Toledo has lost two straight and is coming off getting undressed by Buffalo 110-80 last time out. They've played some higher scoring games on the road 75-74 at Marshall, 84-74 at Wright State and 87-86 at Oakland. The Rockets offense is fantastic and you can always count on them to score at least 75 or so. Western Michigan has lost five of six and seven of their last nine. They've gone over in four of their last seven contests. Michael Flowers, Seth Dugan, Josh Davis averaging 44 points per game combined. The Broncos have played just five home games this season. WMU has gone over in 22 of 35 of their games when the total is in the 140s. I think we get a better Toledo effort and this one goes over the total. 

South Florida is one of the biggest surprises in the country as they are 12-3 and 11-4 against the spread. The team plays very good defense and has shown they can hang on the road. They are led by David Collins, LaQuincy Rideau and Alexis Yetna who is averaging a double-double. On the road the Bulls have lost by 3 at Tulsa and beaten FIU by nine as a pick'em. They've also covered in neutral contests vs. Ohio and Georgetown. Temple is coming off a huge emotional home win over Houston handing them their first loss. The Owls are 3-3-1 against the spread in their last seven games. They've played three of the better teams in the conference in a row and now it's a down game in a lesser atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon. I think it's a recipe for a letdown. Give me the road team.

Miami is 0-3 in conference play as they host Wake Forest on Saturday. The Canes have lost to FSU, Louisville and NC State as their defense has been pretty bad. The Cardinals scored 90 while the Pack put up 87. This team doesn't have a ton of depth, but the guys they do play can score. The Canes have five double digit scorers and then five other guys who have played with three of those getting 10 mins or more per game. Wake Forest is 0-2 in conference with losses to Duke and Georgia Tech. They also play rather awful defense allowing 87 and 92 in those games. The Demon Deacons are led by Brandon Childress, Jaylen Hoard and Chaundee Brown. They should have the edge on the inside in this one. Last year this game was 87-81 in Florida. We could see a score around there, but don't have to in order to hit our over. 

Ball State is an offensive juggernaut this season that is shooting 50.6% from the field while averaging nearly 84 per contest. The Cardinals have gone over in 11 of their 14 lined contests this season. At home, they've scored 95.3 points per game shooting 52.5% from the floor. Tayler Persons, Tahjai Teague and K.J. Walton are a potent trio of scorers. Ohio is 1-5 on the road and are scoring just 59.3 points per contest. The Bobcats have scored 70 or less in five straight and six of their last seven. The road has been unkind to their defense allowing 82 to Bowling Green, 95 to Purdue and 82 to Xavier. Ball State has gone over in 30 of their last 42 as a favorite and 20 of their last 29 at home including all five this season. I think this one is an over. 

The Bruins have won two straight since firing Steve Alford and have done so in impressive fashion. In wins over Cal and Stanford, they put up over 90 points in each contest shooting over 50% as a team. The defense probably needs a little work, but there's at least a positive energy that wasn't there with Coach Alford. This team has played just one true road game losing 93-64 at Cincinnati back in December. They will have the advantage inside in this one with Moses Brown and some of the other forwards inside considering Oregon will be without Kenny Wooten and Bol Bol. Brown is shooting almost 70% from the field. The students may not be back for this one and they are coming off a five point home loss to rival Oregon State in a contest that saw the Beavers shoot 51% from the field. Besides Bol and Wooten, Abu Kigab has transferred. They struggled to beat Florida A&M as a 28.5 point favorite a few weeks ago as well. I just don't think the Ducks are in a good spot right now so give me the road team and their new energy.

Arkansas State returns home after splitting two in Louisiana against Monroe and Lafayette. The Red Wolves have scored 70 or more in all five of their home games this season. Their defense has been pretty porous on the road and overall allowing 70 or more to all but two division one opponents. The Red Wolves offense rolls through Ty Cockfield and Marquis Eaton who average over 32 points per game. South Alabama has a crisp offense that has shot 50% or better in five of their last six contests. They've struggled a bit though on the road scoring 67 points or less in every game. Still, they've got some solid weapons and with a semi-tight line, we should see FT's come into the mix. I think this one is an over. 

Cleveland State is playing their third straight road game as they travel to IUPUI. The Vikings have gone 9-7 against the spread and have covered three times on the road including at Toledo, DePaul and last time out against Green Bay. Tyree Appleby and Stefan Kenic are their leading scorers. IUPUI has lost four of their last five although all of those have come on the road. The victory came by at UIC as a four point underdog. IUPUI has lost just once at home falling to Ball State back in early December. The Jags are led by Camron Justice and Jaylen Minnett who average over 30 points per game combined. Sometimes there are some struggles for a team after a long road trip when they return home. In an odd trend, the Vikings have covered seven of their nine contests after allowing 80 points or more. IUPUI has failed to cover in 18 of their last 32 games against a team with a losing record. These two played two close games last year and I think they will do so again this year. 

Charlotte is 3-10 on the season with the three wins coming at home against ECU, Longwood and Oklahoma State. The 49ers are absolutely abysmal offensively scoring 60 or less eight times this season. Outside of Jon Davis, there's not a ton of options offensively. Malik Martin is dealing with a knee ailment and is questionable for the game. In their true road games, they lost by 20 at Davidson, by eight at Charleston and by 24 at Wake Forest. In a tourney in Hawaii, they picked up losses by 25, 14 and 15. FIU is not hurting for offense. Brian Beard Jr. leads four double digit scorers with with three others averaging between seven and nine points per game. FIU is 10-5 on the year. They've been held to less then 70 points just twice and those were both on the road. It is scary because four of their wins are against lower level teams, but this squad is good enough to score points and hold Charlotte down. This is not a good 49ers team. Last year FIU won this game at home by 20 points. 

UCSB has been rolling as of late with four overs in their last four lined contests. The Gauchos have seen things get much better since Max Heidegger came back although he is injured once again. Still, even without him, they have four double digit scorers led by Ar'Mond Davis. UCSB has shot the ball at around 49% or better in four of their last five. They are putting up good defensive numbers, but they've faced some weaker competition this season. Yes, they are one of the slower paced teams in the league, but they are efficient it seems. Cal Poly is somewhat underwhelming as a team. They've gone over in seven of their last 10 lined games. The team's defense is non-existent holding just three teams to less then 70 points with two of those being Holy Names and Texas State. Donovan Fields, Mark Crowe and Marcellus Garrick are the team's double digit scorers. Last year these two teams played three games 75-53, 86-61 and 80-79. I think this one goes over. 

The Aggies and Fresno State play on Wednesday night. Utah State has been very efficient this season at home where they've scored 70 or more in all but one contest. They are also putting up incredible defensive numbers, but upon further look, it's been done against a pretty easy non-conference schedule. The Aggies have been double digit favorites six times already this season. When facing competent offensive teams they allowed 87 to Arizona State, 95 to BYU and 72 to Nevada. Sam Merrill is really good with Dwayne Brown Jr and Neemias Queta are solid scorers. Fresno State has gone under in four straight games after a stretch of seven overs in nine lined games. This team has a very good offense that is very efficient. Their defense is also putting up good numbers, but once again, they've been favored by 10 points or more seven times including each of their last six. I really like Braxton Huggins along with Deshon Taylor, Nate Grimes and New Williams. Last year these two went over in Utah State and went under in Fresno. I think this one is an over on Wednesday. 

