This is a 10* on UNLV

UNLV hosts Boise State in the second of four Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals today. We like the tourney hosts for a variety of reasons here, namely that they come in hot. Five straight wins and covers have the Rebels primed to make a little noise this weekend and remember they are the only team to beat top seed San Diego State this entire season! The Runnin’ Rebels just beat Boise State here at the Thomas & Mack Center on Feb 26th, 76-66 as two-point favorites. They led by 12 at halftime and coasted from there. Boise State is just 4-8 on the road this season. The loss at UNLV was their regular season finale while the Rebels have since picked up a dominant 92-69 win at San Jose State. Their recent form can’t be ignored here and even if Long (knee) can’t go, they remain a safe bet. After all, they have covered 11 of the 16 times they have been a favorite in this season. Play on UNLV

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This is an 8* on CALGARY

Columbus and Calgary are in similar positions, just different conferences, when it comes to current playoff position. Columbus - despite recently enduring a pretty brutal stretch - is one of the two Wild Cards in the Eastern Conference. Calgary actually moved up to third in its division, meaning it’s safer in the West, but they’ve spent most of the last several weeks as a precarious Wild Card holder themselves. The Flames did just win 3-0 at Florida on Sunday, giving them a boost in the standing. Columbus also won its last game, beating Vancouver. But the Blue Jackets have not won a road game in a LONG time (over a month) and the Flames have won seven straight times when facing an opponent that scored five or more goals in its last game. Columbus beat Vancouver by a score of 5-3. Play on CALGARY

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This is a 10* on UNDER

Creighton was on a real roll before running into St. John’s on Sunday. We took the Johnnies in that one as they put up 91 points in a big-time upset. Creighton won’t be giving up nearly that many points tonight though. They are back in Omaha where they - on average - give up far less points per game. While their scoring also goes up, they happen to be facing a Georgetown team that has failed to crack 70 in three of its past four games. The Hoyas have lost all four as they most certainly won’t be joining the majority of the Big East in the NCAA Tournament, save for them winning the conference tourney. With so many players injured, we don’t look for Georgetown to do much offensively in this game. Creighton won’t have to either, which lends itself to a play on the Under. The Under is already 6-2 in Georgetown’s last eight road games. Play UNDER on Georgetown-Creighton

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This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

Brooklyn is off a huge win last night as they came back from a 17-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to upset Boston 129-120 in overtime. They were 6.5 point underdogs and led by Caris LeVert’s 51 points. Now they face a quick turnaround to host Memphis. Most will look at this as a bad spot for the Nets, but they are at home. The Grizzlies have a losing record away from home and while they are off 39-point road win, it was against Atlanta. They were actually an underdog in that game due to multiple players being injured. Those same players - Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson - are both out tonight as well. The Grizzlies were fortunate to get a very balanced offensive attack against Atlanta (9 players in double figures!) but can’t count on that every night. Nor can they count on every opponent shooting as poorly as Atlanta did (32.5%!).  Play on BROOKLYN

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This is a 10* on VEGAS -1.5

Vegas is a huge favorite tonight and for good reason. They’d won eight in a row prior to Sunday’s surprising 4-1 loss to the Kings. That loss was at home, but in our opinion it’s no reason to be concerned. Another last place team comes to their rink tonight and while the Devils just beat Anaheim 3-0, they’d previously two straight on this road trip which began more than a week ago. For Vegas, tonight marks the end of a four-game homestand. You know they want to end it on a high-note. What was so odd about that loss to the Kings is the Knights finished with a 43-17 edge in shots including 19-1 in the third period. They just couldn’t get anything past Calvin Petersen. The good news is that the Golden Knights have won five straight times after scoring two goals or less in their previous game. Our call is to play Vegas at -1.5 on the puck line here. Play VEGAS -1.5

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This is a 10* on the OVER

This looks to be one of the bigger NHL mismatches in recent memory. That’s not lost on the oddsmakers, who have basically made the money line “unplayable” from our perspective. But this game going Over seems like a safe bet, maybe even more so than Colorado winning. The Avalanche are on a season-high six game win streak right now. All six games have also gone Under thanks to the Avs allowing just eight goals total. That seems like an average that will prove difficult to sustain. The Red Wings, bad as they are, should be able to get at least two goals here. In fact, Colorado has given up exactly two goals in three straight games. But it’s very likely the Avalanche score more than just two goals here as Detroit is giving up 4.6 their last five games. For the season, the Wings allow almost four goals per game. Colorado averages nearly 4.0 and is one of the highest scoring teams in the league. This will be a higher scoring game than expected. Play OVER Colorado-Detroit

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This is a 10* on UTAH

Give credit to Cleveland for playing better since the firing of former coach John Beilein. They’ve even posted home wins against the likes of Miami and Philadelphia. But those teams seem to be unique in how much they struggle on the road. Utah, who finally ended its losing streak (at four games) Friday, should have little difficulty coming in here and winning. The Cavs have lost two in a row, to New Orleans and Indiana. They still rate as one of the league’s worst teams. Utah winning its last game 129-119 over Washington should jumpstart a nice run for them as they fight for position in the Western Conference. They are the more rested team here and should put up another big total like they did vs. Washington. The Cavs are last in the league in defensive efficiency (Wizards are second to last). Donovan Mitchell has scored 30 or more in the last four games for Utah and should continue that streak in a big win tonight. Play on UTAH

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This is a 10* on DUKE

Duke lost to Virginia Saturday, its second loss in a row and third in the last four games. But the one constant in those three defeats is that they all took place on the road. We were on the right side of that Virginia game Saturday with the Blue Devils getting held to a season-low 50 points. They faltered down the stretch yet again, just like they did against Wake Forest a few days prior. But back at Cameron Indoor, we look for the Blue Devils to make a statement tonight on ESPN. They are winning by more than 21 points/game at home this season. This is also a very big revenge spot. Duke lost to NC State by 22 two weeks ago in Raleigh. That was their worst loss of the season and something the players haven’t forgotten. This will be the first time this year that the Blue Devils take the floor with in-season revenge. They have won 10 of the last 11 times they’ve been seeking revenge for a road loss, covering the spread seven times. NC State is 0-3 ATS since the upset of Duke and lost at North Carolina. Play on DUKE

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This is a 10* on OVER

When these teams met in Boulder three weeks ago, the game flew Over with Colorado winning 81-74. Not only did the Buffaloes go 30 of 40 from the free throw line, they were 11 of 21 on three-pointers. In fact, they and Stanford combined to go 23 of 42 from three-point range. That was easily one of Stanford’s worst defensive games this season. While them getting to host the rematch will certainly lead to better play on that end, we look for this matchup to go Over again. It may not be as high-scoring as last time, but it doesn’t need to be. In fact, it doesn’t need to be close. The last one went Over by 25 points. Stanford has scored at least 70 points in its last three games with all of those being wins. Colorado just gave up 76 to a bad Cal team and that was at home. Stanford can really shoot the ball well. The Over is 4-0 the last four times they’ve been a home favorite. Play OVER Colorado-Stanford

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This is a 10* on PHILADELPHIA

We all know about the Sixers’ struggles on the road. While the league’s preeminent home team (28-2 SU at home!), Philly is only 9-21 straight up in road games. That difference of -19 (home vs. road wins) is seven games more than the team with the second biggest split. Today they are at the Clippers, who have won three straight games by double digits. Two were at home and those margins of victory were 27 and 29 points. Despite all of this, we are grabbing the big number with the road dog. You’re not likely to get this many points with the Sixers in any game all season. Obviously that has to do with the fact Joel Embiid will miss the game with a shoulder injury. Ben Simmons is out too. But still this is too many points. The Clippers can have “off-nights” defensively and the Sixers have still won 6 out of their last 8 games. There’s been just one time all season that LA covered four in a row and it was back in December. Play on PHILADELPHIA

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This is a 10* on the UNDER

Didn’t these teams just play? Yes they did! The Flyers won at home Friday, beating the Rangers 5-2. It was Philly’s fifth straight win as they are now second in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of Pittsburgh, who has lost its last six games. During their five-game win streak, the Flyers have averaged 4.4 goals per game. But make note that four of those games were played on home ice where the team is rather exceptional. Not that they are bad on the road, but you can expect them to score less here than they did Friday. The Rangers had been pretty hot too, also scoring well above their season scoring average. Friday marked just the second time they were held under three goals over the last three weeks. But take note the Under is 17-11 in Rangers home games if the total is 6.0 or higher. The recent Over streaks for both teams will prove too difficult to sustain. Play UNDER Flyers-Rangers

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This is a 10* on ST. JOHN'S

Creighton and St. John’s are in very different places as we approach the final week of the regular season. Creighton has surged to the top of the Big East by winning and covering its last five games. Plus they are 9-1 SU L10. St. John’s lost leading scorer Mustapha Heron and is 2-9 straight up its last 11 games (0-3 L3) as well as 1-6 against the spread its last seven. But the good news for St. John’s Sunday is they are playing at home and they are 3-0 both straight up and against the spread this year when off three consecutive losses. Even without Heron, we like their chances today due to the fact Creighton simply isn’t the same team on the road that they are at home. Scoring drops from 83.1 points/game down to 72.5 and that should be enough for St. John’s to at least earn itself the cover here. They are 5-1 ATS their last six times as a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points including a perfect 3-0 this season. Play on ST. JOHN’S

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This is a 10* on OVER

That UCLA is tied for the Pac 12 lead right now is rather stunning. The Bruins have won six in a row to get to 11-5 in conference play and 18-11 overall. This is a team that was basically “left for dead” coming into February. Unless they end up winning the Pac 12 Tournament, we’re not even sure they wind up making the NCAA Tournament. Arizona is considered a lot safer for the Big Dance right now, although they’ve lost two straight to fall 1.5 games behind UCLA and Oregon in the conference. This is a rematch of a game played on Feb 8, won by UCLA 65-52. That win is what began UCLA’s current roll. They held Arizona to just 25.4% shooting (in Tucson) as the Wildcats made just 9 of 36 two-point attempts. It was a similarly awful shooting night for Arizona in their last game as they lost 57-48 to USC. But they are 2-0 SU/ATS this year when they are off a game in which they got held to 60 points or less. Look for Arizona to regain its “shooting touch” tonight, but also for UCLA to keep its hot shooting going. Play OVER Arizona-UCLA

