Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the BELMONT BRUINS for our MVC Game of the Month. It has been a rough stretch for Belmont as it has lost six of its last seven games after a 4-1 start in the Missouri Valley Conference. Five of those losses were against teams at .500 or better in the conference including a pair of games against 11-1 Indiana St. The run includes a 0-4 record on the road and the Bruins have won four of their six conference home games where they are 8-2 overall with the two losses coming against the Sycamores and Northern Iowa. They are still only two games out of fourth place and while there are a lot of teams to pass, the ending portion of the schedule is on their favor. Murray St. snapped a four-game losing streak with a big win at Northern Iowa by 28 points to get back to .500 in the conference. That win is affecting this number as is the fact that the Racers have won four of their last five road games with the only defeat coming at Bradley. This is not a good spot to be going into against a desperate Belmont team that has faced teams ranked No. 91 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and No. 111 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and Murray is ranked lower in both categories. 10* (730) Belmont Bruins

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS for our NBA Star Attraction. Philadelphia has lost two straight games and six of its last seven while going 1-2 since Joel Embiid went down with a knee injury and now everyone is down on the Sixers. They have fallen into the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference as they are now 8.5 games behind Boston for first place and this is the start of a big five-game stretch prior to the All Star Break. Embiid is obviously the glue of this team but Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris have the ability to lead this team in his absence. Golden St. is coming off a win over Brooklyn as it overcame a six-point half-time deficit to win by 11 points as it bounced back from an overtime loss in Atlanta. The story was the absence of Klay Thompson late in that game as he was benched the majority of the fourth quarter and this team is not gelled right now. Golden St. is 9-12 on the road and come in favored because of the inactive Embiid yet are still not the better team with him out. Here, we play on home teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 after having lost five or six of their last seven games. This situation is 38-11 ATS (77.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (506) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS for our Wed. CBB Contrarian Closer. George Mason is coming off a couple tough losses last week as it fell to St. Joseph's and Massachusetts by a combined three points to fall to 4-5 in the Atlantic Ten Conference. Those losses were both on the road where the Patriots have lost four straight but they are back home where they are 11-1 on the season with the lone loss coming against VCU by four points. Despite the losing conference record, the Patriots are No. 4 in the conference in the NET ranking, one of eight teams ranked in the top 100 overall. Loyola-Chicago is not one of those teams despite being 7-2 in the conference as the Ramblers come in No. 114 in the NET rankings. They have faced a pretty favorable schedule with five of the seven wins coming against teams with losing conference records and while George Mason falls into that group it is ranked higher. Loyola-Chicago is 3-3 on the road and has a strong defense that is No. 46 in the country in Adjusted Efficiency Margin but it has faced teams with an average Offensive Margin ranked No. 209 and the Patriots come in ranked No. 100. 10* (684) George Mason Patriots

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS for our NBA Star Attraction. Milwaukee has struggled under new head coach Doc Rivers as it has gone 1-3 and it concludes its five-game roadtrip in looking to avoid a 1-4 trek. The Bucks defensive woes were considered the reason for the firing of Adrian Griffin and it has actually regressed, allowing 49.9 percent shooting over this four-game stretch and while it does not get easier here, this is a great gut check opportunity. Milwaukee is a game under .500 on the road and catching an overpriced number. Phoenix has played the second easiest schedule in the NBA and its nine games against the top ten ranked teams are the fewest of any team in the league and it has gone 3-6 in those games. The Suns have been playing better with wins in 10 of their last 13 games but only three of those were against winning teams. Phoenix has not fared well in games going into a shootout as it is 3-13 ATS against teams allowing 116 or more ppg while going 3-12 ATS against teams averaging 116 or more ppg. Here, we play on underdogs averaging 114 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after scoring 135 points or more. This situation is 56-29 ATS (65.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (583) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our Tue. CBB Supreme Annihilator. Colorado St. went through a rough stretch where it lost four of six games at the beginning of January but has responded with a pair of wins including a big home win over San Diego St. and a blowout win on the road at Fresno St. on Saturday. The win over the Bulldogs was the Rams first Mountain West Conference road victory after starting 0-4 with all four losses coming against teams at least .500 or better in the conference. They return home where they are 4-0 in the MWC and 11-1 with the lone loss coming against St. Mary's by three points. With a game against San Jose St. on deck, there will be full focus here and in addition, Colorado St. will be out to avenge a seven-point loss at Boise St. The Broncos have also won two straight games as they pulled off the big upset at New Mexico by eight points as a 10.5-point underdog and followed that up with a 38-point win at home against Air Force. They are now tied with Utah St. for first place in the conference at 7-2 and they hit the road once against where they are 4-0 in the MWC that includes another upset at Nevada by eight points but the road luck runs out here. 10* (650) Colorado St. Rams

This is a play on the UTAH ST. AGGIES for our MWC Game of the Month. Nevada rolled over San Jose St. by 30 points on Friday night to shake off a 34-point loss at New Mexico in its previous game and it has been feast or famine with six of its eight games being decided by double digits. The Wolf Pack are back to .500 in the Mountain West Conference and have had their recent share of trouble on the road as it has been three straight defeats on the highway with the other two coming at Wyoming and San Diego St. Nevada has followed up its last two wins with losses next time out and heads to one of the toughest environments around. We played against Utah St. on Saturday as it was going into a horrible situation at San Diego St. which was coming off a bad loss and the Aztecs had something to prove which they did. The Aggies are now tied with Boise St. atop the conference at 7-2 and we expect a big bounce back on their home floor where they are 10-0 this season while riding a 13-game home winning streak which is the 12th longest home winning streak in the country. Utah St. is No. 24 in the NET rankings and is a projected No. 6 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Big bounce back spot for the Aggies. 10* (654) Utah St. Aggies

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Orlando is coming off a win over Detroit on Sunday which was its third straight win, all on the road, after coming in having lost eight of its previous 10 games on the highway. The Magic are now 12-17 on the road and this is their fourth road game in seven days and their fifth in nine days. While going 5-1 as a road favorite, Orlando is 7-15 as a road underdog and we are getting value based on the 31-17-2 overall ATS record for the Magic which is the best in the NBA. Miami had lost seven straight games, it longest skid in over 15 years, but then won two straight games before giving one back against the red hot Clippers on Sunday by eight points. The Heat continue their four-game homestand including a game against San Antonio tomorrow. Miami has plays the roles to accordance as it is 5-15 as an underdog but 21-9 as a favorite while going 11-7-1 ATS when favored by four points or fewer. Here, we play on home favorites after having lost five or six of their last seven games, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 33-12 ATS (73.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (578) Miami Heat

This is a play on the OHIO ST. BUCKEYES for our Tue. CBB Star Attraction. Ohio St. opened the season 12-2 including a 2-1 record in the Big Ten Conference but it has been a huge collapse as the Buckeyes have lost seven of their last eight games to fall to 3-8 in the conference. The schedule has not been in their favor with five of those eight games taking place on the road, all resulting in losses to fall to 0-6 on the highway, and while they have gone 1-2 at home, the two losses came against Illinois and Wisconsin which are No. 14 and No. 13 in the NET rankings. Ohio St. is 1-9 in Quad 1 and 2 games but 12-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games and this one will go off as a Quad 3 game. Indiana pulled off a late win over Iowa at home to snap a three-game losing streak but gave it right back with a 14-point loss against Penn St. on Saturday. The Hoosiers fell to 5-6 in the conference and they hit the road where they are 1-4 with the lone road win coming at Michigan by three points which was all the way back on December 5. Indiana is well down in the NET ranking at No. 103 and it is well outside the NCAA Tournament bubble. With Ohio St. ranked No. 68 in the NET ranking, this is a Quad 1 game for the Hoosiers and they are 0-7 in Quad 1 games on the season. 10* (610) Ohio St. Buckeyes

This is a play on the FORDHAM RAMS for our Tue. CBB Ultimate Underdog. Fordham is coming off a win at St. Louis which snapped a two-game losing streak and a 1-4 stretch. The Rams are 4-5 in the Atlantic Ten Conference and they have actually fared better on the road where they are 4-1 compared to a 0-4 record at home but that is helping with the number. Fordham is coming off a season where it had the second most wins in program history and while it already has surpassed its loss total from last year, the Rams are in a good spot to ride the momentum of that road win with this two-game homestand. VCU won for us on Saturday as it defeated previously undefeated Richmond and while it was not an upset as the Rams closed as five-point favorites, that was a big win in what is a big rivalry. VCU improved to 10-5 at home and it hits the road where it is a very solid 3-1 but the wins have come against teams with losing conference records including 2-6 Davidson and 2-7 LaSalle and all of those were by five points or less. Despite playing a pretty difficult schedule ranked No. 130, the Rams are just No. 85 in NET ranking and this is a sandwich spot with a home game against Dayton on deck. 10* (620) Fordham Rams

This is a play on the KANSAS ST. WILDCATS for our Mon. CBB Star Attraction. Kansas is coming off a big home win over Houston as it welcomed the Cougars to the Big 12 Conference with a 13-point win. That makes it two straight wins for the Jayhawks following a 1-2 mark in their previous three games and the Saturday win put them into a tie for first place in the conference with Houston. They moved up to No. 11 in the NET rankings with their fifth Quad 1 win but are now in a tough spot coming off a massive victory and while a letdown is unlikely because this is a rival, we are working against an overadjusted number. Kansas is back on the road where it is 2-3 which includes a 1-3 record in the Big 12. Kansas St. won four of its first five conference games with the only loss being a one point defeat at Texas Tech but the Wildcats have dropped their last four games, the first three coming by double digits. Three of the four games were on the road including the last one, a three-point loss at Oklahoma St. on Saturday and they return home trying to shake off a 20-point loss against Oklahoma in their last home game. They are 10-2 in Manhattan and the value is here once again based on their recent 0-5 ATS skid. 10* (876) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on the SACRAMENTO ST. HORNETS for our Mon. CBB Signature Enforcer. Sacramento St. has lost five straight games following a 2-2 start in the Big Sky Conference and this is the get right game to make it back into the win column. The Hornets fell to 1-10 on the road with a loss at Portland St. on Saturday and the venue has played a big role in their conference games. They have gone 0-5 on the highway and while they are just 2-2 at home in the Big Sky, the two losses came against Montana and Montana St., two of the five teams with a winning conference record. Overall, Sacramento St. is 5-4 at home including going 4-2 in its last six. Idaho is coming off a big upset on Saturday as it won at Montana St. by six points as an 8.5-point underdog to also move to 2-7 in the conference. That was just the second road win of the season for the Vandals which also snapped an eight-game overall losing streak in the process. The only other road victory came at 8-14 Utah Tech by just one point and this marks the third of four straight road games. Good value here on the home team as Idaho is catching a short number after catching 8.5, 14.5 and 15 points in its last three road games. 10* (874) Sacramento St. Hornets

