

Denver's offense still revolves around Jokic, who has posted four straight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. However, the team's bench has played a key role over the past week. The Nuggets' bench outscored the Knicks' reserves 61-34 in Tuesday's 132-115 win over the Knicks. Hyland (8.6) scored 22 points vs the Knicks and has moved ahead of Campazzo (5.8 & 3.7 APG) as the team's second-string PG. Both will get more minutes with Morris out plus swingman Forbes has been an excellent pickup, averaging 9.9 PPG in his 11 games with the team. Boston lost Schroder (14.4) and Richardson (9.7) in Thursday's trades, which will put more pressure on Smart (11.5-54.0-5.4). Up Front, Horford (10.0 & 7.5) and Robert Williams (9.8 & 9.5) have been reliable all season.

These teams are pretty evenly matched, so taking the points makes sense. In fact, with Boston shaking its roster up Thursday, I'm calling for Denver to win this game OUTRIGHT!

Good luck...Larry

 My 10* Oddsmaker's Error is on Akron at 7:00 ET.

The Kent State Golden Flashes and Akron Zips meet Friday in MAC play action from the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron. Kent State is 14-9 and comes in on a FIVE-game winning streak while Akron has won three in a row to reach 16-6. Toledo and Ohio lead the MAC (both are 11-2), with Akron (9-3) and Kent (9-4) hoping to catch up.

Kent returned four starters from last year's 15-8 team and owns a deep backcourt. Carry (17.6-4.7-4.8) leads the way with fellow guards Jacobs (11.6 PPG and a team-high 7.6 RPG), Santiago (8.9) and Garcia (8.5). The 6-11 Hamilton (8.6 & 6.7) and the 6-7 Beck (6.6) are the team's top frontcourt players. Akron pretty much relies on its starting-five. The 6-8 Ali leads in scoring at 13.7 PPG, while the 6-7 Freeman is the leading rebounder (11.0), while adding 12.9 PPG. Guards Castaneda (13.2) and Trimble (10.7) add double digit scoring in the backcourt, while fellow guards Walton (7.3) and Tribble (7.1) are solid contributors.

These rivals met back on Jan 14 in Kent, with the Golden Flashes winning 67-55. That game was the first of what's now been a 7-1 run by Kent St. However, let me add that since that loss, Akron has gone 7-1, as well. The Zips are 10-1 at home and that follows them going 28-5 at home the previous two seasons. Both teams play solid D but the Zips have allowed just 59.3 PPG during their three-game winning streak. Revenge, plus their dominating home record (see above) makes Akron the play at this 'undervalued' price. The Zips win by double digits.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NBA Finals Rematch is on the Mil Bucks at 10:00 ET.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the defending champions but it's been far from 'smooth sailing' this season. However, the Bucks wrap up a four-game Western road trip tonight in Phoenix, having won EIGHT of 10. It has been a much-needed surge, after the Bucks lost SIX of eight from Jan 3-17. Milwaukee is now 35-21, just a half-game behind the 35-20 Heat, for the East's top record (note: The East's top-5 teams are separated by just 2 1/2-games). I'm sure Milwaukee has not forgotten the thrill of winning the NBA title but I'm equally sure that the Phoenix Suns haven't shed themselves of "the agony of defeat." Tonight is the first rematch of the teams that battled in last season's NBA Finals, Milwaukee visits 44-10 Phoenix.

Milwaukee has been dominant while winning the first three contests of this four-game game road trip, as the Bucks have averaged 135 points with a winning margin of 22.7 points. Antetokounmpo scored 44 points on 17-of-20 shooting during Tuesday's demolition of the Lakers. Milwaukee led by 30 in the third quarter before cruising to a 131-116 win. Antetokounmpo (29.2-11.3-6.0) leads the way for Milwaukee, joined by SF Middleton (19.5-5.6-5.3), PG Holiday (17.9-4.7-6.7) and PF/C Portis (15.6 & 9.1). Guards Allen (11.7) and Connaughton (10.2 & 4,4) have been regular contributors plus Cousins has been a valuable signing, averaging 9.1 & 5.8 in just 17 minutes over 17 games (five starts).

Phoenix ended a 10-season playoff drought last year by going 51-21 (one win shy of Utah's NBA-leading 52 wins) and made it all the way to the Finals. The Suns took the first two games at home but then saw the Bucks win FOUR in a row, to win the team's second-ever NBA title. The first came way back in the 1970-71 season, led by Lew Alcindor (now Kareem) and the Big O. The Suns opened the current season just 1-3 but then ripped off 18 consecutive wins! Another 1-3 'drought' followed, but the Suns are currently on a 17-2 run, giving them a 44-10 (.815) record. The balanced Suns can place six or seven players in double figures on any given night. Booker (25.7-5.3-4.3) and Paul (15.0-4.5-10.4) are a terrific guard duo. Center Ayton (16.1 & 10.4) is surrounded by SF Bridges (13.1 & 4.3) and PF Crowder (8.9 & 5.2). The Suns also have SF Johnson (11.9 & 4.2), guard Payne (10.5) and center McGee (10.0 & 7.1). Throw in the 6-8 Biyombo, who was signed in January and over 15 games has averaged 8.9 & 6.9 in 22 minutes. Talk about an embarrassment of riches!

Both teams come in healthy, although the Suns' Payne will sit with a wrist injury. The revenge motive is clearly with the Suns plus Phoenix has won five of the last six regular-season meetings against the Bucks. Neither team has a weakness and both enter on a roll. "It is kind of like a rematch, right?" Bucks PG Jrue Holiday told TNT after Tuesday's 131-116 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers. "We know what's at stake. We know what happened last year. We know they're going to be focused and we're going to be focused as well." Forget revenge, Take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Late Breaker is on Michigan at 9:00 ET.

The Big Ten features five teams in the AP's top-25. 19-3 Purdue is ranked 3rd (no other Big Ten is higher than 13th) but since all THREE of the Boilermakers' losses are in league play, they find themselves in a three-way tie with Illinois (#13) and Wisconsin (#14) atop the conference standings at 10-3. Michigan opened the season ranked 6th in the AP's preseason poll but as we approach Valentine's Day the Wolverines are just 12-9 overall and 'buried' in the Big Ten at 6-5. Purdue beat Michigan 76-72 Feb 5 at home and now visits Crisler Arena looking for a series sweep.

Matt Painter is in his 17th season at Purdue and after the Boilermakers matched their best start through 17 games under Painter (Purdue also started 15-2 during the 2010-11 and 2017-18 seasons), Purdue is 19-3. 7-4 sophomore Edey (14.8 & 7.5) teams with 6-10 senior Williams (12.3 & 8.1), the 6-6 Gillis (7.1 & 3.3) and 6-10 freshman Furst (4.7 & 4.0 ) up front. The perimeter is led by Ivey (17.7-5.1-3.3) and Stefanovic (11.9), while Thompson (5.5), Hunter (5.3) and Newman (5.3) add depth. Purdue is quite an offensive juggernaut, averaging 84.5 PPG (4th) on 50.8% shooting (3rd).

Juwan Howard's season has NOT gone as planned (Wolverines were 23-5 last year). Michigan's starting-five includes 7-1 center Dickinson (18.1 & 8,3) and the 6-11 Diabate (8.4 & 6.1) up front, plus a trio of guards. Brooks (11.0) and Houstan (10.3 & 4.3) score in double digits, while PG Jones (9.2-4.4-3.9) runs the offense. The two most reliable reserves are forwards Williams and Johns, but they combine for the modest totals of 9.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG. Michigan can't match Purdue's firepower, averaging 72.4 PPG, 12 points less than the Boilermakers.

However, Michigan 'hung' with Purdue last Saturday in West Lafayette, never losing contact and falling by just six points. In this quick turnaround revenge spot, I'm 'barking' with the home dog. Take the points but expect a Michigan win.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Ga St at 7:00 ET.

The 9-10 Georgia State Panthers will travel to The HTC Center (Conway, SC) to take on the 12-10 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for a Thursday night game in Sun Belt action. Neither team has been competitive in league play, as Ga St is just 3-5 and Coastal Carolina is 4-6 (SBC leader App St is 9-3 and NOT looking over its shoulder).

The Panthers have depth, as EIGHT players chip in between 5.9 and 14.6 PPG. Guards Allen (14.6-3.7-3.0), Williams (12.0-4.0-3.8) and Roberts (12.0) all score in double digits The front court is led by the 6-8 Nsoseme (9.8 & 10.3), the 6-10 Thomas (6.6 & 5.9) and the 6-7 Hudson (5.9 & 5.2). Nsoseme began the season sidelined with an injury but returned in January and has made HUGE contributions The 6-9 Mostafa (14.9 & 9.9) gets some help from up front from the 6-9 Likayi (6.2 & 5.4) for Coastal Carolina, which also features guards Cole (14.9) and Williams (13.1) plus PG Dibba (7.8-4.6-6.1).

George State comes into this game with a losing record but the Panthers have won three of their last four games. No doubt that Nsoseme's presence is starting to make an impact (he'll match up well vs Mostafa), as the Panthers have held their last six opponents to an average of just 64.7 PPG. I believe that the oddsmakers are slow in recognizing the marked improvement from the Panthers. Ga St lost at home 72-68 (OT) to Coastal Carolina on Jan 22 but note that Nsoseme had 19 & 15 in that one. Revenge "wins the day" in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on La Tech at 7:00 ET.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will travel to play the Charlotte 49ers in a Conference USA game on Thursday night at Halton Arena. The Bulldogs have lost three of their last five but own a 17-6 record. La Tech plays in C-USA's West (by far the toughest division) and is 8-3, trailing 10-1 North Texas and 8-2 UAB. Charlotte enters off back-to-back wins but is a more modest 13-9 on the season. The 49ers play in the East, where four of the seven teams own sub-.500 records. Charlotte is 6-4, placing them third behind 8-3 FAU and 6-3 MTSU.

La Tech head coach Eric Kunkol led Bulldogs to a 12-4 conference record but after losing in the C-USA tourney, accepted an NIT bid and made its Final 4 (finished 3rd), ending with a 24-8 record. The 6-6 Crawford (11.8 & 5.1) returned but was lost for the season after just three games. The 6-7 Lofton (17.3 & 11.0) is having an outstanding season, getting some support up front by the 6-7 Green (7.0 & 3.0) and 6-10 freshman Hunter (4.0 & 3.0). The backcourt is led by three double digit scorers, Archibald (13.8), Willis (11.5) and Williams (10.3 & 3.6 APG).

Ron Sanchez is in his fourth season at Charlotte and entered the current season with a three-year record of just 33-50 (9-16 last season). The 49ers have a six-man rotation featuring guards Young (18.9-5.5-3.7), Butler (11.8 & 6.0), Trapp (9.2 & 5.6) and Threadkill (6.2). Up front, it's the 6-7 Braswell (9.5 & 1.7) and the 6-11 (Khalifa (7.1 & 4.1).

This is the only meeting between these teams and the bottom line is, the Bulldogs are CLEARLY the better team. Home court will NOT help the 49ers in this one. Lay the points with the small road favorite.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the GS Warriors at 10:10 ET.

The Golden St Warriors battled the Phoenix Suns for the top spot in the West since Opening Day but have recently fallen three games behind the Suns (Phoenix is 44-10 and Golden St 41-3). The Utah Jazz won an NBA-best 52 games last season and 'hung' right with Phoenix and Golden St early on, but after opening the season 28-10, the Jazz are now 33-21 (well off the place of the West's top-two teams) plus Utah has also fallen behind the red-hot 38-18 Grizzlies.

 
I just mentioned that the Warriors have fallen three games behind the Suns but that's NOT due to the team's recent play. Klay Thompson, who is 12 games into his return from a two-and-a-half-year absence due to knee and Achilles injuries. hit a pair of crucial three-pointers Monday to help stave off an Oklahoma City rally as the Warriors won their NINTH game in a row, 110-98 over the Thunder. Thompson (16.7 PPG) is expected to be rested tonight but that means Poole (16.6) will return to a starting lineup led by Curry (25.7-5.4-6.4) and Wiggins (18.1 & 4.3). Golden St has gotten used to Green (7.9-7.6-7.4) with Porter (8.5 & 8.2) stepping up. Lee (8.1) is a valuable backcourt reserve plus the guard duo of Kuminga and Payton combine to chip in 14.5 PPG.

The Jazz went 4-12 in January but will welcome Golden St to Salt Lake City looking for a FOURTH straight win. It certainly helps that Donovan Mitchell (25.7-4.0-5.2) is back in the fold. He led the Jazz over the New York Knicks 113-104 Monday night with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. It was his second game since returning from the NBA's concussion protocols that kept him out for eight games. He and PG Conley (14.4 & 5.3 APG) make for a formidable guard duo, with 6th-man Clarkson (15.5) coming off the bench. Obviously, Gobert (16.0 & 15.1) being out until sometime around the All Star break hurts but recently, the Jazz are getting  contributions from an unexpected source, the 22-year-old Udoka Azubuike, a 7-foot center from Kansas. Azubuike hauled in 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive end plus blocked three shots with seven points in Monday's win. The third-year center is averaging 11.7 rebounds per game during the Jazz's winning streak.

Utah made a late push late in its most recent game against Golden State, but the Warriors held on for a 94-92 win two weeks ago. The Warriors also won the first matchup back on New Year's Day in Salt Lake City, 123-116. I guess the Jazz are "due" but I'm NOT buying it. Overlooked is Golden St's defensive numbers, which show that the Warriors are allowing 102.6 PPG (2nd) on 42.9% shooting, including 33.0% on threes (both of those numbers rank 1st in the NBA). Golden St pushes its winning streak to 10 in a row!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on George Mason at 7:00 ET.

The Richmond Spiders and the George Mason Patriots in A-10 action from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va on Wednesday night. The Spiders are on a three-game winning streak and are 16-8 on the season (7-4 in A-10), including a 62-59 win at home over George Mason just two nights ago. Meanwhile, the 11-10 Patriots (4-4 A-10) will try to snap a three-game losing streak after their loss at Richmond in their last game. Chris Mooney is in his 17th year coaching the Spiders (1st season was 2005-06) but after leading Richmond to back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2010 (26 wins) and 2011 (29 wins), the Spiders haven't been back in any of the last 10 seasons. Richmond finds itself 7-4 in A-10 play, trailing 9-1 Davidson, 8-2 St Louis and 8-3 VCU. A pair of forwards, the 6-7 Burton (16.9 & 7.3) and the 6-10 Golden (14.6 & 6.4) plus PG Gilyard (12.7 & 6.0 APG) lead the way.

At GMU, the Patriots have a first-time head coach in Kim English. He inherited a 13-9 team that lost FOUR starters from last season. The Patriots are "not going anywhere" in the A-10 but English has a VERY good starting-five. All five average 30-plus minutes, led by the 6-9 Oduro (17.7 & 6.4). The four other starters are guards. Schwartz (15.5 & 4.8) is the top producer, joined by Cooper (12.8), Gaines (11.4 & 8.7) and Johnson (4.4 & 4.6).

Richmond narrowly beat George Mason 62-59 at home on Monday night (Gilyard led with 23 points) and I believe will have its hands full at George Mason, which is 8-2 at home this season. George Mason is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 home games and 6-1 ATS in its last six games against a team with a winning record. The catch? Big man Oturo has missed the last two games in the concussion protocol. Will he play here? The answer is we are just guessing. That said, the Patriots almost won Monday at Richmond without him, so I'm on GMU here, regardless.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conference Game of the Year (Ivy League) is on Harvard at 7:00 ET.

The Yale Bulldogs and Harvard Crimson meet Wednesday in Ivy League action at the Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Ma. The 12-9 Yale Bulldogs and the 11-8 Harvard Crimson have similar overall records but in Ivy games, Yale is 6-1 and leading the "Ancient 8," while Harvard is way back at 3-4. These two teams just met Saturday in New Haven, with Yale eking out a 58-55 win.

