Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the WASHINGTON WIZARDS for our NBA Sunday Enforcer. Philadelphia has come out of the break with a pair of wins but those were against Chicago and Orlando, two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Going back further, the Sixers have won seven straight games which started with a 13-point win at home against Washington and that puts the Wizards in a solid revenge situation explained later. Six of those seven wins have come at home where Philadelphia is 19-10 but comes into this game two games under .500 on the road. Washington upset Cleveland in its first game after the break but lost by 17 points at home against Charlotte the next night. The Wizards have held their own without John Wall as they are 8-3 in the 11 games since he has been out and going back, Washington is 8-0 ATS in its last eight home games coming off a loss by 10 points or more as a favorite. Two situations are in play here. First, we play on home teams revenging a road loss of 10 points or more, off a loss by 15 points or more as a favorite. This situation is 80-39 ATS (67.2 percent) since 1996. Second, we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 after two or more consecutive wins, playing on back-to-back days. This situation is 77-39 ATS (66.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (810) Washington Wizards

This is a play on the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS for our CBB Sunday Supreme Annihilator. We won with Nebraska on Tuesday as it defeated Indiana to improve to 12-5 in the Big Ten, yet the Huskers are still on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament. They are one of the last four teams out due to a lack of quality wins, but the schedule did not give them many opportunities. They do have solid home wins over Michigan and Maryland where they are 15-1 on the season, the lone setback coming against Kansas by a single point. The Big Ten is in a down year with the bottom half of the conference lacking strength but Nebraska is fifth in the conference RPI and can still plays its way into the tournament as long as it does not lose any more winnable games, including this one. Penn St. is also on the bubble as it is coming off a pair of losses and hits the road for the final game of the season where it is 4-6 on the season. The Nittany Lions do have a good road win at Ohio St. but that is it and they are short-handed today. They will be without third leading scorer and leading rebounder Mike Watkins who was injured last game after playing just five minutes. Nebraska has covered 10 of its last 11 games at home and if the Huskers can win, they would break a school record for most conference wins in a season. 10* (834) Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our CBB Sunday Revenge Massacre. The Connecticut basketball program has taken a big fall as it is in danger of a second straight losing season after winning the National Championship in 2014. The Huskies are coming off a 25-point loss at Cincinnati and while a loss was expected there, they were without leading scorer Jalen Adams who missed the game with the flu, but he will be back today. They have struggled on the road but are a solid 10-4 at home with three of those losses coming against Villanova, Cincinnati and Wichita St., which are No. 2, No. 11 and No. 12 in the RPI respectively, and the fourth coming against 10-5 Tulsa by a bucket. Connecticut is 6-1 at Gampel Pavilion this season with that loss coming against the Bearcats. Memphis has been up and down this season but is coming off its most impressive stretch as it is riding a three-game streak with all of those victories coming as an underdog. This is keeping this line in check along with the fact Connecticut has lost five straight against the number. The Tigers are 12-25 ATS in their last 37 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. While the Huskies have some bad road losses, the worst came at Memphis back on January 16th where they lost by 24 points as they were held to a season low 49 points and that will have them jacked up for this rematch. 10* (818) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS for our CBB Sunday Enforcer. It has been a disappointing season for Rutgers and while that is usually said every year in Piscataway, this year was supposed to be different. While Rutgers won just 15 games last season, it was more than twice as many victories from the previous season. It lost seven Big Ten games by single-digits after losing 15 conference games by double-digits the previous season and it brought back four starters. A 10-3 start had things looking bright but an overtime loss again Stony Brook sent them reeling and the Scarlet Knights never recovered. They have shown signs of what they are capable of with a two-point loss to Purdue and an overtime loss at Michigan St. and with this being the final home game of the season, we will see a full out effort today. Illinois is coming off a great effort against Purdue but fell short at the end for the upset in its final home game of the season. The Illini are 0-10 on the road, getting outscored by over 10 ppg and Rutgers has added motivation from a 31-point loss in Champaign last month. The Illini are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Scarlet Knights are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (824) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