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This is a 10* on OVER

Brooklyn and Miami tangle Saturday night in South Beach and for both teams it’s the second night of a back to back. Any chance the Nets had of moving up in the Eastern Conference was basically dashed last week when it was announced Kyrie Irving would be out for the remainder of the season. Over the past five days, they’ve certainly played like a team that knows it has a limited ceiling. They’ve lost three times, giving up 115, 110 and 141 points. Last night had to be rock bottom as they gave up those 141 points to Atlanta. That they allowed one of the league’s worst three-point shooting teams to go 19 of 39 is not a good sign. Miami isn’t exactly playing good defense either. They’ve allowed an average of more than 120 points/game over the last six contests, all of which have gone Over. They did at least snap a two-game losing skid last night by beating Dallas 126-118. The Over is now 19-9 in Heat home games where they have gone 24-4 straight up. The Over is also 27-12 for Miami when they face a team that is allowing at least 106 points/game. Brooklyn allows 110.6 points/game and that number gets even worse on the road. Play OVER Brooklyn-Miami

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This is a 10* on MONTREAL

Unless they are able to go on some sort of extended run, it’s looking increasingly less likely that Montreal is going to make the playoffs. Seven losses in the past nine games, the last two both at home, have them nine points back of where they need to be right now. But don’t expect the Canadiens to roll over Saturday for the Carolina Hurricanes, who are also coming off two straight home defeats and on the outside of the playoff picture. Having played last night puts the ‘Canes at a clear disadvantage coming into tonight. They fought back from a 2-0 deficit against the Avalanche only to then allow the game-winning goal with 2:37 left in regulation. That’s an incredibly demoralizing way to lose right before having to set out on the road. Injuries at the goalie position continue to haunt this team. It should be pointed out that Montreal has held 2-0 leads in each of its last two games. So it’s not as if they played poorly. Look for them to get up early again and then finish the deal tonight. Play on MONTREAL

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This is a play on VIRGINIA

Duke has tasted defeat twice in its past three games and both losses came on the road. The most recent was a real stunner as they gave up 113 points in a double overtime loss to Wake Forest. The Blue Devils have now failed to cover in four straight road games. Tonight they are at defending National Champ Virginia. While the champs may not be the same team they were last year, they are rounding into form at the right time. It’s five straight wins by the Cavaliers and while four of those have been by three points or less, the offense has increased to 61.4 points/game. That may not sound like much (and it isn’t!) but when you are allowing only 49.5 points/game at home, then it’s plenty. Note Duke is only 4-12 ATS this season after scoring 80 or more points the previous game. Virginia has been a home underdog only one other time all year and they won that game (vs. Florida State) by five. They are 6-2 ATS the last three seasons when getting points. Led by their outstanding defense, Virginia gets the cash here. Play on VIRGINIA

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This is a 10* on UTAH

A long homestand typically provides a team an opportunity to start rolling, but in the case of the current one for the Utah Jazz, that certainly hasn’t been the case. The last four games have all ended with them on the “short end of the stick.” Adding insult to injury, they were favored in all four games. But tonight should be a reprieve with Washington paying a visit. The Wizards are off a win, but that was against a Nets team that is playing without Kyrie Irving. The two games before that, the Wizards got 50+ point games from Bradley Beal and still lost! On January 12th, the Jazz went to D.C. and won 127-116 as 6.5-point favorites. Winning by more at home shouldn’t prove too difficult. The Wizards are 7-21 SU on the road and it can’t be stressed enough just how bad they have been defensively. They are giving up an average of 123.5 points in road games, the highest such average in the league. Expect a big bounce back effort from the home team tonight. Play on UTAH

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This is a 10* on UNDER

Both the Rangers and Flyers have been scoring a lot lately during respective red hot runs. The Rangers have won five in a row, the latest coming last night in 5-2 fashion at Montreal. That makes it 23 goals scored in five games. Not to be outdone, the Flyers have scored 17 goals in their last four games. While all that scoring might seem to indicate a high-scoring affair is all but assured tonight, we don’t think that’s the case at all. The Flyers just don’t give up many goals at home. They are allowing just 2.06 per game here and that’s the lowest average in the league for home games. The Rangers are 6-3-1 Under this season when playing in the second night of a back to back. This will also be the Rangers third game in four nights, all of them away from home, and they’re 7-1-1 Under the past nine times in that situation. Play UNDER Rangers-Flyers

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This is a 10* on North Dakota St

This is perhaps the biggest regular season game the Summit League will see all year as second place North Dakota State hosts first place South Dakota State. The road team has won eight straight to climb into the pole position and that win streak started with a win over the Bison back on January 22nd. But it was only a five point win in which the Jackrabbits shot an amazing 55.8% from the field and made 24 of 38 shots inside the arc. That will not happen again on the road as ND State is the team more likely to “go off” offensively this time as they are averaging 81.4 points/game at home. The Bison had their own win streak stopped at seven games last Saturday with a three point loss at North Dakota. Maybe they were looking ahead to this showdown? Regardless, they are now 1.5 games back of South Dakota State, which makes tonight a “must-win.” The Bison are 11-1 on their home floor this year. All eight of South Dakota State’s losses this year have been on the road. Play on NORTH DAKOTA STATE

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This is an 8* on BOSTON

Boston desperately needs a win after being humiliated in consecutive losses to Vancouver and Calgary. The loss to Vancouver took place on the road last Saturday, but will take awhile to forget as the Bruins were beaten 9-2, their worst loss of the season. Then on Tuesday Calgary came to town and won 5-2, handing the B’s just their third regulation loss at home all year. This team is too good to lose three in a row, which is something they have done since right after the New Year. The Bruins have the most points in the league and would have even more were it not for an incredibly unfortunate 0-7 record in shootouts. They have won six of the last eight meetings with the Stars including 2-1 in Dallas all the way back in October. Play on BOSTON

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This is an 8* on PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh briefly passed Washington to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division, but three straight losses have them back in the “bridesmaid’s position.” Still they are only two wins away from tying the Capitals and they have two games in hand. We see an easy two points on the table tonight for the Penguins as they visit LA to place the last place Kings. Only one team in the league has fewer points than Los Angeles. That would be Detroit. Pittsburgh has only had one three-game losing streak this season. It was back in October and the next time out they won 3-0 against Tampa Bay. The Pens are 19-9 against teams with losing records. Everything about this spot says Pittsburgh will bounce back, especially the money line. The Kings were sellers at the trade deadline and are weaker than they’ve been all year. Play on PITTSBURGH

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This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

On Monday, Cleveland hosted a top 5 team in the East (Miami) whose play dips rather significantly on the road. Sure enough, the Cavs beat the Heat in overtime, 125-119 as a 6.5-point home underdog. It was a rather shocking come from behind effort as the Cavs trailed by 19 going into the fourth quarter. Of course, the Heat’s road woes are well documented. We bring this up because the team Cleveland hosts tonight sees an even more dramatic dropoff when they are on the road and that’s Philadelphia. The Sixers are a league-best 27-2 straight up at home. But their road record is 9-20. That is easily the biggest gap any team in the league has when it comes to home vs. road wins. So can Cleveland pull the same trick twice in a row? Not sure about them winning straight up tonight, but we do like the points as the 76ers are 1-9 ATS in road games where the total is 220 or higher. They are 4-8-1 ATS as a road favorite with six outright losses. Play on CLEVELAND

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This is a 10* on PENN ST

Yet another play from the Big 10 (had Michigan St last night), so we’ll mention again just how deep this conference is as it looks like 10 teams will be sent to the NCAA Tournament. But despite the depth, there are advantages to be had, especially when certain teams play on the road. We didn’t give Iowa much of a chance last night in East Lansing and the same holds true tonight for Rutgers in State College, PA. To say the Scarlet Knights have struggled on the road in Big 10 play would be putting it mildly. They have lost five straight Big 10 road games and six of seven overall with the one win coming against Nebraska. Rutgers is now 1-9 in road or neutral site games for the 2019-20 season. They just lost by eight at Wisconsin on Sunday. While the Big 10 may be deep, some teams are simply better than others and that’s the case with Penn State here as the Nittany Lions are a legit top 20 team that plays really good defense. Back to back losses (to Indiana & Illinois) have taken some wind out of their sails, but you’re still looking at a team that’s 13-2 SU at home with a point differential of +14.8 per game. They began February on a 5-0 SU/ATS tear and should end the month with a big win here. Play on PENN STATE

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This is a 10* on ARIZONA

Arizona is getting Florida at the end of a five-game West Coast trip and they have to be liking their chances tonight. On Saturday, the Coyotes put forth one of the most impressive efforts we’ve seen by any team recently as they crushed the Lightning 7-3. Considering how well Tampa Bay had been playing going into that game, it really says something for the ‘Yotes. Meanwhile, the Panthers are reeling a bit. Ten goals allowed in just two games is not how they want to come into tonight, but that’s the reality as they gave up five goals apiece in losses to Los Angeles (Thursday) and Vegas (Saturday). With eight losses over the previous 11 games, Florida has slowed down measurably since the All Star Break. Arizona has won its last three home games and two of them were against Washington and Tampa Bay. Last month saw them go to Miami and beat the Panthers easily, 5-2. Playing with 2 days rest, the Coyotes have gone an impressive 10-1 this season. Everything here points to an easy win by the home team. Play on ARIZONA

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This is an 8* on MINNESOTA

Columbus FINALLY got back into the win column Monday, picking up two points at the expense of a pretty bad Ottawa team. We went with the Over in last night’s game and didn’t need to sweat it out as it was 3-3 midway through the third period. But for the Blue Jackets, things did get dicey as they needed overtime to prevail 4-3 and they lost goalie Merzlikins to injury. As one of just two teams in the league that played last night, the Blue Jackets seem to be at a severe disadvantage tonight in Minnesota. They had to play an extra five minutes last night and now have issues between the pipes. While they’ve yet to win at home since firing Bruce Boudreau, the Wild remain a solid home team and are motivated post coaching change. You may not be able to tell that by the way they lost to St. Louis on Sunday but the Wild shouldn’t have any issues here in a spot that clearly favors them. Columbus is giving up an average of 4.0 goals per game its last five contests. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