The Bulldogs depend on a trio of guards and three more frontcourt players. Swain (19.7 & 4.5) leads a backcourt that also includes Gabbidon (11.3) and Cotton (8.9 & 4.0). Up front, it's the 6-7 Kelly (6.4 & 4.2), the 6-5 Knowing (6.2 & 4.9) and Jarvis (5.7 & 4.0). Swain registered 19 points as Yale held on to beat on Saturday night. Harvard began the season with two excellent 6-7 players in forward Ledlum (16.7 & 9.3) and big guard Kirkwood (17.8 & 5.9). That duo had started along with guards Sakota (11.5) and Tretout (8.5) plus the 6-6 Catchings (8.8 & 3.8). However, Ledlum has not played since Jan 7 and lately, Lesmond (8.2) has seen more action than Tretout.

In football, Yale-Harvard is referred to as "The Game," and ranks with the greatest of all CFB rivalries. That's NOT the case in basketball but in this quick turnaround spot, I REALLY like Harvard the Crimson has gotten used to playing without Ledlum. Plus, Yale has a very 'weak' frontcourt, anyway. Yale loses on the road by an average of eight points while shooting only 39.5 percent from the floor, while Harvard wins at home by an average of 9.1 points. Go Harvard! Beat Yale!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Big East Showdown is on Xavier at 7:00 ET.

Xavier head coach Travis Steele was badly in need of a 20-win season when the 2021-22 CBB season tipped off back on Nov 9. He took over from Chris Mack (23.9 wins per season with NINE straight Big Dance bids), who took over from Sean Miller (24 wins per season and NCAA bids in his last four seasons of his five-year stint). The Musketeers entered the season having won just 51 games (17 per) in Steele's first three seasons, without an NCAA bid. Kevin Willard took over at Seton Hall for the 2010-11 season and had led the Pirates to four straight NCAA tournaments before the 2020 tournament was canceled because of COVID (Seton Hall was 21-9). However, the Pirates were just 14-13 last year and lost to the 6-10 Mamukelashvili (17.5 & 7.6), who was co-player-of-the-year in the Big East. Tonight, No. 25 Xavier  (16-6, 6-5 Big East) will travel to Newark, NJ to take on 14-7 Seton Hall (5-6 Big East).

Xavier is coming off a stunning upset, as the Musketeers were the victims of DePaul's first conference road win this season this past Saturday. DePaul led by seven at halftime and won 69-65 despite Xavier shooting 14 for 27 (51.9 percent) in the second half. The Musketeers have trailed at halftime in seven of their last eight games, and Steele hinted afterward that he might change his lineup to avoid a repeat of those slow starts. Xavier's starting-five looks like this. The 7-0 Nunge (12.5 & 7.2) and the 6-9 Freemantle (8.5 & 5.0) start up front, with guards Scruggs (11.4-4.6-4.2), Jones (11.2 & 8.2) and Johnson (10.7) comprising a strong backcourt. Guards Kunkel (8.9) and Odom (5.8) add backcourt depth, while the 6-8 Hunter adds 6.1 & 3.9 off the bench in the frontcourt.

The Pirates opened the season 9-1 but a two-week break without a game (COVID issues) in mid-to-late December, broke the team's momentum. When Seton Hall got back on the court, the Pirates would lose SIX of their first nine Big East games, before rebounding with back0-to-back wins prior to tonight's contest. (all in the Big East). 'The Hall' will welcome Creighton to Newark (NJ), looking to break a four-game losing streak in the series. Pirates have EIGHT players scoring between 7.2 and 15.3 PPG. 6-6 swingman Rhoden leads in scoring (15.3), while adding 7.0 RPG. Senior guard Aiken (14.5) is the only other player in double digits and he's missed the last FIVE games. Cale (9.9 & 4.1), Richmond (8.7-3.6-4.0) and Harris (7.2) are all guards. The 6-8 Yetna just misses double digits at 9.1 PPG but is the team's leading rebounder at 7.6 per game. Two 6-10 players, Jackson (7.7 & 4.1) and Samuel (7.9 & 5.8) join Yetna up front.

Seton Hall: is trying to make up ground in the Big East standings after tough losses to Providence and Villanova over the holidays, when the Pirates were short-handed due to COVID-19. Equally important, is the Pirates trying to add quality wins to its at-large resume. This contest marks the first of THREE straight games for Seton Hall vs ranked opponents plus the Pirates will also have to visit Cincinnati on Feb 26 for a rematch with the Musketeers. These team are pretty even but I trust Xavier more plus I'm getting some points. Take them!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Pho Suns at 7:10 ET.

Phoenix ended a 10-season playoff drought last year by going 51-21 (one win shy of Utah's NBA-leading 52 wins) and made it all the way to the Finals. The Suns took the first two games at home but then saw the Bucks win FOUR in a row, to win the team's second-ever NBA title. The first came way back in the 1970-71 season, led by Lew Alcindor (now Kareem) and the Big O. As for the Suns, it was the team's third appearance in the Finals, losing previously back in 1976 to the Celtics (if you don't remember Gar Heard, you are too young!) and in 1993, when MVP Sir Charles and Co. lost to MJ and the Bulls. The Suns opened the current season just 1-3 but then ripped off 18 consecutive wins! Another 1-3 'drought' followed, but the Suns are currently on a 16-2 run, giving them a 43-10 (.811) record. The Suns traveled to Chicago and defeated the Bulls 127-124 last night and continue on to Philly on Tuesday.

The 32-21 76ers are the East's No. 5 seed but are only two games back of the top-seeded Bulls. The last few seasons, the 76ers have been a dominant home team but struggled on the road. That's changed this season, as the 76ers are a modest 14-11 at home but an Eastern Conference-best 18-10 on the road. The Philadelphia 76ers are capable of beating any team in the NBA, thanks mostly to center Joel Embiid, who is looking for his 21st straight game with at least 25 points. Embiid joined Allen Iverson as the only two players in franchise history to produce 20 consecutive games of 25 or more points. Iverson had a 27-game streak in the 2000-01 season.

Devin Booker's 38 points led SIX Phoenix players in double figures in last night's win over the Bulls. The balanced Suns can place six or seven players in double figures on any given night. Booker (25.5-5.3-4.2) and Paul (15.0-4.5-10.4) are a terrific guard duo. Center Ayton (16.2 & 10.5) is surrounded by SF Bridges (12.9 & 4.7) and PF Crowder (9.1 & 5.0). The Suns also have SF Johnson (12.0 & 4.3), PF Kaminsky (10.6 & 4.6), guard Payne (10.5) and center McGee (9.8 & 7.0). Talk about an embarrassment of riches!

Philly guards Thybulle (5.7) and Milton (10.5) are out but Maxey (16.9-3.5-4.8) is developing as a star at PG, He is joined in the backcourt by Curry (15.3 & 4.1 APG) and Korkmaz (9.0). Embiid (29.3 & 10.9) and Harris (18.9 & 7.7) combine for an excellent center/PF duo. SF Niang (9.5) continues to play well and backup center Drummond averages 6.1 & 8.8 in just 18 1/2-minutes per game.

I agree that Philly can beat anyone at anytime but tonight is NOT one of those times. The Suns come in with a 21-5 road record, the best road mark in the league, and leave with another "W!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on LSU at 7:00 ET.

LSU lost guard Thomas (22.8), forward Watford (17.0 & 7.4) and guard Smart (16.8-5.2-4.2) to the NBA and others to the transfer portal, leaving just FOUR returning players. However, the Tigers opened the season 15-1. That has all changed quickly, as LSU visits College Station, having lost SIX of its last seven games (now 16-7 / 4-6 SEC). As for the 15-8 (4-6 SEC) Texas A&M Aggies, they will be trying to end a six-game losing streak when they host the Tigers. These teams met back on Jan 26 in Baton Rouge, with the Tigers winning 70-64.

LSU used a 9-0 game-ending run to emerge with a 70-64 win against the Aggies back on Jan 26 but the Tigers have seen rallies come up short in their two games. The Tigers trailed Ole Miss by 24 points in the first half and pulled within two twice late in the game before losing 76-72 on Feb 1. They trailed host Vanderbilt by 21 in the second half before going on a 16-0 run but still lost 75-66 this past Saturday. The 6-7 Days decided to return and he's averaging 13.3 & 7.9 and joins a strong frontcourt that includes the 6-8 Eason (15.9 & 6.7), a Cincy transfer, and 7-0 freshman Reid (7.1 & 4.9). The backcourt is led by Missouri transfer Pinson (9.7 & 4.1 APG), Gaines (10.3) and Murray (10.0). Pinson missed three weeks in January and when he returned, played two games but scored two pints in 23 minutes. He's back on the sidelines again.

Aggies head coach Buzz Williams said he's pleased with how his players have maintained a positive attitude and played hard during the losing streak. He changed his starting lineup for a 70-66 home loss to Missouri on Saturday, giving guard Wade Taylor (8.6) his first start of the season. However, Taylor scored six points. Hefner and Jackson came off the bench to lead Texas A&M with 17 points each. Hefner's career-high total came in just 17 minutes as he made a career-high five three-pointers. Hefner is averaging just 3.3 PPG on the season but Jackson is the team's leading scorer at 13.1 PPG. The 6-7 Coleman (10.9 & 5.6) is the lone frontcourt player of note, guards Radford (9.5 & 5.50 and Williams (9.0 & 3.7 APG) just miss double digits.

Yes, A&M is playing with revenge but LSU beat A&M in late January, despite Xavier Pinson and Darius Days sitting out. Pinson is likely out here but Days is back and along with Eason, Give the Tigers a HUGE edge up front. Since defeating Texas A&M, Will Wade's Tigers have allowed their three highest point totals of the season, surrendering an average of 76 PPG. However, prior to that, they had allowed an average of 58.4. A&M's in a funk and I expect the LSU defense to be the difference.

Good luck...Larry

 My 10* Conference Game of the Month (MAC) is on Ohio U at 7:00 ET.

The Ohio Bobcats will travel to Savage Arena to take on the Toledo Rockets Tuesday night in a MAC Showdown between the league's two-best teams. The Ohio Bobcats won their 5th straight game and improved to 19-3 on the season (10-1 MAC) with a 77-64 win over Western Michigan Broncos this past Saturday. In contrast, the Toledo Rockets had their 9-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 18-5 on the season (10-2 MAC) after losing 93-83 to the Ball State Cardinals 93-83, this past Friday.

The Ohio Bobcats finished a modest 9-5 in MAC play last season but surprised most by winning the MAC tourney and then upset 4th-seed Virginia 62-58 in the first round of the "Big Dance." Ohio would lose its next game 72-58 to Creighton but no one was complaining in Athens. Ohio guard Preston (15.7-7.3-7.3) left for the NBA (1st Ohio player picked in the draft since Brandon Hunter is 2003) but PG Sears (19.95.1-4.0) has stepped up big time. He's joined by four guards combining to add 22 PPG. The Ohio U frontcourt features the 6-8 Carter (15.3 & 7.2), the 6-8 Vander Plas (13.2 & 6.8) and SF Roderick (7.4 & 3.2).

Tod Kowalczyk is in his 12th season at Toledo and lost his best player from last year in PG Jackson (18.1-6.1-5.9), who transferred to Arizona St. Three-point shooter Littleson (47.2% on threes last season) also left to play in Belgium. However, three double-digit scorers returned in guard Ryan Rollins plus frontcourt players like the 6-6 Millner and the 6-7 Shumate. Rollins (20.0-5.8-3.5) leads the way plus Shumate (15.3 & 6.2) and Millner (14.0 & 6.1) have also fulfilled expectations. Kowalczyk was counting on Boise St transfer Dennis (12.0-5.9-3.7) Guard Moss (8.6 & 5.2) rounds out an excellent starting-five.

Toledo is 9-0 at home and coming off a loss, should be ready to bring its "A game," as a win moves the Rockets ahead of Ohio U. However, the Bobcats' lone MAC loss this season came at home to these Rockets (Jan 21 in Athens), when Ohio played its worst game of the season. Ohio allowed Toledo to shoot 59% as a team, while the Bobcats force up threes, making just 8 of 29 (27.6%). Revenge works here, as Ohio makes its case as the MAC's best team. Take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Texas at 9:00 ET.

Bill Self's Jayhawks finished 21-9 last season, including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That was not what was expected of a team ranked No. 6 in the AP's preseason poll. Kansas began the current season ranked No. 3 and opened with an 87-74 win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball (Nov 9) over Michigan St. The 19-3 (8-1 in the Big 12) Jayhawks are currently ranked No. 10 but will undoubtedly move up in the rankings this afternoon, when a new poll is released. Why? Because this past week, the Jayhawks won 70-61 at then-No. 20 Iowa St and then handed then-No.8 Baylor an 83-59 beatdown Saturday in Lawrence.

When Texas fired Shaka Smart after six unfulfilling seasons, Chris Beard 'jumped ship' and left Lubbock and its beloved fan base last April to take over the Texas program. It hasn't been smooth sailing for the Longhorns (who opened 5th in the AP's preseason poll), as Texas is down to No. 23 in the latest poll with a 17-6 record (just 6-4 in the Big 12). Texas welcomes Kansas to Austin in the midst of a five-game stretch against AP top-25 opponents. Texas has beaten Tennessee and Iowa St but lost at Texas Tech. Tonight it's Kansas and this coming Saturday, Baylor.

Kansas manhandled the shorthanded and struggling Baylor Bears 83-59 to win its second straight game after getting routed by Kentucky back on Jan 29. Agbaji (20.8 & 5.0) was listed as questionable vs Baylor but played an scored 18 points, as did fellow guard Braun (15.2 & 5.9). Those two big guards make a potent duo but Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12, but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging just 8.2 PPG. He's never gained Self's complete trust on running the attack and is currently sidelined. Starting in his place is Harris (5.5 & 4.0 APG). The 6-7 Wilson (9.4 & 6.8) and the 6-10 McCormack (9.0 & 6.9) round out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.2 & 3.3) and guard Coleman-Lands (4.7) get time off the bench. Kansas is an excellent offensive team, averaging 80.2 PPG (19th) on 49.2 % shooting (7th), while allowing 67.8 PPG.

Beard brought in seven transfers with NCAA Division I experience. 6-6 Timmy Allen was named All-Pac 12 at Utah last season (17.2 & 6.4) and leads Texas in scoring (11.2) and rebounding (6.5) but his scoring is down 5 PPG. The same goes for PG Carr (19.6 & 4.9 APG last year with Minnesota), who is averaging a more modest 11.0 PPG and 3.3 APG. Guards Jones (10.0) and Ramey (9.8) join Carr in the backcourt, while 6-9 center Mitchell (8.6 & 4.0) and 6-7 forward Bishop (6.3 & 4.9) join Allen up front. The 6-9 Disu (4.9 & 4.1) is the only other player of note. Defense is the team's 'calling card,' as Beard's team ranks 1st in the nation, allowing 54.9 PPG. That defense just held Iowa St to 28.6% shooting last Saturday (in a 63-41 win), including 2 of 15 on threes.

Monday's game is the first of the season between the two teams, with the follow-up on March 5 in Lawrence, to close out the regular season. If Texas can't win here at home, that March 5 meeting will hardly mean much to the Longhorns. In this case, "must win" DOES translate into "will win!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Montana at 9:00 ET.

The Southern Utah Thunderbirds and the Montana Grizzlies meet in Big Sky action from the Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mt on Monday night. Southern Utah is 15-6 overall, including 9-2 in Big Sky play, leaving them tied with Montana St behind 11-2 Weber St. Montana checks in at 15-8 overall, including 8-4 in Big Sky play (4th).

Todd Simon was hired before the 2016-17 season (1st head coaching job) and went 6-27 in his first season. 13-19, 17-17 and 17-15 seasons followed, before last year's breakout season, when the Thunderbirds won the Big Sky at 12-2. However, the team lost in the conference tourney and finished 20-4 but without a postseason invite. This year's team features four double-digit scorers, led by 6-7 guard Jones (15.7 & 5.0) plus fellow guards Knight (15.0-4.2-4.1) and Marin (11.8-4.3) plus 6-6 forward Fausett (12.6 & 8.9). The 6-11 Spurgin (5.7 & 4.0) plus guards Butler (8.1) and Moody (6.10) add depth.