The Yellow Jackets might be one of the toughest teams to figure out. Over the span of a week they won at Arkansas after losing by 10 at home to Gardner Webb as a 14 point favorite. Jose Alvarado and Brandon Alston are their double digit scorers with several other options to turn to. Other then the Gardner Webb loss, they fell to Georgia, St. John's, Tennessee and Northwestern. Virginia Tech is the 9th ranked team in the country so they are going to get everyone's best shot. They lost their only true road game 63-62 at Penn State. This team plays fantastic defense and has a coldly efficient offense. Still, they aren't as deep as i'd like and if they aren't hitting their threes then things could get interesting. Georgia Tech is holding opponents to just 28.4% from long range. Georgia Tech lost by 20 at home to these guys last year. I think it's a closer game this season. 

These two teams have had personnel changes that have affected them over the past week or so. SIU brought back Armon Fletcher from suspension and they won 58-51 at Northern Iowa. This team wants to play a slower game and has had five straight unders, but that came after a stretch of six overs over seven contests. They've played 83-73, 82-61 and 82-67 road games back in early December. The loss of Thik Bol will hurt in the middle as well. They have five double digit scorers though and can beat you in a bunch of different ways. Drake's season turned now that Nick Norton is out with the ACL injury. Their defense isn't very good, but they have shown some efficiency on offense. The Bulldogs have scored 70 or more in four straight. I really think that this one is played with some pace and it'll go over the total. 

Two teams heading in different directions play as Valpo hosts Bradley. Valpo has won three straight and four of their last six. They have had their ups and downs at home winning two straight there after losing to Ball State and High Point. Ryan Fazekas, Derrik Smits, Bakari Evelyn and Markus Golder are their best options on offense with Smits shooting over 60% from the field. Bradley has lost their first two conference games and six of their last eight overall. For the most part, they've been a terrible road team losing by 5 at Indiana State and Georgia Southern and by 12 at IUPUI. They picked up a win at Little Rock after starting horrendously. The Braves have some depth, but are lacking in terms of scoring punch outside of Darrell Brown and Elijah Childs. Bradley is 10-20 against the spread in their last 30 lined road games winning just seven of them outright. Valpo has not covered a home game yet but I think it happens on Tuesday. 

Central Michigan has won six straight as they host Akron on Tuesday. The Chippewas have an extremely potent offense and have scored 80 points or more in every one of their home games this season. Now that number is slightly skewed by the three games against teams from the lower levels. The Chips are led by Larry Austin Jr, Shawn Roundtree, Kevin McKay and David DiLeo who average almost 60 points per game combined. Their defense is very questionable though as seven straight opponents have cracked the 70 point mark. Akron wants a lower scoring game and played games in the 60s at Nevada and Fort Wayne already this season. The Zips are coming off a 56-48 win at home against Western Michigan. Their offense has been very hot and cold this season. Daniel Utomi and Jimond Ivey are a solid duo that should be able to get whatever they want. CMU has gone over in 26 of their last 32 games as an underdog and 28 of their last 40 in the MAC. At CMU, I think this one is a higher scoring game.

The biggest spread of the weekend features the defending champs heading to Chicago. The storyline is fascinating with the Bears unnecessarily keeping their starters in last week to beat the Vikings which opened the door for Philly. The Eagles have won three straight and five of their last six overall including victories against the Rams and Texans. Nick Foles has run Doug Pederson's offense very well and the defense is finally playing up to their potential. The return of Darren Sproles has been a big boost too as they can rotate him in with Josh Adams and Wendell Smallwood. Even with the recent success, the secondary is still very patchwork and exploitable. My problem is that I don't think the Bears can take advantage of it. If you've followed my articles, I've faded the Bears on the road whenever I can because I think their offense isn't that great. This one is at home and they'll use Tarik Cohen a ton I'm sure in a bunch of different ways. Chicago's defense at home has been lights out and Khalil Mack is doing great things for the front seven. They clamped down big time on the Rams about a month ago in a 15-6 home win. The Eagles won't mind the cold and will have the experience of last year's Super Bowl run to help them. Foles is playing superbly right now and so is the offensive line that blocked Houston and the Rams very well. The defending champs have an upset in them and it'll close out the Wild Card round.

St. Bonaventure is one of the best 4-9 teams in the country. They've lost four straight entering this one, but they are getting healthy at the right time. With Courtney Stockard and LaDarien Griffin in the lineup, they are a completely different team. Yes, it's been ugly for them offensively the last two games, but those are two good defenses. This team has plenty of offensive firepower with Poyser and Lofton as well. George Mason has won five of their last seven after losing five of their first seven. The Patriots have already lost to Vermont, American and Penn at home this season and won't have the students there to make it much of an atmosphere. George Mason has a little bit more depth then the Bonnies, but they are very inconsistent. I definitely see both sides scoring the basketball and I like the road team plus the points. 

St. Bonaventure is one of the best 4-9 teams in the country. They've lost four straight entering this one, but they are getting healthy at the right time. With Courtney Stockard and LaDarien Griffin in the lineup, they are a completely different team. Yes, it's been ugly for them offensively the last two games, but those are two good defenses. This team has plenty of offensive firepower with Poyser and Lofton as well. George Mason has won five of their last seven after losing five of their first seven. The Patriots have already lost to Vermont, American and Penn at home this season and won't have the students there to make it much of an atmosphere. George Mason has a little bit more depth then the Bonnies, but they are very inconsistent. I definitely see both sides scoring the basketball and I like the road team plus the points. 

It's been a rough year for the Shockers this year, but they are home where they've lost just once this season. This team has been bad offensively at times scoring just 54 at VCU, 48 at Oklahoma and 53 against Davidson. They've also sprinkled in five performances scoring 80 points or more. Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones are a solid duo with Jaime Echenique patrolling the middle. The problem is that the depth just isn't there on a night to night basis. You could say the same thing for Temple who relies on Alston and Rose. The Owls have pieces that can step up, but getting them to do so on a consistent basis has been tough. Temple has road wins at St. Joe and Missouri but also lost at UCF last time out when they couldn't make the stops when it mattered. I lean to the home team in this one as the Owls just don't inspire me right now. 

These two teams played just a few weeks ago in LA with the Ravens winning 22-10 over the Chargers. This means LA has had the chance to see Lamar Jackson out there and know what he's capable of. Baltimore put up 159 yards on the ground in that one and forced three turnovers in the win. Melvin Gordon was coming off injury in that one and didn't have a ton of work. Now the scene shifts to the east coast where the Ravens are 6-2 while averaging over 27 points per contest. Since Jackson took over, we've seen the Ravens run the ball a ton as a team. When you can do that, you can sustain drives and keep your opponent off the field. Baltimore's defense has been incredible and has allowed less then 100 yards per game on the ground. The secondary has been vulnerable at times giving up over 300 yards passing to the Chiefs and Browns. LA has had nine turnovers the last three weeks and Philip Rivers has struggled a little. Their defense has been very good as a unit as well. The Chargers have covered seven of their eight road games. They are away from home for the third time over a four week span. To me, the best play is probably the under in this one. It'll be interesting to see the wrinkles each team has that they may not have shown just a few weeks ago.

Dayton's offense has been tough to stop at home as of late. The Flyers have scored 94, 81, 85 and 98 in their last four contests at UD Arena. Josh Cunningham leads six guys who score eight points per game or more. The Flyers defense has been up and down. They've allowed 70 or more in four of their last five. The team has played in six overs as well. Richmond is coming in with offensive momentum having scored 91 and 74 in wins over South Alabama and High Point. Their defense has been very hot and cold and I'll take the chance that they struggle in this one. The group has played just two true road games allowing 82 at South Alabama and 90 at Georgetown. The Spiders go as Grant Golden and Jacob Gilyard go. This one feels like an over. 