Both of these teams just got their tails kicked in. For Charlotte, it was Saturday when they lost at home to Brooklyn by 29 points, a real “bad look” considering the Nets are now without Kyrie Irving. Still, in terms of margin, the loss wasn’t as bad as what Indiana suffered Sunday in Toronto as they went down 127-81. One of the teams will get to bounce back from the embarrassing defeat Monday and our money is on the Pacers as not only are they playing at home, they are also simply the much better basketball team at this juncture. Even with three consecutive upsets straddling the All-Star Break, the Hornets are still only 4-14 straight up their past 18 games and when they lose it’s generally by a wide margin. The Hornets’ record in games decided by 10 points or more is a lousy 4-24 straight up. They are also just 2-19 vs. teams that have winning records while going 5-14-2 against the spread.  Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on MICHIGAN ST

Yet another quality Big 10 matchup Tuesday and while it’s a battle of Top 25 teams, we actually think things will end up rather lopsided here in East Lansing. Despite a less than stellar February, Sparty remains an elite team, one that is far better than its #24 ranking. Make no mistake about it, there might not be more than 5-7 teams that would be favored over Michigan State come Tournament time. Tom Izzo’s bunch got the confidence-boosting win it needed last Thursday when they went to Nebraska and blew out the Cornhuskers 86-65. Now they host Iowa, who we have serious doubts about on the defensive end of the floor. Of all the teams currently ranked in the Top 25, the Hawkeyes have the worst efficiency rating defensively. We grabbed them laying a small number  vs. Ohio State last Thursday. However, that was at home. They’ve gone just 1-16 straight up and 4-13 against the spread their past 17 visits to East Lansing and this number tells you to disregard the rankings. Iowa had lost three straight road games before a miracle comeback at Minnesota nine days ago. Play on MICHIGAN STATE

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Kansas is coming off its biggest win of the season as they won 64-61 at #1 Baylor on Saturday, thus avenging their only conference loss of the season. With #2 Gonzaga having also lost Saturday, expect the Jayhawks (winners of 12 in a row) to be the new #1 when this game vs. Oklahoma State tips off Monday. We played the Under in the Baylor game, which was a winner, and it’s back to playing the total tonight. Only this time we’re looking at the Over due to the opponent being so lax defensively. In our writeup for the Kansas-Baylor game, we went into great detail about just how good both teams are defensively. Well, Oklahoma State is not great defensively. One thing the Cowboys did to impress us though is score 86 points in a win over rival Oklahoma on Saturday. Kansas has scored 87 and 91 points in its last two home games. So all signs point to a high-scoring affair tonight on ESPN. The Jayhawks average 78.7 points/game in Lawrence and the Over has hit the previous three times OSU has been a road underdog of at least 12.5 points. Play OVER Oklahoma St-Kansas

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This is a 10* on OVER

The only NHL game on Monday offers up a wonderful opportunity to bet the Over in our eyes. Columbus’ last four games have all gone Over anyway with them surrendering 17 goals. Not only have the Blue Jackets lost all four, they’ve actually lost eight straight games. But as bad a shape as the Blue Jackets are in, Ottawa is even worse. The Senators have the third fewest points in the league and have dropped 9 of their last 12 games. Over their last five games, they’ve surrendered 19 goals. The last time Columbus and Ottawa met they combined for seven goals in a 4-3 Senators victory up in Canada. There were 68 shots on goal and all but one goal was scored with the teams at even strength. The Over has hit the last eight times Ottawa has faced a team from the Metropolitan Division. Play OVER Ottawa-Columbus

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This is an 8* on PHILADELPHIA

The Sixers are back home Monday and you should know what that means. It’s a virtual guarantee that they’ll play better than they did Saturday night in Milwaukee when they lost 119-98. That loss dropped Philly to 9-20 in road games. They are 26-2 at home. Throw in the fact that they go from facing the league’s best team to (maybe) its worst and it should be a complete “reversal of fortune” here. While the Hawks are 2-0 since returning from the All Star Break, each of those wins came at home. They have only six road wins all year and only one in the last 30 days. Philadelphia is playing with revenge tonight as well. They lost in Atlanta last month. (They also won there early in the season). The Sixers are an impressive +10.0 points/game compared to their opponents here at home. They are 6-0 ATS in home games with a total of 220 or higher (total here is currently 229). Play on PHILADELPHIA

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This is an 8* on EDMONTON

Edmonton is coming off two straight home losses. The last one was to Minnesota as they gave up five goals. The other was to Boston, the team with the most points in the league. Now in third place in their division, the Oilers are set to embark on a three-game road trip of the West Coast starting in LA tonight. The Kings have the least amount of points in the Conference. They lost 2-1 to Colorado last night, a game that went to a shootout, so they’re at a disadvantage here. This isn’t a team that can overcome any additional disadvantages. Edmonton is 13-5 when off a loss by two or more goals. Play on EDMONTON

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This is a 10* on the UNDER

A Detroit team that’s averaging less than 100 points over its past five games facing a Portland team playing without its leading scorer should result in an easy Under this evening. Damian Lillard was absolutely on fire for the Blazers before a groin injury put him on the shelf. Without him, the Blazers lost to New Orleans Friday night, though lack of offense really wasn’t the problem. But lack of offense has been a problem for the Pistons who are without their best player (Blake Griffin) as well. Again, it wasn’t really the offense that was the primary issue as Detroit lost 126-106 to Milwaukee Thursday night. But we should see both teams struggle to score in this one. The Under is 14-3 for the Pistons the last 17 times they allowed 125 or more points the previous game. So look for improved defense on their part. The Trail Blazers are 7-3 Under following a double digit loss at home. Play UNDER Detroit-Portland

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON ST

Stanford stopped the bleeding with a 72-64 upset of Washington on Thursday. But that singular win doesn’t change the fact that the Cardinal had previously lost seven of eight, which obviously put a severe damper on their NCAA Tournament hopes. Tonight they are at Washington State, a matchup the Cardinal likely feels pretty good about. But this one is trickier than it looks. Yes, Wazzu has lost three in a row overall and was just beaten here in Pullman by Cal Thursday. The Cougs were 6.5-point favorites in that loss too. But they remain 11-4 at the Paloose. They’ve got some big time revenge for a 26 point defeat suffered in Palo Alto earlier in the year. Stanford shot 61% in that game, Washington State was under 40%. It’ll be a lot different this time as we conclude by pointing out that Wazzu is a perfect 3-0 against the spread this year as a home underdog of three points or less. Play on WASHINGTON STATE

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This is an 8* on WISCONSIN

Whenever it’s time to analyze one of these Big 10 matchups, we start by pointing out the incredible depth in the conference. There could be as many as 11 teams making the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin and Rutgers are among them. Right now though the Badgers are simply hotter. They’ve won three in a row, taking advantage of a somewhat “relaxed” schedule for this time of year. Today marks just the fourth game for the Badgers in the past 14 days. They beat Purdue Tuesday, continuing a string of impressive showings here in Madison that has seen them defeat the likes of Maryland, Michigan State and Ohio State. Rutgers just suffered its first home loss of the season, at the hands of Michigan, and we look for that to have an effect on them today. The Scarlet Knights have lost four of six overall. They have just ONE road win all season.  Play on WISCONSIN

AAA

This is a 10* on the OVER

Temple is off a wild 93-89 win over UConn. Double overtime was needed to get the victory, which was the second time the Owls prevailed in OT in their last four games. Today they’ll head to East Carolina to face a team not making much noise in the American this year. The Pirates 4-10 conference record has them a loss away from being tied for last place with Tulane, a team that they’ve beaten twice. However, ECU has at least been competitive of late. In the last week, they’ve lost by only three to Cincinnati and by four to Memphis. So Temple should consider itself forewarned. What we expect here is a high-scoring affair. While recent Temple scores have been boosted by overtime, they can still pile up the points today. When they hosted East Carolina on Feb 1, they scored 76 points. The Pirates shot very poorly in that game and should improve on their percentages now that they get to play at home. They’ve scored at least 67 in three of the last four contests. Play OVER Temple-East Carolina

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This is a 10* on OREGON

Crucial game in the Pac 12 tonight for both teams, but particularly for Oregon as they are off a loss and a game back of Arizona in the win column. The Ducks go to Tucson Saturday night with a higher ranking for now (#14 vs. #24), but they really can’t afford another loss here. Back on January 9th, the Ducks did beat Arizona 74-73 in a close call in Eugene. Arizona comes into the rematch as a decided favorite having won three straight. They seem overvalued though in what we view as a pretty even matchup. Oregon has been an underdog just three times all season and this is the first time in over a month. Let’s not forget that it wasn’t too long ago that Arizona lost - by double digits - here at home to UCLA. The Wildcats are just 9-21 ATS in Saturday games the last three seasons. This is one of those games where you just want to play the underdog as an outright win is far more likely than a blowout by the favorite. Play on OREGON

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This is a 10* on PHILADELPHIA

We all know about how the Sixers perform on the road relative to how they do at home. On Thursday, they defeated the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 112-104. That improved their already league-best home record to 26-2 straight up. However, they’ve gone just 9-19 straight up on the road and tonight finds them playing in Milwaukee. Despite this seemingly “insurmountable” task the 76ers are facing, we like them to come through with the cash tonight on ABC. Impressive as they have been, the Bucks cannot possibly continue to win by these large margins. What’s interesting is that they have played only 17 games all season against teams that have winning records (fewest in the league). They are 10-7 straight up in those games and 7-10 against the spread. They’ve lost only 1 time all year to a team with a losing record. A couple of weeks ago Philly came here and lost by 11. We think they’ll do better this time as this game means more to them than it does to the Bucks. They did beat the Bucks earlier in the year (at home). Play on PHILADELPHIA

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

It is an incredibly jam-packed race for the two Wild Card spots in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. Remember that the top three in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs. Right now Toronto occupies third in the Atlantic, but they are just two points up on Florida. Carolina has the same number of points as Toronto (72) but is actually sixth in the Metropolitan, meaning they would not be in the playoffs if they started today. What the Hurricanes are in is the second night of a back to back. They lost at home to the Rangers last night, 5-2, as they continue to struggle to find consistency post-All Star Break. Toronto is off a shutout win over Pittsburgh, 4-0, right here at home on Thursday. These teams played one of the wildest games of the year back in December with the Maple Leafs prevailing 8-6. That was also here in Toronto. The Leafs are better situated to grab the two points tonight seeing as they are rested and 15-8 straight up when off a win by two goals or more. Play on TORONTO