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. It has been a rough stretch for Golden St. as since a five-game winning streak right before Christmas, the Warriors are 6-11 over their last 17 games to fall four games under .500. Despite a 60-point effort from Steph Curry, they lost in overtime to Atlanta and failed produce a three-game winning streak for the first time since that pre-holiday run. Golden St. is on its third game of this five-game roadtrip and while it is 8-12 on the highway, there is value in this bounce back spot as we have them as a one-point favorite. The Warriors are 8-20 against the top 16 being one of only two teams in the top 19 with fewer than 10 wins against that group but they have tried to make it up with a 13-5 record against the bottom 14 in the NBA. Brooklyn is coming off a 15-point win against an injury depleted Philadelphia team and the Nets have won three of their last four games which isa façade as they were coming off a 4-17 run in their previous 21 games. The Nets are back home where they do not have a big home court advantage as they are 12-13 including a 4-8 record in their last 12 games. Here, we play on underdogs after scoring 115 points or more in two straight games going up against an opponent after scoring 135 points or more. This situation is 46-14 ATS (76.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (565) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Minnesota closes out its three-game homestand following a loss against Orlando on Friday following a 4-1 run and the Timberwolves are now tied with Oklahoma City for first place in the Western Conference. It was a rare home loss for Minnesota which is 18-5 and it followed up three of the first four home losses with wins by 22, 27 and 11 points. The Timberwolves are coming off an average defensive performance and they remain No. 1 in Effective Field Goal Percentage and No. 2 in Defensive Efficiency. By now, the home/road dichotomy of the Rockets is evident but they find themselves in another tough spot here. They are coming off a blowout win against the Raptors on Friday as favorites, they are now only 10-22 as underdogs while going 13-3 in the role of favorites. The Rockets have been a great turnaround story but they have leveled out, going 7-13 in their last 20 games. Houston is 1-8 ATS this season coming off a nonconference game. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points outrebounding opponents by three or more rpg per game, in February games. This situation is 207-140 ATS (59.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (552) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a play on the VILLANOVA WILDCATS for our Sun. CBB Star Attraction. Villanova opened Big East Conference action with a 3-0 record but has since dropped six of its last seven games with the only victory coming against 0-10 DePaul. No one wants a part of betting the Wildcats right now based on this recent run but this is the time to buy low as they are in need of some quality wins. Villanova is No. 53 in the NET rankings so it is right on the cusp of the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and these games are going to start going a long way in that determination. The Wildcats have played the No. 6 ranked schedule and have three Quad 1 wins so that is keeping them afloat and they were close in their last two home games, losing to Marquette and Connecticut by a combined six points. Providence had its three-game winning streak snapped with a nine-point loss in Connecticut and it is back to .500 in the conference. The Friars struggled right when Bryce Hopkins was lost for the season and while playing better, two of the recent wins were against DePaul and Georgetown, a combined 1-18. 10* (856) Villanova Wildcats

This is a play on the DETROIT PISTONS for our NBA Afternoon Dominator. Orlando has won two straight and three of its last four games while covering all four of those contests and the Magic are now three games over .500. One of the best cover teams in the league this season at 63.8 percent, Orlando has been and will continue to be a public team with some overadjusted numbers so playing against them in certain situations is how to go and this is one of those. This is their third road game in five days and their fourth in seven days and this is the final game before starting a four-game homestand leading up to the All Star Break. Detroit has dropped two straight after winning two of three games and it continues to cash. The Pistons have covered three straight games as well as nine of their last 10 and 14 of their last 19 games. The offense has started to fins its rhythm as Detroit has shot 50 percent of better in seven of its last 10 games going up against one of the worst offenses. Detroit is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games after allowing 135 points or more. Here, we play against road favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after successfully covering the spread in four or more consecutive games, playing their 3rd road game in five days. This situation is 57-26 ATS (68.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (542) Detroit Pistons

This is a play on the IPFW MASTODONS for our Sun. CBB Signature Enforcer. Youngstown St. has won four straight games to improve to 9-3 in the Horizon League following a road upset at Wright St. by 11 points as a three-point underdog. The Penguins are tied with Oakland for second place in the conference behind Green Bay heading into Saturday. Youngstown St. is 6-5 on the road overall including a 4-2 record in the conference and while the Wright St. win was very impressive, the other three Horizon wins were against Robert Morris, Detroit and IUPUI which are a combined 6-30 in the conference. IPFW started Horizon action with a 4-0 record but has lost six of its last seven games to drop to 5-6 in the conference and good for just eighth place. The Mastodons also gone 1-6 against the number in those games even though they have been competitive with three of those losses by two or fewer possessions and none by more than eight points. After starting off 8-0 at home, IPFW has lost its last three games here and all of the recent runs from both sides have been factored into this very favorable number. 10* (840) IPFW Mastodons

This is a play on the GONZAGA BULLDOGS for our Sat. CBB Late Powerhouse. This is the first of the two West Coast Conference game of the year plays between St. Mary's and Gonzaga with the first taking place in Spokane. Gonzaga has won five straight games since suffering its only conference loss at Santa Clara and this is a great opportunity at home to show they are still the team to go through despite finishing in a tie for first place last season. The Bulldogs are 10-1 at home with the lone loss coming to San Diego St. at the end of December. That is one of four Quad 1 losses against no wins in that quadrant which could be a concern but two of the others were against Purdue and Connecticut and the fourth was a true road game at Washington. The Gaels are off to an 8-0 start in the conference following a five-point win over Santa Clara, its second straight five-point win leading up to this showdown. After a 3-5 start, St. Mary's is one of the hottest teams in the country with wins in 14 of its last 15 games but now is in a difficult situation despite being a perfect 5-0 in true road games. The best came at Colorado St. by three points and now comes the real test as they have not won in Spokane since 2018. 10* (816) Gonzaga Bulldogs

This is a play on the WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS for our Sat. CBB Late Annihilator. Western Kentucky remains at home following an upset loss to Sam Houston St. on Thursday which was its third loss in four games and Hilltoppers have dropped to 3-4 in Conference USA. The other three losses were on the road and every one of those losses could have gone either way as they have all been by two or fewer possessions. Prior to the loss against the Bearkats, Western Kentucky won its two previous home games by double digits and was 9-0 at home coming into Thursday which makes this a smash spot before heading out on the road for a pair of games at Louisiana Tech and Jacksonville St. Middle Tennessee St. opened 0-4 in the conference with none of the games being within reach late but the Blue Raiders have bounced back with a pair of wins last week. Those were both at home however where they are a pedestrian 7-6 and now they are back on the road where they are winless at 0-5. Middle Tennessee St. lost both conference road games by double digits and the schedule has not been overly difficult overall which has affected their NET ranking which is No. 301, the worst in the conference. 10* (772) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

This is a play on the HOFSTRA PRIDE for our CAA Game of the Month. This is a game where the line is telling us everything. Towson is now 10-0 at home following a seven-point win over Northeastern in what was a revenge game from a loss in Boston earlier in the month and the Tigers hit the road against where they are 4-3. Towson has won five straight games to move within a half-game of Drexel for first place in the Coastal Athletic Association at 7-2. The Tigers do own a pair of strong road wins over Delaware and Charleston as underdogs and despite rolling through the conference thus far, the Tigers have been underdogs in five of nine games. While Towson has been an underdog in the majority of its conference games, Hofstra has been the favorite in all nine of its CAA games and it has not been favorable for the Pride backers. They are 5-4 but are just 1-8 against the number with the only cover being on the road at Stony Brook. Hofstra is 0-5 ATS at home following a one point win against Stony Brook on Thursday in what was a clear lookahead to this game as the Pride were favored by 7.5 points in that game. Hofstra is just seven spots behind Towson in the NET rankings at No. 141. 10* (736) Hofstra Pride

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our Sat. CBB Signature Enforcer. North Texas did not come through for us on Wednesday as it lost a tough one against UAB in overtime and it continues its tough stretch of games as it now faces its fifth straight team that possesses a winning record in the American Athletic Conference. The Mean Green have gone 1-3 through the first four games with a pair of road losses at Charlotte and Florida Atlantic, both of which are in first place at 7-1, but they won at home against now 5-3 SMU and are now 5-3 in the AAC. They are back home where they are now 9-1 and will be facing their third first place team in two weeks. South Florida moved to 7-1 in the conference with a win at East Carolina on Wednesday to make it six straight wins including three on the road. The Bulls are the worst of the trio that is 7-1 as they have faced only two teams that are above .500 in the conference and those resulted in a split, losing to UAB while defeating a slumping Memphis team by a point. The other six wins have been against teams a combined 10-31 which includes Temple twice. Overall, the Bulls have played a schedule ranked No. 285 and they are No. 110 in the NET rankings, sixth in the AAC. 10* (738) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the NC STATE WOLFPACK as part of our Sat. CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. NC State opened 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference but then lost three straight games, two on the road, but bounced back with a much needed win against Miami on Tuesday. The Wolfpack are now in fifth place in the ACC at 6-4 and they remain home where they are 10-2 with the two losses coming against Virginia Tech and North Carolina, No. 9 and No. 50 in the NET rankings respectively. NC State is 14-7 overall with six of those defeats being Quad 1 losses, the only non-Quad 1 loss being that Virginia Tech game, and the game today falls into a Quad 3 game where the Wolfpack are 2-0 and 10-0 including Quad 4 games. Georgia Tech snapped a three-game losing streak with a huge home upset over North Carolina, snapping the Tar Heels 10-game winning streak and now it is letdown time on the road where it is 2-5. It was an impressive Quad 1 win for the Yellow Jackets, which was their third this season but they have not backed those other two up well. They beat Duke at home and followed that up with a 14-point loss at Georgia and after winning at Clemson in overtime, it lost at home to Virginia by nine points. 10* (728) NC State Wolfpack

This is a play on the BOWLING GREEN FALCONS as part of our Sat. CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Bowling Green snapped a two-game slide after dropping games against Kent St. and Toledo by winning at Ball St. on Tuesday by nine points to improve to 6-3 in the Mid-American Conference. They are two games behind Toledo and Akron which account for two of the three conference losses and the Falcons return home for two straight games before the MAC-SBC Challenge and with the next home game being against Buffalo, full focus will be on display here. Bowling Green is just 2-4 in Quad 2 and 3 games but are 11-2 in Quad 4 games so they have taken care of the teams they need to with another looming Saturday. Central Michigan is coming off a favorable victory on Tuesday in double overtime against 0-8 Northern Illinois as it trailed the majority of the game and the win and cover came because of missed free throws near the end of regulation and in the first overtime. The Chippewas continue to surprise as they are now 7-2 in the conference and that includes a 3-1 record on the road and while a win over 5-4 Western Michigan was a good one, the other two came against Ball St. and Eastern Michigan which are a combined 5-13. 10* (716) Bowling Green Falcons

This is a play on the UTAH UTES as part of our Sat. CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Utah returns home after getting swept in Washington last week against the Cougars and Huskies to fall to 5-5 in the Pac 12 Conference. To no surprise, the home team is a perfect 10-0 in Utes games as they have taken advantage of one of the best home floors in the country as they are 11-0 but they just have not been able to get it done on the road and most of those games on the highway has been blowouts. It is considered a down year in the conference with only Arizona ranked in the top 30 in the NET rankings with Colorado next at No. 31 and then Utah at No. 35. The Utes three Quad 1 wins are second in the conference. Colorado is coming off a split in Washington last week as it followed up a win at Washington, its first true road win of the entire season, with a nine-point loss at Washington St. That snapped a four-game winning streak after starting the season 2-3 in the conference. It has been a similar script for the Buffaloes as the venue has made the difference with the home team going 9-1 in their Pac 12 games. They have one more victory than Utah both overall and in the conference and are ranked slightly higher despite just one Quad 1 win. 10* (720) Utah Utes

This is a play on the TENNESSEE ST. TIGERS for our Sat. CBB Revenge Dominator. Southern Indiana is coming off just its second road win of the season as it defeated 2-7 Tennessee Tech by three points with its other conference win coming at 2-8 Lindenwood. The Screaming Eagles are now 3-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference and it has been a tough season despite playing one of the easiest schedules in the country as they are 6-16 overall. They have nine Quad 4 losses which is tied for most in the conference. Half of those wins have come against non-Division 1 teams at home and that sixth win happened to come against Tennessee St. by two points as an underdog. Tennessee St. should not have been looking ahead to this revenge game as the Tigers are coming off a 19-point loss against first place Morehead St. at home so they were completely outclassed. They dropped to 5-4 in the conference and 12-10 overall and while they are now three games out of first place, they are just one game out of third place with a very favorable upcoming schedule. This is the start of a four-game stretch against the four worst teams in the conference with this being the lone home game where they are now 8-2. 10* (706) Tennessee St. Tigers