Gonzaga may get Killian Tillie and Geno Crandall back for this one with Tillie potentially playing his first action of the season. Gonzaga has scored 90 or more in three of their last five and have cracked the 100 point mark five times. They are an overwhelming monster offensively. The reason this total is lower is because they've cracked down defensively allowing 55 or less in four straight. Santa Clara has won six straight and eight of their last nine. They've got a pretty good offense that put up 102 on USC at home in mid December. They won't get anywhere near that, but I think they can put up some points on the Zags. They also allowed 92 to USC and 80 to Minnesota and 82 to Washington. They won't be able to slow down the juggernaut so I could see a 100-60 type game. 

I'm going to start out with the fact that I've misjudged the Seahawks a lot of the season. These two teams met back on September 23rd with the Seahawks holding serve at home 24-13. The game saw Dallas have three turnovers and just 137 yards passing. They held Seattle's offense in check in terms of yardage, but of course lost the contest. I really think if you listed the offensive and defensive units in this round, the Dallas defense would be in the top five. That side of the ball saw a long streak snapped last week of games where they held the opponent to 25 points or less. The linebacking corps could be one of the best in the league if they all stay healthy in the future. I like their corners against Seattle's wide receivers as well. It was a gutsy call by Jason Garrett to play Dak Prescott all game last week, but he showed up and should gain some confidence after that touchdown to Cole Beasley. Seattle has won six of their last seven with a lot of those being shootouts. This team's defense can be beaten through the air and if you commit to the run, it can be beaten there too. The one wild card literally is Russell Wilson who can make something out of nothing. Also, Chris Carson is giving a lot of help to this run game. They've put up 160 yards or more in five straight contests on the ground. I have faith in Dallas' defense to get stops and Zeke Elliott to control the clock. I like the home team in this one as well as the under.

Situational play right here as San Francisco comes to town to play Pepperdine. This is a huge sandwich for the Dons who just beat St. Mary's and host Gonzaga next. San Fran is 2-1 in true road games losing their last one 73-71 at UCSB just a few days ago. There's no denying the talent on that side of the ball but they are in a new position as a good squad with the league titans around them. I like Pepperdine and they are coming off a 15 point win over Loyola Marymount as an underdog. They have won six of their seven home games and have a ton of talent. Even without Kameron Edwards, the team has five double digit scorers. I just don't think we get a focused effort from the road team in this one. 

Southern Illinois will be without Thik Bol for a few weeks due to injury. He joins Armon Fletcher on the sidelines so a team that's not deep gets a little shallower. Sean Lloyd Jr, Eric McGill, Kavion Pippen and Aaron Cook become more important in terms of scoring. This team is 3-2 on the road this season, but they've lost three of their last four overall. UNI is feeling good about themselves after an 18 point win at Bradley. They've won two of their last three as the defense is trying to get a lot better. The Panthers have AJ Green as their leading scorer with several others chipping in. UNI was swept by the Salukis last year. This one figures to be low scoring and rather ugly. 

The Hilltoppers are smoking hot right now during this three game win streak. WKU is shooting 50% or better in three straight and six of their last eight games. They have wins over Wisconsin and St. Mary's and have won twice on the road. Taveion Hollingsworth leads three guys who average double digits including Charles Bassey who puts up nearly a double double. Josh Anderson is also pretty important and maybe Lamonte Bearden gets in despite his ankle injury. ODU has Caver and Stith as their best scorers. The problem is the loss of the Godwin kid who added some outside scoring. They don't have a ton of weapons so the defense has to be on point. ODU lost to Marshall last time out and were losing a lot of the game. WKU has dominated this series a bit lately. I think they are worth a look as an underdog here. 

Liberty is one of the slowest paced teams in the league yet their efficiency is so good that they put up very nice offensive numbers. This team has a ton of talent and is riding high off a win over UCLA on the road. Now they head to Florida Gulf Coast where defense is optional. This squad nearly lost to a school called Keiser at home in an 87-85 game. This one is an over. 

We start things out with a divisional battle in the AFC South. This is the third meeting between the two with the road team taking the previous two. Meeting one took place back in September with the Texans winning 37-34 in a contest that saw them force two turnovers and get a balanced effort on offense. The Colts beat Houston 24-21 just about a month ago as we saw Andrew Luck go nuts on this defense once again. The Colts have won four straight since a headscratching 6-0 loss at Jacksonville. They go as Andrew Luck goes as the run game is very hard to depend on. The defense has been fantastic allowing six of their last seven opponents to throw for 250 yards or less. Houston, meanwhile, has split their last four games with the wins coming over lowly Jacksonville and New York. The Texans have had just two turnovers over the last six weeks forcing 12 of them on defense. It'll be important for Indy to get Ryan Kelly back as he is the glue of the offensive line at center. That group has kept Andrew Luck upright, while Deshaun Watson has been sacked a ton this season overall. The money is coming in on the road team, but I'm going to go against it. This is my least favorite pick of the weekend though.

Chattanooga's in a good spot offensively hitting 50% or more in four straight while going 70 points or more in nine straight. They've got some solid balance and also show the lack of defense on the road. The team has allowed 80 or more four times on the road and gave up 69 at Charlotte which is like 80 points. East Tennessee State has gone over in two of their last three. They had a stretch of five overs in six games back in November into December. ETSU and Chattanooga run about the same amount of tempo according to kenpom. They've scored 70 or more in four straight and six of their last seven. The numbers seem to say that this one could be played in the 70s. Give me the over. 

We hit easily the over in the Monroe/UALR game last time out and will go back to the well once again. The Warhawks have gone over in three straight and four of their last five lined games. ULM plays at a really show pace, but their offense has clicked quite a bit as of late. They've scored over 90 points three times with the likes of Daishon Smith, Michael Ertel, Travis Munnings and JD Williams who account for almost 65 points per game. ASU's offense is in good form too. They've scored 70 or more in two straight and eight of their last 10 contests. Their problem has been on defense allowing 83, 82, 72, 82, 96 over their last five road games. Ty Cockfield does a lot of the heavy lifting with Marquis Eaton the second leading scorer. ULM has gone over in 15 of their last 23 at home. I'll take the over. 

The Chippewas hit the road for the start of MAC play on Saturday against Miami-Ohio. The Chips have lost just two games at TCU and against Weber State on a neutral court. CMU has road wins at Youngstown State and Sam Houston State as well. They will have the best players on the court with Larry Austin Jr and Shawn Roundtree as well as Kevin McKay. The offense has scored 80 points or more in five straight and seven of their last eight. Miami-Ohio is coming off a three point home win and has won five of their last six. The Redhawks have some solid talent but have played a weaker schedule. Still, there's some talent there and a good offense that has scored 70 or more in every home game this season. This one should be an up and down affair with the road team being worth a look. 

I lost this writeup too. St. John's off a big emotional win with Villanova on deck. Georgetown off an emotional road win too, but I'm just not buying the Red Storm yet. I know they have the backcourt edge, but really I think Georgetown can pound them down low. I'll like this more if I found out Mourning or McClung are playing. Maybe wait until closer to tip off to lock this in. 

I wrote a longer writeup on this but my computer decided to delete it. Basically, I like Tech's offense to get whatever they want against BC. Tech's defense has put up good numbers, but against lesser competition. I expect this one to be played in the 70s and maybe the home team gets to 80 so give me the over. 

UAB has lost three of their last five entering this one against Florida Atlantic. The Blazers have struggled lately beating a lower level team by eight last time out. They lost at home to Troy and had lackluster wins there against Northern Alabama and New Orleans. UAB has just four covers this season so far and I still expect there to be a half empty gym with kids still on break. FAU has wins already at Illinois and UCF this season and has played at Miami and Arkansas State as well. They have not collapsed since the unfortunate ACL injury for leading scorer Jailyn Ingram. They have also been without Xavian Stapleton meaning they need more from Anthony Adger and Jaylen Sebree. UAB is 27-39 against the spread the last three seasons. I think the road team is worth the look in this one. 