Travis DeCuire's first head coaching job is with Montana (his alma mater), as he was hired before the 2014-15 season. He took the Grizzlies to B2B NCAA appearances in 2018 and 2019, each time winning 26 games. However, he entered this season off 18-13 and 15-13 seasons. Montana does not own the scoring 'punch' of Southern Utah. The 6-9 Bannan leads the team in scoring (13.6) and rebounding (8.0) with starting guards Beasley (11.2) and Whitney (10.2) joining him in double digits. Guards Parker (9.0 & 5.2 APG and Martin (6.1) are also regular contributors but the 6-9 Anderson (4.0 & 3.4) and SF Carter-Hollinger (6.4) don't give Bannan much help up front.

Southern Utah is only 2-8 ATS in its last 10 following a straight-up victory, while when at home, Montana is better than the sum of its parts. Montana is 11-0 at home this season, going 6-2 ATS with three non-lined contests. Montana is also 7-1 ATS this season following an ATS loss. That's the set-up here (Grizzlies got blown out Saturday at Idaho St), so the play is on Montana, which moves to 12-0 at home!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Cha Hornets at 7:10 ET.

The Toronto Raptors fell all the way to 27-45 last season but woke up Monday morning at 28-23, having just moved into the East's No. 6, as the Nets have lost EIGHT in a row. The Charlotte Hornets were 33-39 last season (lost their first game in the 'play in' round) and begin the new week at 28-26 but still among the 'play-in' teams, owning the No.9 seed. However, the Hornets are just 1 1/2-games back of the 6th-seeded Raptors. The Raptors and Hornets meet Monday night in Charlotte, with Toronto arriving on a five-game winning streak, while Charlotte 'limps' in on a four-game losing streak (three of those defeats have come at home).

Toronto has FIVE players averaging 14.7 PPG or more. PG VanVleet (21.6-4.7-7.2) and PF Siakam (21.4-8.6.5.6) lead the way, joined by SF Anunoby (18.4 & 5.6), who is having a career-year, and Gary Trent (18.1). Florida rookie Barnes (14.7 & 7.4) rounds out the 'Group of 5.' Big men Boucher (9.1 & 5.9) and Achiuwa (7.8 & 7.2) are regular contributors.

SF Bridges (19.7 & 7.2) is having a 'career season,' while PG LaMelo Ball (19.6-7.1-7.5) has missed some games earlier with COVID issues but it's pretty obvious that last season's rookie-of-the-year is the 'real deal!' Three more players are scoring 16-plus PPG. Guar Rozier (18.4-4.2-3.9) lead that group, followed by swingman Oubre (16.6 & 4.1) and SF Hayward (16.4-4.7-3.4). Plumlee (6.8 & 7.7) is an underappreciated starting center plus Washington (9.9 & 5.3) and Martin (8.0 7 4.2) contribute to make the Hornets the NBA's second-highest scoring team at 113.6 PPG.

The Hornets have wavered on defense most of the season and the Hornets have held second-half leads in each of their last two games (both losses). Charlotte's four-game losing streak is its his second-longest losing skid, as the Hornets dropped five in a row in November. However, the team responded from that by winning FIVE straight. The Raptors beat the Hornets 125-113 on Jan 25 at home in the first meeting of the season (note: the Hornets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 in trying to revenge a road loss against an opponent of 10 or more points). That adds some extra motivation for the Hornets, as if winning and moving up in the standings to avoid the 'play-in' round is not enough. I'm "all over" the small home dog!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* East/West Game of the Month is on the Dal Mavs at 6:10 ET.

It's Atlanta at Dallas on Sunday, Trae Young vs Luka Doncic. The two young stars will forever be compared after essentially being traded for one another on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft. Doncic was originally taken No. 3 overall by the Hawks but was immediately traded to Dallas for a pick that turned out to be Young and another No. 1 pick that wound up being Cam Reddish (recently traded to the NYK). Doncic has the statistical edge this season, averaging 26.2-8.9-9.1 assists, with Young averaging 27.9-4.0-9.3. However, more importantly, BOTH teams come in after turning their respective season around. The Hawks were just 17-25 through Jan 15 but have won EIGHT of 10 to move up to the East's No. 10 seed (last of the 'play-in' spots). The Mavs' climb began earlier, as they were just 16-18 the morning of Dec 31 but have won 14 of 19 to reach 30-23 (No. 5 seed in the West, just two games behind 4th-seeded Utah).

Yes, the Hawks have won eight of their last 10 but could not overcome Toronto's 17-for-27 with threes in Friday's 125-114. Young had 22 points and 13 assists, joining John Collins (23) and De'Andre Hunter (23) atop the stat sheet. Fatigue was obvious in the second half for the Hawks, who were playing the second leg of a back-to-back and for the fifth time in eight days. "We definitely had heavy legs," Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. "They had heavy legs as well. I thought it affected our shooting." Young leads the way (see above), while PF Collins (16.9 & 7.9) continues to put up All Star-like numbers. Center Clint Capela (11.1 & 12.2) is back from an injury, but his absence gave former No. 1 draft choice Onyeka Okongwu an opportunity to show what he can do. Okongwu didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery, but after some early tenuous performances he has become increasingly productive. He's up to 9.0 & 6.1 on the season. I mentioned earlier that Reddish was traded to the Knicks, but the Hawks have plenty of depth. Hunter (13.2), Bogdanovich (12.7), Huerter (11.6) and Gallinari (10.2 & 4.4) all contribute double digit scoring.

Doncic had his 44th career triple-double on Friday when the Mavericks ended a two-game losing streak with a 107-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists to help Dallas overcome a 16-point second-quarter deficit. It was his eighth triple-double this season, breaking a tie with Fat Lever and leaving him alone in 10th place on the all-time list with 44 (at his age!). Some perspective, Larry Bird is No. 9 with 59. Doncic is joined in the starting backcourt by Brunson (15.9 & 5.5 APG), who is having a very nice season. Center Porzingis (19.2 & 7.7) and 6th-man Hardaway (14.2) are both currently out, but Powell has averaged 10.2 PPG in place of Porzingis and Bullock has taken over for Haraway by averaging 18.2 PPG in his last five games. Forwards Finney-Smith (10.1 & 4.8) and Kleber (7.6 & 5.9) have both recently been healthy.

Some injury news reveals that Collins is questionable with a heel injury, although that was the case Friday, when he scored 23 points. However, Gallanari is likely to miss with a hamstring injury. On the Dallas side, PF Kleber did not play Friday and is questionable for Sunday. Series history notes that Atlanta has won 12 of the last 16 games in the series and captured the season opener 113-87 in Atlanta. However, the home team has taken SEVEN of the last eight meetings, and Dallas has won the last three contests on its home court. I have to like Dallas in this spot, playing with revenge from that season-opener in Atlanta plus riding some excellent 'mojo' since New Year's Eve (see above). 'Short' price. Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Cincinnati at 6:00 ET.

Kelvin Sampson arrived in Houston for the 2014-15 season with a great resume but more than a little 'baggage' from his two-year stint at Indiana. The Cougars won 22 games in his second season, the first of SIX consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins. Huston won 33 games in 2019 (Sweet 16) and 28 games last season (Final 4). No. 6 Houston is 19-2 this season (8-0 in the AAC) and will look to extend its winning streak to 12 games and remain atop the American Athletic Conference standings when it visits Cincinnati on Sunday. The Bearcats have a new coach in Wes Miller (CCAA bids with UNC-Greensboro in 2018 and 2021), who has his team at 15-6, 5-3 in the AAC).

The Cougars have kept winning despite the loss of Sasser (17.7) in late Dec and then Mark (10.1) in early Feb (both are out for the season). The Cougars beat visiting Tulane 73-62 on Wednesday, as the 6-8 Fabian White Jr. (11.5 & 5/6) scored a career high-tying 21 points to surpass 1,000 career points. He became the 49th player in program history to reach the milestone. The 6-11 Josh Carlton (12.0 & 6.5) had 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. The remainder of Houston's current contributors are all guards. Edwards leads with 14.2 & 6.0, Shead (8.6 & 5.0 APG) and Moore (8.1 & 4.8), who added 12 points, five rebounds and six assists vs Tulane.

Cincinnati remained in the hunt for the regular-season AAC title when David DeJulius followed his miss and made a short jumper with 3.7 seconds left to give the Bearcats a 60-59 win at East Carolina (11-10, 2-7) on Sunday. DeJulius' first shot hit the rim, but he grabbed the rebound and scored the winning basket. East Carolina missed a three-pointer as time expired. The win was the Bearcats' fourth in their past five games, with their lone blemish during that span coming in a 61-58 loss at Temple. Cincy's top-four scorers are guards, led by  DeJulius (13.4). Daven also adds 13.4 PPG plus 5.0RPG. Adams-Woods (9.1 & 3.4 APG) and Saunders (7.3 & 3.1 APG). Up front, it's 6-5 SF Newman (6.9 & 4.4), the 6-11 Lahkin (5.2 & 4.6) and the 6-9 Oguama (4.5 & 4.5).

This game features two outstanding defensive teams, as Houston allows 56.5 PPG (4t) on 36.1% shooting (1st), while Cincy allows 62.5 PPG (29th) on 37.3% shooting (6th). Low-scoring game expected and remember, Cincy is 11-2 SU at home and Houston's 11-game winning streak just may come to an end. Definitely, take the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Pac-12 Game of the Month is on Stanford at 4:00 ET.

Washington routed Cal 84-63 on Thursday night to move to 12-8, including 7-3 in the Pac 12. Meanwhile, Stanford suffered just its second home loss this season, a 66-60 decision on Thursday vs Washington State. The Cardinal check in 13-8 overall, but just 6-5 in Pac-12 Play. No. 7 Arizona leads the Pac-12 at 9-1 and is 19-2 overall. The Huskies won the first matchup in Seattle back on Jan 15, 67-64, behind 25 points from Brown and 17 from Bey.

Washinton head coach Mike Hopkins (longtime Jim Boeheim assistant) brought that famous 2-3 zone West to Seattle. The Huskies have won three in a row and a fourth straight win would move the Huskies to 8-3 in the Pac 12, and into a three-way tie for 2nd with Oregon and UCLA. Red-hot guard Terrell Brown is averaging 21.6 PPG, which leads the conference by nearly four points per game more than No. 2 scorer Johnny Juzang of UCLA. Brown has scored in double figures in every outing this season. The 6-7 Matthews (11.6 & 5.2) joins him in double digits, while a trio of guards round out the team's main contributors. That group includes Bey (9.2 & 3.9), Davis (8.2-3.0-3.0) and Fuller (7.6).

Jerod Haase had a nice four-year run at UAB (80-53) and got the Stanford job when it fired Johnny Dawkins. He won two NIT titles while at Palo Alto but the school and fans wanted NCAA tourney wins. Haase may be on the 'hot seat' after going 82-74 in his first five years, with just one postseason invite in 2018, to the NIT (Cardinal lost their first game). FIVE of Stanford's top-six scorers are frontcourt players. PG O'Connell (7.0 & 3.8 APG) runs the show but the team's main production comes from the 6-8 Ingram (11.0 & 6.5), the 6-9 Delaire (10.9 & 4.3), the 6-7 Jones (10.2 & 4.5) the 6-8 Angel (7.9 & 2.6) and the 6-9 O'Keefe (4.7 & 4.6).

It's a matchup of contrasting styles, with Brown leading Washington's perimeter game, while Stanford brings its frontcourt advantage to the fray. The Cardinal are 9-2 SU at home and before a surprising loss to Washington St on Thursday, had only lost at home to Arizona (have beaten Oregon and USC at Maples Pavilion). The home court and the revenge motive produce a Stanford "W' and cover!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Las Vegas Insider Game of the Year is on the LA Lakers at 8:40 ET.

The Knicks ended a seven-year postseason drought last year by going 41-31 but lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, who made it all the way to the East Conference Finals. Expectations were high in Madison Square Garden to open the season but so far, the Knicks have been a disappointment. The Knicks enter the opener of a five-game Western Conference road swing following a 120-108 home loss to the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies. New York has lost FOUR of its last five games, including its last three on the road. The Knicks have also lost SEVEN of nine, killing off any momentum built from a run of five victories in six games last month. New York is 24-28 and it will likely be in the play-in' round, at best (currently one game back of the No. 10 seed.

Meanwhile, the 25-28 Los Angeles Lakers are desperate for something to feel positive about as they prepare to host the New York Knicks on Saturday. The Lakers have lost NINE of their last 13 games. LeBron James (29.1-7.7-6.3) has missed the last five of those games, and veteran forward Carmelo Anthony (13.4) left the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday before halftime with a hamstring injury. He did not return. The Lakers are currently the West's No. 9 seed and find themselves 3 1/2-games behind the Nuggets, who own the No. 6 seed (last guaranteed playoff spot).

PF Randle (18.5-9.9-5.1) and SF Barrett (17.5 & 5.7) have led New York all season. The undersized Robinson (8.5 & 8.4) starts at center and PF Toppin (7.7 & 3.2) contributes up front, usually off the bench. New York has a deep backcourt, although Rose (12.0-3.0-4.0) has been out since mid-December. Fournier (14.1), Walker (12.0-3.3-3.4), Burks (11.1 & 4.2) and Quickley (10.0) all get their minutes. The Lakers have played just one game with James and Anthony Davis since Dec 17, as Davis missed 17 consecutive games with a knee injury, while James hasn't played since Jan 25. The Lakers are 1-4 during James' latest absence, and while their rally from a 17-point deficit against the Clippers was commendable, they could have used another dependable defender on the floor at the end. They lost 111-110 to their local rivals when Reggie Jackson of the Clippers split the defense of Lakers guards Austin Reaves and Russell Westbrook and scored the game-winner on a spinning layup with 4.1 seconds remaining. A.D. (23.6 & 9.9), Westbrook (18.7-7.8-7.7) and Monk (12.6) are the Lakers' three best options these days. However, it's good news that defensive guard Bradley (6.9) is back healthy and that Horon-Tucker (9.7) is a dependable role player

The Knicks just seem listless these days and while the Lakers still "have their issues," the team's comeback from 17 points down (to almost win) against the hated-Clippers, shows there is more than a little 'fight' in this team. "The Price is Sure Right," as the Lakers are undervalued in this one. Double digit win predicted!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Late Breaker is on Oregon at 8:30ET.

Dana Altman has been a HUGE winner in his coaching career and Oregon was ranked 13th in the AP's preseason poll. The Ducks did little right to open the season, splitting their first 12 games, before embarking on a season-saving run of EIGHT wins in their last nine games. Oregon is now 14-7 (7-3 in the Pac 12) and should have an NCAA Tournament bid on its mind. Craig Smith is in his first season as Utah's head coach (had a great three-year run at Utah St in going 74-24) and led the Utes to a 5-0 start but at 8-4 entering a Dec 30th contest, Utah's season unraveled. The Utes would lose 10 straight Pac 12 games, before winning this past Thursday 84-59 over Oregon St.

Guards Richardson (14.8-3.1-3.3) and Young (11.9) are Oregon's top-two scorers and the only other player in double digits is a third guard, Harmon (10.6). 6-11 center Dante (8.7 & 5.5) plus the 6-7 Guerrier (8.7 & 5.2) typically start, while the 6-6 Williams (8.5 & 5.0) and the 6-11 Kepnang (4.7 & 2.6) come off the bench. Oregon's winning ways continued with Thursday's 66-51 win over Colorado, the Ducks' first triumph in 11 visits to Boulder. In fact. Oregon head coach Dana Altman was 0-for-8 during his 12-season tenure at the school. Meanwhile, Utah (9-14, 2-11) ended its ugly slide with an 84-59 rout of visiting Oregon State. It marked the Utes' first win since beating Fresno State 55-50 back on Dec 21. Utah saw its best player Timmy Allen (17.2 & 6.4) transfer to Texas but key returning players from last year's team are the 7-0 Carlson (13.3 & 6.4) and the 6-9 Battin (5.1 & 3.7). Guards Wosrster (7.6-4.3-3.2) and Anthony (8.4 & 7.3) followed Smith from Utah St plus guard Jenkins (9.4) came via UNLV. Gach, who started at Utah but moved on to Minnesota, returned this year to play for Smith (he's adding 10.0 PPG). 