This is a play on the VCU RAMS for our Sat. CBB Contrarian Closer. We played against Richmond on Wednesday but Fordham came up small and the Spiders now have a more difficult road test. Richmond was coming off a massive win last Saturday as it defeated previously undefeated Dayton as a home underdog and it remains undefeated in the Atlantic Ten Conference at 8-0. The Spiders have won 11 straight games but have been fortunate in some cases with four of their seven conference wins coming by two or fewer possessions including one win in overtime and two wins by two points. They have covered nine straight games and the value remains on the other side. VCU is coming off a loss at St. Bonaventure which was its second loss to the Bonnies this season. The Rams fell to 5-3 in the conference with the other loss coming to George Washington by a bucket which was the second of two straight home conference losses. They are back home this Saturday where they are a rather disappointing 8-5 and that is also helping keep this number within good range. VCU was not healthy early on when it was struggling but since the return of Joe Bamisile who is averaging 13.5 ppg, the Rams are 8-3. 10* (688) VCU Rams

This is a play on the TEXAS A&M AGGIES for our SEC Game of the Year. Texas A&M is coming off a bad loss at home against Mississippi last Saturday so it has had a week to stew over that defeat. The Aggies are now 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference but are just two games out of fourth place and they can ill afford another home loss as they are now 7-3 with the other losses coming against LSU and Memphis. Texas A&M is No. 46 in the NET rankings so the resume remains strong which is mostly due to playing a schedule ranked No. 27 and the Aggies possess four Quad 1 wins which is tied for most in the conference. This will not qualify as one for now but it is on the border and could move there based on how Florida does going forward. The Gators have won four straight games to improve to 5-3 in the conference following a huge overtime win at Kentucky on Wednesday which came after an overtime game against Georgia last Saturday and they moved up to No. 36 in NET rankings. That was a revenge win for Florida after losing at home to the Wildcats and that was their first Quad 1 win of the season after starting 0-6 in Quad 1 games which happen to be their only losses of the season. 10* (694) Texas A&M Aggies

This is a play on the KANSAS JAYHAWKS for our Sat. CBB Star Attraction. Houston has shaken off two straight losses by winning its last five games, most recent a four-point win at Texas on Monday. Three of the five wins have been at home where the Cougars are now 12-0 and they remain on the road where they are 3-2 and not in a good spot. The losses were close, by a combined five points but the wins have not been overly dominating as in addition to the short Texas win, Houston won at Xavier and BYU by six and seven points respectively. Houston is No. 1 in the country in NET ranking which is no surprise based on what it has accomplished but now comes the real welcome to the Big 12 Conference. Kansas had not been playing well as it was on a 1-2 run with losses at West Virginia and Iowa St. sandwiched around a five-point home win over Cincinnati but the Jayhawks got it back in gear with a 29-point home win over Oklahoma St. on Tuesday. A blowout was expected and it was needed before heading into this game to get some momentum and confidence back instead of looking ahead. Kansas is 11-0 at Allen Fieldhouse and come in at No. 13 in the NET rankings so the line makes sense but this is a statement game. 10* (702) Kansas Jayhawks

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our Sat. CBB Rivalry Rout. Utah St. has won three straight games after suffering its first Mountain West Conference loss as it is now 7-1 and holds a one game lead over Boise St. The Aggies are now 19-2 overall which has been an incredible feat considering they lost all five starters from last season as well as breaking in a new head coach. It has helped that they have played a favorable schedule thus far and their three Quad 1 games are the fewest played of all conference teams. Utah St. is 1-2 in those games with the only win coming at Boise St. and while it was a solid win, the Aggies were blasted in their only other difficult road game at New Mexico St. by 13 points. San Diego St. is two games behind Utah St. following a loss on Tuesday at Colorado St. but the Aztecs are back home in what is a statement game to prove the conference still runs through San Diego. They have played a tough schedule that is ranked No. 11 in the country which has affected their overall record of 16-5 but they remain unbeaten at home with a 10-0 mark including solid double-digit conference wins over UNLV and Nevada. The price is small for the home team that comes in with a nearly identical NET ranking. 10* (668) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the CLEMSON TIGERS for our Sat. CBB Supreme Annihilator. Virginia has won five straight games to improve to 7-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is good for third place, two games behind North Carolina. The run has come against a pretty soft slate with the two toughest games coming against Virginia Tech and NC State, No. 50 and No. 76 in the NET rankings respectively and those were at home. Virginia has one Quad 1 win this season which came against Florida by three points in Charlotte back in early November. The only other Quad 1 games resulted in losses against Wisconsin on a neutral floor by 24 points and at Wake Forest by 19 points. While sitting 12-0 at home, the Cavaliers are just 2-4 on the road. Clemson is coming off a lethargic win over Louisville by just six points which followed it controversial loss against Duke last Saturday. It has been a rough stretch with the Tigers going 3-5 over their last eight games but three of those losses were on the road, one against North Carolina at home and one bad loss at home against Georgia Tech. Overall, Clemson has played the No. 20 ranked schedule and is a very respectable 3-4 in Quad 1 games, giving it a No. 33 NET ranking. 10* (654) Clemson Tigers

This is a play on the ST. JOHN'S RED STORM for our Sat. CBB Ultimate Underdog. St. John's is coming off a loss on Wednesday at Xavier to make it four loses in five games after a 4-1 start to fall to 5-5 in the Big East Conference. The Red Storm dropped to 12-8 overall but the overall resume is still very good as they are No. 4 in the conference in NET ranking at No. 38. They have six Quad 1 losses but five of those have been away from home including true road losses at Connecticut by four points and at Creighton by one point. St. John's is 3-2 at MSG this season with one of those losses coming against Marquette by one point which was the sixth Quad 1 defeat. Connecticut is coming off a nine-point win over Providence on Wednesday to improve to 9-1 in the conference, good for a two-game lead over Creighton and Marquette. The Huskies remain perfect at home with a 12-0 record and they hit the road where they are 3-2 and not been nearly as dominant with the losses coming at Kansas and Seton, both of which are Quad 1 defeats and the three wins against Butler, Xavier and Villanova have been by a combined 13 points and will be tested again with the status of forward Alex Karaban in question. 10* (608) St. John's Red Storm

This is a play on the LSU TIGERS for our Sat. CBB Early Dominator. Arkansas is coming off a win at Missouri, which fell to 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference but the Razorbacks have not been much better as that was just their second conference win. The first SEC win was at home against Texas A&M by one point and the win over the Tigers was the first true win on the season after starting 0-3 with losses by 10, 22 and 26 points. Arkansas has dominated the poor teams, going 8-1 in Quad 3 and 4 games but is just 3-9 in Quad 1 and 2 games with none of those wins being true road games. The Razorbacks have played a tough schedule but has not been able to do anything with it. LSU has lost three straight games to fall to 10-9 overall and 3-4 in the conference. It has been a tough stretch as the first loss came at home against Texas A&M in what was a big revenge situation for the Aggies and the Tigers hit the road for a pair of games at Georgia and Alabama, the latter coming by 21 points a week ago. LSU is back home to rebound from that and get back to .500 in the conference before having to travel to Tennessee next week. The Tigers are 7-2 in Quad 3 and 4 games. 10* (612) LSU Tigers

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES as part of our NBA Friday Triple Play. This is one of those lines that has to be set the way it is because of who it is. Making a comparison to last night, The Grizzlies were getting nine points against a 30-16 Cleveland team and now they are getting a point less against a 20-24 Golden St. team with the Warriors again overvalued based on name. Golden St. is coming off a win over a depleted Philadelphia team that was without its second leading scorer and saw Joel Embiid leave the game. The Warriors start a five-game roadtrip where they are 7-11 and those 18 road games are the fewest road games played of any team in the NBA so the schedule has been in their favor and they have not taken advantage of that even, going 13-13 at home. The Memphis roster is a shell of what it started with this season and even more so after getting Ja Morant back for a few games but even with a bunch of usual role players, the Grizzlies remain competitive. They have stayed within the number in nine of their last 14 games with every one of those games being in the underdog role including an outright win over the Warriors just over two weeks ago with a similar number. 10* (518) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the HOUSTON ROCKETS as part of our NBA Friday Triple Play. This is a smash spot for Houston which was a term no one uttered last season. The Rockets are coming off a home loss against New Orleans on Wednesday and while it has been a rough stretch of going 4-9 over their last 13 games, eight of those were on the road, six resulting in losses. Houston was an underdog against the Pelicans and fell to 10-22 in that role and now the Rockets are favorites where they are 12-3 this season. They are right in the playoff picture as they are in the No. 11 spot which is just one position out and they trail No. 10 seed Utah by only a game and a half. This is a big bounce back game as Houston has a four-game roadtrip on deck and they have only one home game before the All-Star Break. Toronto is coming off a rare win and a rare road win as it defeated Chicago by 11 points which snapped a five-game losing streak and a 1-9 stretch. The victory also snapped a five-game road losing streak where Toronto is now 7-17 and it comes in just 8-22 when getting points and while it has covered close to half of those, the Raptors are just 3-7 ATS when getting four points or more. 10* (520) Houston Rockets

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS as part of our NBA Friday Triple Play. Atlanta is coming off a win over the Lakers for its second straight victory but it caught a break with Anthony Davis sitting out which was a late day announcement and the Hawks ended up closing at -6. It was a rare cover as Atlanta snapped a five-game non-cover streak and even though it was a blowout against a team without a superstar, the Hawks still allowed 53.3 percent shooting and the Hawks are No. 29 in defensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage defense. Atlanta is 0-10 in its last 10 games following a cover while going 0-13 ATS following a Western Conference game so this has been a winless scenario more than halfway through the season. Typically this is a spot we go contrarian but the longevity of it has merit and the matchup does not bode well. Phoenix has won two straight games and is 14-5 in its last 19 games as the Suns are gradually climbing up the Western Conference standings but still have a ways to go, sitting 5.5 games out of the No. 4 spot and home court. These are the games they need to take advantage of and so far they have, going 18-7 against teams outside the top 16. 10* (513) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES for our Fri. CBB Ultimate Underdog. It has been a weird season for Niagara in the MAAC as it opened 0-2 with the two losses coming against St. Peter's and Quinnipiac, the top two teams in the conference which are a combined 15-3. The Purple Eagles have since gone 6-2 in the conference with the two losses being big head scratchers against Siena and Manhattan, both of which came at home against the two worst teams in the conference at a combined 4-14. They come in having won five straight road games and in 10 road games, they are 9-1 against the number. St. Peter's will be out to keep pace with Quinnipiac as it is a game back as it shook off a home loss with a road win on Sunday at Siena by nine points. The Peacocks other conference loss was at Fairfield which is also in contention in the conference at 7-3 so the top four remains wide open. They are 5-2 at home with the two best win coming against Iona and while they have been great on the road against the number with an 8-3 mark, St. Peter's is just 3-3 ATS at home and overvalued in this spot against what has been a very dangerous road team. 10* (869) Niagara Purple Eagles