Arizona State is coming off a loss to Princeton as they host Utah on Thursday. The Sun Devils offense is very hot and cold as of late alternating games in the 60s and 70s. They've scored 80 or more seven times already this season. Luguentz Dort leads six players who score nine points or more per contest. The team's defense could be better. They've allowed 70 or more in seven of their last eight. Utah is almost the same type team that can score and struggle on defense. They just allowed 86 to Nevada in an 86-71. Utah has played just two true road games losing 88-61 at Kentucky and 78-69 at Minnesota. Sedrick Barefield leads six scorers of seven points per game or more. ASU has gone over in nine of their last 10 games when the total is in the 140s. I think this one continues that.

Little Rock is averaging almost 80 points per game while shooting nearly 50% from the field. Their problem is that they are allowing almost 80 points as well. Skewing those numbers just a bit are the last two games allowing 102 to Georgetown and 99 to Memphis. I like the Trojans a lot and figure to be on them in conference play. They've got a ton of scorers led by Rayjon Tucker and Nikola Maric. Monroe is a slower tempo team but they are efficient at home. They've scored 80 or more three times at home and four times overall. Daishon Smith has averaged over 18 points per game in nine outings. They've got four really solid scorers. The over has hit in three of their last four lined contests. Give me the over in this one. 

This is my hold your nose play on Thursday because Charlotte is awful, but I like this spot for them. Western Kentucky has won two straight after a stretch of losing five of seven. The Hilltoppers are coming off emotional home wins as an underdog against Wisconsin and St. Mary's and have a trip to Old Dominion who is considered a measuring stick game in conference. This team lost by 6 at Belmont, by 6 at Missouri State and by 9 at Indiana State. They were favored against the Missouri Valley teams in those games. Charlotte has just three wins this season, but they've all come at home against ECU, Longwood and Oklahoma State. Jon Davis might be the best player on the court other then the Bassey kid. I understand the 49ers suck and probably will regret this pick, but I think the Toppers may overlook this one and stumble to the finish. 

Delaware is 9-6 on the season as they host William and Mary. These two teams are similar offensively with both averaging around 74 points per game while shooting just under 47% from the field. The difference comes on defense where the Tribe allow nearly 80 points per contest. Delaware is one of the slower paced teams in the country yet they've cracked the 80 point mark three times this season. The Blue Hens have gone over in eight of their last 10 games and are led by Eric Carter offensively. Delaware has five guys who average nine points per contest or more with Ryan Allen joining them after playing just four contests so far. William and Mary has allowed 72, 71, 71, 84, 73, 100 and 84 on the road. The question is how good will the offense be with Nathan Knight and Justin Pierce leading the way. William and Mary has had totals in the 140s just nine times the last three seasons and have gone over six times. Last year these two played twice with the scores being 83-66 and 90-65. I think the over is in play here. 

This is my first time dipping into the crazy world of the Citadel who averages 99.1 points per game with their crazy up and down style of basketball. They take early shots and allow baskets the other way. It's worked a lot to the tune of a 9-3 record although they are coming off a 110-94 loss to Longwood last time out. They've scored 90 or more six times although three of those came against lower level teams. The defense has been better although they have allowed over 90 four times as well. Wofford should thrive in this one as they don't really need the help to score points. They've put up 80 or more in four of their last five and eight times overall. We've made a lot of money off the Terriers who have a ton of talent themselves. Last year these two played an 80-78 and a 109-92 game. The previous year it was 100-90 and 104-103 with the Citadel actually winning twice over those four contests. I think this one is an over as well as someone gets to 100. 

Valpo has lost three of their last five as they begin MVC play. The Crusaders offense is very hot and cold scoring 97, 49, 61, 82, 53, 82 over their last six contests. Their defense has been a problem too allowing 70 points or more in four of their last six contests. Valpo does play a bit of a slower pace which is a concern, but Illinois State has weapons. The Crusaders have three double digit scorers with the fourth being Bakari Evelyn who may or may not be available. ISU has lost four of their last five and has had their own issues with defense allowing 75 or more in six straight games. The Redbirds are healthy right now and have four really solid scorers to lead the way. I'm coming really close to taking them to win this game, but instead I think the over is worth a look. 

Missouri State has won two straight and three of their last five as they travel to Southern Illinois. The Bears have an ugly road record, but they also played at Oregon State, Air Force and Murray State among others. The Bears have a ton of scorers and are led by Tulio Da Silva's 16 ppg on 63.6% shooting from the field. Their problem is on defense where they've allowed 70 or more in 10 of their last 11 contests. Defense has not been a strength for SIU either during this losing streak allowing 79, 73 and 80 points. Leading scorer Armon Fletcher is suspended so that puts more on Sean Lloyd Jr, Eric McGill and Aaron Cook. Missouri State has gone over in seven of their 11 lined games. I think they can go over and potentially cover this one.

Omaha is hosting North Dakota State on Wednesday night. The Mavericks have fantastic balance with five scorers averaging nine points per game or more and they are led by Zach Jackson. They have won four of their last five and are coming off an odd loss to Oral Roberts at home in which they allowed them to shoot over 50% from the field. The team has played just six games at home and are 4-2 there with the loss to ORU and NAU on the resume. North Dakota State is doing well winning four of their last six. They've played five true road games losing at Montana, Iowa State, Gonzaga, ETSU and New Mexico State all by seven points or more. The Bison are led by Vinnie Shahid and Deng Geu. They have covered just 10 of their last 31 road games including one of five this season. I like the Mavs who have revenge on their mind after a better ND State team went in their building and won by 22. 

Missouri State has won two straight and three of their last five as they travel to Southern Illinois. The Bears have an ugly road record, but they also played at Oregon State, Air Force and Murray State among others. The Bears have a ton of scorers and are led by Tulio Da Silva's 16 ppg on 63.6% shooting from the field. Their problem is on defense where they've allowed 70 or more in 10 of their last 11 contests. Defense has not been a strength for SIU either during this losing streak allowing 79, 73 and 80 points. Leading scorer Armon Fletcher is suspended so that puts more on Sean Lloyd Jr, Eric McGill and Aaron Cook. Missouri State has gone over in seven of their 11 lined games. I think they can go over and potentially cover this one. 

Wake Forest is 6-5 while Cornell is 6-7. Both of these teams have their faults with some of them coming on the defensive end. Wake allowed 73 at home to Gardner Webb last time out in a 73-69 loss to them. This team has also lost to Houston Baptist at home as a 16.5 point favorite. The Deacs have gone under in three straight after a brief stretch of three overs in four contests. They have the athletic edge and Brandon Childress should be able to get whatever he wants. Cornell has struggled in their road games against better talent allowing 81 at SMU, 86 at Toledo, 91 at UConn and 73 at NJIT. Matt Morgan and the Boeheim kid aren't terrible offensively. Yes, the Big Red could flop on offense, but I expect them to do their part and this over will hit. 

Drake has been one of my favorite teams to back this season. They have won five straight and have only two losses. In true road games they won at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UMKC. The team got blown out at Colorado and lost a tough one to Iowa State. The Bulldogs have solid guards and a good forward group. They are also deep as can be with seven guys who average six points per game or more. Evansville has lost three of four and four of their last six. They have a home loss to Jacksonville State and has pretty much fallen to any team that they were underdogs to outside of beating Ball State. I'll be on the Bulldogs often this season. 

Niagara's got a pretty nice offense and they want to push the pace at home. Albany's defense has struggled on the road but they have a decent offense. I think this one should go over the total. 