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This is an 8* on COLORADO

Colorado may not be the “best” team in the Pac 12 this year but they have been the most consistent. As a result, they are the ones in first place, not Arizona nor Oregon. The Buffaloes are ranked 18th in the country and just held off USC for a 70-66 win on Thursday. They get to stay in Boulder for the weekend as now it’s UCLA that will pay a visit. The Bruins have not been consistent in the first year under Mick Cronin and we like this opportunity to fade as they are coming off an upset win at Utah a little less than 48 hours ago. The chances UCLA records two straight upset wins on the road seems very unlikely, even though right now is the hottest that the Bruins have been all season. They’ve won four in a row, starting with a win at Arizona. But Colorado is just too tough here as they have a 13-2 SU home record and give up only 61.9 points/game. Motivation will be high as this is the final home game of the season (Senior Night!) and they actually lost at UCLA by 4 points back in January. Revenge will be sweet this afternoon. Play on COLORADO

AAA

This is a 10* on the UNDER

This is the game Kansas has been waiting for. Back on January 11th, they lost at home to Baylor by a score of 67-55. Since then they’ve 11 straight wins, seven of those coming by double digits. But top-ranked Baylor isn’t going to roll over here either. The Bears have won 23 straight games. They’ve covered 17 of 25 ball games including 10 of 13 in conference play. Key to this game will be defense. These are two of the top three teams in defensive efficiency in the entire country. Kansas gives up 57.5 points/game on the road. Baylor gives up 56.2 points/game at home. The first game stayed Under by 10 points yet this O/U is just three points lower. Oddsmakers haven’t adjusted enough. The Jayhawks’ OU record in Big 12 games is 9-1. With this game being so important, both teams will be playing lockdown defense. Play on UNDER KANSAS/BAYLOR

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This is a 10* on EDMONTON

Minnesota made a surprise change behind the bench last week, firing coach Bruce Boudreau. After losing their first game under interim Dean Evason (2-0 to San Jose), the Wild were able to outlast Vancouver in a shootout Wednesday night. But the road has generally been less than kind to this team as it still gives up 3.6 goals/contest when not in the XCel Center. So look for Edmonton, who is coming off a home loss, to rebound tonight. Despite being short handed, the Oilers were able to take the Bruins to overtime Wednesday. Boston is arguably the best team in the league and there’s no shame in losing to them. The last time Edmonton lost two straight home games was early December. They have a chance to move into first place in the Pacific Division with a win tonight and come in with a case of double revenge for a pair of losses in the Twin Cities early on in the season. Play on EDMONTON.

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This is a 10* on UTAH

The Spurs were done a favor last night as Memphis lost, meaning San Antonio is now within 3.5 games of the 8th (and final) playoff spot out West. Utah has its eyes on a bigger prize as they went into the All Star Break 4th in the conference and on a 4-game win streak. The last three wins were against Houston, Dallas and Miami and the Jazz covered all three. This is a step down in class from those teams, all of which are solidly in the playoff mix. Two of the wins (Houston, Dallas) even came on the road. Speaking of the road, it has been unkind to San Antonio. The annual “Rodeo Road Trip” began on Feb 3rd and has seen the Spurs go 1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS with the only straight up win coming at Oklahoma City right before the break. Utah has a big edge defensively in this matchup as they give up only 104.1 points/game at home while SA allows 116.4 on the road. Utah is 20-5 at home while SA is 9-19 on the road. This is the Spurs first visit to Salt Lake City this season and the Jazz have revenge for losing as a five-point favorite in the Alamo last month. Play on UTAH

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This is a 10* on the UNDER

Harvard trails Yale and Princeton by one game, so getting to host the latter is a big deal tonight. The Crimson won both games last week - 85-63 over Cornell and 77-63 over Columbia. Both were played right here at Lavietes Pavilion. Princeton also got to play twice at home last week, but they split the pair, losing to Yale while beating Brown. The Tigers did defeat the Crimson earlier this season 70-69 on what was a hot shooting night for them from distance (went 13 of 23 on three-pointers). That was the last Harvard game to stay Under as the last four have all gone Over. But Princeton won’t shoot as well this time around. Harvard defends exceptionally well when they’re at home, giving up just 59.4 points/game. Princeton is 6-0 Under this year in games where they came in with 5 or 6 days rest. That includes the two Friday games since Ivy League play started. Don’t forget Harvard is without top scorer Bryce Aiken as well. A lower scoring game than the first matchup, which we think this will be, makes for an easy call on the Under. Play UNDER Princeton-Harvard

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analysis coming

This is a 10* on COLUMBUS

This is a very important game within the Metropolitan Division. Third place guarantees you a playoff spot and right now the race for third is four teams separated by a single point. The Flyers are in “pole position” right now with 73 points. Three teams, Columbus among them, have 72 points. The Blue Jackets are absolutely desperate right now as they have lost six in a row, the most recent game coming in Philadelphia Tuesday where they went down by a score of 5-1. But the Nationwide Arena in Columbus has been a house of horrors for the Flyers as they’ve won just three of the past 19 visits. One such win did occur back in November. The Blue Jackets are 0-3 against the Flyers this year. So calling this their most important game of the season (so far) would not be hyperbole.  Look for a very inspired effort by the home team tonight. Something worth noting is three of the losses in the six-game losing streak for the Blue Jackets have come past regulation. Also, they lost and gave up five goals Tuesday despite allowing just 15 shots. Play on COLUMBUS

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This is a 10* on Iowa

We had some discussion about the Big 10 yesterday. While we came out on the wrong side of that game (Indiana-Minnesota), we’re back at it again, this time with two of the likely 10 teams that the conference will send to the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State was once ranked as high as #2 in the polls. A bad January dropped the Buckeyes standing precipitously, however, they have since rallied by winning five of their last six games. Iowa has alternated wins and losses over the last six games and is off a come from behind win at Minnesota. While recent form may be better for OSU, this game still takes place in Iowa City where the Hawkeyes have lost only one time all year and that was back in the second game. Iowa boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the country and Ohio State is only .500 overall in Big 10 play and 3-5 on the road. The Hawkeyes are 10-2 ATS at Carver Arena. Seems logical to lay the short number here. Play on IOWA

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This is a 10* on VANCOUVER 

Despite taking a 5-1 loss Sunday, the Canucks are still outscoring visiting teams by an average of 0.9 gpg, which is very solid. They average 3.6 gpg in Vancouver and had won their two previous games here by scores of 6-2 and 3-0. Minnesota is not a good road team. They are giving up 3.7 gpg away from home, which is the third worst average in the league (only Detroit & Ottawa are worse). They also just made what was a bit of a head-scratching decision, firing coach Bruce Boudreau. Clearly, the front office saw something wrong with this team that the rest of us were not seeing. That the Wild were shut out at home - 2-0 by a bad San Jose team - in the first game after Boudreau’s firing was not a good sign. Speaking of changes, Vancouver just brought in forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the Kings. This is a key acquisition. The Canucks are simply better than the Wild, especially at home. Play on VANCOUVER

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

The Big 10 will obviously be sending a lot of teams to the NCAA Tournament. Right now, if certain “bracketologists” are to be believed, the number of teams is 10. Only one other conference is likely to send more than five. Interestingly enough, neither Indiana nor Minnesota are among those 10 even though both grade out favorably against most teams from other conferences. In the case of Minnesota, a 12-12 WL record does them no favors. However, you can’t tell us that the Golden Gophers aren’t among the top 35 teams in the country. Four losses in the last five games, particularly the one vs. Iowa on Sunday, have really stung. But getting a chance to host an Indiana team that is 1-5 straight up and against the spread its last six games is an opportunity the Gophers can surely cash in on. Indiana is a dreadful 1-6 ATS in road games. They’ve lost 23 of 30 road games the last three seasons. The loss to Iowa on Sunday was just the second time Minnesota lost as a favorite this year (8-3 ATS) and they are 5-1 ATS after being held under 60 points. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is an 8* play on MEMPHIS

There’s significant hand-wringing now over Memphis’ chances to make the NCAA Tournament. A team firmly on the “bubble” all season, the Tigers have gone out and lost three straight. Right now, no one seems to be considering Penny Hardaway’s team as being worthy of the Big Dance and without a really strong finish to the regular season, it’s difficult to imagine that changing. It is worth mentioning though that this three-game losing streak has been nothing but close games. The three losses have all been by six points or less and by a total of only 11 points. Tonight, Memphis has a golden opportunity to take its frustrations out on a lesser opponent, that being East Carolina, who is just 7-13 ATS when getting 12.5 or more on the road. The Pirates are in second to last in the American with a 4-9 conference record and have been beaten by double digits each of the last two times out. Their only conference wins since January 11th both were against Tulane, the last place team in the American. Memphis wins by an average of 17 points/game at home. Play on MEMPHIS

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This is an 8* on LSU

It wasn’t that long ago where LSU was the lone unbeaten team in SEC play and feeling really good about itself. But three losses in the past four games have dropped the Tigers out of the Top 25 and one game back of Kentucky in the SEC. But those three losses the Tigers recently suffered all have one thing in common and that’s they all took place on the road. In Baton Rouge, this team is still 13-1 and they’ve generally won by safe margins. Kentucky is not as dominant as you might think even though it is ranked 10th in the country. While the Wildcats have won eight of nine, most of the wins have come against the bottom half of the SEC. They have failed to cover five of the seven games they have played against teams that average at least 77 points game. LSU averages more than that. LSU is undervalued tonight at home. Play on LSU

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This is a 10* on OVER

The Stanley Cup Champs (St. Louis) have lost five straight games, turning the Central Division race into a tight three-way battle between them, Dallas and Colorado. All five Blues losses were to teams fighting to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Tonight they’ll host a team from the Eastern Conference that is in last place in their own division and they are 4-0 against the previous two seasons. But New Jersey did beat Columbus in a shootout Sunday, so this may not be the “walk in the park” St. Louis is hoping for. What we’ll do is call for an Over as three of the Devils last four games have seen at least seven total goals scored. NJ has scored three or more goals in eight of its last 10 games and four or more six times. The Over is 11-5 in the Blues last 16 games and 4-1 this season if they were held to 1 goal or less in their most recent game. They lost 2-1 at Nashville Sunday. Play OVER New Jersey-St. Louis