This is a play on the IOWA HAWKEYES for our Fri. CBB Star Attraction. Iowa is coming off a loss at Indiana as it fell behind big early and fought back to take a late two-point lead but was outscored 8-0 to end the game. It was the third loss in four games for the Hawkeyes which fell to 4-6 in the Big Ten Conference. They have played a schedule ranked No. 11 in the country and their problem has been the inability to win big games as they are 0-7 in Quad 1 games while going 12-2 against all other teams and the Friday game falls into the latter. Iowa is 9-3 at home with a bad loss against Michigan in December and the other two coming against Purdue and Maryland by two points. Ohio St. is looking a lot like it did last season when it opened 10-3 but then lost 13 of its next 14 games before a late season surge nearly pulled off a miracle entrance into the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Buckeyes opened 12-2 but they have dropped six of their last seven games and just have the look of a team that is already deflated. The only win over this stretch was at home against Penn St. and while they are 11-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games, they are 2-8 in Quad 1 and 2 games with another test here. 10* (874) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a play on the GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES for our Thu. CBB Supreme Annihilator. Grand Canyon is back home following three straight games on the road in what has been a great season. The Antelopes are 19-2 with one nonconference loss against South Carolina which is now a Quad 1 loss because of what the Gamecocks are doing and the only Western Athletic Conference loss came less than two weeks ago at Seattle so there is payback in play on Thursday. Grand Canyon responded with a pair of road wins after that but it slept walked as they came by just eight points combined. They are 10-0 at home and winning by nearly 15 ppg. Seattle followed that win up with a letdown victory over Utah Valley at home by just one point as an eight-point favorite last Friday to improve to 11-2 at home. The Redhawks are back on the road where they have had their troubles by going 1-6 with the lone win coming at UTEP. They are 0-3 in the conference on the road and while they have been competitive in all three games, none have been against the quality to be seen here and the revenge angle will have Seattle easily entering its toughest road game of the season. 10* (816) Grand Canyon Antelopes

This is a play on the ARIZONA ST. SUN DEVILS for our Pac 12 Game of the Month. Arizona St. opened 4-0 in the Pac 12 Conference but it has been a rough go of it since then as the Sun Devils have gone 1-4 in their last five games. Three of those games were on the road where they all resulted in blowouts at Washington, Oregon and Oregon St. while one home loss was against UCLA by just two points after blowing a 15-point lead. That is the only home loss of the season for Arizona St. where it has won all eight of its other games and while it has to avoid a Stanford revenge game, the recent run will have the Sun Devils more than ready. Stanford lost its standalone game last week as it lost to rival California as it too is now 5-4 in the conference. The Cardinal do own three wins over the top six teams in the conference but all of those were at home where they are 8-3. The other two wins were on the road which are their only two road wins against three losses but those were against UCLA and Oregon St. which are No. 135 and No. 162 in NET ranking. Stanford is just 5-8 in Quad 2 and 3 games on the season. 10* (818) Arizona St. Sun Devils

This is a play on the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS for our Thu. CBB Star Attraction. Wisconsin shook off its only Big Ten Conference loss at Penn St. with three straight wins including a bog home victory over Michigan St. last Friday by 15 points, its second double-digit win over the Spartans this season. The Badgers hit the road for just the fourth time in six weeks as they have gone 2-1 with the wins coming against Ohio St., which is 3-7 in the conference, and Minnesota by only two points. Two other road losses were at Providence and Arizona and they head to a tough place in a sandwich spot with a home game against Purdue on deck. Nebraska is coming off a 22-point loss at Maryland on Saturday to fall to 5-5 in the conference and the venue has played a big role all season. The Huskers fell to 1-5 on the road and they return home where they are 13-1 with the only loss coming against Creighton back in early December. In the 10 conference games, the home team is 10-0 both straight up and against the number and this includes a pair of home upsets over Michigan St. and Purdue and another big win keeps the NCAA Tournament hopes alive. 10* (790) Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a play on the SIU EDWARDSVILLE COUGARS for our Thu. CBB Revenge Rout. SIU Edwardsville had won three straight games before suffering a bad loss at SE Missouri St. but the Cougars bounced back with a 17-point win against Tennessee Tech. They remain home for the second of three straight where they are 9-1 with the only loss coming against 6-2 Western Illinois. SIU Edwardsville is 5-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference which puts them in a tie for third place with three other teams, one of which is the opponent tonight where it lost to open January to drop to 0-7 on the road at the time so home revenge is in play. Little Rock has won three straight games to get back into the mix with its 5-3 record and the win over the Cougars has easily been the best. The other four victories came against the bottom four teams in the OVC which are a combined 8-26 with two of those wins accounting for the Trojans only two road wins on the season. The other five games all resulted in losses and they failed to cover any of those. While the overall 11-10 record is respectable, it has come against the second easiest schedule in the entire country. 10* (794) SIU Edwardsville Cougars

This is a play on the INDIANA PACERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. New York has won eight straight games while covering seven of those but with the exception of a win over Denver, it has defeated no other team of real significance. The Knicks have moved into the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference as they are now 14 games over .500 and laying a short price tonight with the public going to be all over them again. New York is covering over 61 percent of its games this season and has been the third most profitable team in the NBA this season with regression expected. The Knicks are still without Julius Randle with a shoulder injury and it is hard to ignore the fact they welcome the Lakers to town in their next game. Indiana is coming off a solid effort in Boston on Tuesday but lost by five points which snapped a three-game winning streak and that was its fifth loss in its last six road games but four of those were within the Western Conference. That is important as the Pacers have struggled against that conference and they are 21-12 against the Eastern Conference which is the fourth best record in the conference while going 21-11-1 against the number. Indiana remains a top ranked offense as it is No. 2 in Offensive Efficiency and the Pacers need to keep that going against one of the better defenses in the league. This is a great contrarian spot at a buy low/sell high opportunity. 10* (501) Indiana Pacers

This is a play on the GEORGIA ST. PANTHERS for our Thu. CBB Signature Enforcer. Georgia St. got off to a 4-1 start in the Sun Belt Conference, which surpassed its conference win total from last season, but the Panthers have lost their last four games and in a tough spot facing the first place team. All four of those losses were on the road however where they fell to 3-10 but they return home where they are 6-1 which includes six straight victories. The recent road losing skid started with a loss at Appalachian St. by eight points which was the last game they covered, going 0-3 ATS since then, and now sets up a revenge home tilt. The Mountaineers have won six straight games to move to 8-1 in the conference which is good for a one game lead over Troy which they have already defeated once this season. The last victory was a big one at home against James Madison to sweep the season series and put Appalachian St. at 17-4 which is one more win than all of last season. The schedule has been the opposite of the Panthers with their last four games taking place at home and the Mountaineers hit the road where they are 4-3. 10* (740) Georgia St. Panthers

This is a play on the CHARLESTON COUGARS for our Thu. CBB Rivalry Dominator. Despite a 5-3 record that has it in fourth place in the Coastal Athletic Association, UNC Wilmington is No. 1 in Q Score and No. 2 in NET ranking so those metrics are keeping this number low. The Seahawks are coming off a bad loss at Stony Brook last Saturday which snapped a five-game winning streak after opening the season 0-2 in the CAA. UNC Wilmington remains on the road where it is a respectable 7-5 that includes a strong win at Kentucky but its two conference road wins came at Elon and Northeastern which are No. 309 and No. 245 in NET ranking respectively. Charleston opened 4-0 in the conference before suffering its first home loss of the season against Towson and it then went on the road and lost to the Seahawks by nine points which opened a three-game roadtrip. The Cougars bounced back with a pair of blowout wins at Hampton and Campbell which were certainly expected and they remain a game and a half out of first place behind Drexel. The Cougars are back home with revenge fully in play and there will be no letting up. 10* (744) Charleston Cougars

This is a play on the FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL PANTHERS for our Thu. CBB Ultimate Underdog. Florida International has got off to a disappointing start in Conference USA as it is 2-4 after getting predicted to finish No. 4 in the conference. The Panthers have lost three straight games but all of those were on the road which now makes the home team 6-0 in their conference games. They fell to 1-8 on the road and are back home for the first time in over two weeks where they sit 6-3, one loss in overtime, another by three points and the third against a very good Stetson team. The recent stretch has added value in what is a very average conference all around. Louisiana Tech is off to a 5-1 start in C-USA as it opened with a loss at Sam Houston St. and has won five straight games since then. The Bulldogs have rolled in their last three games which is also affecting this line with the last two coming at home and they head back out on the road where they are 4-6 which does include some close losses against decent teams to they have not been horrible. The clincher is the fact Louisiana Tech has a game against rival Western Kentucky on deck. 10* (750) Florida International Panthers

This is a play on the SANTA CLARA BRONCOS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. There are four teams in the West Coast Conference with a positive Q score and they range from only .62 to .84 so they are closely bunched and two of those teams are right here. Santa Clara has won three straight games, albeit against the three worst teams in the conference, to improve to 6-1 which is just one game behind St. Mary's. The Broncos lone loss came against the Gaels at home by 24 points but that came two nights after defeating Gonzaga to snap a 26-game losing streak to the Bulldogs and the subsequent court storm set up a massive letdown. Road revenge is not the same as home revenge but it is in play here. The Gaels are off to a 7-0 start in the conference following a five-point win over Loyola-Marymount after allowing an unheard of 28 points to Pacific in the previous game. After a 3-5 start, St. Mary's is one of the hottest teams in the country with wins in 13 of its last 14 games but now is in a difficult situation as the Gaels have a game at rival Gonzaga on deck Saturday night so a lookahead is very possible. 10* (729) Santa Clara Broncos

This is a play on the BOISE ST. BRONCOS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. It is never easy to go against New Mexico in home games at The Pit and especially this season as it has decimated its opponents with the Lobos now 11-0 following a 34-point win over Nevada on Sunday to make it five straight wins, all by at least 13 points. They easily covered all five of those games and in their 11 home games, the Lobos have outscored their opposition by an average of 22.1 ppg and lines need to start getting adjusted and we are seeing an instance of that here. The public is going to continue to back New Mexico at home and rightfully so but we go where there is value with a quality team. Boise St. is coming off a home loss against Utah St. on Saturday by six points which was just its second home loss of the season and now comes another top caliber opponent and while the venue has obviously changed, the line swing is enormous. The Broncos come in 5-2 in the Mountain West Conference which is just a half-game behind the Lobos and they hit the road where they are 3-1 including three straight wins. 10* (727) Boise St. Broncos

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. North Texas continues its tough stretch of games as it now faces its fourth straight team that possesses a winning record in the American Athletic Conference. The Mean Green have gone 1-2 through the first two games with a pair of road losses at Charlotte and Florida Atlantic, both of which are in first place at 7-1, but they won at home against now 4-3 SMU and are now 5-2 in the AAC. They are back home after the tough three-point loss against the Owls where they are 9-0 and outscoring opponents by nearly 18 ppg led by a defense that is ranked No. 26 in Defensive Efficiency. UAB is coming off an upset win on Sunday against Memphis by nine-points as a four-point underdog as the offense scored a season-high 97 points but now comes a real test on that side of the floor. The Blazers are 5-2 in the conference as well with both losses on the road where UAB is now 3-3 with the three wins coming against teams ranked No. 279 or lower in the NET rankings and two of those victories were by a combined three points. 10* (724) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS PELICANS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. New Orleans is coming off a loss in Boston last night which was its third straight loss but all of those have been against three of the best teams in the NBA. The Pelicans played good enough to win last night but the perimeter was the difference as they were outscored by 21 points from long range. They are now 12-11 on the road but over half of those losses have come to teams in the top seven in winning percentage. New Orleans is 12-8 coming off a loss and the focus will be here as this is a revenge spot following two losses to Houston in the first two meetings. By now, the home/road dichotomy of the Rockets is evident but they find themselves in a tough spot here. They are coming off a blowout win against the Lakers and while they were a short underdog, they are now only 10-21 as underdogs while going 12-3 in the role of favorites. The Rockets have been a great turnaround story but they have leveled out, going 6-12 in their last 18 games. 10* (573) New Orleans Pelicans