It's almost a blind wager now as the over is 22-2 in the last 24 William and Mary home games and 30-11 in their last 41 conference matchups. The scores at home this season for the Tribe are 79-74, 106-89, 87-84, 87-85, 81-72 and 79-69. Nathan Knight and Justin Pierce are a solid duo, but once again, this team just doesn't play defense. BTW, the 106-89 was against lower leveled William Peace. Towson's offense is not spectacular. They've scored less then 70 seven times this season and they want to play a slower game. They've also succumbed pace-wise on the road to Elon (77-60) and UMBC (80-76). Brian Fobbs and Tobias Howard are their best two scorers. I know you are looking for some sort of deep analysis here, but I'm stunned how low this total is. Last year this game was 99-73 in Williamsburg with the game two years ago being 83-79. 

I'll take a shot here with the over. Colorado State's defense isn't great and I think New Mexico State plays a little faster on the road when they can't set their pace. Give me a shot on the over here. A lot of talent on both sides. 

The Mountaineers play another tough road game before conference play on Sunday. They are at St. Louis and have already played at Georgetown, South Florida, Alabama and East Carolina. Appy lost by 10 at the Hoyas and by eight at Alabama. The team has been in most of their games because of the likes of Ronshad Shabazz, Justin Forrest and Isaac Johnson. They've got some solid size and depth, but don't play a ton of defense. St. Louis is 2-3 over their last five games. They've covered just four contests overall this season. The Billikens have plenty of talent, but have just four double digit wins. This will be a lower scoring game and once again like previous plays I've made this season, you've get less of an atmosphere. Give me the road team to make things interesting. 

The Dallas Cowboys swear that they will be playing their starters for this one, but the Vegas line doesn't seem to reflect it. Even if they decide to sit some players, it's not like they can sit everyone. It looks like Zack Martin is one who will be out, but Ezekiel Elliott swears he will play. The team didn't exactly light up the awful Buccaneers racking up only 232 yards of offense against them. Jerry Jones has said he wants to see better from that side of the ball before the postseason. The Giants had won four of five at one point in November, but they've lost their last two falling to the Titans and Colts. Saquon Barkley is losing steam and Odell Beckham isn't 100%. We'll see if the wide receiver plays, but there's really no reason for him to. The defense is a bit banged up with Kerry Wynn and Alec Ogletree both dealing with stuff. I'll bite and take a chance that Dallas keeps their starters in long enough to build a lead and hold on at the end.

The Texans could still move up to the second seed potentially with a win and a Patriots loss that probably won't occur. Houston wants to finish out with a win after losing two of their last three. The Texans passing attack looked good vs. Philly, but once again the rushing aspect was just not there. Houston will be balancing keeping Deshaun Watson healthy with trying to win. Once the Pats game gets out of hand, then I think we see starters leave this one. Jacksonville has shown a little bit of a pulse defensively the last two weeks holding the Redskins and Dolphins to 23 points. They've gone under in three of their last four because the offense is completely broken with Cody Kessler and Blake Bortles under center. The Texans won this one 20-7 back on October 21st at home a they held the Jags to less then 300 yards of total offense.

This is the classic case of hoping the home team goes nuts and the road team does just enough. St. Mary's is averaging 83.1 points per game at home where they are shooting over 54% from the field. They are also holding teams to 67 points per contest there. The Gaels have gone over the total in six of their last nine and nine of their 14 contests overall. The defense hasn't been as great as it has been in the past allowing 70 or more six times this season. San Jose State is not very good although they do have five decent scorers. The Spartans have gone over in three straight, four of five and seven of their last nine. Their defense is pretty awful, but the offense has found a bit of a groove. They scored 80 at Cal and 73 at Stanford. I think this one should go over the total.

Oregon's having massive injury issues with just eight scholarship players. The team had some issues practicing after they lost Kenny Wooten for the next month or so. They are already without Bol Bol so now that means Payton Pritchard and Victor Bailey Jr take on more of the offense. These two squads played back on December 15th in Oregon with the Ducks winning 66-54. Boise was up 28-24 at halftime, but couldn't hold the lead as Oregon shot nearly 50% from the field. It's been a rough year for the Broncos who have just five wins, but the talent is there and the homecourt is a tough place to win at. Boise's got six guys who average seven points per game or more. Roderick Williams should be able to do a little more with all the Oregon issues up front. I think the wrong team is favored here. 

I think this is just a bit too much for this matchup between UNCG and Chattanooga. We had the Mocs a few weeks ago at Georgia State and they hung around in a 7 point loss when the spread was too big once again. This team has six wins and yes three of them have come against Bryan, Hiwassee and Cumberland, but they've also covered five of their last six lined games. That stretch included three road tilts. Kevin Easley, Jerry Johnson Jr. and Donovann Toatley are a solid trio with several others getting into the act. Greensboro has won five straight and 11 of their last 12 contests. They've failed to cover in four of their last six though. This is a team that has a ton of talent with Alonso, Miller and Galloway. We could get a lesser atmosphere in Greensboro and I think Chattanooga is gaining a little confidence. Give me a small bet on the road team.  

The Bruins bring their high flying offense to Mackey Arena on Saturday. Belmont is led by Dylan Windler but has five double digit scorers to go along with several key guys off the bench. They've already won at UCLA, Samford, Lipscomb and Kennesaw State this season. Their only loss came at Wisconsin Green Bay in the only game where they allowed the opponent to shoot 50% or better. This team has tested themselves against a lot of solid mid-majors like Illinois State and Western Kentucky. Purdue has lost four of their last six and have failed to cover in four of their last five. Outside of Carsen Edwards, they aren't as filled with solid scorers. Ryan Cline adds 13.9 points per game and Evan Boudreaux and Matt Haarms are decent, but this isn't a great Purdue squad. As you'll notice in a lot of my plays, I like the road team as the home squad doesn't have the students and may not have much of an atmosphere around the holidays. Give me Belmont. 

The last time we saw Arizona State, they were storming the court after an 80-76 home win over Kansas. The team is probably still buzzing after that win. Next up they start conference play at home against Utah, but in the middle is a matchup with pesky Princeton. There's no doubting how good ASU is, but with an emptier building and a lesser opponent, there's the chance that they'll start slow and let the Tigers hang around. This team has failed to cover in four of their last five. Princeton has already played at Duke and St. John's this season. They have several tough scorers and have played a little bit better with Jaelin Llewellyn in the lineup. He's played in four games and is averaging 14.5 points per contest. The ATS numbers for the squad out of the Ivy League are ugly, but I'm playing a situation here. ASU wins this one, but maybe it's ugly and low scoring. 

Two mid-majors very capable of winning a game or two in March play as Toledo hosts Penn. Last year the Rockets won this game in PA 85-72 as they shot 52.6% from the field and over 60% from long range. They have gone over in four of their last five scoring 80 or more eight times already this season. This team does it with balance with six guys who score eight points per game or more. Three of those players shoot 50% or better from the field. Penn puts up almost 80 ppg and have scored at least that five times. They have played four road games already winning at New Mexico, La Salle, Delaware State and George Mason. The Quakers go deep too with six guys who average seven points per game or more. Both teams play with a moderate to quick pace so I fully expect plenty of points in this one. 

Ball State has a great scoring offense and has been a very good over bet the past few years. Delaware State plays next to no defense, but has a competent enough offense to do their part for this thing. I think it goes over the total. 

Now is the best time to take advantage of some of these big lines with home teams playing at odd times in front of smaller crowds due to the holidays and the students being out. Missouri has won five straight since losing to Kansas State and Temple. The Tigers are feeling really good about themselves after beating their rival Illinois by 16. Missou's offense has been playing well as of late, but I still don't believe in it as a whole. Morehead State comes to town and they are a smaller team, but one who has already played at Marshall, Syracuse, UConn and Wright State this season. They've lost every single road contest by 14 points or less against teams who may be better then the Tigers. The Eagles are led by Jordan Walker, Lamontray Harris and A.J. Hicks. They've got some decent talent and if this is a lower scoring game, they can hang around. I like the road team in this one, but don't go nuts overbetting it. Not my favorite play on the card. 