This is a play on the SACRAMENTO KINGS for our NBA Saturday Enforcer. The Kings came out of the break with a strong effort against Oklahoma City only to fall short as they lost on a last second three-pointer. Going back, they have covered four straight games including a pair of competitive losses on the road at Minnesota and Houston. Sacramento is tied with five other teams for the fewest wins in the league with 18 and while it has struggled as a home underdog, this is the smallest number it has gotten at home all season which tells a lot. Sacramento is 12-3 ATS in its last 15 games off a cover where the team lost the game straight up as an underdog. The Lakers are coming off a blowout win at home against Dallas last night and while it marked the return on Lonzo Ball, he will not play tonight as he will rest. Los Angeles has been a road favorite twice this season, losing both times outright by 11 points here in Sacramento and by 22 points in Orlando. The Lakers have also struggled playing with no rest, going just 2-7 which includes a 1-5 record when the second game is on the road. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 after a loss by three points or less going up against an opponent after scoring 105 points or more. This situation is 56-29 ATS (65.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (516) Sacramento Kings

This is a play on the UTEP MINERS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. It has been a turbulent season for UTEP as it had to endure the unexpected retirement of head coach Tim Floyd while dealing with several injuries along the way. The Miners are fully healthy now and are coming off a win over Louisiana Tech on Thursday. This is the final home game of the season for UTEP and it will be a special one on Senior Night as Jake Flaggert, Keith Frazier, Omega Harris and Matt Willms have combined to play in 433 games and score 3,257 points. UTEP is 8-8 at home and needs a victory to avoid posting only its second losing mark over a full season in the Haskins Center. Southern Mississippi has dropped three straight games including another loss on the road Thursday against UTSA. The Golden Eagles are just 2-10 in true road games and have covered just one of their last five games on the highway. UTEP will be out to avenge a loss at Southern Mississippi last month and it is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games revenging a loss where the opponent scored 75 or more points while going 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games after a win by six points or less. 10* (672) UTEP Miners

This is a play on the FLORIDA GATORS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. It has been an up and down season for the Gators which are now 8-7 in the SEC following three straight losses. All three of those were by five points or less including the last two on the road while the lone home loss came against Georgia in overtime. Florida is 10-5 at home this season and one defeat from equaling the most home losses by a Florida team in 21 years. The Gators are 34-14 ATS in their last 48 games after failing to cover the spread in three or more consecutive games. Auburn is coming off a 90-71 blowout of rival Alabama, but just four nights earlier was beaten handily 84-75 on the road at South Carolina, which at the time had lost six straight games. It has been a remarkable season for the Tigers as they are on the verge of clinching their first SEC regular season championship since 1999. The Tigers could again be without second leading scorer Mustapha Heron who is battling the flu and is not close to 100 percent. Auburn is not very big to begin with, so the Gators will have the advantages down low. 10* (668) Florida Gators

This is a play on the BYU COUGARS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. This is the final regular season home game for BYU as it is coming off a three-game roadtrip where it went 2-1. With the BYU win against Portland and Pacific losing to San Francisco on Thursday, the Cougars clinched the No. 3 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament. They are 13-2 at home including a 7-1 record in the conference, the only loss coming against St. Marys in overtime. The Cougars are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games following three or more consecutive road games. Gonzaga continues to rack up the victories as it has won 10 straight games but has been far from dominating. The Bulldogs are just 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games and while most of those were laying big numbers, the competition was not good. They did pick up a win and cover against the Gaels, but they were underdog there and are now laying a larger than expected number against a quality team in a very tough environment. BYU has held its own in this series over the years including a respectable eight-point loss in Spokane earlier this month. The Bulldogs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (660) BYU Cougars

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA SOONERS for our CBB Game of the Month. While Oklahoma is still projected to make the NCAA Tournament, its stock is going down quickly as it has lost six straight games including a 30-point loss at Kansas on Monday. Four of these recent losses have come on the road and the Sooners return home where they are 11-2 on the season. After a 5-1 start in the Big XII, they have lost nine of their last 11 games in the conference and the first defeat in this streak came at Kansas St. by 18 points which was their biggest loss of the season prior to the Kansas game. The Wildcats have been a bit of a surprise as they have put together a solid run as their win over Texas on Wednesday was their 20th of the season and ninth in the conference. Kansas St. has won and covered three straight games, but it has gone 0-6 ATS this season following three or more consecutive wins. This has been a home dominated series with the host taking the last six meetings which helps with the contrarian angle today. As mentioned, this is a revenge game for the Sooners and going back, they are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 games playing with revenge. 10* (612) Oklahoma Sooners