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. It is gut check time for Miami as it has lost seven straight games as both offense and defense have trended the wrong way. The Heat are coming off their third straight double-digit loss as they fell to Phoenix by 13 points on Monday with the other two losses coming against Boston and New York so they have faced some still competition and while it does not get easier here, the line has adjusted to the recent issues. In the midst of their longest losing streak in over 15 years, Miami players and coaches had a well needed venting session on their day off and we will see an inspired bunch. Sacramento has won four straight following a nine-point win at Memphis where Domantas Sabonis went off with 20 points on 91 percent shooting with 26 rebounds and five assists and that 20-25-5-90 percent stat line has been produced only one other time which was from Wilt Chamberlain. This is a tough spot for the Kings despite the recent results as they will see the best of Miami. 10* (572) Miami Heat

This is a play on the CHICAGO BULLS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Chicago is coming off a home loss against Toronto and it has dropped three of its last four games following a 6-2 run. Two of those wins were against Charlotte including a game here about three weeks ago and while it resulted in a cover push, the Bulls were favored by seven points and are now laying just half that tonight. There is no Zach LaVine this time around but he is not worth 2.5 points. While Chicago is 3-14 as a road underdog, it is 5-1 as a road chalk. The Hornets have lost four straight games, failing to cover any of those and their defense has completely bottomed out. They have allowed at least 50 percent shooting in five straight games and nine of their last 11 and on the season, the Hornets are dead last in the league in defensive efficiency. Charlotte is 5-17 at home and it has played worse than the record shows as the Hornets are -11.5 ppg in scoring differential and of the 17 losses, 10 have been by double digits. 10* (569) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on the ST. JOSEPH'S HAWKS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. St. Joseph's opened Atlantic Ten Conference action by losing its first three games which all three having a chance to go the other way as the Hawks lost those games by a total of 10 points. They followed that up with three wins but could not extend that run as they lost at St. Bonaventure on Friday night by 19 points. St. Joseph's is back home where it is 9-2 with one loss coming in the conference by three points against 5-2 Loyola-Chicago and while the other was a bad nonconference loss against Texas A&M Commerce, they were caught looking ahead to a game at Kentucky two nights later. George Mason has also been up and down in the conference as it opened 2-0 before suffering three straight losses but the Patriots bounced back from that skid with a pair of wins against St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island. Both of those recent victories were at home where they are 11-1 and George Mason hits the road again where it is 3-3 but all three of those wins were against teams that are all below St. Joseph's in the NET rankings. 10* (684) St. Joseph's Hawks

This is a play on the FORDHAM RAMS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Fordham is coming off a two-game road split where it defeated Rhode Island but followed that with a loss at Duquesne. The Rams are 3-4 in the Atlantic Ten Conference and they have actually fared better on the road where they are 3-1 compared to a 0-3 record at home but that is helping with the number. Fordham is coming off a season where it had the second most wins in program history and while it already has surpassed its loss total from last year, the Rams are in a terrific spot and can into the top six in the A-10 with a win. Richmond is coming off a massive win on Saturday as it defeated previously undefeated Dayton as a home underdog while staying undefeated on their own at 7-0. The Spiders have won 10 straight games but have been fortunate in some cases with four of their seven conference wins coming by two or fewer possessions including one win in overtime and two wins by two points. Now Richmond is overpriced as the markets have had to adjust and are favored for only the third time in eight conference games. 10* (692) Fordham Rams

This is a play on the XAVIER MUSKETEERS for our CBB Star Attraction. St. John's snapped a three-game losing streak with a 20-point win over Villanova last Wednesday to move to 5-4 in the Big East Conference and arguably still a fairly underrated team. That being said, the Red Storm are in a bad spot hitting the road for the first time in two weeks where they are 2-3 which includes a second win over Villanova and a victory over West Virginia. While most games in this conference are big ones, St. John's has a game against Connecticut at home on deck. Xavier has lost two straight games, both taking place on the road and against Creighton and Connecticut which are the top two teams in the conference standing and in NET ranking, to drop to 10-10 overall and 4-5 in the conference. The Musketeers have now faced the No. 2 ranked schedule in the country and have not been able to overachieve as they have fallen to 2-7 in Quad 1 games. This game falls outside that group however and a return home for three of its next four games can get them back on track and into the NCAA Tournament conversation. 10* (670) Xavier Musketeers

This is a play on the NC STATE WOLFPACK for our CBB Signature Enforcer. NC State opened 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference but it has lost three straight games, the last two on the road, including a 12-point loss at Syracuse on Saturday which was not as close as the final score indicates as it trailed by as many as 21 points. The Wolfpack are tied for sixth place in the ACC with three other teams and they return home where they are 9-2 with the two losses coming against Virginia Tech and North Carolina. NC State is 13-7 overall with five of those defeats being Quad 1 losses and the game tonight does not fall into that group. After suffering through a 1-4 stretch, Miami has won two straight games but those were against 2-7 Notre Dame on the road and 3-6 Pittsburgh at home. The Hurricanes hit the road again where they are 2-3 with the other victory being a good one at Virginia Tech but now they head to Raleigh at the wrong time. After making a trip to the Final Four last season, Miami is squarely on the bubble right now as it is No. 63 in the NET rankings and even further down in the KenPom ratings. 10* (656) NC State Wolfpack

This is a play on the AIR FORCE FALCONS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Air Force followed up a 32-point win at UNLV with a 14-point loss at Fresno St. on Saturday to fall to 1-6 in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons return home where they have been very below average at 4-6 which includes five straight losses although four of those were against teams in the top quarter of their respective conference standings. Air Force is 1-8 in Quad 1-3 games but a much more respectable 7-3 in Quad 4 games and this game tonight falls into the latter with two more quad 1 games on deck. Wyoming is coming off a court storm on Saturday as it defeated Colorado St. by three points as an eight-point underdog and the celebration was a little excessive based on who it was against. The Cowboys have won three of their last four games to move to 4-3 in the conference but all three of those wins were at home where they are 8-1. Conversely, Wyoming is 0-7 on the road and while five of those losses were against top level competition, two were also against UTEP and Portland, both by double digits. 10* (644) Air Force Falcons

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Lakers had a two-game winning streak snapped last night with a 16-point loss at Houston which is a solid team at home at 17-8 and Los Angeles remains on the road in a good bounce back situation. The Lakers are tied for the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference and while they are 9-16 on the highway, they are catching a good number which is rare for a team that is typically overvalued. Los Angeles is ranked No. 8 in Offensive Efficiency and is in a great matchup. Atlanta had lost four straight games but bounced back with a win over Toronto on Sunday but it was by just one point and despite being the worst ATS team in the league at 11-35, they continue to be overvalued. The Hawks are home favorites again where they have gone 1-12 ATS with the only cover coming against San Antonio by a point and half. They will keep any team in the game as the Hawks are No. 29 in defensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage defense. Here, we play on teams with a +/- 3 ppg scoring differential and coming off a blowout loss by 15 points or more going up against teams with a -3 to -7 ppg scoring differential. This situation is 50-22 ATS (69.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (557) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the INDIANA HOOSIERS for our CBB Star Attraction. Indiana is coming off its third straight loss as it lost at Illinois on Saturday by 12 points to fall to 4-5 in the Big Ten Conference. The three losses came against the top three teams in the conference which are all in the top 13 in NET ranking with the last two coming on the road and the other against No. 2 Purdue. Indiana is back home where it is 9-2, the other loss coming against Kansas in mid-December. After allowing 1.225 points per possession against Purdue and 1.40 against Wisconsin, the Hoosiers held the Illini to just 1.03 points per possession and need to keep that defense going in hopes of getting Kel'el Ware back after missing the last two games. Iowa snapped a two-game losing streak with a 10-point win at Michigan to move to an identical 4-5 in the conference. That was the second straight road win for the Hawkeyes after starting 0-4 compared to a 9-3 record at home, and they are now going into a difficult situation against a desperate team while also playing with revenge form a 22-point loss here last season. 10* (618) Indiana Hoosiers

This is a play on the GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. North Carolina improved to 9-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a seven-point win at Florida St. on Saturday. The Tar Heels have now won 10 straight games following a pair of losses against Connecticut and Kentucky and are gaining strength to become a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but the conference is in a down season. North Carolina is 5-0 in true road games but is overpriced based on the recent run and this is a tough spot with consecutive road games and a game against Duke on deck. Georgia Tech is 9-11 after losing for the eighth time in its last nine games following a 24-point loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets dropped to 5-5 at home with a loss to Pittsburgh prior to that as they have now lost four straight games here but they do have solid home wins against Duke and Mississippi St. and this is certainly the time to buy low in what is a great situation. Georgia Tech is one of just seven teams in the 15-team ACC that possesses two Quad 1 wins and we do not even need the outright winner here. 10* (630) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This is a play on the NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Two teams with opposite expectations with current opposite results square off in Mount Pleasant and we go contrarian. Central Michigan was picked to finish last in the 13-team Mid-American Conference but it has gotten off to a 6-2 start with those six wins already surpassing the five wins from all of last season. The Chippewas are sitting in third place in the MAC, one game behind Akron and Toledo and are in a letdown spot following a huge win over bitter rival Western Michigan to make it six wins in seven games with a lookahead game at 5-3 Bowling Green on deck. Northern Illinois opened the season 5-1 and then hit a rough part of the schedule where it was an underdog in five straight Division 1 games and lost all of those prior to conference action getting underway. Easing into the MAC schedule has not helped as the Huskies are 0-7 and have failed to cover any of those games although they have been in striking distance late in most of those games. There is a ton of value in this take spot with Northern Illinois on a 0-12 ATS run. 10* (609) Northern Illinois Huskies

This is a play on the KENT ST. GOLDEN FLASHES for our MAC Game of the Month. Kent St. is coming off a loss against Ohio at home on Friday which was its fifth loss in seven games and its third straight loss at home. The Golden Flashes could do nothing from long range as they went 4-23 from behind the arc which was an aberration as they came in ranked in the top 80 in the conference in three-point shooting. They are now 5-5 at home with the previous two losses prior to Ohio were against Akron and Toledo, both of which are 7-1. Despite a 3-5 record in the conference, Kent St. is No. 4 in NET ranking. Miami Ohio is coming off a huge upset on Saturday as it handed Akron its first conference loss of the season as an 8.5-point underdog which sets up a big letdown situation hitting the road. The RedHawks started the season 1-6 on the road and while they have won two of three since then, one of those came against 1-6 Buffalo and the other came against 3-5 Ball St. in overtime. Miami is 11-5 against the number in its last 16 games with the markets now needing to adjust especially coming off the recent upset. 10* (624) Kent St. Golden Flashes