Santa Clara lost to Washington State almost two years ago by one point and now they come into this one a larger underdog. The Broncos have won four straight including a win over USC by 10 points. They are shooting the ball well right now and playing without KJ Feagin who was one of their better players. Tahj Eaddy, Josip Vrankic, Trey Wertz and Keshawn Justice are four double digit scorers for Santa Clara. They play better defense then their opponent and this game is on a neutral court in Spokane so they won't have to deal with Wazzu's crowd. The Cougars have lost two straight and three of their last five. They really don't have a quality win outside of beating Rider and they haven't left their gym too often this year either. Robert Franks is their best player, but they don't have the depth of their opponent. I think this is a closer game and the underdog is live in this one. 

Syracuse is a double digit favorite once again this Saturday as they host the Bonnies. The Orange are 4-7 against the spread as a favorite and 4-5 ATS at home. Plain and simple, they should be a lot better and their offense has been the problem. The defense is doing it's part and yet, they can't win lower scoring games. SBU beat the Orange in New York last year 60-57 in a game that saw both teams shoot dreadfully from the field. This year's Bonnies squad is 4-8, but the team has not been very healthy this year. Courtney Stockard has played just seven games and LaDarien Griffin just two. Stockard is very good with Jalen Poyser, Kyle Lofton and Nelson Kaputo as several other options on offense. St. Bonaventure has covered in five of their last six and until I see more consistency from Cuse, I'll bet against them.

UC Davis has bounced back a bit since starting the year 1-6. They have split their last four with the two losses being by two at Arizona and by nine at Northern Illinois. The team has covered three of their last four lined games and are starting to shoot better on offense. They are led by TJ Shorts II and his 14.8 points per game, but have several other options as well. Loyola Marymount has had six days to stew after losing at UC Riverside 60-53 as a nine point favorite. They have covered just one of their four lined home games this season. They pride themselves on James Batemon and a good defense. The Lions are only 3-4 against the spread as a favorite this year. I think UC Davis can hang tough in this one. 

William and Mary has gone over in 21 of their last 23 at home and 29 of their last 40 in CAA play. This is a team that scores a ton of points, but doesn't play a lick of defense. The Tribe is shooting 46.6% from the field, but allowing 80.5 points per contest. At home this season there's been scores of 106-89, 87-84, 87-85, 81-72 and 79-69. Nathan Knight is a beast inside and Justin Pierce is a really good scorer too. James Madison has struggled lately losing six of their last nine games. The offense has failed to get on track and the defense isn't stopping too many opponents either. They've been held to under 50 points in each of their last two road contests, but the likes of Stuckey Mosley should be able to get some points in this one. The last three matchups between these two were 89-82, 84-76 and 95-92. I think this one sails over. 

Two of the worst defensive teams in the country play a 2 o clock game as Youngstown State hosts Detroit. YSU allows 81.6 points per contest while the Titans give up 78.2. At home, the Penguins allowed 88 to Western Michigan, 100 to Central Michigan and 83 to Heidelberg. Their offense isn't great, but they don't have to against a Detroit team whose D is bad. Garrett Covington is their only double digit scorer with five others averaging six points per contest or more. Last year these two played games of 94-84 and 93-91. I don't know if we'll see as high score in this one but I do see an over with these two playing in an early afternoon tilt. 

It's round two between Indiana State and TCU but the scene shifts to Hawaii this time. Round one went to the Horned Frogs who won the game 90-70. They shot nearly 50% from the field in the win and held the Sycamores to just 18.8% from long range. TCU has scored 80 or more in four straight and six of their last seven games. Coincidentally they won all of those games as well. TCU has some balance with five double digit scorers and Kevin Samuel who chips in with 8.3 ppg. The Sycamores have won their first two games in Hawaii since that loss to TCU with four of their last six going over the total. The team has looked a little better with Christian Williams back in the lineup as help to Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key. ISU has gon over in 44 of their last 68 games overall including 14 of their last 20 in December. To me, this one should see plenty of points. 

I've faded the Bears a lot on the road and I'm going to do it again this Sunday. Chicago is coming off two emotional home wins over the Rams and Packers and now head to sleepy San Francisco to face a 49ers team that has won two straight. Chicago is only 3-3 against the spread away from home, losing to the Giants a few weeks ago. It was a massive party for the Bears after last week's game as the team clinched the division so focus could be a little bit of an issue. San Francisco does scare me with Nick Mullens under center although he's been better as of late. The 49ers' defense isn't that great, but they've held five of their last six opponents to under 220 passing yards. I think we could get an ugly, low-scoring game, which means the home team is worth a look. 

Dallas just needs one more win to lock up the NFC East and is coming off of a bad, 23-0 road loss to the Colts. The Cowboys were lucky to beat the Eagles the week before and need to fix a few things if they hope to do anything in the postseason. Dak Prescott has been really shaky and the offense has seven turnovers in the last three games. The defense has been pretty awesome for the most part holding six straight opponents to 23 points or fewer. Tampa Bay's offense has dried up a little bit with just 26 points against the Saints and Ravens the last two weeks. We know how talented the Cowboys' defense is, but this is still one of the more underrated units in the league. The Bucs' defense has been much maligned and for good reason, although they did hold the Ravens to 20 points in Baltimore. Over the past four weeks, they've played a lot better, including generating 10 takeaways. Each of those games were unders while Dallas has gone under in three of its last five. I think this one continues those trends.

If you have been following my picks all season you know that I'm unreasonably interested in the Dolphins and they've treated me really well. Miami is 7-7 and has a very small chance to make the playoffs and will need a lot of help to get there. The Dolphins have taken care of business at home with a win over the Patriots two weeks ago. Ryan Tannehill is coming off a rough game at Minnesota, but I think he'll do better here against the Jags. Jacksonville has packed it in on the season and has shown little to no interest in playing hard. The Jaguars have scored just 28 points over the last three weeks and don't have what it takes to exploit Miami's defense. I think the Dolphins can run up and down the field on the Jags and if they score early, this one could get really, really ugly.

Pardon me if I don't think everything is fine and dandy with the Vikings after their win over the Dolphins. Minnesota has lost three of its last five and Kirk Cousins has not been showing himself to be worth the money he got this past offseason. The Vikings have thrown for fewer than 200 yards in three straight and four of their last six. These two teams met back on Nov. 4 with Minnesota winning at home, 24-9. Detroit could have possibly have beaten both Arizona and Buffalo these past two weeks. This is the Lions' final home game so I think we see a better effort. Minnesota can't afford to lose this one because of the tight race for the wild-card spots in the NFC. The Vikings have covered just nine of their last 22 on the road. I think Detroit can win this one outright but give me the points. 

SMU has gone over in nine of their last 11 with a 10th game pushing the total. This offense has shot 50% or better five times already this season and are doing more running then they have in the past. The defense has also struggled a bit especially considering how tight they've been in the past. They allowed 70 or more five times already. Jahmal McMurray leads four double digit scorers with two others putting up seven per contest. Cornell has allowed 86 at Toledo, 77 at Niagara, 91 at UConn and 73 at NJIT. Jimmy Boeheim and Matt Morgan are their two best scorers. They have put up 70 or more in three straight and five of their last seven. I don't expect that to happen in this one, but I think this goes over the lower total. 