Here's the bottom line. Utah lost by double digits SIX times during its 10-game slide and does it really mean anything that the Utes beat an Oregon St team that's 3-16 overall, including 1-8 in Pac 12 play? As for the Ducks, they are brimming with confidence with wins at then-No. 3 UCLA and then-No. 5 USC in their current 8-1 surge. Is there any reason to think Oregon won't win at Utah (Ducks beat the Utes 79-66 at home back on Jan 1), considering that Oregon is a spectacular 20-2 against the Utes during the Altman era. Quack! Quack!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Signature LEGEND Play is on Alabama at 8:00 ET.

The Kentucky men's basketball team went just 9-16 last season, but all knew that was an aberration, as the Wildcats were ranked No. 10 in the AP's preseason poll. After a loss to Duke in the Champions Classic on the opening night of the season, the 18-4 Wildcats have won 18 of 21, losing only 66-62 at Notre Dame back on Dec 11, 65-62 at LSU on Jan 4 and 80-71 at No. 1 Auburn on Jan 22. No. 5 Kentucky (7-2 in the SEC) visits Alabama in a SEC game on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. While the Wildcats trail only league-leading and No. 1 Auburn in the SEC, the 14-8 Crimson are in the middle of the pack following a 100-81 loss at Auburn on Tuesday (Alabama is just 4-5 in SEC games).

The 6-9 Tshiebwe (16.1 & 15.2) and the 6-7 Brooks (10.5 & 4.5) are the two main frontcourt players for Coach Cal's team. SG Washington (12.8-3.8-4.2) and PG Wheeler (10.5 & 7.2 APG) lead a backcourt that also features Grady (12.0) and Mintz (8.8). The Kentucky offense ranks 8th in scoring (81.9 PPG) and 5th in FG percentage (49.3). Also note that the Wildcats are holding opponents to 64.4 PPG, for an average winning margin of 17.5 PPG. Kentucky is coming off a 77-70 win over visiting Vanderbilt on Wednesday. Davion Mintz tied a career high with 21 points off the bench, SEC Player of the Week Keion Brooks Jr. had 20 points and Kellan Grady had 12 points. Oscar Tshiebwe posted 11 points and 17 boards for his 16th double-double in the Wildcats' 12th straight win over the Commodores.

Nate Oats spent four years at Buffalo and went 59-13 in his last two, making the Big Dance each time. That allowed him the opportunity to come to Alabama and after a 16-15 first season (COVID) he led the Tide to a 26-7 record and a Sweet 16 appearance last year. Gone from that team are the 6-7 Jones (11.2 & 6.6), who was not only the SEC player-of-the-year but also the league's Defensive POY. Also gone is veteran guard Petty (12.6 & 5.2). However, the Tide have plenty of talent left. That said, after opening 7-1 SU (6-2 ATS), Alabama has gone 7-7 SU and a money-burning 2-11-1 ATS. Alabama did return its top-two scorers from last season and guards Shackelford and Quinerly are again leading the way. Shackelford checks in at 16.1 & 5.2 and Quinerly at 14.8 & 4.3 APG. Swingman Ellis adds 12.0 & 6.2 and the 6-6 Gary 8.3 & 4.3 plus freshman center Bediako adds 6.1 & 4.2.6.8 & 4.3). Guard Davison (8.2-4.2-4.1), the 6-6 Miles (6.7 & 3.5) and the 6-8 Gurley (7.4 & 3.7) are all contributors. 

Kentucky won impressively last Saturday 80-62 at Kansas but note that the Wildcats are just 4-4 in games away from Rupp (14-0 at home). As for Alabama, it owns some of the nation's best non-conference wins, including victories over then-No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Houston, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 4 Baylor. However, Alabama has also lost to Georgia (6-16) and Missouri (8-13). When Auburn won 81-77 in Tuscaloosa back on Jan 11, it snapped a 17-game home winning streak for the Tide. Since then, Alabama has won its last three home games, including last Saturday's 87-78 win over then-No. 4 Baylor. The Tide are OVERDUE to take down an elite SEC team and I say that time is NOW!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Ultimate Rivalry is on No. Carolina at 6:00 ET.

Duke-North Carolina is "As Good As It Gets" when it comes to college basketball rivalries. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will pay rival North Carolina a visit for the final time when the two programs meet Saturday night in Chapel Hill. Coach K is retiring at season's end and next month's rematch with the Tar Heels will mark his last home game. North Carolina leads the series 141-114 but under Krzyzewski, Duke holds a 49-46 edge. It may be hard to believe but the 'mighty' ACC's only ranked team is No. 9 Duke, which comes in 18-3 (8-2 in the ACC). Roy Wiliams retired after last season, ending his career with a first-round NCAA tournament loss and an 18-11 record with his beloved Tar Heels. So, while Coach K completes his 47th season as a head coach (42 years at Duke), this marks former North Carolina player Hubert Davis' first season as a head coach. Tra Heels are 16-6, including 8-3 in the ACC (Miami and ND are also 8-3, just a half-game back of Duke).

Coach K brought in a trio of highly-regarded freshmen for his final season, none more impactful than 6-10 Banchero, who leads in scoring (17.8) and rebounding (8.3). The 7-0 Williams is also having a strong freshman season, adding 10.0 & 7.1. Freshman guard Keels (11.4-3.5-3.2) rounds out that incoming trio. Guards Moore (14.2-5.5-4.5) and Roach (7.7 & 3.8 APG) plus the 6-6 Griffin (9.0 & 3.5) round out the main contributors. Duke ranks 18th in both scoring (80.4 PPG) and FG percentage (48.3). North Carolina has an excellent frontcourt led by the returning 6-10 Bacot (16.5 & 12.5), 6-9 Oklahoma transfer Manek (13.5 & 5.6) and 6-11 Marquette transfer Garcia (9.0 & 5.5). Sophomore guard Love (15.3-3.3-3.5) teams with freshman Davis (13.9-4.0-3.4) in the backcourt, with Black (4.4 & 4.3) and Walton (3.4) adding support. North Carolina averages 78.5 PPG but does not shoot nearly as well as Duke, connecting on 45.3% (ranks 113th).

Duke has played just five road games this season (3-2 SU) and if recent history is any precedent, then UNC has to be loving its chances to build on its four-game win streak, as it's 12-0 at home this season, going 6-1 ATS in its last seven home games. Meanwhile, Duke is 0-4-1 ATS in its last five in this building. This one is HUGE for UNC head coach Davis. Bow Wow! Take the home dog, as the Tar Heels get the SU win and move ahead of Duke in the ACC standings.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Marquee Classic is on Baylor at 4:00 ET.

The No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks (18-3) welcome the No. 8 Baylor Bears (19-3) to legendary Allen Fieldhouse for a Big 12 contest in which the winner will take over first place in the league. The Jayhawks are sitting at 7-1 and in first place in the Big 12 but are still juggling different combinations. Kansas is coming off a 70-61 victory at Iowa State on Tuesday in which it played without the Big 12's top scorer, Ochai Agbaji (20.9 PPG) due to COVID-19 protocols and the league's preseason player of the year, Remy Martin due to a knee injury. Baylor is coming off an 81-77 Monday win over West Va, in which the Bears overcame a 16-1 run that provided West Virginia a 39-31 lead at halftime. 

The Bears played short-handed without LJ Cryer (foot) and Adam Flagler (knee). "It's frustrating because you're 15-0 when you have everybody," Baylor coach Scott Drew said of a hot start that led to the Bears sitting No. 1 in the polls for five consecutive weeks. Much like last season, Baylor's strength is its perimeter game and defense. LJ Cryer leads the Bears in scoring with 13.9 PPG. Arizona transfer Akinjo (13.6 & 5.6 APG) joins Cryer in the backcourt, as does Flager (12.7 & 3.5 APG). 6-8 freshman Kendall Brown is a swingman averaging 10.0 & 4.7 plus 6-9 swingman Mayer chips in 9.8 & 4.5. However, let's NOT forget the 6-8 Tchatchoua (8.2 & 7.2), 6-9 freshman Sochan (8.6 & 56.0) or the 6-10 Thamba (4.9 & 4.6). Baylor is holding opponents to 61.4 PPG (24th). 

Kansas is led by a pair of big guards in the 6-5 Agbaji (20.9 & 4.9) and the 6-6 Braun (15.1 & 5.7). Guard Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12 but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging just 8.2 PPG. Martin still is trying to gain Self's complete trust on running the attack (it doesn't seem to be working). Harris (5.6 & 3.9 APG) has recently been starting at PG for Martin. The 6-7 Wilson (9.1 & 6.8) and the 6-10 McCormack (9.0 & 6.8) round out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.0 & 3.2) and guard Coleman-Lands (4.5) get time off the bench. Kansas is an excellent offensive team, averaging 80.0 PPG (20th) on 49.1 % shooting (8th), while allowing 68.2 PPG.

Agbaji may return against Baylor but Martin will likely remain out while attempting to heal his nagging injury. For Baylor, Cryer and Flagler are both questionable. Here's the rub. Baylor is 8-1 SU in road and neutral games this season, after going 17-2 in road and neutral games last season. I'm taking the points, against a Kansas team that's allowed 76.8 PPG over its last four games!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* High Noon Crusher is on Florida St at 12:00 ET.

Steve Forbes took over at Wake Forest last season and suffered through a 6-16 (3-15 in the ACC) his first year. However, whether it has been in the JC ranks or his four-year stint at East Tenn St, Forbes has been known as 'quick-change artist.' Case in point. He took over at East Tenn St in 2015-16 and his four-year record was 130-43! His final team went 30-4 but "what might have been" in the Big Dance remains an unanswered question, as COVID shut the tournament down. Now, after a 'nightmare' first season, Forbes' Demon Deacon are 18-5 (8-4 in ACC). Leonard Hamilton has built quite a program in Tallahassee with his FSU Seminoles but lost a 'ton' of talent from last year's team. However, the cupboard is hardly bare. That said, Florida State is dealing with injuries to key players and dropped its third consecutive game on Wednesday (75-69 setback at Clemson) and welcomes Wake to Tallahassee at 13-8, 6-5 in the ACC.

Wake Forest's turnaround season is largely attributable to the Demon Deacons' improved shooting, as Wake is connecting on 48.8% of its shots (11th in the nation). Forbes has turned things around quickly at Wake, adding Oklahoma transfer Williams and an ETSU transfer in Williamson to be his starting guards. Williams (19.6-6.9-5.3) has been spectacular and Williamson, who came with Forbes last season, is averaging 13.3 PPG. The 6-8 Mucius (9.8 & 3.7) returned up front but the 6-8 LaRavia (15.0 & 6.1) came from Indiana St, The 7-0 Walton (8.1 & 5.0) from Colorado and the 6-10 Sy (6.2 & 4.0) from Ole Miss.

Meanwhile, Florida State lost 7-foot-4 center Naheem McLeod (4.5) to a broken finger in the first half of its game with Clemson. The Seminoles had previously lost the 6-9 Malik Osborne (10.0 & 6.9) to a season-ending ankle injury and McLeod's absence seriously affected the Seminoles on the defensive end, as they allowed Clemson to shoot 51.9 percent from the floor. Caleb Mills and RayQuan Evans, who were both dealing with bronchitis last week, returned to the Seminoles' lineup and scored 16 and 11 points, respectively. Mills (a Houston transfer) leads FSU in scoring with 12.9 PPG. Returning guard Polite adds 9.7 & 5.5 and is joined by fellow guards Cleveland (10.3 & 4.8) and Evans (7.3). 7-1 freshman Butler (5.7 & 2.6) will have to step up with McLeod joining Osborne on the sidelines.

Is Wake really as good as its record? The Demon Deacons routed the Seminoles 76-54 back on Jan 4 in Winston-Salem, so this sure set up as a great "revenge" spot for FSU. How about this stat? Going back to the 2016-17 season (that's 5-plus years), Hamilton's Seminoles are 90-9 SU at the Donald L Tucker Center.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the Dal Mavs at 10:10 ET.

The Philadelphia 76ers are currently 30-21, placing them in a virtual tie with the 33-21 Milwaukee Bucks. Both teams are just ONE game back of the 32-19 Bulls and 33-20 Heat, who are in a virtual tie for the East's top record. The Sixers will head to Dallas with an impressive 14-7 record against the Western Conference, with the Mavs sporting a 29-23 record. Dallas is a whopping 12 1/2-games back of the West's No. 1 seed (Phoenix) but it is just two games back of the 4th-seed Jazz (top-four seeds earn the home court edge in the opening round of the playoffs).

Philly's Joel Embiid (29.1 & 10.8) continues to make a strong case for the Most Valuable Player award and PF Harris (18.9 & 7.4) joins him up front. I'd say the 21-year-old Tyrese Maxey 16.9-3.6-4.8) was 'flying under the radar" but he was recently chosen for the Rising Stars competition during All-Star Weekend. However, Philly has some backcourt concerns, as Curry (15.5-3.5-4.1) is listed as questionable, while fellow guards Milton (10.5) and Korkmaz (9.0) are out. Dallas knows about injuries as well. Center Porzingis (19.2 & 7.7) will miss his third straight game Friday because of a bone bruise on his right knee and valuable swingman Hardaway (14.2) is out with a foot injury. The starting backcourt is strong, with Doncic (26.0-8.8-8.9) and Brunson (15.8 & 5.5 APG). Powell (7.1 & 4.3) will step in for Porzingis plus both starting forwards are healthy, in Finney-Smith (10.0 & 4.9) and Kleber (7.6 & 4.9). Some excellent news is that guard Bullock has averaged 17.8 PPG his last four, 6-6 forward Green 9.3 PPG in his last three and PF Chriss has gotten extra time the last two games (with Porzingis out), adding 20 points and six rebounds.

Philly has an important date with Chicago on Sunday and just may get caught 'peeking ahead.' Even if that isn't true, the Mavs surely want to regain the momentum they had, having won 13 of 16, before back-to-back losses. I've got the home team in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Week is on Colorado St at 9:00 ET.

The 12-5 San Diego State Aztecs and the 16-3 Colorado State Rams meet Friday in MWC action from Moby Arena in Fort Collins. Brian Dutcher was a longtime assistant under Steve Fisher (beginning in Michigan) and lasting through all of Fisher's great teams at SD St. Fisher stepped away and Dutcher took over in the 2017-18 season, going 22-11, 21-13, 30-2 and 23-5 the previous four years. San Diego State started the season 10-3, losing to only BYU, USC and Michigan. However, the Aztecs are just 2-2 since January 22, losing to Boise State and Utah State alongside wins over UNLV and New Mexico. CSU's head coach Niko Medved is in his fourth season at Fort Collins, coming off a 20-8 record last season in which the Rams finished fourth in the NIT.

The Aztecs got off to a 36-22 halftime lead over New Mexico and cruised to a 72-47 blowout win. Bradley (16.0 & 5.1) is the team's lone double digit scorer and he led with 14 points, while the 6-9 Johnson (6.8 & 4.9) produced a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-10 Mensah (7.5 & 7.2) is SDSU's only other big man of note, while guards Butler (9.3) and Pulliam (8.6) join Bradley in the starting backcourt. The Aztecs don't score much (64.6 PPG ranks 316th) but defensively, hold opponents to 56.8 PPG (5th) on 36.9% shooting (3rd).

Colorado State lost just ONE of its first 17 games (notably a 79-49 road loss to San Diego State) but welcomes SDSU to Fort Collins off back-to-back losses to UNLV and Wyoming. The Rams matched up against Wyoming on Monday and traded punches the whole way, before losing 84-78 in OT. Guard David Roddy led the team with 23 points and leads the team in scoring (18.6) and rebounding (7.7). The Rams' strength is their perimeter game, as fellow guards Stevens (16.3 & 5.1 APG) and Tonjie (who comes off the bench) adds 10.2 & 3.2. Guards Jacobs (5.8 & 4.3) and Moore (5.4) join the 6-9 Thomas (6.9 & 3.7) to complete the starting-five. Lake, Rivera and Moors combine to contribute 13 PPG. The CSU offensive is a strength, averaging 78.3 PPG (36th) on 49.6% shooting (5th).