This is a play on the TEXAS LONGHORNS for our CBB Star Attraction. Houston has shaken off two straight losses by winning its last four games, most recent a 22-point win over Kansas St. at home. Three of the four wins have been at home where the Cougars are now 12-0 and they hit the road where they are 2-2 and not in an ideal situation. The losses were close, by a combined five points but the wins have not been overly dominating as Houston won at Xavier and BYU by six and seven points respectively. Houston is No. 1 in the country in NET ranking which is no surprise but with that comes the bullseye and overvaluation in spots like this. Texas has been up and down this season as it fell to 3-4 in the Big 12 Conference following a Saturday loss at BYU. The Longhorns moved to 2-3 on the road and return home for their biggest game of the season and the atmosphere will be lit. They are 10-2 at home with the two losses coming against UCF and Texas Tech, both of which were games they should have won based on being significant favorites. While it has been up and down, Texas is 3-2 in Quad 1 games with those three wins tied for second most in the conference. 10* (884) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Non-Conference Game of the Month. Dallas won in Atlanta on Friday with Luka Doncic putting up 73 points but the Mavericks gave it right back on Saturday with a home loss against Sacramento and they have now lost four of their last five games. It has been an up and down season for Dallas which is now four games over .500 but one thing is has had success in is bouncing back, going 13-7 straight up and against the number following a loss. Orlando is coming off a win over Phoenix last night to snap a two-game losing streak and after a huge start to the season, the Magic have regressed. Orlando is 8-15 over its last 23 games including a 4-10 record on the road and the early success is still overvaluing this team, one of only five teams with an ATS record of 60 percent or better. The Magic have played nine games this season with no rest and have gone 2-7 including a 1-6 record when not playing back-to-back home games. Here, we play against underdogs off an upset win as an underdog going up against an opponent off a home loss. This situation is 141-89 ATS (61.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (550) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Utah is coming off a pair of road wins against two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and now id facing a third that is trending that way. The Jazz moved back over .500 and have been one of the hotter teams in the NBA since mid-December, going 17-7 over their last 24 games. While sitting in the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference, Utah is just 3.5 games out of the No. 5 spot with the bottom half being wide open. Utah is 14-1 ATS this season coming off consecutive road games. Brooklyn opened the season 12-9 but it has lost 18 of its last 24 games and is barely holding onto a playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are coming off a win over Houston, one of the worst road teams in the NBA, by a bucket as they nearly blew a 28-point lead. The win snapped a four-game home losing streak and a 2-7 run with one of those wins coming against Detroit. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 revenging a straight up loss as a favorite going up against an opponent after a cover as a double digit favorite. This situation is 44-11 ATS (80 percent) since 1996. 10* (539) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for our NFC Championship Winner. Detroit did not exactly dominate in its two playoff games but came away with wins thanks to clutch defense and playing turnover-free football. The Lions key here is to slow this game down as much as possible as they want to avoid a shootout and to do that will be establishing a running game which they can do against a 49ers weakness of late. They finished last week with a very strong 61 percent success rate on early downs against a very good Tampa Bay run defense. That will set up the passing and while much has been said about quarterback Jared Goff being much worse when not playing indoors and while true, this is not a horrible matchup for him. He is going to face some heavy blitzing against a 49ers defense that has a great sack rate but when Goff faces a team with a sack rate of four percent or higher, he has gone 15-4 ATS in his career. The Lions defense has gotten a lot of heat as it is considered a big weakness but they come in as the No. 1 ranked DVOA defense against the run and they will gladly accept having Brock Purdy beat them. The big story here is the status of 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel who is listed at 50/50 which likely means he will be playing and we probably will not know a definite answer until right up to gameday and with this number, it is based on him playing so if ruled out, it will likely come back down under a touchdown. 72 percent of the money is on the Lions yet the line has moved the opposite direction and that is actually a good sign as public money has not really entered the picture yet. 10* (321) Detroit Lions

This is a play on the TORONTO RAPTORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Toronto has lost four straight games while failing to cover any of those and it hits the road following a 20-point home loss to the Clippers. The Raptors are 6-16 on the road but they have covered 10 of those games which is a direct relation to being undervalued based on the numerous moves they have made. Despite being 13 games under .500, Toronto is just -2.4 ppg in scoring margin as it is top 20 in both offense and defensive efficiency. Atlanta has equally lost four straight games while also failing to cover any of those and despite being the worst ATS team in the league at 11-34, they continue to be overvalued. The Hawks are coming off the loss to Dallas where they gave up 73 points to Luka Doncic and are home favorites again where they have gone 1-11 ATS. They will keep any team in the game as the Hawks are No. 29 in defensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage defense. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after allowing 115 points or more in two straight games going up against an opponent after a loss by 15 points or more. This situation is 73-37 ATS (66.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (527) Toronto Raptors

This is a play on the BALTIMORE RAVENS for our AFC Championship Winner. Baltimore has been one of the more dominating teams in recent memory when it comes to metrics and after toying with the Texans last week, the Ravens poured it on in the second half. They are peaking at the best time and most importantly in January, they are close to as healthy as they have been all season. Baltimore is 14-4 overall and it has not been a soft 14-4. The Ravens have gone 7-2 against playoff teams, not counting the Week 18 loss against the Steelers where they rested starters, winning those games by an average of 17 ppg. At home, Baltimore had 10 games and all were against teams that finished above .500 and again, not counting that last Pittsburgh game, it went 7-2 with the two losses coming on last second field goals. The Ravens are ranked No. 1 in total DVOA including No. 1 in Defensive DVOA which puts the Chiefs in a bad matchup. Kansas City snuck out of Buffalo with a win thanks to a last second field goal and the Chiefs are now entering their sixth straight AFC Championship but arguably this is the weakest of the six teams. They outscored opponents by just over five ppg and did not face nearly the same gauntlet that Baltimore did. The Chiefs are 3-4 against playoff teams and played only nine games against teams with a winning record including just three on the road with the two wins coming at Jacksonville and Buffalo while losing to Green Bay. The lone hesitation here is going against Patrick Mahomes who is now 8-3 as an underdog but this is the first instance of a game against a team this stacked and in a situation like this. 10* (320) Baltimore Ravens

This is a play on the FAIRFIELD STAGS for our MAAC Game of the Month. Fairfield has won three straight games including a solid victory over St. Peter's to improve to 6-2 in the MAAC and this is not a real surprise as the Stags were picked to finish in the top third of the conference and they have been on a longer-term heater. They did have a bumpy start to the season as they opened 1-6 but fur of those losses were on the road and the stretch culminated with a home loss against Iona but Fairfield has gone 11-1 since then and most impressive is that seven of those wins were on the road. This is just the Stags fifth home game since December 1 and this is the big one. Quinnipiac opened MAAC with a loss at Canisius but it has won seven straight in the conference since then to grab a one game lead over St. Peter's and Fairfield for first place. The Bobcats do have four blowout wins but were far from dominant in the other three games and this is their biggest test in the MAAC thus far. They played a soft nonconference schedule and the three teams that they did play with a pulse resulted in losses to Massachusetts, Yale and Florida. 10* (852) Fairfield Stags

This is a play on the RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Rutgers returns home following a 23-point loss at Illinois which was its second loss to the Illini this season. The Scarlet Knights have been horrible on offense as they are No. 328 in three-point percentage, No. 349 in shots inside the arc, and No. 329 in free throw shooting but they do have players capable of going off as four have scored at least 23 points in a game. Rutgers is 9-1 at home and the old RAC has been a tough place for opponents as they are 23-7 at home over the past two seasons, 33-11 at home over the past three seasons and 51-12 at home over the past four seasons. Purdue has won four straight games since losing at Nebraska and all have been blowouts but this is a tricky spot going to a small venue and while the Boilermakers do have three blowout wins on the road, they have lost twice, the other coming at Northwestern in their Big Ten Conference Opener. Purdue has a revenge game rematch against the Wildcats on deck which adds to the difficulty of this situation, especially winning by margin as the recent victories are overinflating this number. 10* (844) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

This is a play on the CLEVELAND ST. VIKINGS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Cleveland St. is coming off a brutal loss on Thursday against Wright St. as it blew a double-digit lead with six minutes remaining and lost in overtime by eight points. The loss snapped an 18-game home winning streak for the Vikings and this is a great bounce back smash spot after falling to 5-5 in the Horizon League. They opened this season 10-0 at home and realistically should still be undefeated here but the defeat only get the fuel on fire to get it back before heading out on a three-game roadtrip. Robert Morris got off to a horrible start this season, going 4-11 in its first 15 games with two wins being non-Division 1 victories and the other wins coming against Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis PA which are No. 324 and No. 344 in the NET rankings respectively. The Colonials have responded with wins in three straight and four of their last five games but three of the wins were at home, two coming in overtime including one against 0-10 Detroit and the third home win was against 2-9 IUPUI and the Jaguars were also the victim of the only road win. 10* (846) Cleveland St. Vikings

This is a play on the CS FULLERTON TITANS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. CS Fullerton opened Big West Conference action with a win at Hawaii then went on to lose four straight games but the Titans have rebounded with two straight wins on the road, a huge upset at Santa Barbara last Saturday and then a narrow win at Cal Poly on Thursday which should have them fired up here after that lackluster effort. Of those four losses, three came against UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Davis, all of which sit atop the conference at 7-1. Fullerton is just 4-3 at home but it has not been here much, having played five of its last seven games on the road. CSU Bakersfield has had a similar conference start although it has been the hotter of the two as it started 0-5 before winning its last three games. The Roadrunners also lost to those three top aforementioned teams but were not nearly as competitive but they are now on a 5-0 ATS run. The win over CS Northridge on Thursday was their first road win of the season after opening 0-8 and this is nothing new as going back, CSU Bakersfield is 7-35 in its last 42 road games. 10* (820) CS Fullerton Titans

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Milwaukee became the first team to fire its coach this season despite being 30-13 and sitting just 3.5 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference at the time. The Bucks won their first game with interim head coach Joe Prunty against Cleveland but lost the rematch with the Cavaliers last night and despite hiring Doc Rivers as the new head coach, Prunty will coach again Saturday. Milwaukee has failed to cover 11 of its last 13 games and this is helping keep this number within reason. The Bucks are 10-3 this season coming off a loss. New Orleans is coming off a bad loss last night as well as it fell by 24 points against Oklahoma City at home and while this could be a good bounce back opportunity, not in this spot at this place. The Pelicans are just 5-5 over their last 10 games following a four-game winning streak and they are currently tied with Phoenix for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. They have been pretty solid on the road this season but continues to struggle against the top teams as New Orleans is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 road games when playing against teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .700. 10* (514) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the FRESNO ST. BULLDOGS for our MWC Game of the Year. Air Force snapped an eight-game losing streak with a surprising 32-point win at UNLV as a 10.5-point underdog to pick up its first win in the Mountain West Conference. That was actually the fourth road win of the season for the Falcons which is another surprise as they have never travelled well but the other three wins were against South Dakota, Portland and Long Island which are No. 304, No. 306 and No. 352 in the NET rankings. The win over the Rebels was solid but Air Force is now being overvalued because of it. Fresno St. is also 1-5 in the conference as it too has played a top heavy schedule and it is coming off a great effort against Boise St. in a four-point loss on Tuesday. The Bulldogs started 5-1 at home but has lost three of its last four here although one of the other two came against Nevada and the third against Portland St. was by three points in overtime. While the conference and overall records are identical, Fresno St. has faced a schedule ranked No. 130 while air Force has faced the No. 267 ranked schedule. 10* (776) Fresno St. Bulldogs

This is a play on the ARIZONA ST. SUN DEVILS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. We started selling Arizona St. following a four-game winning streak and it has lost three of its last four games but now comes into a fantastic spot Saturday night. The Sun Devils were blasted by Oregon on Thursday by 19 points to fall to 5-3 in the Pac 12 Conference but this league is still very wide open with only a game and a half separating seven teams. At 11-7, Arizona St. is outside the bubble despite playing a schedule ranked No. 13 as it lacks quality wins and it cannot afford to lose any bad games like this one. Oregon St. is coming off a monumental upset on Thursday as it defeated Arizona by three points as an 18.5-point underdog, its first win over a top ten team since 2015. This was a total fluke as it caught the Wildcats looking ahead to their game at Oregon on Saturday. That was the first Quad 1 win for the Beavers and they are still tied with USC for last place in the conference. While they are 10-2 at home, of the other nine wins, three were in overtime, five were against garbage teams and the other against USC. 10* (787) Arizona St. Sun Devils

This is a play on the WOFFORD TERRIERS as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. We lost with Wofford on Wednesday as it was drilled at home against Chattanooga by 14 points which was its second straight loss following a three-game winning streak. The Terriers are now 4-3 in the Southern Conference and they remain home which has now turned into a big game as they travel to conference-leading Samford in their next game. That was the first home loss for Wofford after opening 7-0 and this will definitely be a test but the line is factored into that. Furman is coming off a massive win over Samford on Wednesday which snapped the Bulldogs 17-game winning streak to pull to within one game of first place in the conference. The Paladins have caught fire as they are getting healthy and have won five straight games following a 0-2 start in the SoCon. They are in a tough spot here however coming off that win and hitting the road where they are just 1-6. Four of their five games during the winning streak have been at home with the lone road win coming at 1-6 VMI. 10* (774) Wofford Terriers