Drake has been really good to me so far this season and I think they will continue to be on Saturday against New Mexico State on a neutral court. The Bulldogs are 8-2 with a nine point neutral court loss to Iowa State and a 29 point loss at Colorado. They have two wins as an underdog already this season against North Dakota State (neutral) and Boise State. This team has seven guys who score six points per contest or more and are led by Nick McGlynn and Nick Norton. New Mexico State has losses to Kansas and St. Mary's this season. Other then that, it seems like they've feasted on lesser opponents. The Aggies have a lot of depth themselves, but a younger team then their opponent. I like the underdog in this one.

Mississippi State has won seven straight since losing to Arizona State. The Bulldogs can come at you in many ways with five double digit scorers led by Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lamar Peters. At home, this team has already scored 98, 70, 90, 88, 79, 77 and 95. They play with a moderate pace and want to get up and down a bit. The defense has struggled though as they allowed Wofford to put up 87 and McNeese State to score 77. Wright State wants a slower game, but they've struggled to keep the pace away from home. They lost 83-76 at Kent State and gave up 73 to Murray State at their place. Wright State is in a good spot offensively right now scoring 70 or more in three straight. Loudon Love is a solid big man with Billy Wampler and Cole Gentry also helping. This one should go over the total.

St. Joe's is on the court for the first time in two weeks as they welcome Loyola-Chicago to Philly. The Hawks will have Charlie Brown and Pierfrancesco Oliva back after both missed Villanova. They have the better offense in this game with the likes of Brown, Lamarr Kimble, Jared Bynum and Taylor Funk. The big issue is with their defense. They've had problems stopping a lot of their opponents. The Ramblers still have Krutwig, Custer and Townes, but the rest of the lineup is not as strong. They've lost four of their last seven games and just aren't as strong. People are giving them their best shot. I think the Hawks get up for this one and win.

Murray State is 8-1 on the season as they play at Auburn on Saturday. The Racers have played just three true road games winning at SIU 80-52, at Middle Tennessee 64-42 and lost at Alabama 78-72. They play some awesome defense, but have struggled a little bit against the better teams on the schedule. Get to know Ja Morant because he's one of the best scorers in the league. Auburn is going to be a bit angry after their poor performance at NC State in which they had a ton of turnovers. This team has scored 80 or more six times already this season, but they've also allowed 70 or more in three straight. Last year, this was an 81-77 game. I don't expect that, but I do think this one will be played in the 70s.

The Rams host the Shockers on Saturday afternoon. I'm not a huge fan of Wichita State who is playing in their first true road game. They did take on Oklahoma in that state and lost 80-48 in that one. The Shockers also have fallen to Alabama, Davidson and Louisiana Tech. Other then that, they've feasted on lesser teams at home. Markis McDuffie is playing very well and will be a factor in this one, but can the young kids withstand the press and the hostile crowd. They don't shoot the ball great and that means the Rams pressure could be turned up a lot. VCU has lost two straight and three of their last five. The Rams have one of the worst halfcourt offenses in the country, but if they get turnovers then things will be easier. Marcus Evans is leading the way although he's been in a massive slump as of late. The team has beaten Texas and played UVA tough on the road. Marcus Santos-Silva will be very important as well against the taller Shockers. The Rams are 6-4-1 against the spread this season. If they can crank up the defense, this one should be an easy win.

Western Michigan has lost four of their last five as they come home to host Milwaukee. The Broncos have gone over the total in seven of their 11 games overall. WMU is pretty good on offense and has struggled with defense at times. They've allowed 70 or more in four straight and all but two contests overall. Michael Flowers, Seth Dugan and Josh Davis are their best players. Milwaukee has gone over in six of their last nine games. They've struggled at times on offense, but should be able to get what they want in this one. The Panthers have a couple of solid scorers themselves. I think this could be closer then the spread and should go over the total. Neither team excels at defense. 

The Billikens hit the road to play Florida State at a neutral court game in Florida. St. Louis has lost to Houston, SIU and Pittsburgh this season, but they did knock off Seton Hall on the road and Butler at home. SLU is led by Javon Bess, Tramaine Isabell and Jordan Goodwin who are their best scorers. Florida State is the deeper team probably, but I'm going to fade Leonard Hamilton whenever I can. The Seminoles have won five straight since losing to Villanova. They beat UConn, Purdue and LSU this season as well as Florida. My problem is that their defense is exploitable with three opponents shooting 50% or better from the court. As I said, I want to fade FSU when I can and going against them recently would make you 6-1 against the spread.

Drexel and Temple play once again in the Palestra on Saturday. Last year, the Owls beat the Dragons 63-60 at home as a 16 point favorite. Drexel has had an up and down season so far. They've lost tough games at UConn, Rutgers and Eastern Michigan, but have also beaten Loyola, La Salle and Boston among others. The Dragons are dealing with injuries as they have continued to do so the past few years. They have five double digit scorers and have an offense that could worry Temple. The Owls have failed to cover in three straight and seven of their last 10 overall. This team has been a double digit favorite three times this season and has failed to cover in any of those. They have an inconsistent offense led by Alston and Rose and a defense that has struggled at times with teams that shoot well from long range. With this game being at the Palestra, there should be close to equal representation for both teams. I think the underdog can keep things interesting in this one. 

Georgetown is 8-3 on the season, but they've only covered three of those contests. The Hoyas have five wins at home of 10 points or less with them covering only one of those. The Hoyas struggle at defense giving up 70 points or more to everyone but Loyola Marymount and Maryland Eastern Shore. This is a team still working on their rotations as they get closer to conference play. Little Rock has just five wins on the year, but they've already played at Memphis, Tulsa and Nevada. Two of those games they lost by only 10 points. Rayjon Tucker is a really solid scorer along with Kris Bankston who is shooting nearly 85% fro the field. They have six guys who average nine points per game or more. With this being a noon tip-off there won't be much of an atmosphere. Georgetown has covered just 10 of their last 37 home contests and eight of their last 31 as a favorite. I think the dog is worth a look.

The Musketeers have lost two of their last three and had a team meeting as they enter their final non-conference game against Detroit. They should be rather ornery for this one with a bad Titans team coming in. X has 4 double digit home wins this season and should be able to get whatever they want as Detroit doesn't play any defense. Detroit has lost five straight this season. They have lost 101-57 at Toledo, 98-59 at Dayton, 71-59 at Akron, 84-63 at Butler and 83-67 at Temple. Other then Antoine Davis, there's not a ton of scorers on their roster. I think the Musketeers roll in this one.

I'm a fan of the Dukes so far this year as they've had an up and down season. JMU is 7-5 and has had 13 days off to get ready for this one. The Dukes have lost their last three road games, but also have wins over Charlotte and East Carolina away from home. They've played some good defense this season and have held three straight opponents to less then 70 points. Stuckey Mosley, Matt Lewis and Darius Banks are the big three, but the talk is trying to get others involved. Fordham has a glossy record with only three losses, but their schedule has seen them be an underdog just twice. They have losses to NJIT, Maine and Houston Baptist. They've only covered four games this season and are led by Nick Honor who has hit several buzzer beating and late possession shots of note this season. Fordham has covered just 12 of their last 32 home games. I think the road team is worth a look. 

Cal is not an impressive team. They've only won four games so far this year with them coming at home over Cal Poly, San Diego State, Santa Clara and Hampton. The Golden Bears have five guys who can score a little bit, but they don't have a ton of depth. On the road this team lost 84-71 to St. Mary's in their only true road contest. They don't play great defense and have scored 60 points or less four times. Fresno State is playing their fifth straight home contest. They've scored 92, 71, 76 and 81 in those contests. This team has a ton of weapons and should be able to get whatever they want. This total is a little lower because Cal isn't a great team. 