In the first meeting in San Diego, the Aztecs dominated with a 30-point victory. The Aztecs scored 79 points (15 points more than the team's yearly averages), while holding the Rams to 49 points (29 points less their season average). The Rams also shot just 27.9%, including an abysmal 3 of 20 (15%). Talk about a great "revenge" situation. The Rams are 10-1 at home and I think they get their revenge "with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Eastern Conference Game of the Month is on the Atl Hawks at 7:40 ET.

The Atlanta Hawks will visit the Toronto Raptors Friday night, with both teams coming off Thursday wins. The Hawks beat the Suns 124-115 in Atlanta, upping their record to 25-26. Atlanta is now the No. 10 seed in the East, the last of the 'ply-in' seeds. Meanwhile, the Raptors beat the Bulls 127-10 at home, upping their record to 27-23. That gives them the No. 7, but they are just 1 1/2-games back of the 6th-seeded Nets (last guaranteed seed). The two teams just met this past Monday in Atlanta, with the Raptors winning 106-100, snapping the hawks' seven-game winning streak!

The Toronto Raptors won the NBA title (led by Kawhi) back in 2019 and even after he "went Hollywood" on them, followed with records of 58-24 and 53-19 the next two seasons. However, the Raptors fell to just 27-45 last season. However, Toronto has moved to the right side of .500 with FOUR straight wins to reach 26-23. Toronto has FIVE players averaging 14.7 PPG or more and all five tallied 16 points or more in beating the Bulls. PF Siakim (21.1-8.5-5.2) led with 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, Three more Raptors scored exactly 21 points, PG VanVleet (21.5-4.7-7.1), SF Anunoby (18.7 & 5.4) and rookie Barnes (14.7 & 7.8). Trent (18.1) had his streak of five games with 30 or more points end when he scored 16 points. The streak matched the team record set in 2016 by DeMar DeRozan. The 6-9 Boucher (9.0 & 5.9) came off bench to add 16 points.

Atlanta PG Trae Young (28.1 & 9.2 APG) returned from a shoulder injury to lead the Hawks with 43 points against the Suns. PF Collins (16.7 & 8.0) had 19 points and 10 rebounds but went to the locker room with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. He returned to the bench and said his shoulder has hurt all week, and it was aggravated when he tangled with Chris Paul on Thursday. Collins expects to play Friday. Center Clint Capela (11.1 & 12.7) is back from an injury, but his absence gave former No. 1 draft choice Onyeka Okongwu an opportunity to show what he can do. Okongwu didn't play until Dec 17 because of offseason shoulder surgery, but after some early tenuous performances he has become increasingly productive. He's up to 9.2 & 6.1 on the season. PG Young (27.9 & 9.5 APG) is now a bonafide All Star plus Collins just continues to put up All Star-like numbers. Then there is Atlanta's depth, with Hunter chipping in 12.8 PPG, Bogdanovich 12.5 PPG, Huerter 11.7 PPG and Gallinari 10.2 PPG.

Atlanta's loss on Monday to Toronto is its ONLY "L" in its last NINE games. While the Hawks were handling the Suns last night, the Raptors needed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into OT, where they would go on to get the win AND the cover. I'm 'all over" the red-hot Hawks in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Ivy League Master Class is on Harvard at 7:00 ET.

The 10-7 Harvard Crimson and the 10-12 Brown Bears meet Friday in Ivy League action from the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence. The Ivy League did not play basketball last season due to COVID, so Brown's Mike Martin is in his 10th season with the Bears and Tommy Amaker in his 15th with the Crimson. Amaker has by far the better resume with seven, 20-win seasons (four NCAA berths), compared to Martin's one, 20-win season. Harvard comes in 2-3 in Ivy play and Brown just 2-5, while 5-1 Princeton, 4-1 Yale and 5-2 Penn are atop the 'Ancient 8' standings.

Harvard began the season with two excellent 6-7 players in forward Ledlum (16.7 & 9.3) and big guard Kirkwood (18.1 & 5.9). That duo had started along with guards Sakota (11.1) and Tretout (8.5) plus the 6-6 Catchings (8.8 & 3.7). However, Ledlum has not played since Jan 7 and lately, Lesmond (8.6) has seen more action than Tretout. Brown SF Choh leads in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (8.1), while freshman guard Lilly adds 13.7 PPG. Guard Wojcik (10.4) is a third double digit scorer. Contributing regularly are guard Friday (8.2), the 6-9 Gainey (7.6 & 5.4) and the 6-8 Owusu-Anane (5.7 & 3.4)

Harvard comes in 5-5 in its last 10 games, while Brown has lost EIGHT of its last 10. These teams met back on Jan 7 at Harvard, with Brown winning 84-73 as a three-point underdog. The "revenge" motive is with Harvard but more importantly, the Crimson are a competitive bunch that rarely gets blown out, as they lose on the road by an average of just two points! The Bears are just 3-7 ATS their last 10 overall, plus just 1-4 ATS in their last five home games, making the fact that the underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings, making that stat even more significant. Take the points but I am definitely sending out an "Upset Alert!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Cal at 11:00 ET.

Kyle Smith won the CIT in his last year at Columbia (2015-16), going 25-10. He then left for San Francisco and had a nice three-year run of 63-40. He's now in his third season at Washington and after going 30-29 in his first two years, is 11-8 (6-3 in the Pac 12) this season. Mark Fox had a great five-year run at Nevada, going 123-43, including three straight NCAA appearances. He then left for Georgia and in nine seasons, went just 163-133 (just two NCAA appearances). He's been at Cal for three years, going 14-18, 8-20 and 9-13 this season, including 2-9 in Pac 12 play.

The Huskies tend to win 'ugly,' but the Huskies have won FIVE six as they visit Berkeley. Washington is led by PG Brown (21.7-4.0-3.9) and the 6-7 Matthews (11.6 & 5.2). A trio of guards chip in just under 24 PPG and are really the only other real contributors. Cal is led by guard Shepherd (14.3) and a pair of 6-9 big men, Kelly (13.6 & 8.4) and (10.2 & 7.0). Kelly injured an ankle Saturday against USC on Saturday and didn't play in Monday's loss to Stanford. The 7-1 Lars Thiemann ()3.7 & 2.3) made his first start of the season in place of Kelly and had perhaps his best game since arriving at Cal. He had 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor and 5-for-5 shooting from the FT line to go along with six rebounds. Kelly could play here (questionable with his sprained ankle) but either way, I'll take the Bears. They are 0-9 in games away from home, but are 9-4 in games played at Haas Pavilion. Washington is the better team but this is a winnable game for Cal and I don't think the Bears "miss out" on that opportunity!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week ('Battle 4 LA') is on the LA Lakers at 10:10 ET.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are co-tenants at Staples Center but have met just ONCE so far this season. However, the two intra-city rivals will meet tonight for the first of THREE games in the span of a month. The Lakers are expected to be without LeBron James (29.1-7.7-6.3) for a fifth consecutive game as the star deals with swelling in his left knee. Meanwhile, the Clippers will be without a pair of stars, Kawhi Leonard, who hasn't played all season after knee surgery, and Paul George (24.7-7.1-5.5), who is out due to a torn ligament in his right elbow. The injury woes of both teams have them struggling in the playoff race. Both are currently headed for the 'play-in' round, as the 26-27 Clippers are the West's No. 8 seed and the 25-27 Lakers the No. 9 seed.

The Lakers have played just one game with James and Anthony Davis since Dec 17. Davis missed 17 consecutive games with a knee injury, while James hasn't played since Jan 25. There is no timetable for James' return, which will happen once the knee swelling subsides, according to coach Frank Vogel. The Lakers won last night (99-94 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers), as Davis (23.4 & 9.7) scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Despite playing in just four games since he has returned, Davis is expected to be back on the court Thursday on consecutive days. He has scored at least 27 points in each of the past three games. Westbrook (18.7-7.9-7.8) was supposed to give LA a 'Big 3' but there remains talk that he could be moved by the trade deadline. Carmelo (13.6) remains ageless and scored 24 points last night. Monk (12.4) has been a steady presence as of late and scored a season-high 33 points and matched his career high of 10 rebounds in LA's 129-121 loss in Atlanta on Sunday.

The Clippers are back home after a 4-4 road trip and were dragging at the end of the road swing, looking sluggish on defense in a 122-116 defeat against the Indiana Pacers on Monday. George hasn't played since Christmas, with the Clippers going 9-12 over that time. Two-way player Amir Coffey (8.5 & 3.1) has emerged, averaging 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game since Dec 26 and 15.3 points with 4.2 rebounds since Jan 9. Withe George sidelined, the team's leading scorer is PG Jackson (16.5 & 4.0 APG), with PF Morris (15.3 & 5.1) right behind him. Swingman Kennard (12.1) and guard Mann (10.1 & 5.1) also score in double digits. The 7-0 Zubac (9.6 & 8.0) is questionable with a calf injury and that's NOT good news for the Clipps. 

The Clippers won the first meeting with the Lakers, 119-115 back on Dec 3 but I expect the Lakers to win Part 2 of this 'Battle 4 LA.' The Clippers return home after that eight-game road trip but have no home court edge here vs the Lakers, who also call Staples Center home. Take the points. Just a thought. One of these days LBJ will get back in the lineup, "Wouldn't it be Nice" (as the Beach Boys sang) if he joined the fray tonight?

Good luck...Larry 

My 10* Conf Game of the Year (MWC) is on Wyoming at 9:00 ET.

The Boise State Broncos and the Wyoming Cowboys meet Thursday in college basketball action from Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. The two MWC rivals just met Jan 25 in Boise, where the Broncos eked out a 65-62 win (Wyoming covered as a 5 1/2-point underdog).  Boise St's Leon Rice is in his 12th season, having produced EIGHT 20-win seasons in his first 11, including two NCAA teams (the most recent coming back in 2015). Last year's team went 19-9, before losing in the NIT quarterfinals, just missing a ninth, 20-win campaign. However, after a spotty 3-4 record through seven games, the Broncos have won 14 straight contests. At 17-4, a 20-win season 'is in the bag!'  Jeff Linder came from No. Colorado where he won 26 (CIT champion), 21 and 22 games in his final three years, earning him the Wyoming gig. His first team went 14-11 but this year's team is an impressive 15-2. Boise St's Leon Rice is in his 12th season, having produced EIGHT 20-win seasons in his first 11, including two NCAA teams (the most recent coming back in 2015). Last year's team went 19-9, before losing in the NIT quarterfinals, just missing a ninth, 20-win campaign. However, the Cowboys went 9-2 over their first 11 games and have now gone 8-1 thei last nine, to reach 17-3 (lone loss was to Boise!).

Boise St has depth issues but has a very solid starting-five. The backcourt is missing Doutrive (9.4 & 4.6), who last played on Nov 30 but Shaver (12.9 & 4.0) and 6-8 guard Akot (11.4) form a quality duo. Up front, it's the 6-7 Kijab (13.3 & 6.3), the 6-7 Degenhart (9.3 & 3.2) and the 6-10 Armus (6.9 & 8.7). The 6-7 Smith (5.6 & 3.2) comes off the bench. Defense is Boise's 'bread-and-butter,' allowing 58.3 PPG (8th). The 6-9 Ike (19.7 & 8.9) and PG Maldanado (19.4-5.5-6.4) make for quite an inside-outside duo for Wyoming. They are joined in the starting lineup by guards Jeffries (11.4 & 4.8) and DuSell (9.9) plus the 6-9 Oden (8.5 & 5.0. DuSell's hamstring injury kept him out for a couple of games, with Wenzel (5.2) starting in his place. Team defense is solid, allowing 66.0 PPG.

Boise St is 8-1 in MWC play, with Wyoming lurking at 6-1. A Wyoming "W" sets up a real 'horse race' for the league's regular season title and that's EXACTLY what I expect. Wyoming just barely lost at Boise on Jan 25 (see above) and is a perfect 9-0 SU at home. Wyoming may not win "going away," but at this bargain of a price, the Cowboys won't need to.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Las Vegas Insider is on the Tor Raptors at 7:40 ET.

The Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference behind Zach LaVine and the free agent signing of DeMar DeRozan. They also picked up center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando last season (where his talents were wasted) plus added Lonzo Ball as a free agent. Chicago surged to the top of the Eastern Conference on the strength of a nine-game winning streak from Dec 19 thru Jan 7, averaging 120.2 points per game over their winning streak and never scoring fewer than 108 points in any of those outings. However, the Bulls have 'cooled, going 6-8 over their last 14, although they come into this game on a 4-1 run. The Toronto Raptors won the NBA title (led by Kawhi) back in 2019 and even after he "went Hollywood" on them, followed with records of 58-24 and 53-19 the next two seasons. However, the Raptors fell to just 27-45 last season. Toronto has moved to the right side of .500 with three straight wins to reach 26-23.

There were 'whispers' that the 32-year-old DeMar DeRozan was on the downside of his career, but he's been one of the best players in the NBA so far this season, averaging 26.5-5.1-5.0. Zach LaVine (24.9-4.8-4.3) is back after missing a few games plus backup PG White (12.8) is around to fill in for Ball (13.-5.4-5.1), who is out until mid-March (knee). Center Vucevic (16.8 & 11.4) is playing through a knee issue. Rookie guard Dosunmu (7.7), is averaging 12.7 PPG in 10 games since Jan 15. Toronto has FIVE players averaging 14.5 PPG or more. PG VanVleet (21.5-4.7-7.0) and PF Siakam (1.0-98.5-5.10 lead the way, joined by SF Anunoby (18.7 & 5.6), who is having a career-year, and Gary Trent (18.2). Trent has matched a team record by scoring 30-plus points in FIVE straight games! Florida rookie Barnes (14.5 & 7.8) rounds out the 'Group of 5.' Big men Boucher (8.9 & 5.8) and Achiuwa (7.8 & 7.3) are regular contributors.

The Bulls lead the East by ONE game and the top-six teams are separated by just 3 1/2-games. Toronto is currently in the 'play-in' round but sits just TWO back of the current No. 6 (last guaranteed playoff spot). Toronto just played the Bulls tight when the Raptors lost by six (getting 4) at Chicago on Jan 25. Yes, Chicago has won the last FIVE meetings with Toronto, but I believe 'Tonight's the Night' the Raptors break through and deliver a decisive win.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Por Blazers at 10:40 ET.

The Portland Trail Blazers are 21-30 (current No. 10 seed in the West) as they end a four-game road trip tonight in LA against the 24-27 Lakers, who are 24-27 (current No. 9 seed). The Lakers are back home after a six-game road trip in which they went just 2-4. LA got Anthony Davis (23.2 & 9.5) back from a knee injury but in the process, lost LeBron James (29.1-7.7-6.3) to his own knee issue at the same time.

The Trail Blazers know injury issues well. Star guard Damian Lillard (24.0 & 7.3) has been out since the start of the new year and had abdominal surgery. He won't be evaluated again until later this month. Center Cody Zeller and forward Larry Nance Jr. are out with knee injuries and forward Nassir Little had season-ending shoulder surgery Tuesday. However, a look at the team's starting lineup in its last game, shows a team capable of competing. McCollum (20.8-4.2-4.5) was joined in the backcourt by Simons (15.6), while center Nurkic (14.6 & 10.7) was surrounded by SF Powell (18.4) and PF Covington (7.8 & 5.6), who is an excellent defender.

Davis and James have played together just ONCE since Dec 19, a 106-96 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan 25. At 16-14 before Davis went down for 17 consecutive games, the Lakers are 24-27 now and as noted, headed for the 'play-in' round. "I still believe that we got a good team, we just haven't been all the way healthy for our team," Davis said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "LeBron is now out, I just came back. I think the most frustrating part is that we can't finish games. We've had a lot of games that we had won and teams come back and beat us." Westbrook (18.9-7.8-7.7) was supposed to give LA a 'Big 3' but there remains talk that he could be moved by the trade deadline. Carmelo (13.4) remains ageless and Monk (12.6) just scored a season-high 33 points and matched his career high of 10 rebounds in LA's last game (a 129-121 loss on Sunday).