This is a play on the AIR FORCE FALCONS for our CBB Saturday Enforcer. We played on Air Force in its last game and the Falcons failed to cover by a bucket against San Diego St. They remain home today as the competition takes a step down and they look to snap a three-game slide. Two of those losses came on the road previous to the Aztecs loss and Air Force is still a game over .500 at home. The Falcons have covered five of their last six games at Clune Arena and will be out to avenge a 71-49 loss in Logan last month. Utah St. has dropped two straight games to fall a game under .500 in the Mountain West Conference and while it has been solid at home, the road struggles continue. The home team is 20-6 in Aggies games this season with Utah St. going just 2-10 on the highway. The Aggies lost their only game this season when favored on the road and going back, they are 0-6 ATS in their last six road games after scoring 85 points or more. Meanwhile, Air Force is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games after three or more consecutive losses. 10* (580) Air Force Falcons

This is a play on the CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS for our CBB Saturday Star Attraction. After a stunning loss against the Red Storm, Villanova bounced back with a blowout win over Butler only to lose its next game at Providence. The Wildcats have responded with two dominating wins over Xavier and DePaul as they are keeping pace with Xavier for first place in the Big East. Creighton has been in a funk as it has not covered a game since January 23rd, going 0-6 ATS over that stretch. The Bluejays have lost three straight conference games including two at home, their only home losses of the season. Creighton is part of a logjam of five teams that are separated by a game and a half between third and seventh place in the conference. Included in this money-burning run was a 20-point loss at Villanova and the Bluejays have gone 28-15 ATS in home revenge games under head coach Greg McDermott. Additionally, Creighton is 17-6 ATS in its last 23 home games following two straight conference losses including 6-0 ATS in its last six while going 7-0 ATS in its last seven home games after allowing 80 or more points. 10* (562) Creighton Bluejays

This is a play on the GEORGIA BULLDOGS for our CBB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. LSU has won two straight games, but both of those games were at home where the Tigers have won five in a row. The road has been a different story however as after winning their first two SEC games, they have gone 0-5 in their last five road games. They could be without their top big man as Duop Reath is listed as questionable after injuring his ankle last game and even if he does go, he will not be 100 percent. Georgia is coming off a loss at South Carolina to fall back to three games under .500 in the conference. Despite this, the Bulldogs are still in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth as they are going to have to win out and make at least a small run in the SEC Tournament. A loss here against a non-quality opponent will end their chances making this a must win game at home where they are 10-3 on the season and own quality wins over Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. LSU is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games following a conference home win while the Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (542) Georgia Bulldogs