Kansas State dealing with some injury issues entering this one. Dean Wade has a partial tear in his right foot and is expected to miss some time. Kamau Stokes is also a little banged up, but is expected to play. This is a team that plays very good defense, but has had some issues on the offensive end. They've also failed to cover three straight contests. Southern Miss has played well on the road losing by three at Wichita State and winning at Troy and SMU as an underdog. Much like their opponents, this team plays very good defense with just one opponent cracking 70 points and that was William Carey in an odd loss. This big number in a game with a low total is rather juicy so I'll take a shot with the underdog. 

This is going to be one of my favorite teams to bet on in the Missouri Valley. The Bulldogs have lost just two games at Colorado and against Iowa State on a neutral court. At home they've taken care of business knocking off Edwardsville, Boise State, Texas State and Buena Vista. This is a deep squad with eight guys who score six points per game or more. They are led by Nick McGlynn and Nick Norton who are doing well so far. Rider has lost three of their last five as they continue this stretch on the road. This team was just in Washington two days ago losing 94-80 to Washington State. The Broncs have lost at Hofstra and West Virginia as well as UCF. The team really only has wins over Robert Morris, Norfolk State, Wagner and Coppin State. I'm not that impressed by that group and think they will get a little outclassed here. Not playing defense will put Rider in a hole in this one. I like Drake who is feeling good about themselves now.

Dayton comes home and has lost five of their last six games. The common theme is that the offense struggled and the defense had problems slowing down their opponent. They are coming off a 72-67 loss to Tulsa on a neutral court and have also lost to Mississippi State at home. The Flyers have covered just once at home against Coppin State who they beat by 30. Western Michigan has spent a lot of their season on the road and have wins at Youngstown State and Oakland. They lost by only eight at Michigan last time out, but were outclassed at Cincy and Ole Miss. I wouldn't put Dayton in that mix. The Broncos aren't deep, but they are led by Seth Dugan who averages nearly a double-double as well as Michael Flowers and Josh Davis. They've covered 18 of their last 29 road games. Dayton is only 17-17 against the spread at home the last three seasons. I think the road team is worth a look in this one. 

NC A&T plays in another buy game as they travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. Already this season they have lost 90-78 at Wake, 82-59 at Maryland, 92-72 at Hofstra and 95-71 at Marshall. This team has scored 70 points or more in all but two games so they could hold up a little bit of their end to this total. Harris and Copeland are the team's two leading scorers. At home this year, Virginia Tech has won games 87-59, 75-37, 94-40, 89-68 and 81-44. I think NC A&T's offense is a little bit better then theirs. My only concern is that Tech's defense wasn't great at times vs. Washington so there might be a little more focus on that end. I just think we'll see the Hokies at around 80-90 points and then NC AT will add their part. 

North Texas is 10-1 on the season and it's because of a coldly efficient offense and a really good defense holding teams to under 40% shooting from the field. The Mean Green have lost their only game against a team they were an underdog against falling by 16 at Oklahoma. For the most part this team has beaten up on bad opponents with four games where they were favored by double digits to go with three other contests against lower level opponents. Now they face New Mexico in the Pit where they are very tough to beat usually. This season they've lost twice at home, but now Carlton Bragg is in the mix. The Kansas transfer had 16 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes for the Lobos. Now they've got five double digit scorers and a ton of depth and size. I think the home team is worth a real look in this one 

This play is more about a fade of USF then anything. The Bulls have a glossy 7-2 record this season, but they've beaten up on a lot of bad teams to get there and have played all home games or neutral contests. They lost to The Citadel and Georgetown in games where the defense couldn't make stops. FIU is 8-2 and will push the pace and score a ton of points. This team has put up 100 or more five times and have some decent wins. I really like the balance this team has led by Brian Beard Jr and Devon Andrews as well as Trejon Jacob and Willy Nunez Jr. South Florida has been a road underdog of three points or less just once the last three seasons and lost the game outright. FIU won this game on the road 65-53 last year. I think they win again this year too. 

Oakland is playing their fifth straight on the road on Tuesday as they travel to Georgia. This team has plenty of scoring options and a lack of interest in defense. Case in point, the Golden Grizzlies have scored 82, 83 and 87 over their last three games allowing 87, 92 and 86 to those opponents. Oakland has gone over in six of their last seven and eight of their 10 lined games overall. Xavier Hill-Mais and Jaevin Cumberland average nearly 40 points per game combined. Georgia is coming off a tough loss where they blew a huge lead and fell at home to Arizona State. The Bulldogs have scored 74, 92 and 84 their last three contests at home. They've alternated unders and overs the last few weeks and have struggled on defense. UGA does it with more balance with five guys who score seven points per game or more. Two years ago Georgia lost at Oakland 86-79 in a high scoring tilt. I think we could see a ton of points once again. 

Both of these teams are hard to figure out. The Waves have lost three of their last four entering this one. Pepperdine has some talent led by Colbey Ross and Eric Cooper Jr. The team has a bunch of talent and wants to get up and down the court. Oregon State has lost two straight games after a solid start to the year. They've failed to cover in four of their last six and rely on just a trio of solid scorers. To me, this is a lot of points for them to cover. They did blow out Wyoming and Missouri State at home, but I think Pepperdine is better then them. Give me the road team. 

Northern Illinois comes home to host Western Illinois on Monday. NIU is coming off a 95-68 loss at Butler and they are 3-1 at home. The Huskies have scored 70 or more in every game except for the Butler loss, but they've had their issues slowing teams down defensively. Eugene German and Levi Bradley are a good duo averaging nearly 39 points per game. Western Illinois has lost three straight and is playing their eighth true road game of the season. They've allowed 70 or more in four of those games. I like Kobe Webster as a scorer and Brandon Gilbeck is an enforcer in the paint. NIU's gone over in all five games when the total is in the 140s. I think this one should see some scoring. 

The Demon Deacons are 5-3 on the season although the losses have come to St. Joe's, Houston Baptist and Richmond. Wake has scored 70 or more in their last four games. They've also allowed 70 or more four times as well. Brandon Childress leads four double digit scorers, but this team has a little bit of depth although it is young depth. Davidson was nearly able to pull off the victory in Atlantic City on Saturday without leading scorer Kellan Grady. The Wildcats got some really good efforts from Luke Frampton and Carter Collins on Saturday and their shooting will help them again in this one. Wake has gone over in 20 of their last 34 as an underdog. I think this one should see a boatload of points. 

The Dragons are 5-5 on the season, but have put up some good numbers offensively. This is a team that has shot 50% or better from the field four times and has eclipsed the 80 point mark five times as well. The Dragons are led by Alihan Demir who is one of five double digit scorers for the team. There's a chance that Kurk Lee plays although he's only been in three contests so far this year. Quinnipiac is the opposite as they have one double digit scorer in Cameron Young and a bunch of guys who have middling stats. They are 4-4 on the year with wins over Lafayette, Dartmouth, Maine and New Hampshire. This is a team that has shot over 40% from the field just twice so that's a concern especially on a neutral court. Drexel has won the last two meetings between the schools. I think they have a good chance to make it three on Sunday.

San Francisco has been steamrolling teams this season and has gone over in five of their last nine contests. They have shot 49% or better in five straight and six of their last seven games. The Dons come at you with balance and six guys who average seven points per game or more. They are really good defensively so that is a bit of an issue in terms of the total, but I think they can provide a lot offensively because Fullerton sucks at defense. Fullerton has played four true road games this year allowing 81, 87, 80 and 102. They've got a really good backcourt with Allman and Ahmad, but are looking for help elsewhere. This is a team that wants to play with a quicker pace and because of that they allow more points since they aren't committed as much to the defensive side of the ball. I think this one is an over.