However, the Lakers continue to lack any real sort of 'chemistry' and after routing the Blazers 139-106 New Year's Eve in Portland, may just get caught 'flat' here, even though they've lost THREE in a row coming in. Take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Big East Game of the Month is on Villanova at 10:00 ET.

No. 24 Marquette (15-7, 7-4 Big East) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end Sunday in a 65-63 road loss to then-No. 17 Providence. The Golden Eagles will be severely tested again tonight, when they host No. 12 Villanova (16-5. 9-2 Big East).

Villanova head coach Jay Wright owns two national titles (2016 and 2018) and coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season with four starters coming back, opened the year as the AP's 4th-ranked team. However, the Wildcats were just 7-4 through mid-December. That said, THREE of those losses came to then-No. 2 UCLA, then-No. 6 Purdue and then-No. 2 Baylor. Villanova visits Milwaukee having won NINE of its last 10, with that lone loss coming at home to Marquette 57-54 back on Jan 19. Wright is going with a basic six-man rotation so far this season. Collin Gillespie has fully recovered from an MCL injury that ended his 2020-21 campaign early. He leads the Wildcats in scoring with 17.1 PPG. Fellow guards Justin Moore adds 15.5 & 4.9 and Daniels chips in 9.2 PPG in the role of 6th-man. Up front, it's the 6-7 Slater (11.2 & 3.7), the 6-7 Samuels (11.0 & 6.4) and the 6-8 Dixon (7.9 & 5.9).

Shaka Smart was booted out of Austin after a disappointing six-year run at Texas but has done quite a job at Marquette, which did not return a SINGLE starter from last season's disappointing 13-14 team. However, Marquette has a deep eight-man rotation, led by 6-7 freshman Lewis (16.5 & 7.9) and Maryland transfer, Morsell (13.4). Joining that duo in the starting lineup are freshman guard Kolek (6.7 & 4.1) plus frontcourt players like the 6-8 Prosper (6.0 & 3.4) and the 6-10 Kuath (5.5 & 4.2), Adding depth are guard Elliott (7.2), freshman guard Jones (7.7) and 6-9 freshman Ighodaro (5.9 & 3.5). Marquette suffered a four-game losing streak from Dec 11 thru Jan 1 but then won SEVEN in a row (beat FOUR ranked teams), before losing 65-63 at Providence this past Sunday.

A "W" here and it will be Villanova (9-2) and Providence (currently 9-1) in a two-team race for the Big East's No. 1 seed. Since the loss to Marquette, the Wildcats have regained their form on both ends of the court. Expect the revenge-minded visiting side to avenge that earlier loss, reminding all Big East teams just why they were ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP poll.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Marquee Classic is on Wisconsin at 9:00 ET.

There is a three-way tie atop the Big Ten between Michigan St, Illinois and Wisconsin (all three are 8-2). Purdue (No. 4) is the highest-ranked team in the league and lurks at 7-3. No. 11 Wisconsin (17-3) will be in Champaign tonight to take on No. 18 Illinois in the only regular-season matchup between the two. Wisconsin is coming off a 66-60 home victory over Minnesota on Sunday and will be playing its third game in seven days. As for Illinois, it rallied for a 59-56 victory at Northwestern on Saturday, overcoming a 51-46 deficit over the final 5:36 of the game.

Greg Gard is now in his seventh season at Madison, taking over when Bo Ryan retired. Wisconsin featured four, 5th-year seniors and three regular seniors last season but of the 14 scholarship players this season, 10 are classified as freshmen for eligibility purposes. Guard Davison began the season with 124 career starts and is averaging 15.7 & 4.2 and is joined by freshman guard Hepburn (7.8), who has just 25 turnovers while playing 31 minutes per game! The "big story" has guard Davis (7.0 & 4.1 LY), who is averaging 21.4 & 7.9 this season Rounding out the starting-five, after limited playing time last season, are the 6-9 Wahl (10.8 & 5.8) and the 7-0 Crowl (9.1 & 4.6).

Brad Underwood became a star at SF Austin, going 89-14 with three straight NCAA appearances. He was hired at Oklahoma St and went 20-13, leading the Cowboys to the 'Big Dance," He was then lured to Illinois but his first two seasons resulted in 14-18 and 12-21 records. Those days are now in the rearview mirror, as the Fighting Illini have gone 21-10, 24-7 and now 15-5 so far this season. Much like Wisconsin, Illinois has an excellent starting-five but little depth. 7-foot junior center Kofi Cockburn (21.1 & 11.6) had missed the two previous games due to concussion protocols but returned with 22 points and nine rebounds against Northwestern. Guard Curbelo (10.2-4.5-4.3) has cleared COVID protocols but hasn't played since Jan 21 (questionable here). With Curbelo sidelined, Saturday's starting-five consisted of four guards, Plummer (15.8), Frazier (13.1), Grandison (10.7 & 3.9) and Williams (3.9 & 5.6) joining Cockburn. The 6-10 Hawkins (6.2 & 4.6) came off the bench.

Here's the rub. Illinois won both meetings last season (Cockburn had 42 points and 21 rebounds in the Ilini's two-game sweep of Wisconsin) and has won its past three meetings against Wisconsin. However, the Badgers had won 15 straight in the series prior to that. Wisconsin comes in having won NINE of 10, losing only to Michigan St. TOO many points to give the Badgers in this one. Take them!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on NC St at 9:00 ET.

The once-mighty ACC has only ONE team in the latest AP poll and that's No. 9 Duke. Neither Syracuse (10-11, 4-6) nor NC State (10-12, 3-8), who meet tonight in Raleigh, have any dreams of being ranked this season. Forget the polls, the two schools are just trying to avoid the ACC 'basement!'

Jim Boeheim is in his 46th season as a head coach and is coming off another Sweet 16 run in last year's "Big Dance" (The Orange finished 18-10). However, it's been 'tough sledding' for the Orange this season. However, Syracuse is coming off one of its best wins of the season. The 'Cuse had lost six of their previous eight games before smashing Wake Forest 94-72 on Saturday. Buddy Boeheim scored a season-high 30 points and had seven assists while shooting 6 of 11 from three-point range. Buddy is averaging 19.4 PPG (adds 3.7 RPG and 3.6 APG) and his backcourt partner Girard (13.0 & 4.62 APG) returned at PG from last season. However, two key transfers have made immediate impacts. Swider, a 6-9 transfer from Villanova, is averaging 12.7 & 6.8 plus Boeheim's oldest son Jimmy (a 6-8 graduate transfer from Cornell), is adding 13.4 & 6.2 (he's now the second-leading scorer on the team, behind only his brother) The 6-11 Edwards returns up front and chips in 12.0 & 6.7. Depth has been an issue all season, plus Boeheim's famed "2-3 zone" has allowed 75.1 PPG, ranking 324th in the nation (say what?).

Kevin Keatts replaced Mark Gottfried in Raleigh five years ago. His three-year stint at UNC-Wilmington (his team won 28 and 29 games in his final two seasons, both ending with NCAA tourney berths), surely caught NC St's attention. Keatts' first three seasons in Raleigh went fine (21, 24 and 20 wins) but the Wolfpack's season pretty much ended on Feb 9 of last year, when Devon Daniels (16.5 & 5.2) was lost to an ACL tear (NC St would finish 14-11). Keatts has had his work cut out for him entering the current season. The 6-7 Seabron has blossomed into a "do-everything" player for NC St, leading the team in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (8.9). Joining him in the starting lineup are freshman guard Smith (15.3), the 6-7 Hellems (15.0 & 4.6) and the 6-11 Dowuona (4.1 & 4.7). UVA transfer Morsell (7.7 & 4.0) and Hayes (7.6) have both been steady (Morsell often starts).

 
While Syracuse is coming off one of its best games, NC State is coming off its most lopsided defeat of the season, a 100-80 loss against North Carolina on Saturday. The Wolfpack faced a 56-31 deficit at the half en route to the 20-point defeat. NC State wasted a career-high 34-point performance by freshman Terquavion Smith, who went 1 of 9 from the floor in a loss to Notre Dame three days earlier. Yes, Syracuse beat NC State all three times last season (including the ACC tourney) but as noted above, Boeheim's team has NOT played well defensively all season. Is that the reason Syracuse is just 1-5 on the road and 1-3 in neutral-site games?  I believe the Wolfpack are HIGHLY undervalued in this situation and I expect a convincing home win for NC State.

Good luck...Larry

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

Chris Beard left Lubbock and its beloved fan base last April to take over the Texas program and created plenty of hurt feelings that haven't been soothed over the past 10 months. The best revenge the Red Raiders can take on Beard for switching allegiances would be to beat his Longhorns tonight at United Supermarkets Arena. No. 23 Texas (16-5, 5-3 in the Big 12) visits Lubbock to take on No. 14 Texas Tech (also 16-5, 5-3 in the Big 12) expecting an intense atmosphere, knowing that Red Raiders officials have brought in wrestling legend and wild man Ric Flair to rile up the sold-out crowd and keep it at a fever pitch.

When Texas fired Shaka Smart after six unfulfilling seasons, Chris Beard 'jumped ship,' at Tech and took the at Texas. Beard brought in seven transfers with NCAA Division I experience. 6-6 Timmy Allen was named All-Pac 12 at Utah last season (17.2 & 6.4) and leads Texas in scoring (11.8) and rebounding (6.5) but his scoring is down 5 PPG. The same goes for PG Carr (19.6 & 4.9 APG last year with Minnesota), who is averaging a more modest 10.6 PPG and 3.3 APG. Guards Jones (10.1) and Ramey (9.8) join Carr in the backcourt, while 6-9 center Mitchell (8.9 & 4.2) and 6-7 forward Bishop (5.9 & 4.6) join Allen up front. The 6-9 Disu (5.5 & 4.5) is the only other player of note. Defense is the team's 'calling card,' as Beard's team ranks 1st in the nation, allowing 54.5 PPG.

Mark Adams worked under Beard since his first season as a Division I head coach (started at Arkansas-LR) and instead of following Beard to Austin, decided to stay in Lubbock as Tech's head coach. Tech began turning heads early in Big 12 play, while leading scorer Terrence Shannon was dealing with an injury and did not play. Shannon (12.0 PPG) returned but is again dealing with a bad back and is listed as questionable for this one (he sat out the Jan 29 game) healthy. SIX players are averaging 23-plus minutes per game (including Shannon), with five guards (all 6-5 or taller), joined by the 6-8 Williams (13.5 & 4.6). McCullar (10.5 & 5.6) Obanor (10.4 & 5.1) and Warren (10.3) average 10-plus points, while Arms (8.4 & 3.8 just misses. Three others combine to add 13.1 PPG..

Texas squandered a 17-point lead last Saturday at home vs Tennessee, allowing the Volunteers to tie the game at 51-all as it scored just one point in the last 5:32. However, that ONE point, Timmy Allen's free throw with 6.2 seconds to play, was the game-winner! As for Texas Tech, it rolled tp a 76-50 victory at home over Mississippi State on Saturday in another SEC/Big 12 Challenge contest.

That "W" leaves Tech 13-0 at home but besting Beard's team will NOT come easily and I sure would NOT even consider laying points. Tech will want this one badly but I'm calling for the Texas D to be the difference and will call for a Texas OUTRIGHT win.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on St Bonny's at 7:00 ET.

Full, detailed analysis Tuesday morning by 10:00 ET.

 My 10* Big 12 Game of the Month is on Kansas at 7:00 ET.

The Kansas Jayhawks are reeling from an 80-62 thrashing at home this past Saturday against Kentucky in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The 17-3 Jayhawks (6-1 Big 12) dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 in Monday's AP poll and now travel to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 20 Iowa State, which is 16-5 (but just 3-5 in the Big 12). These two conference rivals met back on Jan 11, when Iowa State battled Kansas to the wire at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

Bill Self's Jayhawks finished 21-9 last season, including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That was not what was expected of a team ranked No. 6 in the AP's preseason poll. Kansas began the current season ranked No. 3 and opened with an 87-74 win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball (Nov 9) over Michigan St. Kansas is led by a pair of big guards in the 6-5 Agbaji (20.9 & 4.9) and the 6-6 Braun (15.2 & 5.9). Guard Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12 but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging just 8.4 PPG. Martin still is trying to gain Self's complete trust on running the attack (it doesn't seem to be working). Harris (5.3 & 3.7 APG) has recently been starting at PG for Martin. The 6-7 Wilson (8.9 & 6.9) and the 6-10 McCormack (8.7 & 6.5) round out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.2 & 3.4) and guard Coleman-Lands (4.5) get time off the bench. Kansas is an excellent offensive team, averaging 80.6 PPG (15th) on 48.9% shooting (9th), while allowing 68.6 PPG.

T.J. Otzelberger came from UNLV to take over an Iowa St team that went 2-22 last season (0-18 in the Big 12). The Hawkeyes opened 12-0 and were ranked No. 8 thru Dec 21 but did not play again until Jan 1, at then-No. Baylor. The Hawkeyes played the Bears close, losing 77-72 but that loss was the start of a 4-5 Iowa St run. A trio of guards lead the way for Iowa St, starting with standout Izaiah Brockington, who leads the team in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (7.8). He's joined on the perimeter by Hunter (10.6 & 4.7 APG) and Kalscheur (10.0). The team's best frontcourt players are the 6-8 Kunc (6.1 & 3.8), the 6-8 Enaruna (6.3 & 3.9) and the 6-9 Conditt (5.2 & 4.0). Guard Grill (7.3) is a solid contributor off the bench.

Kansas remains first in the Big 12 race, but the Kentucky loss leaves them in a nasty mood. "It's not the end of the world or anything like that," the Jayhawks' Christian Braun said. "We have a lot of games ahead of us, so this is just something we have to forget about and move forward and get some wins." Kansas dug an early hole and never recovered from a 51-31 halftime deficit. "I'm not going to dwell on it at all. We weren't tough; we didn't take away what you must do to win," Self said after Kentucky shot 50.8 percent in snapping the Jayhawks' five-game winning streak and handing them their first home loss this season.

Iowa State remained unbeaten in nonconference play with a 67-50 win over Missouri on Saturday in another game of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Cyclones held the Tigers to 42.9-percent shooting while forcing 18 turnovers. "We can be really good, and we will be really good when we do that," Otzelberger said of the defensive surge. "It's my job to demand that every day. It's the cornerstone of how we'll move our team forward." However, the Cyclones have dropped FOUR of their last six league games, including their last conference home game, a 59-44 loss to TCU.

Une has to 'look hard' to find Kansas losing at home by double digits but the fact is, the Jayhawks are 4-0 ATs in their last four games f

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Bos Celtics at 7:40 ET.

As the final day of January dawns, the 32-18 Miami Heat own the East's best record but just barely. Bottom line is, the top-six teams in the East are separated by just 2 1/2-games. It's my opinion that Miami's Erik Spoelstra doesn't get his due when the discussion of the NBA's best coaches comes up. He led the 'South Beach 3' to four NBA Finals (2-2) and in 2020, shocked the NBA with his team's run to the Finals, before losing 4-2 to the Lakers. The Heat have dealt with numerous injuries and COVID absences, but despite all that, they are 32-18 (.640) up from last season's 40-32 (.556) record. As for the Celtics, they are 26-25 on the season and the franchise which is tied with the LA Lakers for the most all-time NBA titles (each own 17), is currently the East's No. 9 seed, Boston may quite possibly need to the reach the postseason by making it through the 'play-in' round (how the mighty have fallen).

Miami is coming off a 124-120 loss in overtime at home on Saturday to the Raptors. Miami played without former Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry (13.4-4.5-8.3) because of personal reasons and it's unclear if he will play here. The good news for Miami fans is that the team's top-three players are all healthy and/or COVID-free. Swingman Butler (22.0-6.3-6.3), guard Herro (20.3-4.9-4.0) and center Adebayo (17.8 & 10.1) make for quite a trio. Miami's depth is also impressive and one of the main reasons it sits atop the East. Five more players chip in between 8.6 and 12.0 PPG.