AAA

This is a 10* on ILLINOIS

Penn State is undoubtedly a hot team right. Having achieved a top 10 ranking (#9) for the first time in forever, the Nittany Lions are on an 8-0 win streak - both straight up and against the spread. Their latest conquest took place Saturday when they defeated Northwestern 77-61. It was their largest margin of victory during the win streak. Of course, Northwestern also just so happens to be the worst team in the Big 10. Illinois, while having lost four in a row, is still considered to be a NCAA Tournament team and it wasn’t that long ago that they were leading the conference! The Illini’s rough patch has included games vs. Maryland and Michigan State as well as road trips to Iowa and Rutgers. Really, they shouldn’t have been favored to win any of those games. They obviously don’t deserve to be favored tonight either, but the spread is too high in our estimation considering where Illinois was just a short time ago. Play on ILLINOIS

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This is an 8* on NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina isn’t going to get sympathy from anyone in the ACC or nationally. But it sure is sad to see the Tar Heels having fallen this far (last place in the ACC). For the second time this year, they’re on a five-game losing streak. They’re just 2-10 the past 12 games. But this more recent five game losing streak has seen them fall by two points or less three different times. Saturday against Virginia they lost 64-62. But you should take them here against a Notre Dame team that was just humiliated by Duke over the weekend. The Fighting Irish took a 34-point loss in Durham, which ended a six-game ATS win streak. The Irish have had some close losses of their own, namely a one-point loss at Virginia last Tuesday that went into overtime. But that Duke loss is going to be “tough to shake” and we expect there to be somewhat of a “carry over” from Saturday to tonight. Before Saturday, Notre Dame had been held to 60 points or less three different times this season. They’ve yet to cover off one of those performances. Play on NORTH CAROLINA

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This is a 10* on ST JOHNS

Xavier finds itself right on the NCAA (Tournament) bubble and something tells us that the committee cares very little about the fact that the Musketeers have covered four straight games. What the committee will focus on is the fact they lost to Butler last Wednesday, 66-61, stopping a three-game SU win streak. They are 16-9 SU, but only 9-15-1 ATS and 5-11 ATS laying points. Tonight they go to St. John’s, who is off an 80-69 win over Providence. The Red Storm averages 77.7 points/game at home, so that’s something Xavier has to contend with here. There was a meeting back on Jan 5th, won by Xavier 75-67. But in an eight-point game, St. John’s was 1 for 16 on 3PA, which definitely cost them a cover (line was +8) and possibly even an upset win. With the kind of offense the Red Storm typically produces at home, we expect better shooting tonight. They are 9-5 ATS at home and just came up big in one revenge spot (vs. Providence) and can do the same here against a Xavier team that has a losing record in Big East play. The Musketeers were down by as many as 17 against Butler and only got close when the Bulldogs lost G Aaron Thompson to injury. Play on ST. JOHNS

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This is a 10* on VEGAS

The Golden Knights have kicked off this homestand with a couple of wins. Both were by one goal, yet also very different. They beat St. Louis 6-5 and the Islanders 1-0. No matter the manner the wins are coming, Vegas will take them as they continue to fight for playoff positioning. They currently are third in the Pacific Division, but just two points out of first. So a win tonight could land them atop the division. That will be easier said than done facing Washington, but at least the Knights are getting the Capitals at the end of a three-game road trip. The Caps just got beat Saturday in Arizona, 3-1, as their lead over in the Metropolitan Division gets even smaller. It’s now down to a single point over Pittsburgh. Note Vegas is 4-0 the last four times they’ve been off a game in which it scored two or less goals. The home team has taken five of six all-time meetings. Play on VEGAS

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This is a 10* on OREGON 

Oregon is well-positioned right now. They are ranked #17 in the country and one win away from tying Colorado for first place in the Pac 12. Getting that win should prove to be pretty easy on Sunday as they host Utah, who has won exactly one true road game this season. Now the pointspread is in the double digits because of all you have just read, but that’s to be expected and not something we’re concerned about in the slightest. We know how the Pac 12 schedule works so this is actually the second road game of the weekend for the Utes, who lost by 19 in Corvallis (Oregon State) Thursday. Oregon won that same night, 68-60 over Colorado, to keep their record perfect (now 13-0) here in Eugene. Utah isn’t just 1-7 straight up on the road, they’re 2-6 against the spread as well and getting beaten by more than 16 points per game. Oregon already won in Salt Lake City this year and should have no problem winning big tonight. Play on OREGON

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This is a 10* on VANCOUVER

Vancouver has been the best team in the Pacific all year and that’s starting to “bear fruit” as the Canucks lead the division with 67 points. But the lead is precarious to say the least with the next four teams all within three points and two teams within a single point. So they can’t afford any kind of “letdown” game. Thankfully, the Canucks are at home tonight where they’ll battle an Anaheim team that simply isn’t very good. Oddsmakers have curiously priced this game as if it might be competitive but we’ve got a different view as the Canucks are 19-6-3 at home and won their last two games by scores of 3-0 and 6-2. Both were on home ice where they are outscoring the opposition by more than a full goal per game this season. Anaheim was shutout 6-0 in its last game and while that was three days ago, the Ducks certainly haven’t gotten any better since that home loss to Calgary. To “sweeten the pot” here for Vancouver, this is a revenge game. Play on VANCOUVER

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This is a 6* on CAROLINA

If you look at how Carolina is being priced on a game-by-game basis, you’d expect that that they’d be in a lot better position than sixth place in their own division and just fighting to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yet that’s where they are right now. The Hurricanes handled their business on Friday by beating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 here in Raleigh. They were -285 money line favorites for that game. Now it’s obvious that today’s pricing is heavily influenced by the fact Edmonton is without Connor McDavid. But the price isn’t high enough in our opinion as we expect the home team to roll in this one. McDavid had 30 goals and 81 points in 55 games, so that’s a massive piece of the Oilers production missing. Carolina won 6-3 in Edmonton back in December and that was with McDavid on the ice. Furthermore, the Oilers played last night in Florida and while they won 4-1, they are just 35-77 playing without rest. Carolina is 40-18 its last 58 home games. Play on CAROLINA

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This is an 8* on VEGAS

These are two third place teams that have each produced wildly inconsistent results of late. Both allowed five goals the last time we saw them. But the major difference is Vegas scored six of its own while the Islanders were held scoreless. Those very different results set up a play on the Golden Knights tonight. It was St. Louis that they beat 6-5 on Thursday, a major triumph that should be celebrated. They had 52 shots on goal. The Islanders were blanked in Nashville. It was 3-0 after one period and 5-0 after two. The final result matched their worst loss of the season in terms of deficit. After going a combined 53-22-7 their first two years at home, Vegas is only 15-10-4 at T-Mobile Arena this season. But we expect some of the old Vegas magic to be present here tonight. The Islanders are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league on the road. Play on VEGAS

AAA

This is an 8* on UCLA

While UCLA did win 86-83 Thursday, that wasn’t nearly good enough for us as we had them -8 against Washington State. Still, from the Bruins perspective, they’ll take the result. It was the sixth win in the last eight games and it was last Saturday that they went to Arizona and won 65-52 as a double digit dog. Now they look to win three in a row for the first time all season. They’ll face a Washington team that has been a major disappointment and is 0-6 ATS in road games. The Huskies are also 0-7 both straight up and against the spread their last seven games overall. We went against them this past Sunday when they were favored (by 2.5) at Washington State. They lost 79-67. Then they lost at USC Thursday 62-56. A third straight road game doesn’t seem like the situation UW will figure things out so we will gladly go against them again tonight. After all, earlier this year UCLA went to Seattle and won outright as an 8.5 point underdog. Play on UCLA

AAA

This is a 10* on UNLV

UNLV is off a tough loss to rival Nevada. That game went to overtime with the Rebels coming up just short, losing 82-79 as a 1.5 point home favorite. That was their 4th consecutive ATS loss as well as the fifth straight up loss in the last six games. Coming into Saturday, they’re just 12-14 and basically just waiting for the Mountain West Tournament to get here (which is in Vegas). New Mexico though is not doing much better as they’ve lost six of eight. Lobos games are seemingly never close. All but one of those last eight games has been decided by more than 20 points. Five of them have been losses, one of them 99-78 at UNLV. Tuesday was another humbling setback as San Diego State got them 82-59. A team like this simply can’t be trusted in the favorite role. The Lobos have failed to cover five of their last six turns as a home favorite of three points or less. UNLV was a six-point favorite when it blew out UNM last month. Even with the change in home court, we don’t think this line makes much sense. Play on UNLV

AAA

This is a 10* on the UNDER

The SEC as a whole appears to be a bit overrated, but Kentucky still remains the king of this conference in our eyes. The 12th ranked Wildcats enter Saturday at 19-5 overall and 9-2 in SEC play, the latter record landing them in a first place tie with both LSU and Auburn for the time being. UK has won seven of eight with the only loss coming to Auburn and they’ve got a game at LSU on deck. Here they face an Ole Miss team that has covered six in a row. The Rebels are 4-2 in that same stretch, the only SU losses coming to … Auburn and LSU. Both Kentucky and Ole Miss faced double digit deficits in the first half Tuesday before coming back to win handily. We look for this to be somewhat of a low-scoring affair, mainly because Mississippi only averages 61.7 points/game on the road. Kentucky gives up only 62.9 points/game at home. The key then becomes how well the Rebels can defend. Seeing as how they’ve held the last five opponents to below 40% shooting, we think the answer is “well.” Six of the Rebels seven road games this year have stayed Under. Play UNDER Ole Miss/Kentucky