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS as part of our NBA Ultimate Trifecta. San Antonio closed the schedule before the All-Star Break with a loss at Denver and their first game out of it comes in the same venue. The Spurs are still an exceptional home team, but they are just 13-18 on the road and the last time they beat a team with a winning record was back on December 20th in a victory over Portland. Since then, their six road wins have come against the Kings (twice), Knicks, Nets, Grizzlies and Suns, none of which are sniffing the playoffs. LaMarcus Aldridge missed the meeting last week and while he will be back tonight, his return is not worth a four-point line swing. Denver has won three straight games and six of its last seven to remain in sixth place in the Western Conference, but it is just a game and a half away from ninth place so keeping up its home dominance is a must. The Nuggets are 23-7 at home thanks to an offense that is averaging 110.5 ppg, seventh highest in the NBA. They are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (816) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS as part of our NBA Ultimate Trifecta. Toronto rolled into the All-Star Break with a seven-game winning streak and it owns the best home record in the league at 24-4. That is being taken into consideration in this line and the Raptors have been below average against the better teams as they are 9-14 ATS against teams with a winning record including a 2-6 ATS mark in their last eight. Toronto has a two-game lead over Boston in the Eastern Conference and while it deserves to be where it is, the Raptors are overvalued in this particular matchup. The Bucks won five of their last seven games before the break including three of four on the road and while those three wins came against below average teams, the Bucks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Milwaukee has not been an underdog this big in over a month and that was without Giannis and it has been an underdog of five or more points only six times and in the five games Giannis played, the Bucks are 4-1 ATS including an ATS winner in Toronto on January 1st that ended up going to overtime. 10* (807) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the INDIANA PACERS as part of our NBA Ultimate Trifecta. This line came out late due to the questionable status of Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder, but he has been upgraded to probable which is actually a good thing as it is keeping this line within reason. Indiana won nine of its last 12 games prior to the break and with the Cleveland loss last night, the Pacers are just a game and a half back in the Central Division. They are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a game behind Washington and with their 20-11 home record, they need to take these very winnable games. Atlanta dropped two straight games and four of its last five prior to the break and remains on the road where it is just 5-24, the worst road record in the NBA. The offense remains abysmal as the Hawks have shot under 44 percent in six of their last eight games including five straight on the road. The Pacers are 16-6 ATS as favorites of fewer than 8.5 points while going 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games against teams with a losing road record. Additionally, we play against underdogs that are revenging a loss of 10 points or more, off two road covers where the team lost straight up as an underdog. This situation is 62-30 ATS (67.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (804) Indiana Pacers

This is a play on the CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. It has been a tough season for both Washington St. and California as they are tied for last place with 2-12 records. The road has been the problem for both sides, namely Washington St. which is 0-9 on the highway, the lone winless team in the Pac 12. Additionally, the Cougars have failed to cover any of those true road games, losing by an average of nearly 20 ppg. Washington St. snapped seven-game losing streak with a win over Colorado last Thursday but followed that up with a loss to Utah and it is just 4-11 ATS following a loss this season. California last lost three straight games but progress has been made as the defense has steadily improved over the last several games, with three of the Bears' last four home games decided by single digits, and two of California's last three losses coming by just four points. The Golden Bears have covered three of their last four games and are now a conference favorite for the first time, but it is for good reason. 10* (628) California Golden Bears

This is a play on the CAL IRVINE ANTEATERS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. The race for the Big West championship is alive for five teams that are separated by two games including Santa Barbara and Irvine. The Anteaters have won six of their last seven games to get back into the race and they can take over first place with a victory tonight. The lone loss over this stretch came by just one point at home against Hawaii which was their second home conference loss, the other coming by three points. Prior to this recent run, Irvine lost in Santa Barbara by 12 points, so revenge is in play as well. The Gauchos lost their last game against UC Davis which was their first home loss of the season and snapped an eight-game overall winning streak. Irvine falls into a dominant situation where we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are outrebounding opponents by seven or more rpg, after a game outrebounding opponent by 20 or more. This situation is 40-14 ATS (74.1 percent) since 1997. 10* (626) Cal Irvine Anteaters

This is a play on the CHICAGO BULLS for our NBA Thursday Enforcer. The All-Star Break came at a bad time for Philadelphia as the Sixers were riding a five-game winning streak prior to the time off. That can take away some positive momentum and that streak may have been skewed to begin with as all those games were at home where the Sixers are 18-10 compared to just 12-15 on the road. They have won just three of eight games as road favorites and are laying an exceptionally big number tonight. Additionally, the Sixers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. The Bulls closed the first half with a loss against Toronto to fall to 2-2 on their current homestand which includes an impressive win over Minnesota. They are three games under .500 at home, the same as the Sixers on the road, and they have been better of late, going 11-8 in their last 19 home games. Chicago falls into a great contrarian situation as we play on home underdogs failing to cover the spread in eight or more of their last 10 games going up against an opponent after having covered five or six of their last seven games. This situation is 82-42 (66.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (558) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on the DREXEL DRAGONS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. Drexel is back home for its final homestand of the season as it hosts Delaware tonight and concludes the regular season against UNC-Wilmington Saturday which provides a chance to gain some momentum heading into the CAA Tournament. Sixth place is still in play which would give Drexel a first-round bye. The Dragons are coming off a three-game roadtrip against the top three teams in the conference so the fact all three resulted in losses was no surprise. They are 4-3 in home conference games with only one of those losses coming by more than five points and they own two impressive wins over 1st place Charleston and 2nd place Northeastern. Delaware snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over Elon last Saturday. The Blue Hens are 2-6 on the road in the CAA with those wins coming by three points total against James Madison and UNC-Wilmington. They have struggled in these spots as they are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (582) Drexel Dragons