Boston is coming off a 107-97 win over the Pelicans on Saturday. Tatum (26.2 & 8.4) and Brown (24.3 & 6.6) again led the way. Tatum scored 38 points, while adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Brown chipped in 31 points for Boston, whose only other double-digit scorer was Josh Richardson with 10 off the bench. "We know we're much harder to beat when both are firing on all cylinders," Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said. "They've been shooting better, attacking better, and making plays, and we expect that from those two." However, Boston needs to keep others involved. It's not as if Boston lacks talent. Schroder (14.8-3.4-4.5), Smart (11.3-4.0-5.4) and Richardson (9.7) form a solid backcourt, while big men Horford (10.1 & 7.2) and Roberts Williams (9.9 & 9.6) are quality NBA players.

Miami has a rematch with the Raptors in Toronto tomorrow night and I'm looking for Tatum and Brown to continue their hot play and lead Boston to the "W" and cover!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on Notre Dame at 7:00 ET.

Duke's visit to Notre Dame was scheduled to be played on January 1 (was postponed) but the Blue Devils and Fighting Irish will instead take the court tonight, January 31st in South Bend. As all know, this is Coach K's final season and will lead his Blue Devils into South Bend 17-3 and ranked 9th in the latest AP poll (new poll comes out this afternoon). Mike Brey is not exactly a 'newbie, as this his 27th season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish come into this contest at 14-6, overcoming a slow 3-4 start.

Coach K brought in a trio of highly-regarded freshmen for his final season, none more impactful than 6-10 Banchero, who leads in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (8.3). The 7-0 Williams is also having a strong freshman season, adding 10.1 & 7.1. Freshman guard Keels (11.8 & 3.6) rounds out that incoming trio but hasn't played since a Jan 18th OT loss at FSU. With Keels out, guards Moore (15.4 & APG) and Roach (8.1 & 3.8 APG) plus the 6-6 Griffin (8.9 & 3.2) joined Banchero and Williams in the starting lineup. Mike Brey's team goes seven-deep. Guards Goodwin (14.9 & 5.6) and Wesley (15.0) are the top-two scorers, joined by Hubb (8.2 & 3.6 APG), Ryan (7.5) and Wertz (4.3) in the backcourt. The 6-9 Atkinson (11.6 & 6.3) and the 6-10 Laszewski (9.3 & 7.5) are the best (only?) frontcourt players.

It's the only scheduled meeting of the season between Duke and Notre Dame, so that means there might not be another coaching matchup between Krzyzewski and Brey. As touched on earlier, ND opened only 3-4 (just 1-6 ATS) but the Irish turned their season around with a 66-62 home win over Kentucky back on Dec 11. That "W" has morphed into an 11-2 run the last 13 games, with the Irish going 9-4 ATS. This will be only the fourth ACC road game for Duke and one can't ignore Notre Dame's 9-0 record this season at Purcell Pavilion.

Miami leads the ACC at 8-2, with Duke and Notre Dame both 7-2. Safe to say, this is a BIG game. The Jan 1 matchup was postponed, as Duke's team was in COVID protocol but with the new date, it means students are back on campus at Notre Dame. Is that just "A luck of the Irish" omen? I'll 'bite' and will take the home underdog.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* NFC West Game of the Year (late-Breaker) is on the LA Rams at 6:40 ET.

Who'da thunk it? Sean McVay of the Rams, and Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers were both hired within a month of each other in 2017 and now, the winner of Sunday's NFC championship game will be making his second Super Bowl appearance in a five-year span. The Rams made it to Super Bowl 53 but lost 13-3 to the Pats and the 49ers made it to Super Bowl 54, where they lost 31-20 to the Chiefs. The 49ers were just 3-5 through Week 9 but would go 7-2 SU & ATS down the stretch. San Francisco came back from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Rams 27-24 in OT in Week 18, capped by a walk-off interception, after they had kicked a FG in the OT period. That "W" beat out the Saints for the NFC's last unclaimed spot. As for the Rams, they opened the season 7-1 but then lost THREE in a row, falling to 7-4 (Cards were 9-2 thru 11 games). At that time, it looked as if the Rams were headed for a wild card berth (at best) and the Cards for the division title. However, the Rams would win FIVE straight games (Cards would finish 2-4) and even with a Week 18 home loss to the 49ers (see above), were able to earn the NFC West title, as the Cards lost in Week 18 at home to Seattle.

We have two interesting storylines heading into the game. The much-maligned Jimmy G led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2019 season (lost to Mahomes and the Chiefs) but is now one win away from a second SB appearance in a three-year span, despite passing for only 303 yards without a TD and two INTs (QB rating of 63.0) the last two weekends. Matthew Stafford's 'story' is well-known, having suffered for 12 years in Detroit, after being the first overall pick of the 2009 draft. He put up HUGE numbers each year, but he entered this postseason 0-3 in his playoff career. However, he has completed 74.5% of his passes for 568 yards with four TDs and zero INTs in 44 attempts (131.5 QB rating). Naturally, the QBs typically get "top billing" but maybe not here. 

San Francisco WR Deebo Samuel is the NFL's most versatile talent, and one of just THREE players in history with at least EIGHT rushing TDs and 1,000 receiving yards in a season (the others are RBs Roger Craig in 1985 and Christian McCaffrey in 2019). The Rams' WR Cooper Kupp had 145 receptions for 1,947 receiving yards. Both rank second in single-season NFL history to Michael Thomas' 149 catches and to Calvin Johnson's 1,964 receiving yards, respectively. Kupp has 14 catches for 244 yards in LA's two wins, averaging 17.4 YPC with two TDs. As for Deebo, he's run for 111 yards on 5.6 YPC with one TD plus added six catches (13.7 YPC).

The old 'wives tale' says, it's hard to beat the same team THREE times in a single season but don't we have to 'throw that out,' as the 46ers own SIX consecutive wins over the Rams? Then again, are the 49ers really capable of winning AT Dallas, AT Green Bay and now AT Los Angeles in a three-week span? I've wrestled with this all week but have finally decided that I want Stafford over Jimmy G and will make the Rams my Late Breaker. The Bucs became the first team to host a Super Bowl last season in their home stadium (Raymond James) and now the Rams could make it 'deja vu all over again' with a win on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl Feb 13th in their home stadium, SoFi Stadium. Bet on it!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* 'Signature' 38-Club Play is on the KC Chiefs at 3:00 ET.

The just-completed Divisional Round is being hailed as the NFL's "Greatest Postseason Weekend of All-Time" and you won't get an argument from me. Everyone has either watched, seen the highlights of or read the countless recaps of the four games, so I'll move on. The 2021 NFL season is down to its version of a 'Final Four, on January 30th, or Championship Sunday, if you prefer. The Cincinnati Bengals entered the postseason without a playoff win in 31 years but here in January, have won TWO playoff games in a seven-day span! After a 19-16 win over the Titans (on a last-second FG), the Bengals have advanced to the AFC Championship for the 1st time since the 1988 season, the same year in which they lost the 'John Candy Super Bowl' to the SF 49ers of Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott. Awaiting them at Arrowhead Stadium will be the KC Chiefs, who edged the Buffalo Bills 42-36 in what's being called 'the greatest game' in NFL history! I'm sure that statement could be debated, but one would have to come up with quite an argument. The Chiefs, who played in Super I and then won Super Bowl IV, the last played prior to the 1970 merger, now become the first team in NFL history to host a conference championship in FOUR consecutive seasons.

The Bengals went just 4-11-1 in Joe Burrow's rookie season but their 10-7 record in 2021 was good enough to win the AFC Central for the first time since 2015 (it didn't hurt that the Ravens ended the season on a SIX-game losing streak!). Burrow had an excellent season (70.4% for 4,611 yards with 34 TDs and 11 INTs), while RB Mixon had a career season, running for 1,205 yards with 13 TDs, while catching 42 passes (3 TDs). WR Chase caught 81 passes (18.0 YPC / 13 TDs) plus fellow WRs Higgins (74 / 14.7 YPC / 6 TDs) and Boyd ( 67 / 5 TDs), as well as TE Uzomah (49 / 5 TDs) gave Burrow an excellent receiving corps. Perhaps overlooked, was that the Cincy defense allowed 22.1 PPG, a significant improvement after allowing 27.1 PPG over the previous three seasons.

Burrow has thrown just two TDs in the two playoff wins but has completed 73.2% with only one INT in 73 attempts. WR Chase (14 catches) does not have a TD catch but is sure making his presence known, while TE Uzomah has 13 receptions and one TD. RB Mixon has been held to just 102 yards rushing (3.3 YPC) but does have 10 catches. An area of concern has to be that Cincy's running game has averaged only 74.0 YPG (3.4 YPC) through two playoff games, after averaging 102.5 YPG on the season. However, it's excellent news that the Cincy defense has allowed just 35 points to the Raiders and Titans (17.5 per).

The Chiefs entered the current season off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances (1-1) and having won FIVE consecutive AFC West titles. However, after just SEVEN games, the Chiefs were a sub-.500 team at 3-4! The 'cry' went out, "What's wrong with the Chiefs and in particular, Patrick Mahomes?" KC answered that question emphatically, going 9-1 to finish the regular season and win the AFC West for the SIXTH straight season at 12-5. However, that ONE loss (34-31 at Cincy on a last-second FG), cost KC the No. 1 seed. Tennessee (also 12-5) won the tiebreaker over Kansas City based on head-to-head win percentage (Titans beat the Chiefs 27-3 in Tennessee back in Week 7!). Mahomes had an 'average' season (for him), completing 66.3 % for 4,839 yards with 37 TDs and 13 INTs (ho hum!). RBs Williams (558 yards on 3.9 YPC with 6 TDs) and Edwards-Helaire (517 yards on 4.3 YPC with 4 TDs) have missed time all season and McKinnon, who ran for just 62 yards all season, has been KC's 'featured' RB in the postseason (if you pardon the pun). The Chiefs own the best WR-TE duo in the NFL with Hill (111 catches / 9 TDs) and Kelce (92 catches / 9 TDs) plus have depth at WR in Hardeman (59 catches) and Pringle (42 catches / 5 TDs). The defense ended the regular season allowing 368.9 YPG, ranking 27th but the good news was that KC allowed a more modest 21.4 PPG, which ranked 8th-best (more in a bit).

Mahomes has been terrific in two playoff victories, leading KC to 42 points against both the Steelers and the Bills. He's completed 75.9% for 782 yards with 8 TDs and just one INT. He also ran for 98 yards (on just 10 attempts) plus another TD. Edwards-Helaire returned vs Buffalo and ran for 60 yards on just seven carries (8.6 YPC), as the Chiefs have run for 144.0 YPG in two playoff games, averaging 5.9 YPC. Hill has 16 catches (2 TDs) and Kelce 13 catches and two TDs (including the game-winner in OT vs Buffalo). I noted the KC defense earlier and will note here that in the team's 9-1 finish to the regular season, the unit allowed just 15.8 PPG.

KC enters this game on an 11-1 run, with the team's only loss coming 34-31 at Cincy (Week 17) on a last-second FG. I'm not sure at all that the win over KC was a "good thing" for the Bengals. I've noted Cincy's greatly improved defense but now that stop unit now goes from facing Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill, to Patrick Mahomes. He's been at his best the last two weeks, leading KC to 478 yards and 42 points against a decent Steelers defense, followed by producing 42 points and 552 yards in overtime against the Bills, who owned a defense that led the NFL in both points allowed (17.0) and total yards (272.8) during the regular season.

Cincy won the franchise's first playoff game in 31 years in the wild card round but Cincy's 19-16 win at Tennessee last weekend, marked the franchise's FIRST-ever postseason road win! I bought up Mahomes' numbers in his career home playoff games in my analysis last Sunday (LEGEND Play win on KC over Buff) and will update and remind all again here. Mahomes is 7-1 in home playoff games, completing 68.9% for an average of 318.8 YPG through the air with 23 TD passes and just ONE interception in 293 attempts! This is NOT the time or place for the Bengals to earn the franchise's second all-time road playoff win. In fact, I don't see the Bengals even coming close. Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on Drake at 2:00 ET.

The 16-3 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers and the 15-6 Drake Bulldogs meet Sunday in MVC action at The Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Ramblers lead the MVC with a 7-1 record, while the Bulldogs are in second place at 6-2 (Mo St and No Iowa lurk at 7-3). Loyola went 26-5 last season and made an appearance in the NCAA's Sweet 16. However, Porter Moser left for Oklahoma and Cameron Kurtwig, who led the Ramblers into last year's Sweet 16 and helped them to a Final 4 appearance as a freshman, decided not to return for a "Super Senior" season. Drew Valentine, an assistant under Porter the last four seasons, took over as head coach. He's done an excellent job, as Loyola has won 12 of its last 13. Drake's Darian DeVries is in in his fourth season in Des Moines (70-29 his first three) and you may remember Drake opening 18-0 last season. However, the Bulldogs lost in the MVC tourney (Arch Madness) but the Bulldogs still went 'dancing,' earning the first at-large bid in program history (Drake also finished at 26-5). What's more, Drake returned all FIVE starters from that team.

Willaimson (12.4 & 4.9) and Norris (10.0 & 4.2 APG) start in the backcourt, while the frontcourt consists of the 6-7 Schwieger (10.2), the 6-7 Uguak (9.1 & 3.8) and the 6-10 Hutson (6.9 & 2.3) start up front. Guards Kennedey (7.9) and Hall (5.1 & 4.4) add backcourt depth, while the 6-7 Knight (7.8 & 3.6) helps out up front. Loyola is a strong defensive team, allowing just 61.1 PPG (24th). Drake's DeVries had the inside track on recruiting his son Tucker (Gatorade POY in Iowa) and he's delivered, by leading the team in scoring at 13.5 PPG. Three more guards join him in the starting lineup, the 6-3 Sturtz (10.9 PPG and a team-high 7.4 RPG), Penn (10.9 & 3.6 APG) and Wilkins (10.1). The 6-6 Murphy (9.9 & 5.4) is the fifth starter, while the 6-6 Hemphill (9.8 & 4.90 and the 6-10 Brodie (6.8 & 4.8) are important role players. Drake is also a solid defensive team, holding opponents to 66.8 PPG.

"Arch Madness" is still a month away, but Drake could sure use a win here vs Loyola, which would get them to 7-2 and in a tie with the Ramblers atop the MVC (again, Mo St and No. Iowa lurk at 7-3). Seeding will matter when the teams get to St Louis and all MVC members are well-aware that the likelihood of an at-large bid (like Drake's last season) is pretty much a 'pipe dream.' The home dog 'barks' LOUDLY in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Tennessee at 8:00 ET.

Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge game between No. 18 Tennessee (14-5) and 15-5 Texas, which just fell out of the rankings this past Monday, is much more than two of the nation's top teams getting together tonight in Austin. The game will mark the first time Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has coached against the Longhorns since he was fired by Texas after the 2014-15 season.  Rick Barnes has been a winner at every stop, with three NCAA berths at Providence, three in four years at Clemson and 16 in 17 years at Texas. This is his seventh season at Tennessee, and he's led the Vols to three NCAA berths the last four years (exception was when COVID shut down the postseason). Saturday's contest is more than just a homecoming for Barnes, it's an important game for both teams and not much of a respite from either's gauntlet of battles in the SEC and Big 12, respectively. When Texas fired Shaka Smart after six unfulfilling seasons, Chris Beard 'jumped ship,' leaving Lubbock (Texas Tech) to take the job at Texas (Austin), leaving some hard feelings behind. It hasn't been smooth sailing for Beard and his Longhorns, who opened No. 5 in the AP's preseason poll and remained in the AP rankings all season until Monday. 

Junior guard Vescovi (14.6 & 4.6) and freshman PG Chandler (13.5 & 4.9 APG) lead the way for Tennessee. The 6-8 Nkamhoua (8.3 & 6.0) and the 7-0 Plavsic (4.4 & 3.2) start up front, although the 6-8 Fulkerson may be the team's top frontcourt player (he's been coming off the bench, as of late). 6-6 guard Jordan-James missed a few games earlier but is back in the starting lineup, averaging 6.6 & 5.8. Guards Zeigler (7.0) and Powell (5.6) add depth in the backcourt. Defense has always been a Rick Barnes trademark and his team is allowing just 63.1 PPG (41st).