AAA

This is an 8* on NORTHWESTERN

Seemingly out of nowhere, Penn State has emerged as a “darkhorse” Final Four candidate. Yes, Penn State! The Nittany Lions are ranked #13 in the country and will certainly move up were they to win today. They’re on a 7-0 SU and ATS win streak after going to Purdue and winning 88-76 as a 5-point dog earlier this week. That’s quite the impressive streak. Early Saturday PSU host Northwestern in what seems to be the Nittany Lions “easiest” Big 10 game of the year. But that also makes this a surprisingly dangerous spot to be laying this many points. Penn State is used to being the hunter rather than the hunted. Today marks just the 4th time in the last 9 games that they have been the betting favorite. It will also by the most points they’ve had to lay to a Big 10 opponent in a long time. Northwestern has lost eight in a row but only twice during that streak have they gone down by more than 13 points. They are 6-2 ATS on the road. Look for this to be a tighter game than expected. Play on NORTHWESTERN

AAA

This is an 8* on the UNDER

Montreal has gone Under its last four games. Pittsburgh has gone Under its last three games. So recent trends are definitely on our side tonight for this play. In those last four games, Montreal has found the back of the net only eight times. Pittsburgh has scored just six times in its last three games, though two of those were against a Tampa Bay team that is playing as well as anyone in the league right now. It’s uncharacteristic to see the Penguins to score so little, but there are two things you should keep in mind. One is that they are 13-9 Under at home this year when the total is 6.0 or higher. The second is that they only allow 2.5 goals per game at home. Twice these teams have met this season. Each game saw only five total goals scored. The road team won both times. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in Montreal. Montreal won 4-1 here in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s power play is not what it once was. Play UNDER Montreal-Pittsburgh

AAA

This is a 10* on OVER

Akron just notched a pretty big win, beating MAC-leading Bowling Green 74-59. That the Zips were a 6.5-point favorite for that contest should tell you who oddsmakers think is the best team in this conference. Tonight’s game is against a wounded Central Michigan team that has lost two in a row. Tuesday, the Chippewas lost 73-70 at home to Eastern Michigan. They were outscored 45-35 in the second half. It was a much different showing that what they turned in their own home win over Bowling Green where CMU finished with 92 points. Make no mistake about it - the Chippewas are one of the highest scoring teams in the country. They average 81.3 points/game, which is sixth most in the entire country. The offensive numbers at home are eye-popping. It’s a 90.3 point/game average here. That’s enough to convince us that Over is the correct call here. Akron isn’t going to match the defensive efforts from its last two games. But they should hit their 76.0 point/game average. Play OVER Akron/Central Michigan

AAA

This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

St. Bonaventure has been picking off the bottom feeders of the Atlantic 10 and the result is a five-game win streak entering Friday. The Bonnies’ last four wins were against George Mason, George Washington, Duquesne and St. Louis. They covered the spread against all four. They’ve now risen to third place in the conference and have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. On the surface, laying a short number with the Bonnies at home against 12-11 Davidson seems logical. But Davidson is an underrated team. The Wildcats crushed Fordham 79-49 Tuesday, their second win by at least 30 points this month. In the last seven games, Davidson has suffered just one regulation loss and it was to preseason conference favorite VCU. While they’ve struggled as an underdog this year, this looks like a spot where they pull the upset. They’re 8-3 ATS when off a win by 20 or more points the last couple seasons. Play on DAVIDSON

AAA

This is a 10* on UCLA

Washington State proved to be a huge revelation on this end when they upset Washington over the weekend. That was a huge play for us and the Cougars delivered a 79-67 victory as 2.5-point home dogs. But the road has been a much different story for this team. They’ve covered only six of the last 21 times including 1-5 ATS in 2019-20. Bottom line is that this is a game UCLA needs to have. The Bruins just beat a much better Pac 12 team, Arizona, 65-52 as a 12.5 point underdog last weekend. They’ve got revenge here for a 79-71 loss in Pullman earlier this year. UCLA has won three of four and five of seven, so they’re in better form now. They are 10-5 ATS the last 15 times they’ve played with revenge for a road loss. Play on UCLA

AAA

This is a 9* on VANCOUVER

Vancouver treated us nicely Monday when they were our Game of the Week and delivered an impressive 6-2 beatdown of Nashville. We were pretty firm in our belief that there was no real justification for the Canucks to be ML dogs in that game (which was at home). The Pacific Division leaders had lost four in a row prior to that, but three of the losses were on the road. They’re back home this evening to face Chicago, a team that has lost four in a row. Even worse for the Blackhawks is how this will be the third road game in four nights for them. The previous two have seen them give up five goals each time. Last night’s 5-3 loss to the Oilers (who did not have McDavid) leaves them in last place in the Central Division. Vancouver is honoring several key players from the past tonight so expect a fired up home crowd for this one. The Canucks are 14-6 coming off a multi-goal victory. Play on VANCOUVER

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

The Timberwolves laying this many points should tell you something and that “something” is that Charlotte is not good. While the Hornets did just win an ugly 87-76 game at Detroit two nights ago, that was preceded by five consecutive losses. Overall they’ve dropped 13 of 15 games and fallen near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. There are only three teams in the league that have been outscored by more points. Those are Cleveland, Atlanta and Golden State, who happen to have the three worst records in the league. So expect more losses to pile up for Charlotte in the coming weeks. In terms of laying this many points with the Timberwolves, who have lost 14 of their last 15 games, do not fret. They already won at Charlotte by 22 points earlier in the year. In the last home game, they hung 142 on the Clippers. If they can do that to a good team like the Clippers, they can certainly blowout the Hornets. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is a 10* on OHIO STATE

Ohio State was once ranked as high as #3 in the entire country. Now the Buckeyes find themselves in 10th place in the Big 10 with a 5-7 conference won-loss record. Despite their relatively poor effort at Wisconsin Sunday, we are still of the belief that OSU remains one of the better teams in the Big 10 and the entire country for that matter! Look for them to handle their business tonight in Columbus against a Rutgers team that seems to be failing under the pressure of expectations. The Scarlet Knights managed to get into the Top 25 a couple weeks ago, but then lost two straight (to Michigan and Maryland), followed up by an unimpressive win over Northwestern. Not only is Rutgers only 1-4 ATS its past five games, they have just one true road win all year and that was against Nebraska, who along with Northwestern represent the two “weak” Big 10 teams this year. Ohio State keeps teams to 57.0 PPG at home where they are 9-4 ATS. Expect this to be a statement-type game by the Buckeyes. Play on OHIO STATE

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

The Chicago Bulls have not made the playoffs in several seasons. This year, the Eastern Conference is really lacking in depth so fans in the Windy City were hoping the drought would end. Unfortunately though, the Bulls are 16 games below .500 and have lost five in a row. Defense has been atrocious with them giving up 124 points/game during the current losing streak. Bad defense is something Washington knows all too well, but it was a poor offensive effort that cost them against Memphis on Monday night. They finished with only 99 points, the first time in a month they failed to break 100. The Wizards are normally a good offensive team (they average 115.5 points/game) so look for them to get back on track against this struggling Bulls team tonight. What happened against Memphis was they fell apart late, missing 18 of 22 shots in the fourth quarter as a double digit lead evaporated. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is a 10* on OHIO

Both these MAC schools sport 11-12 SU records. Western Michigan won the first meeting 77-65 as a 1-point home underdog. But Ohio remains the decided favorite for the rematch. Pulling what would be a third consecutive upset is going to be tough here for WMU. They won at Miami last week, then at home vs. Ball State. They entered those games at +4.5 and +5.5 respectively. The Broncos should be commended for that success, but eventually the tank hits empty. Ohio showed what it is capable of doing when it destroyed Miami here in Athens, 77-46 on Saturday. Certainly that was a much more impressive win than what WMU did to the RedHawks, winning by just four points. The win over Ball State also was by four points. Brandon Johnson carried them in those two wins, scoring 50 points including a career high 29 vs. Ball State. But can he keep that up? Western Michigan has not beaten three straight D-I opponents all year. Play on OHIO

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This is a 10* on VANCOUVER

Vancouver is fighting to hold onto the top spot in the Pacific Division, which they lead by one point over Edmonton and Vegas. Two other teams are within four points. Nashville is just trying to get into playoff position as they are four points back of the Wild Card. While it’s not a huge gap between the teams when it comes to points, there’s no reason Nashville should be favored in this one. The Canucks are a very solid 17-6-3 at home and they’ve already beaten Nashville twice this year. Now the Canucks are on a four-game losing streak and just got blasted by Calgary (6-2!) Saturday night. But the other three losses all came on the road. This is the spot where they rise up. The Predators find themselves playing a fourth straight road game in Western Canada, in a seven-day span. The Canucks score 3.6 goals/game at home while giving up only 2.7. They’d won nine straight home games prior to Saturday’s loss and this four-game losing streak of theirs matches a season-worst. Just can’t see them losing again and this is a great price to back them at. Play on VANCOUVER

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

Indiana comes into Monday on a five-game losing streak. Two of the losses came to a Toronto team that has won 14 in a row. The Pacers are lucky in that the East has no real depth, so they’re not in any real danger of falling further than where they’re at right now, which is 6th. The 7th place team (Brooklyn) is who they’ll face tonight and there’s a seven game gap between the teams even with the Pacers losing streak. The Nets also just lost in Toronto and it was by the same exact score (119-118) that Indiana lost by on Feb 5th. Both teams covered the spread in those losses and the Nets do come in riding a 3-game ATS win streak. But they’ve won only one time on the road going back to the start of 2020. To us, it’s just a question of whether or not the Pacers can cover the spread and we think they can as they already hold two double digit wins over Brooklyn this year and both of those were on the road. They didn’t have Victor Oladipo either. Now the Nets don’t have Kyrie Irving. The Nets are 1-8 ATS their last nine times as a road underdog. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on DUKE

The notion of laying this many points with a Duke team that is only 48 hours removed from a wild, 98-96 overtime win at North Carolina might seem problematic to some. But not us as our view is the Blue Devils are clearly the superior side in this one. Florida State has the same overall and ACC record as Duke, but we believe the respective rankings in the Top 25 don’t accurately reflect what the true gap is here. Duke would be favored against almost anybody on a neutral court while Florida State seems more like a team that is ranked high only due to its won-loss record. The Seminoles are obviously a Top 20 team, but we’re not sure about Top 10 and certainly not Top 5. Their three losses were to Virginia, Indiana and Pitt, all unranked teams. Duke is winning by an average of 21.2 points/game at home. They just won three straight on the road, scoring 97+ twice. Florida State is 1-5 ATS its last six Monday games (didn’t cover last week vs. UNC) while Duke is on a 6-2 ATS run its last eight Monday affairs. Play on DUKE