This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Tulane is coming off a loss at UTSA on Wednesday by a point as a 5.5-point favorite as the Roadrunners hit the winning three-pointer with two seconds remaining. The Green Wave shot 62 percent from the free throw line which was surprisingly bad as it came in as a top 70 team from the stripe. They are now 3-4 in the American Athletic Conference with two losses by a point, the other coming against Florida Atlantic. Tulane is 1-4 in Quad 1 and 2 games but a solid 10-3 in Quad 3 and 4 games and that latter group is where this one falls into. Charlotte opened C-USA action with a loss at SMU but the 49ers have won their last six games while gong 5-1 against the number, missing the one cover by a point. Not much was expected from Charlotte in its first season in the AAC after coming over from C-USA so the fact it is in first place with Florida Atlantic is a big shock but we should see the regression. The 49ers opened 0-4 on the road and has won two straight but those were against the bottom ranked teams in NET rankings. 10* (702) Tulane Green Wave

This is a play on the BAYLOR BEARS as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Baylor is in a smash spot as it has been off for a week following a pair of road losses at Kansas St. and Texas by a combined six points. Those came after a 3-0 start in the Big 12 Conference which included an impressive nine-point win over BYU which is No. 5 in the NET rankings. Now at 13-4 overall, the Bears return home where they are 10-0 and while they have gone 3-4 in Quad 1 games, they are undefeated against all other teams and TCU falls into a Quad 2 game. The Horned Frogs moved to 3-3 in the conference following a rather unimpressive five-point win at Oklahoma St. which is winless in the Big 12 at 0-6. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and that was the third road win on the season but the first two came at Georgetown and Hawaii, neither of which were quality. TCU has played a fairly soft schedule that is ranked No. 121 in the country and its 12 Quad 3 and 4 wins is the most in the conference but the horned Frogs are just 1-5 in Quad 1 games. 10* (712) Baylor Bears

This is a play on the STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LUMBERJACKS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. After a 1-3 start in the Western Athletic Conference, California Baptist has won four straight games to move to 5-3 and it was not guilty of a lookahead against Texas Rio Gande Valley but now it takes a big step up in class here. All three of those previous wins came at home where the Lancers are 9-3 and the Thursday win was just the third on the road this season with the other two wins coming at UC Riverside and Southern Utah which are No. 266 and No. 273 in the NET rankings. Stephen F. Austin is coming off a tough two point loss against 18-2 and 8-1 in the WAC Grand Canyon but there is no time for a letdown as the Lumberjacks are now 5-3 in the conference, good for a three-way tie for second place. The loss snapped a four-game home winning streak and that was the second conference loss at home, both coming by two points with the other loss coming at Utah Tech by five points. The Lumberjacks have played a schedule ranked No. 218 compared to the No. 327 ranked slate for the Landers. 10* (674) Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

This is a play on the EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES for our Sat. CBB Early Dominator. We won with Evansville on Tuesday as it easily covered against Northern Iowa but it lost outright for a 0-2 roadtrip. Evansville has bottomed out after a strong start to the season as it opened 10-2 but has now lost seven of its last eight games with the lone win coming against last place Valparaiso. The Purple Aces have faced a brutal start to the schedule in the Missouri Valley Conference as five of their seven losses have come against five of the top six teams in in MVC in Net ranking. Evansville is back home where it is 7-2 and comes in a perfect 8-0 in Quad 4 games. Illinois St. has won two straight games to move to 4-5 in the conference with those two wins snapping a six-game losing streak. The Redbirds picked up a rare road win last Saturday at Missouri St. to improve to 2-4 on the highway, the only other win coming against 1-8 Illinois-Chicago. Despite being just one game under .500 in the conference, Illinois St. is the second lowest ranked team in the NET rankings as its five Quad 3 losses are tied for the most in the MVC. 10* (632) Evansville Purple Aces

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA SOONERS for our CBB Star Attraction. Following a 23-point loss at Houston last Wednesday which was its first Big 12 Conference loss, Texas Tech returned home and bounced back with a win over BYU. The Red Raiders remained perfect at home at 11-0 and they are in first place in the conference at 4-1, a half-game ahead of four teams. They are back on the road where they are 1-2, the one victory being a solid one over Texas, one of two Quad 1 wins compared to three losses in Quad 1 games. Oklahoma fell to 3-3 in the conference with a home loss against the Longhorns on Tuesday by 15 points which snapped a two-game winning streak. That was the first home loss for the Sooners which opened 11-0 at the Lloyd Noble Center and they are in a great bounce back spot here. Oklahoma has the same 2-3 record in Quad 1 games as the Red Raiders while sitting just one spot behind Texas Tech in the NET rankings. The Sooners need it to avoid falling under .500 with two tricky road games on deck. 10* (656) Oklahoma Sooners

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Following a home loss to Georgia 11 days ago, South Carolina has won two straight games including a big home upset over Kentucky on Tuesday. The Gamecocks moved to 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference which is now one game behind Auburn and Alabama for first place. That was just the first Quad 1 win for South Carolina and despite a 16-3 record, it is only No. 51 in the NET rankings mostly due to a soft schedule. The win not only sets up a letdown spot but the Gamecocks have a game at Tennessee on deck. After a 7-2 start to the season, it has been a rough go of it for Missouri as it has lost nine of its last 10 games with all of the losses against major conference teams. This includes a 0-6 start in the SEC but the Tigers are coming off a solid effort at Texas A&M in a six-point loss. The game was decided at the free throw line with the Aggies outscoring Missouri 27-7 so home cooking was on display. This is another good spot facing the still celebrating Gamecocks which remain overvalued. 10* (623) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES for our CBB Signature Enforcer. The most experienced team in the Atlantic Ten Conference has hit a wall as St. Bonaventure has dropped two straight games, both on the road, and four of its last five to fall to 2-4 in the conference and it has to take advantage of these next two home games with a game at Dayton to follow. The Bonnies return home where they are 6-2 which includes a conference loss to Fordham and the only other loss coming against Canisius by three points. The Bonnies are an excellent shooting team including No. 64 in the country in three-point shooting and more importantly, they are No. 14 in the nation in free throw shooting. They catch a St. Joeseph's team that has stabilized itself after a 0-3 start in the conference by winning its last three games but two of those were at home and the last win came as Massachusetts by a point on a last second layup. That was just the second road win for the Hawks which are now 2-4 in true road games, albeit the other road win was at Villanova but that was way back in November and catch the Bonnies at the wrong time. 10* (888) St. Bonaventure Bonnies

This is a play on the TORONTO RAPTORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Clippers are coming off a three-game sweep of their recent homestand culminated with an 11-point win over the Lakers. Los Angeles improved to 19-4 at home and it hits the road for a seven-game roadtrip where success has not been the same as the Clippers are 9-10 and even though they have been solid as road favorites, this is not the spot. They head to Boston tomorrow so there is the lookahead to that and it is exemplified more that it is a revenge spot after the Celtics came to Los Angeles and won by 37 points in December. Toronto has lost three straight games following an eight-point loss to Memphis as a seven-point chalk and now the line has flipped. The Raptors have been sellers by getting rid of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby to build for the future but they got pieces in return for the present that still makes this a talented roster. Toronto remains home after a solid rest of three days off and catches the Clippers at the right time. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points allowing 114 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after scoring 120 points or more in two straight games. This situation is 97-55 ATS (63.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (564) Toronto Raptors

This is a play on the CANISIUS GOLDEN GRIFFINS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Canisius has been one of the biggest disappointments in the MAAC as it is off to a 2-6 start but four of those losses have been on the road. The Golden Griffins have played only six home games where it is 4-2 with the two losses coming within the conference against Fairfield and St. Peter's which are a combined 12-3 in the MAAC. Three of the four home wins have been average but the one exception is a 20-point win over 6-1 Quinnipiac and a home sweep against Manhattan and Marist this weekend is imperative. They are on a 0-7 ATS run which adds to a must play at home. Manhattan was not expected to do much this season as it was picked to finish No. 10 in the 11-team conference and it has not exceeded any expectations. The Jaspers have lost nine straight games including six within the conference where they are now 1-6 with the only win coming by just one point at home against Mount St. Mary's. Manhattan is 2-7 on the road with the two wins coming against Bryant and Central Connecticut St. by a combined six points. 10* (884) Canisius Golden Griffins

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Los Angeles has gone 8-14 since winning the In-Season Tournament including a loss against the Clippers on Tuesday which was considered a road game but still in the same building so there is no disadvantage for travel. This is the last home game before playing the next six games on the road so this is one the Lakers need. They were without LeBron James in the last game but he is expected to return tonight following three days of rest. Los Angeles is 15-8 in its 23 home games including wins in five of its last seven. Chicago lost in Phoenix on Monday by two points as it stayed within the number to make it three straight covers. The Bulls fell to 7-14 on the road which includes a 3-13 record as underdogs and while they are 7-9 against the number in those games, they are 3-6 ATS when getting between 3.5 and 9 points. Chicago will once again be without Zach LaVine who is out for at least two weeks with a sprained ankle which is not good for an offense that is No. 22 in efficiency. Here, we play on favorites in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams with a +/- 3 ppg differential, after a loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 75-34 ATS (68.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (556) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the CSU NORTHRIDGE MATADORS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. CSU Northridge opened December with a loss at Northern Colorado but then went on to win its next seven games including a 3-0 start in the Big West Conference. Since then however, the Matadors have lost three of their last four games with two of those losses on the road and the home loss against UC Santa Barbara. They lost at UC Riverside last Saturday by 19 points and they are back home in a much needed get right spot before going back on the road for two more games after Thursday and the Matadors are 7-2 at home. CSU Bakersfield snapped a five-game losing streak to open conference play with a pair of wins at home last week against UC Riverside and Cal Poly by 14 and 12 points respectively which moved it to 6-2 at home. The Roadrunners now hit the road where they are 0-8 but they have been respectable of late with the last two losses coming in overtime against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara. They have covered four straight games heading into Thursday. 10* (836) CSU Northridge Matadors

This is a play on the IDAHO VANDALS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Idaho is coming off a loss at Weber St. by 23 points but it was a horrible spot as the Wildcats were on a three-game losing streak and the Vandals look to break their own winless streak. They have dropped five straight games after opening Big Sky Conference action with a win against Sacramento St. and they are now off to a 1-4 start in the conference. Idaho was on a 5-0 ATS run but has gone 0-7-1 against the number in its last eight games and is back home where it is 5-5 but all five of those losses have come against teams with a winning record. Northern Arizona opened 0-3 in the conference but it has won two straight games to move out of the basement. Both of those wins were at home where the Lumberjacks are 5-0 but they come in just 3-9 on the road including losses in five straight and they were on a recent stretch similar to the Vandals. Prior to the two recent home covers, Northern Arizona had eight straight non-covers which did and still includes six straight on the road. 10* (812) Idaho Vandals

This is a play on the WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Western Kentucky fell to 2-3 in Conference USA after a pair of tough losses at New Mexico St. and UTEP and all three of those conference losses have been on the road but all by two or fewer possessions. The Hilltoppers are had to break in a new starting five under a new head coach and it has been pretty solid with a 13-6 overall record with the other three losses also coming away from home. Western Kentucky is back in Bowling Green where it is a perfect 8-0 and ready for another big rebound. Florida International is off to a 2-2 start in the conference following a loss at Liberty which came after a pair of home wins over New Mexico St. and UTEP to make it a 3-0 ATS run. The Panthers remain on the road where they are 1-6 in true road games and 1-9 overall away from home with the only road victory coming against Houston Christian which is ranked No. 340 in Adjusted Efficiency Margin. This is the second of three straight road games and similar to the loss against the Flames, this is a bad time at the wrong place. 10* (788) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