Chris Beard brought in seven transfers with NCAA Division I experience. 6-6 Timmy Allen was named All-Pac 12 at Utah last season (17.2 & 6.4) and leads Texas in scoring (11.9) and rebounding (6.6) but his scoring is down 5 PPG. The same goes for PG Carr (19.6 & 4.9 APG last year with Minnesota), who is averaging a more modest 11.0 PPG and 3.4 APG. Guards Jones (10.1) and Ramey (9.4) join Carr in the backcourt, while 6-9 center Mitchell (9.3 & 4.3) and 6-7 forward Bishop (6.0 & 4.8) join Allen up front. The 6-9 Disu (5.8 & 4.6) is the only other player of note. Speaking of defense, Beard's team ranks 1st in the nation, allowing 54.7 PPG.

VERY little, if anything, separates these two teams and while Texas is at home, I want ANY points I can get. Allen and Carr have both underachieved for Texas (see above) and while Beard is a terrific young coach, I'm going with 'old-timer' Rick Barnes to win the day and the game in his 'Homecoming!'

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Marquee Classic is on Kansas at 6:00 ET.

The Kentucky men's basketball team went just 9-16 last season, but all knew that was an aberration, as the Wildcats were ranked No. 10 in the AP's preseason poll. After a loss to Duke in the Champions Classic on the opening night of the season, the 16-4 Wildcats have won 16 of 19, losing only 66-62 at Notre Dame back on Dec 11, 65-62 at LSU on Jan 4 and 80-71 at No. 1 Auburn on Jan 22. John Calipari just claimed the 800th victory of his coaching career with an 82-74 OT win at home over Miss St on Jan 25.

Bill Self's Jayhawks finished 21-9 last season, including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That was not what was expected of a team ranked No. 6 in the AP's preseason poll. Kansas began the current season ranked No. 3 and opened with an 87-74 win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on the opening night of college basketball (Nov 9) over Michigan St. The 17-2 Jayhawks welcome the 12th-ranked Wildcats to legendary Allen Fieldhouse ranked 5th in the latest AP poll. Self's crowning achievement came in 2008 against Calipari when Kansas rallied to defeat Memphis in overtime for the national championship. Now, Self has Kansas in position to potentially overtake Kentucky as the winningest program in Division I history. The Wildcats stand 2,343-732 all-time, while the Jayhawks are 2,340-873. Talk about at Marquee Classic!

The 6-9 Tshiebwe (16.3 & 15.2) and the 6-7 Brooks (10.2 & 4.3) are the two main frontcourt players for Coach Cal's team. SG Washington (13.6-4.2-4.6) and PG Wheeler (10.1 & 6.9 APG) lead a backcourt that also features Grady (12.1) and Mintz (98.6). The Kentucky offense ranks 9th in scoring (82.3 PPG) and 5th in FG percentage (49.7). Also note that the Wildcats are holding opponents to 64.8 PPG, for an average winning margin of 17.5 PPG. At issue might be Washington's ankle, which kept him out of the Miss St game and has him listed as questionable for this one.

Kansas is led by a pair of big guards in the 6-5 Agbaji (21.3 & 5.0) and the 6-6 Braun (15.3 & 598). Guard Remy Martin (19.1 PPG last season), an Arizona State transfer, was named the preseason player of the year in the Big 12 but has been a HUGE disappointment, averaging just 8.4 PPG. Harris (5.2 & 3.7 APG) has recently been starting at PG for Martin. The 6-10 McCormack (9.0 & 6.7) and the 6-8 Wilson (8.9 & 6.8) round out the starting lineup. The 6-8 Lightfoot (5.2 & 3.2) and guard Coleman-Lands (4.6) get time off the bench. Much like Kentucky, Kansas is averaging 81.5 PPG (12th) on 49.3% shooting (10th), while allowing 67.9 PPG (average margin of13.6 PPG).

Here's the rub. Forget the names on the jerseys. Kentucky's four losses have come to Duke in the Champions Classic on the opening night of the season plus at ND, at LSU and at Auburn (see above). Should we expect Kentucky's away from home woes to change here, in of the most difficult away venues in the nation (Kansas is 10-0 at home, with an average margin of victory of 19.2 PPG). Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Afternoon Delight is on Xavier at 2:00 ET.

Xavier head coach Travis Steele was badly in need of a 20-win season when the 2021-22 CBB season tipped off back on Nov 9. He took over from Chris Mack (23.9 wins per season with NINE straight Big Dance bids), who took over from Sean Miller (24 wins per season and NCAA bids in his last four seasons of his five-year stint). The Musketeers entered the season having won just 51 games (17 per) in Steele's first three seasons, without an NCAA bid. However, as Xavier gets set to visit Creighton on Saturday afternoon, the Musketeers are 14-5 (4-4 in Big East) and ranked 21st in the latest AP poll. Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is in his 12th season with the Bluejays and has won 20-plus games in 10 of his first 11. However, Creighton lost all FIVE starters from last year's 22-9 team that made a Sweet 16 appearance. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Coach McDermott but the Bluejays are a respectable 12-6 (4-3 in the Big East). The two schools met back on Jan 15 in Cincinnati and Xavier fought back from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Creighton 80-73.

Xavier's starting-five looks like this. The 7-0 Nunge (12.5 & 7.2) and the 6-9 Freemantle (8.5 & 5.0) start up front, with guards Scruggs (11.4-4.6-4.2), Jones (11.2 & 8.2) and Johnson (10.7) comprising a strong backcourt. Guards Kunkel (8.9) and Odom (5.8) add backcourt depth, while the 6-8 Hunter adds 6.1 & 3.9 off the bench in the frontcourt. Xavier comes in off back-to-back losses, 75-64 at Marquette and 65-62 at home against Providence. Xavier overcame a 14-point deficit to take the lead against No. 17 Providence before a late three-pointer by the Friars decided the game. Despite the defeat, the Musketeers' effort was not wasted on their coach and players. "I think people get caught up on wins and losses. I'm more focused on the quality of play on both ends," Xavier head coach Travis Steele said. "Our group has played really, really hard, we've competed every single night, but our execution level has got to be better." Following the loss to Providence, Xavier big man Jack Nunge said of Steele, "He told us we gotta have amnesia. Every night in this league is going to be a fight for 40 minutes. We gotta be ready to play Saturday against Creighton. They're playing as good as anybody in the league." 

McDermott has rebuilt Creighton quickly. The starting guards are freshman Nembhard (11.2 & 4.3 APG) and O'Connell (3.4 PPG last year), who is averaging 12.9 & 5.4 this season. 7-1 center Kalkbrenner returned (5.9 & 3.5 LY) and is a 'new man,' averaging 12.1 & 7.1. The 6-7 Hawkins is a Div II transfer and chips in 12.9 & 7.5 plus 6-7 freshman Kaluma adds 9.1 & 4.6. Alexander (5.2) is the only other player averaging as much as 5.0 PPG. Since the teams' last meeting, Creighton racked up home wins over St John's, 87-64, and DePaul, 60-47, before getting bounced at Butler 72-55 on Wednesday. Butler went on a 14-0 second-half run and held Creighton well under its 70.9-point scoring average. The Bluejays made only 2 of 22 on three-point attempts and shot 35.6 percent overall from the floor.

The good news for Creighton is that McDermott will return to the bench following a week-long absence resulting from COVID-19 protocols and that the last time the Musketeers won at Omaha was in February of 2018. However, I'm on Xavier in this one, coming off that 'ugly' 72-55 loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Xaviers is the better team and despite its No. 21 ranking in the AP poll, the Musketeers are just 4-4 in Big East play, behind FIVE other schools (including 4-3 Creighton). No revenge here. Take the visitor to sweep the season series.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on Wright St at 9:00 ET.

The 13-4 Cleveland State Vikings (9-1 in Horizon play) and the 11-9 Wright State Raiders (8-3 in Horizon play) meet Friday at the Nutter Center in Dayton. The two teams tied for first-place (16-4) in the Horizon League last season, although it was the Vikings who won the conference tourney to advance to the 'Big Dance'.

The Vikings are a perimeter-oriented team, with a trio of guards scoring in double digits. Hodge (15.6), Patton (13.2-6.9-4.1) and Gomillion (10.4 & 4.9) lead the way but FOUR other guards combine to chip in just under 23 PPG. The 6-9 Johnson (8.1 & 6.5) is the lone big man of note. The Raiders are led by the combo of guard Holden (20.7 & 6.6) and the 6-9 Basile (17.5 & 9.0). Guards Calvin (13.7) and Finke (9.5 & 5.6) give Wright St two more 'iron-men,' as all four average 32-plus minutes. 6-9 freshman Braun (7.3 & 3.2) has played in 13 of the team's 20 games but is currently back in the rotation, making him the team's fifth starter.

These teams met back on Dec 4 in Cleveland, with the Vikings winning 85-75. That sets this up as a "revenge" spot for Wright St, which needs a "W" to get to 9-3 in Horizon play, while Cleveland St would fall to 9-2 (a loss drops the Raiders to 8-4, while the Vikings would move to 10-1!). The Raiders have to be thrilled to be back in Dayton, as they've played their last FIVE games on the road (went 3-2). Wright St's most recent home game was back on Jan 8 and the Raiders are 6-1 SU at home this campaign. Home team wins, as I'm issuing a "B-L-O-W-O-U-T Alert!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the SA Spurs at 8:40 ET.

The Chicago Bulls were 31-41 last season, missing the postseason for the FOURTH consecutive year but have reinvented themselves as a threat in the Eastern Conference behind Zach LaVine and the free agent signing of DeMar DeRozan. They also picked up center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando last season (where his talents were wasted) plus added Lonzo Ball as a free agent prior to this season. Chicago surged to the top of the Eastern Conference on the strength of a nine-game winning streak from Dec 19 thru Jan 7, averaging 120.2 points per game over their winning streak and never scoring fewer than 108 points in any of those outings. However, in its 11 contests since, Chicago has averaged 106.5 points and failed to score more than 96 in three of them, going 4-7. The Bulls are currently 30-17, just a half-game back of the top seeded Heat (31-17). Note that the East's No. 1 thru No. 6 seeds are separated by just TWO games.

The SA Spurs had their playoff streak of 22 in row snapped in the 2019 season when they went 32-39. The Spurs went 33-39 last season, qualifying for the play-in' round but failed to advance, making it TWO straight non-playoff years for "Pop." The Spurs are currently 18-31 (No. 12 seed), 2 1/2-games behind the No. 10 seed, the final spot for the 7-10 'play-in' round. The good news for Spurs fans is that currently, they are as healthy (injuries/COVID) as the team has been all season.

There were 'whispers' that the 32-year-old DeMar DeRozan was on the downside of his career, but he's been one of the best players in the NBA so far this season, averaging 26.4-5.0-4.8. However, PG Ball (13.-5.4-5.1) is out until mid-March (knee). Zach LaVine (24.9-4.9-4.3) is back after missing a few games plus backup PG White (12.6) is around to fill in for Ball. Center Vucevic missed some time due to COVID and is currently dealing with a knee issue but he's playing these days and has averaged a double-double (16.6 & 11.4) on the season. Rookie guard Dosunmu (7.5) has made nine starts recently and is averaging 16.2 PPG his last six games.

The Spurs lost 118-110 at home to red-hot Memphis (Grizzlies have won 14 of 17) on Wednesday but their starting-five all average in double digits plus Walker (11.5 & 4.2) and Vassell (11.0) were the first two off the bench. PG Murray (19.2-8.4-9.1) is the team's best player and here's the rest of that starting-five from Wednesday's game. Forward Johnson (15.0 & 6.1), guard White (14.2 & 5.6 APG), center Poeltl (13.0 & 9.0) and forward McDermott (11.2).

Wednesday's game was tied at 106 with just under five minutes remaining, but the Spurs were worn out from the rigors of playing the second game of a road-home back-to-back. By the way, Murray had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, amassing his 10th triple-double of the season. Murray's triple doubles this season already are more in one season than any other player in Spurs history. The San Antonio team record for triple doubles in a season was five by Robinson (1993-94) and Johnny Moore (1984-85). Adding interest to this meeting is the fact that DeRozan played for the Spurs for three seasons (2018-21) and the team's leading scorer in two of those campaigns. No 'free pass' here for DeRozan from "Pop." Spurs get the win AND by a margin!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on San Francisco at 10:00 ET.

No. 2 Gonzaga (15-2 / 4-0) has dominated the WCC for two decades but there are THREE more schools from the conference having terrific years this season. BYU is 17-4, St Mary's is 15-4 and San Francisco is 16-4. The Saint Mary’s Gaels (3-1) and San Francisco Dons (3-2) meet Thursday at the War Memorial at the Sobrato, both chasing 4-0 Gonzaga and 5-1 BYU.

Randy Bennett took over at St Mary's in 2001-02 and had his first 20-win season (25-9) in 2004-05. Starting in the 2007-08 season and going through the 2019-20 season, his Gaels won 20-plus games for 13 consecutive years. That streak ended with a 14-10 record last season but The Gaels are well on their way to 20 wins this season. San Francisco Todd Golden worked as an assistant under Kyle Smith and when Smith left for Washington St, took over as head coach. The Dons went 22-12 in his first season (2019-20) but last season's team, hurt by a 17-day stint away from the court due to COVID, finished just 11-14. However, the Dons are 16-4 as they welcome the Gaels to town.

The 6-10 Matthias Tass (12.3 & 6.4) leads in scoring, joined by two guards averaging double digits. That duo is Ducas (10.6 & 3.4) and Johnson (10.6 & 3.4). PG Kushe adds 9.9-3.6-3.2. The 6-8 Bowen (5.2 & 6.4) starts with Tass, while the 6-7 Dan Fotu, who comes off the bench to add 8.7 & 3.8. Defense keeps St Mary's in most games, as the Gaels are allowing just 58.0 points (8th). The Dons own an excellent backcourt, led by Bouyea (17.9-5.1-3.7), Shabazz (12.54) and Columbia transfer Stefanini (8.2). The 6-10 Massalski (13.8 & 8.4), the 6-10 Tape (4.7 & 4.6) start up front, while 6th-man, the 6-5 Rishswain, adds 7.6 off the bench. The Dons can't match St Mary's defensive numbers (see above) but they are a solid defensive team, allowing 65.1 PPG. On the offensive end, the Dons are averaging 76.3 PPG to the Gaels 68.8 points.

San Francisco is 12-1 at home (lone loss was by TWO points to BYU), while St Mary's is 5-4 in road and neutral games. I think offense (NOT defense) wins the day, so I'm "all over" San Francisco.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Texas "2-Step" (Part 2) is on UT-Arlington at 8:00 ET.

The 12-5 Texas State Bobcats and the 8-11 UT Arlington Mavericks meet Thursday in SBC play at the College Park Center. The Bobcats come into the contest 3-3 in their last six games, while the Mavericks are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Texas St is 3-2 in SBC games and UT Arlington sits 4-4. Texas St head coach is in his second season with the Bobcats, after going 18-7 last season, when the Bobcats won the regular season SBC title (12-3) but lost in the conference tourney. Greg Young had been an assistant at UT Arlington from 2009-21 but this is his first head coaching gig.

Guards Asberry (14.2 & 4.8), Harrell (10.3) and Adams (8.9 7 3.1) start for Texas St, while the 6-8 Small (11.5 & 7.0) and the 6-8 Martin (5.5 & 7.9) start up front. The 6-8 Caesar adds 9.0 & 5.2 off the bench. UT Arlington will own the best player on the floor in SG Azore (18.5 & 4.3), who is joined in the backcourt by Elame (7.7 & 3.0) and PG Levi (6.0-4.8-4.9). The 6-7 Mwamba (10.3 & 4.8) and the 6-9 Ehiogu (5.3 & 5.1) start up front, while 6-9 JC transfer Wilson adds 6.4 & 4.1 off the bench.

Texas St IS the better team but its play on the road this year has been shaky. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have consistently played their best at home, winning by an average of 11 points and allowing opponents to hit just 34.6 percent from the floor. The home dog 'barks' LODLY in this one!

Good luck...Larry