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

A .500 record in the NBA may not seem like much to “crow” about, but the Grizzlies (26-26) are plenty happy with it as right now they’d be the 8th and final playoff team out West. Not much was expected from Memphis this year. Certainly not a playoff berth. But led by Ja Morant, they’ve really transformed and are currently on a 7-2 SU/ATS run. They did lose Friday in Philadelphia though. Both losses in the last nine games were on the road and by double digits. Washington is another team we expected little from this year and they’ve been more in line with that projection, coming in at 18-32. But they upset Dallas on Friday, right here at home, for what was their third win in four games. All those games have been at home and they were a three-point dog when they beat the Mavs 119-118. What we find significant about the line here is that Memphis has only been a road favorite three times previous to this. While they may be 14 games below .500, the Wizards are only 2.5 games back of the final playoff spot in the East. So don’t look for them to pack it in anytime soon. They are 10-6 ATS as a home underdog, winning nine of those games straight up. They can score (115.6 points/game) and have won seven of nine home games overall. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON STATE

Washington has lost seven out of eight, not to mention five straight. It should be pointed out that all but one of the losses (at Colorado) was by six points or fewer. Once ranked in the top 25, the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament dreams are now on life support. Obviously they can hardly afford another loss. But rival Washington State would love nothing more than to play “spoiler” here, just as they’ve done three of their past four home games. They weren’t as lucky last weekend, losing 66-49 to Arizona, but that’s one of the top teams in the Pac 12. Before that the Cougars had won three in a row here in Pullman, every time as an underdog. While neither team has played since last Saturday, we do know that Wazzu has won the last three times it has taken the floor with at least seven days rest. We also know Washington has failed to cover eight straight road games. The key to the Huskies’ slide has been the absence of PG Green, who was ruled academically ineligible last month. They’ve won just once without him and now are the last place team in the conference. Can’t back this young team laying points on the road. Play on WASHINGTON STATE

This is a 10* on the UNDER

Playing on FS-1 was kind to #19 Butler on Wednesday as they beat #10 Villanova at the buzzer 79-76. They are hoping history repeats itself Sunday when they travel to face a well-rested Marquette team that’s 11-1 at home and been off for eight days. The last time Marquette played, they came from behind to defeat last place DePaul 76-72. They’ll obviously take the win, but it ended a 5-game ATS streak as they were 7.5-point favorites. When these teams met last month at Hinkle Fieldhouse, it was an 89-85 Butler win. Marquette hoisted 38 three-pointers and made 16 of them. But it still wasn’t enough. We look for the rematch to be a lot lower scoring. It must be noted that the first meeting did go to overtime. It was 71-71 at the end of regulation. Both teams are solid defensively as Marquette gives up only 63.8 points/game at home while Butler gives up just 60.6 points/game period. The Under is 4-1 in the five games so far where Butler has been an underdog. Play UNDER Butler-Marquette

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This is a 10* on IDAHO

To Big Sky country we go for this week’s top College Basketball side. Montana is leading this conference with a 9-3 record while Idaho is in last at 2-9. But Montana has a major problem when they hit the road as they’ve won just 3 times in 12 tries there and are also 3-9 ATS. They are laying a pretty decent sized number here, maybe not as large as what you’d typically think a first place team would be giving to a last place team. But the gap between first and last in the Big Sky just isn’t as large as it is in other conferences. Idaho lost by only four in Missoula last month, holding the Golden Grizzlies to only 67 points. They missed eight free throws, which cost them the game, but it was still an easy cover as 13-point underdogs. Based on that number and result, this line clearly is too high. Montana has only one conference road win by more than two points. Play on IDAHO

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This is an 8* on ST. LOUIS

The last 13 months have been nothing short of incredible for the St. Louis Blues. It was around this time last year that they caught fire and went on to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. That “momentum” has clearly carried over into 2019-20 as they lead the Western Conference with 72 points. But they have stumbled a bit recently. Over the last eight games, they are 2-5-1 with just one of those two victories coming in a non-shootout situation. Tonight is a big game against the third place team in the division, Dallas, who has given up the fewest goals of any team in the West. But the Stars have lost two in a row and given up seven goals in doing so. They’ve allowed 30 goals over the last eight games. The Blues have won both times they’ve faced Dallas this season and are 10-1-1 L12 home games. They are allowing just 2.4 goals/game at home this year. Dallas has been outscored on the road. Play on ST LOUIS

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This is a 10* on UNDER

Somehow, some way Toronto keeps winning. They ran their win streak to 13 in a row by defeating Indiana last night by a score of 115-106. They did so despite losing Kyle Lowry to an injury. Lowry isn’t likely to play tonight, which means the Raptors are going to be without three members of the starting five. Brooklyn isn’t going to have Kyrie Irving for this game either. What they hope to have is the same kind of defense that led them to convincing wins against Phoenix and Golden State earlier this week. Both games saw the Nets allow fewer than 100 points. They held Golden State to 88. Toronto is no slouch defensively in its own right. In fact, they are the #1 team in the league in defensive efficiency. That’s played a major role in how they keep winning despite all these injuries. On the second night of back to back, we just don’t see the Raptors scoring a ton of points. Same with the Nets, who are without Irving and 9-2 Under when off a double digit win. Play UNDER Brooklyn-Toronto

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This is an 8* on LOUISVILLE

There is a pretty big gap between the top three teams and everybody else in the ACC this year. What’s surprising is that last year’s National Champ Virginia is not among the three teams well ahead of the pack. The Cavaliers are currently running 4th in the standings, but this line is pretty indicative of the gap that exists between them and the three teams above them. Louisville is in first place having won 11 of its 12 ACC games. That one loss was a while ago as the Cardinals have won nine in a row, including at Duke. The last four Louisville wins have all come by double digits. What ails UVA this season is an offense that only scores an average 56.0 points/game. The average gets even lower on the road. They are just 276th in offensive efficiency nationally. This game means a lot to Louisville. They’ve lost nine in a row to Virginia. So there won’t be any kind of letdown. If anything, the favorite should be at its best this afternoon. They’ve gone 5-1 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. Play on LOUISVILLE

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This is a 10* on UNDER 

Second time in a week that the Hawks and Celtics are playing. If unaware of who won the first time, you’d probably guess the Celtics. You would be correct. They prevailed 123-115 and both teams shot 50% from the floor. This time around though, a stunning number of key players from both sides are likely to be sitting on the bench. Trae Young is probable despite being bothered by an ankle injury. As for the rest of the Hawks roster, it will look vastly different from the last time they played Boston due to a bevy of trades. Four of Boston’s five starters are on the injury report here. This total is just too high for two potential skeleton crews to go Over. The Under is 6-2 in the Celtics last eight games (win over Atlanta being one of the two Overs). This time expect a lower-scoring affair. Play UNDER Atlanta-Boston

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This is a 10* on IONA

Iona continues to underperform as they are now 3-13 ATS this season following an UGLY 72-49 loss to Manhattan on Super Bowl Sunday. That was the Gaels third loss in a row. Although Sunday wasn’t one of them, there have been seven different times that the Gaels have lost a game outright that were favored to win. They’ll be underdogs again tonight in Quinnipiac, who isn’t exactly tearing it up against the rest of the MAAC either. The Bobcats lost 75-59 to Niagara on Sunday, their fourth double digit loss in the past six games. While a decent team at home, Quinnipiac just doesn’t have what it takes to cover this spread. They were favored in that loss to Niagara on Sunday and the last time they laid this many points was vs. St. Peter’s on 1.18, a game they promptly lost by 20. Iona is better than its record as tonight marks just the THIRD time in conference play that they are getting points. Can’t say the same for Quinnipiac. Play on IONA

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This is a 10* on UNDER

For the second consecutive season, the Sabres are fading fast after a strong start. Since opening 2019-20 at 9-2-1 SU, they have lost two-thirds of their games including five out of the last six. They haven’t done much scoring since the All Star Break either. Were it not for a game-tying goal near the end of regulation last night, that would have been six straight games finishing with two goals or less. They ended up losing 4-3 in OT, at home, to the worst team in the league (Detroit). Tonight Buffalo takes on a Rangers team that’s also on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. NY’s last two games have both ended up 5-3 with them winning one and losing one. The win was Wednesday vs. Toronto. We like this game to go Under. Buffalo’s scoring woes aren’t confined to recent times as they average just 2.5 goals/game on the road. The Under is 8-3 the L11 times they have played with zero days rest. The Rangers have allowed more than three goals only two times in the last seven games. Even more encouraging is how few shots they’ve allowed the last five games (average of 25.4/game). Play on UNDER Buffalo/NY Rangers

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This is a 10* on PORTLAND

After a four-game win streak that saw them upset Houston, the Lakers and Utah, Portland got severely humbled out in Denver Tuesday night. They lost 127-99 as a 4.5 point underdog. It was their worst defeat of the year, at least when it comes to margin. But now they return home for a big game against San Antonio. Both these teams are chasing the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Right now, the Blazers have a half game lead. San Antonio is on its annual “Rodeo Road Trip” and it hasn’t started well with losses to both the Clippers and Lakers. The Lakers got them by 27 on Tuesday so both teams are coming into this game off blowout losses. But it’s the Spurs third road game in four nights, putting them at a distinct disadvantage. The Spurs are 8-16 on the road. Damian Lillard has been on fire recently for Portland and should lead his team to an easy home victory tonight. Lay the points. Play on PORTLAND

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This is a 10* on COLORADO 

California might be a lot better now when compared to years past, but they still have yet to win a single game outside of Berkeley this season. They are 0 for 7. The three road games they’ve played against Pac 12 opponents have all been double digit losses with the average margin coming by just over 19 points/game. Despite being off three straight ATS wins (all at home) and an upset of Oregon State on Saturday, the Bears are up against it tonight in Boulder where they face a Colorado side that has been pretty impressive throughout 2019-20. The Buffaloes are 17-5 and ranked #24 in the latest AP Poll. They are definitely a top three team in the Pac 12. Saturday saw them go to USC and crush the Trojans 78-57. At home, they are averaging 76.2 points/game. That should be more than enough to cover tonight’s spread as Cal is averaging a rather pathetic 53.7 points/game on the road. Play on COLORADO