This is a play on the TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY VAQUEROS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. After a 1-3 start in the Western Athletic Conference, California Baptist has won three straight games to get over .500 but finds itself in a tough spot on Thursday. All three of those wins came at home where the Lancers are 9-3 and they hit the road where they have only two wins this season and have lost three straight. The recent run is good for an expected middle of the conference team but they could be in lookahead mode with a game at 5-2 Stephen F. Austin on deck while coming in on a 1-4 ATS run on the road. Overall, they have played a schedule ranked No. 329. Texas Rio Grande Valley had a rough start to the season as it opened 3-9 with two of those wins coming against non-Division 1 teams and the other coming against Texas A&M-CC by just a bucket but the Vaqueros have been playing a lot better. They have gone 3-4 over their last seven games which is not impressive record-wise but two of those losses came by a combined six points while a loss against 5-2 Stephen F. Austin by just seven points. 10* (780) Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our AAC Game of the Year. North Texas heads home following its first American Athletic Conference loss as it went down by 12 points in Charlotte, which sits in first place in the conference at 6-1. The Mean Green had won six straight games overall prior to that defeat and have a chance for a quality win and move back within a half-game of the 49ers. They are a perfect 8-0 at home and are coming off their worst offensive output of the season with just 44 points thank to a 1-17 effort from long range but bring in a defense that is ranked No. 30 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. SMU is also 4-1 in the AAC as it is riding a three-game winning streak all coming by double-digits ad it now heads back on the road where it is a respectable 3-2 with the two losses coming by a combined five points. The Mustangs are 9-0-1 ATS over their last 10 games which is playing into this number in addition to their 13-4 record overall. They lost to then 4-0 Memphis in their only true road test in the conference and head here at a bad time. 10* (762) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the CLEVELAND ST. VIKINGS for our CBB Revenge Dominator. Wright St. and Cleveland St. both snapped two-game losing streaks to get back over .500 in the Horizon League and the Vikings have the advantage of remaining at home in the middle of a three-game homestand. They are coming off a win over IPFW to get to 5-4 in the conference and they remain perfect at home with a 10-0 record compared to their road struggles at 2-8. One of those losses was in the first meeting in Dayton by 12 points so there is revenge in play as well as avoiding losing the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Raiders rolled over Milwaukee by 14 points to also move to 5-4 in the conference and while motivation will be here as well, the road has not been mind to them either. Wright St. is 2-6 on the highway and while both of those wins were within the Horizon, both were against teams with a losing record. The Raiders have a great offense that is No. 34 in Adjusted Efficiency Margin but they make up for it with a horrible defense that is ranked No. 344 in Efficiency and it gets even worse on the road. 10* (768) Cleveland St. Vikings

This is a play on the SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. San Jose St. is off to a 1-4 start in the Mountain West Conference following a road loss at Fresno St. which came by three points and three of its four losses have been by a combined eight points including a three-point home loss against San Diego St. The Spartans are now facing another overvalued team and they do bring in a solid 4-1-1 ATS run which has them under the radar. The loss to the Bulldogs dropped them to 1-6 on the road and prior to the Aztecs loss, the Spartans were 5-2 at home. New Mexico is off to a 16-3 start but is in a tough spot. After suffering a loss against St. Mary's to fall to 1-1, New Mexico reeled off 11 straight wins and we have seen this before. The Lobos opened last season 14-0 but closed 7-10 down the stretch as the soft nonconference schedule caught up to them. Following the 11 straight wins, the Lobos lost at Colorado St. and they then lost again on the road at UNLV but they have won three straight games to get to 4-2 in the conference and have home games on deck against Nevada and Boise St. 10* (740) San Jose St. Spartans

This is a play on the WASHINGTON ST. COUGARS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Washington St. is back home following a weekend split against Stanford and California and the Cougars remain at .500 in the Pac 12 Conference at 4-4. The loss to the Golden Bears on Saturday snapped a three-game winning streak with all three of those wins coming as underdogs which includes a win here against Arizona. The Cougars are 9-1 at home with the lone loss against Oregon and they will be out for recent revenge following a loss in Salt Lake City by 22 points to open conference play, their biggest loss of the entire season. Utah is coming off a pair of home wins against Oregon St. and Oregon as it continues to take advantage of a huge home court advantage where it is now 11-0. The Utes are just 1-3 on the road and while it was an impressive win over St. Mary's, the Gaels were not the same team they are now. Utah is 5-3 in the conference with the home team going a perfect 8-0 in those games and it is 1-9 in its last nine conference road games going back to last season, only beating Oregon St. 10* (736) Washington St. Cougars

This is a play on the NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Northwestern returns home following a loss at Nebraska which was its second in its last three games to fall to 4-3 in the Big Ten Conference. The Wildcats are 10-1 at home with the lone loss coming against Chicago St. by a bucket as that was a game they just did not show up for. They have won all three of their Big Ten home games with two upsets as home underdogs against Purdue and Michigan St. and they will be out for another upset over a rival and one they will be up for following a 30-point loss in Champaign to open the month. Illinois has won two straight games including a 23-point win over Rutgers on Sunday to improve to 5-2 in the conference. The Illini improved to 10-2 at home and hit the road where they are 2-2 with the two wins against teams ranked lower than Northwestern. The Illini got Terrance Shannon, Jr. back in the last game against the Scarlet Knights after he missed six games because of a legal issue so they at back at full strength which will be great going forward but not in this spot. 10* (728) Northwestern Wildcats

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Milwaukee became the first team to fire its coach this season despite being 30-13 and sitting just 3.5 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are coming off a pair of wins over Detroit but both were unimpressive and this is the game to break out as teams typically step up in the first game with a new coach and the matchup situation calls for that even more. Milwaukee is 0-5 ATS in its last five games and has failed to cover 10 of its last 11. Prior to the games against the Pistons, the Bucks lost by 40 points to Cleveland setting up the big revenge angle. Cleveland has now won eight straight games, covering seven of those, but only two of those have been on the road coming against struggling Atlanta and Orlando. The Cavaliers have moved up to the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference and they are a respectable 12-7 on the road but are walking into a pissed off place tonight. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points failing to cover the spread in eight or more of their last 10 games, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 83-43 ATS (65.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (536) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Miami has dropped three straight games and made a big roster upgrade, acquiring Terry Rozier and shipping out Kyle Lowry which is going to pay dividends. The Heat are just 24-19 and tied for No. 6 in the Eastern Conference, and they rank No. 20 in offensive rating and this is a big game to get right with Boston on deck and while that could be a lookahead, not with a team that has lost three straight games. Memphis is coming off a win at Toronto by eight points as a seven-point underdog and despite that, this is a team that looks to be cashing it in sooner rather than later. The Grizzlies have actually been better on the road than at home but are in a tough spot here. Memphis has slowly been losing its top players as it has been without Ja Morant for eight games, Marcus Smart for six games, Desmond Bane for five games and the Grizzlies have gone 2-3 since those three have been out together. Here, we play on teams with a +/- 3 ppg differential after a blowout loss by 15 points or more going up against teams with a -3 to -7 ppg differential. This situation is 48-20 ATS (70.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (532) Miami Heat

This is a play on the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE for our CBB Star Attraction. Alabama had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 20-point loss at Tennessee and that was just another big wake up call. That was the fifth Quad 1 loss for the Crimson Tide and while they are still a very strong team that has had to face the No. 6 ranked schedule in the country, they have to improve upon their lone Quad 1 victory which was against Oregon. Alabama is back home where it is 10-1 but has not really been tested but we are banking on the Crimson Tide stepping up, especially in a big rivalry game. Auburn has won 11 straight games following a win over Mississippi and most impressive, every one of the wins have been by double digits and while it does include some solid wins over four top 100 teams, the highest ranked was against No. 37 in terms of Adjusted Efficiency Margin. The Tigers are now 16-2 overall including a 5-0 record in the Southeastern Conference but this is just their fourth true road game of the season with the biggest test against No. 80 Appalachian St., which they lost. 10* (712) Alabama Crimson Tide

This is a play on the DETROIT PISTONS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Detroit remains the worst team in the NBA but there are winnable games and this is one of those and a great spot for it to happen. The Pistons have lost three straight and 10 of their last 11 games since their last home win at the end of December against Toronto but they have been competitive as they are 7-4 ATS in those games. Detroit has struggled against the tougher Western Conference but are a respectable 14-11-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is coming off a big upset at Minnesota despite Karl Anthony-Towns putting up 64 points as the Timberwolves decided not to play defense as the Hornets shot a season-high 56.8 percent from the floor and their 128 points is the second most they have scored this season. This is now a big letdown off the win and now without their top player Terry Rozier and Charlotte is 1-8 following a win while going 2-13 straight up following a cover, going 4-11 ATS in those games. Here, we play against road teams revenging a home loss of 10 points or more going up against an opponent off a home cover where the team lost straight up as an underdog. This situation is 36-14 ATS (72 percent) since 1996. 10* (530) Detroit Pistons

This is a play on the FURMAN PALDINS for our SoCon Game of the Month. After starting the season 6-9 including going 0-2 to open Southern Conference action, Furman has won four straight games and a big reason for this is that the Paladins are finally healthy. Their top three scorers missed time with Alex Williams missing five games and All SoCon First Team players J.P. Pegues and Marcus Foster missing three and nine games respectively. Now, they are all back and fully healthy. They are still under the radar and at a buy low price and while three of the recent wins have come against the three worst teams in the conference, this team will be dangerous going forward. Samford remains undefeated in the conference at 6-0 following a win over Mercer which moved the Bulldogs to 13-0 at home. They hit the road where they are 4-2 with the two losses coming in their first two games of the season at Purdue and VCU so riding a 17-game winning streak, they are the hottest team in the country which puts them in an opposite sell high position and a perfect time to go against them as this is not sustainable. 10* (676) Furman Paladins

This is a play on the WOFFORD TERRIERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Wofford is coming off a loss at UNC Greensboro which snapped a three-game winning streak and the Terriers are now 4-2 in the Southern Conference. The other loss was at Western Carolina by four points and the road has not been great with a 4-5 record but they have played a tough schedule away from home. Wofford returns home where it is 7-0 but not overly impressive with the three conference wins coming by just five points but the value is here. Chattanooga has won two straight and four of its last five games to move to 4-2 in the Southern Conference which is good for a four-wat tie for third place in the conference. Three of the four Mocs wins in the SoCon have come against three teams with a combined 3-15 record while the other came against Furman when the Paladins were still not at full strength. The two losses were by 15 and 16 points, one of those on the road at Samford where they are 4-5 with the other two wins coming in nonconference games at Louisville and Alabama A&M. 10* (696) Wofford Terriers

This is a play on the EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. We are going contrarian with Northern Iowa which is off a non-cover win against Southern Illinois. It was an uneven start for Northern Iowa as it opened 2-6 but two of those losses were in overtime, another by a bucket and one against North Carolina. The Panthers have gone 9-2 since then with the losses at Toledo by four points and against Indiana St which is probably the top team in the Missouri Valley Conference. The run has swelled this number and Northern Iowa is also in a bad spot with games at Drake and Bradley up next, both of which are also in the mix at the top of the conference. Evansville has bottomed out after a strong start to the season as it opened 10-2 but has now lost six of its last seven games with the lone win coming against last place Valparaiso. The Purple Aces have failed to cover their last five games so this is a great contrarian spot despite the recent road struggles where they have lost all by double digits but did cover two of those. 10* (641) Evansville Purple Aces