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This is a 10* on FLORIDA

Though they lost in overtime at Columbus on Tuesday (1-0), the Panthers have been one of the league’s hotter teams over the last month or so. They went into the All Star Break on a six-game win streak. Might the time off have stunted their momentum? They’ve lost two of three since and were shut out in both defeats. But all three games since the All Star Break were on the road. Tonight the Panthers finally return home where they have not played a game since January 16th. While they were shut out in the two losses since the Break, Florida has scored four or more goals in each of its last seven wins. We expect a big offensive night here against a Vegas team that is probably feeling a bit homesick right now. The Panthers average 4.0 goals/game when playing on home ice. The Golden Knights have been on the road since January 14th and couldn’t get the job done Tuesday in Tampa Bay where they lost 4-2. Florida’s record vs. teams that have losing records is 15-7 this year. Play on FLORIDA 

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This is a 10* on the CLIPPERS

Today is the beginning of the most challenging part of the season for the Miami Heat. From now until Feb 20th (which is the first game after the All-Star Break), they’ll be on the road. We all know what the Heat are capable of at home where they’ve gone 22-3 and just destroyed Philadelphia 137-106. But obviously the road has been far less kind as the Heat have played only .500 ball, going 12-12. The long road trip starts against one of the best teams in the league and the Clippers can be pretty rude hosts themselves. LA is 21-5 at home and this will be their final time playing here before breaking for All Star Weekend. When Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both play, the Clippers are pretty unbeatable. WIth those two both in the lineup tonight, the game being on national television and it being the last home game before the All Star Break, look for a really solid effort from the home side. The Heat are 0-3 this year after a game in which they scored 130 or more points. Play LA CLIPPERS

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Louisville is ranked #5 in the new polls, the highest ranking for any ACC team. That makes sense as the Cardinals are the first place team in the ACC with a 10-1 record. They’ve won eight straight games and five of those were on the road. Hosting Wake Forest tonight should lead to another win. But the Demon Deacons are getting a lot of points. So let’s instead focus on the fact all but one of WF’s 11 ACC games have gone Over the total. The “one” was the last game they played, a 56-44 win against Clemson, an awful shooting night for both sides. Look for Louisville to put up plenty of points here. Two of Wake’s last three road games have seen them give up 90. Wake should score at least 65 here, making the Over an easy call here. Play OVER Wake Forest-Louisville

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This is an 8* on BOSTON

If you follow our NHL plays, this pick should not surprise you - at all. Last night’s 2-0 sweep involved us taking Boston (4-0 win) and fading Chicago (3-2 win). With these teams now matched up Wednesday, we’re sticking to the same script. Sure, Boston is now on the road (played at home last night) and Chicago is at home (played at Minnesota last night). But home ice advantage alone cannot save the Blackhawks here. They’re facing the team with the second most points in the league. The Bruins have now won four in a row and have outscored those four opponents 15-4. That includes a couple of road wins over Chicago’s division rivals (Winnipeg, Minnesota). Of course, the Blackhawks just lost in Minnesota last night. While the Bruins rolled to a relatively easy 4-0 win last night (vs. Vancouver), the Blackhawks had to go to overtime. Boston is 4-1 off its previous five shutout victories. They also have revenge for a loss at home last month. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Expect the scoreboard operator to be busy in this one as neither Atlanta nor Minnesota plays much defense. When the Hawks hit the road, they allow an average of 122 points/game. There’s only one team in the entire league giving up more points than Atlanta this year and while it’s not Minnesota (it’s Washington), the Timberwolves certainly give up their fair share of points (115.3 points/game). By the way, the T’wolves have lost their last 12 games! During that losing streak, there have been only two games where they didn’t give up at least 113. If they are to snap said streak, it will be by outscoring Atlanta. Fortunately for them, that may not be too difficult. The Over is 5-1 in the Hawks past six games as they’ve allowed at least 117 every time and 130+ three times. When these teams met in Atlanta back in November, it was a 125-113 win for the Timberwolves. The Hawks are 13-4 Over when seeking revenge for a home loss. Play OVER Atlanta-Minnesota

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This is a 10* on NOTRE DAME

There is no doubt that the ACC is having a down year. There are three really good teams (Duke, L’ville, FSU), but beyond that no one is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Only five of the 15 members have winning records in conference play right now. Neither Pitt nor Notre Dame are among those five. But when it comes to positioning yourself for the ACC Tournament, winning games such as this are potentially huge. Notre Dame is just 3-4 SU its past seven games, however all four losses came by five points or fewer. They have won their last two, both here in South Bend where they are now 11-3 SU this season. Both wins were as favorites as they covered a nine-point spread vs. Wake Forest (won 90-80) and 6.5-point spread vs Ga Tech (won 80-72). This is a similar type matchup for the Fighting Irish. They average 79.9 points/game at home. Pitt averages only 63.9 points/game on the road. Two things we really like about this ND team are that they 1.) turn the ball over at the lowest rate in the country and 2.) send their opponents to the FT line at the lowest rate in the country. Pitt won’t score enough to cover here. Play on NOTRE DAME

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

Minnesota is in last place in the Central Division with only 52 points. So every game now has an added importance as they try and make up ground in the playoff chase. Taking on Chicago tonight at home feels like a “must-win,” especially on the heels of being embarrassed by Boston on Saturday. That 6-1 defeat was highly unusual for a team that - more often than not - performs quite well in home games. The Wild’s record at home is 14-7-4, which is much better than their 9-15-2 SU road record. It is worth mentioning that the game vs. Boston was the Wild’s first since the All-Star Break, so maybe it can be chalked up to rust. Before the break, they’d won three of four games - all at home - one of them against Tampa Bay and one 7-0 win over Dallas. The Blackhawks remain the portrait of mediocrity, even though they have won six of their last seven games. We don’t think their recent play is an accurate snapshot of where the team is really at. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is a 6* on BOSTON

Boston has lost 11 home games so far this season, but only two of those 11 losses have occurred in regulation. With 74 points, second most in the league right now, the Bruins should be feeling pretty good about themselves. If anything, it’s an 0-7 record in shootouts that’s held them back. We fully expect the B’s to have a strong second half of the season, especially at home. Since the All Star Break, they have won games by scores of 2-1 and 6-1 and those were both played on the road. Up next is a visit from Vancouver, who will be playing for a third time in four nights and all three times have come on the road. The Canucks’ five-game win streak came to a halt Sunday as they fell in a shootout at Carolina. Vancouver also happens to be a 1st place team, but has nine fewer points than Boston and plays in a much weaker division. They are a below .500 team on the road where they give up 3.4 goals/game. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on ARKANSAS 

While it now seems like a bit of “ancient history,” Auburn was one of the final two undefeated teams in College Basketball (only San Diego St still left). The Tigers suffered their first loss of the season back on January 19th as they were blown out in Alabama, 83-64. They followed that up with yet another blowout loss, also on the road, 69-47 at Florida. Four straight wins, the most recent being against Kentucky, have followed. But three of the four wins came at home. We can’t overlook those two road losses or the fact the only win on the road since then came by one point (83-82 at Ole Miss) in a double overtime game. Now the Tigers head to Arkansas to face a team that’s coming off a win at Alabama, 82-78 as 3.5-point underdogs. Auburn did not shoot well in the win over Kentucky, making only 35.3 percent of their total field goal attempts, which includes 6 of 23 from three-point range. A big reason Arkansas has been able to win 11 of its 13 home games this year is that they are allowing only 59.5 PPG. Auburn comes in ranked #11 in the country, which is clearly too high. They also have a giant lookahead to a home game vs. LSU this weekend. Play on ARKANSAS

AAA

This is a 10* on the OVER

The way things are looking now, this could be a first round playoff series. Miami has definitely been a little lucky this season as they have gone 8-0 in games that went to overtime. Really! Philadelphia, like Miami, is a dominant team at home but a little more suspect on the road. The Sixers and Heat have combined to go 43-5 straight up in home games but are also a combined 21-29 straight up on the road. It’s Philadelphia (9-17 SU) that really seems to struggle on the road, so this game being in Miami would seem to be a large edge for the Heat. Philly gives up 109.4 points/game on the road as opposed to 101.2 at home. Miami is up to 115.7 points/game at home. But we still feel more comfortable taking the Over than laying the points here. The Over is 28-19-1 in all Heat games including 15-9 at home. Philly’s last three games have all gone Over. Play OVER Philadelphia-Miami

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This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

We’ve got two BAD teams facing off here, although the Knicks have surprisingly been playing better of late. They’ve gone 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games, which includes a 106-86 win here in Cleveland back on MLK Day. On Saturday, the Knicks shocked the Pacers, winning 92-87 as 11-point underdogs. The Cavs have been terrible, with just one win in their past 11 games, but we like them to get revenge against the Knicks tonight. It’s been a LONG time since the Cavs won a game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. You’d have to go back to before Christmas when they won three in a row. Since then, it’s been 10 straight losses here, including an embarrassing one to Golden State on Saturday where they were favored and lost 131-112. We expect an “all hands on deck” approach to this one from the home side as this is a game Cleveland “knows” it can win. The Knicks have won as an underdog eight times previous to the win at Indiana. Only twice have they followed that up by winning again. Play on CLEVELAND

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This is a 10* on OVER

North Carolina’s season-long struggles are well documented at this point. The Tar Heels, who just lost as 12-point favorites to Boston College on Saturday, are 10-11 overall and it would take a miracle run in the ACC Tournament for them to get into March Madness. But at least Cole Anthony is now back and he scored a team-high 26 in the 71-70 loss to BC. The struggles of UNC and some other ACC squads has resulted in a top-heavy conference in 2020 with three top 10 teams and no one else guaranteed to make the Big Dance. One of those top teams is Florida State, who did lose a game last week (61-56 at Virginia), but then quickly bounced back with a 74-63 win at Va Tech on Saturday. Both games last week were road games for the Seminoles. Back in Tallahassee we are likely to see more scoring from them tonight. They are averaging 82.8 points at home where they have won all 10 times. North Carolina averages a solid 71.5 points/game and now has Anthony back, but defense is their issue. Only two ACC opponents have been unable to hit 71 points on Roy Williams team. FSU has gone Over in four straight and the Over is 10-1 for them at home when the number is 140 to 149.5. Play OVER North Carolina-Florida State

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