This is a play on the COLORADO BUFFALOES as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. USC and Colorado have had very similar runs of late as the home team is 7-0 in the last seven games for both teams. The Buffaloes have seen this more so through out the entire season as the host is 20-3 in their 23 games not counting four neutral court games. They are coming off a pair of losses in Washington last week to fall to 7-8 in the conference and are in bounce back mode to get back to .500. There is added motivation for Colorado here as well. In the first meeting, USC coach Andy Enfield called timeout with just 21 seconds remaining and a 12-point lead but made no substitutions. He was making a statement toward Colorado head coach Tad Boyle who made statements about Enfield being involved in the current FBI investigation and after the game, Boyle said he and his players would not forget the slight. USC won its last two games at home but suffered a big loss as second leading scorer Bennie Boatwright was lost for the season with a knee injury. The Trojans are just 3-4 on the road in the Pac 12 with two of those wins coming Oregon St. and California which are a combined 7-21 in the conference. In 19 games as a home underdog under Boyle, Colorado is 14-5 ATS. 10* (770) Colorado Buffaloes

This is a play on the UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. While winning the MWC championship is no longer possible for the Rebels, they can still finish in the top four and earn a first-round bye in the upcoming tournament which would be a huge accomplishment. UNLV went just 11-21 last season including finishing in last place in the conference at 4-14 so it has been a great rebound. The Rebels are coming off a 38-point loss at San Diego St., but they have not dropped consecutive conference games this season as they are 5-0 following up a defeat and most surprising is that four of those wins came on the road. UNLV is 13-4 at home and the Rebels are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Fresno St. is one of the six teams that is vying for the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the conference as the Bulldogs have won and covered four straight games and now have an identical 19-8 record as the Rebels. Despite this, Fresno St. is 6-8 ATS in the conference with one of those wins coming against UNLV at home as a 4.5-point favorite which gives us value on the Rebels in this revenge game. 10* (766) UNLV Runnin' Rebels

This is a play on the AIR FORCE FALCONS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. It has been a down year for San Diego St. as it is 15-10 overall including a 7-7 record in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs have won two straight games but those were both at home and the venue has played a big role in their conference games as the home team is 12-2 in those 14 games. Despite this, they are laying their biggest number on the highway with a lot of this based on their history and not the current situation. Air Force is having another Air Force type of season as it is 4-9 in the conference, but it has been a tough recent schedule as six of its last nine games have been on the road. The Falcons have won their last two home games and has been competitive as they have covered all four MWC home games against winning teams. In seven seasons under head coach Dave Pilipovich, Air Force is 8-0 ATS as a home underdog of 6.5 to 9 points. Additionally, the Falcons are 7-1 ATS this season when coming off a double-digit loss. Meanwhile, the Aztecs are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (762) Air Force Falcons

This is a play on the SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SULUKIS for our CBB Wednesday Enforcer. Southern Illinois has played its way back into the MVC conference championship hunt thanks to wins in eight of its last nine games. Loyola-Chicago has already clinched a share of the championship nut the Salukis could still earn a piece of the title if they win their last two regular-season games and the Ramblers their last two games. Southern Illinois is 13-2 at home this season and has won its last seven games at SIU Arena and still comes in as a home underdog. This is the final home game of the season for the Salukis which will honor four players on Senior Night. The Ramblers have been playing just as well with five straight wins and have clinched their first ever conference championship. They have been profitable with a 16-7-1 ATS record but this is only the second time they have been favored on the road against a winning team. In the first meeting, Loyola-Chicago shot 56 percent from the floor, never trailed, and led by double digits the entire second half in a 79-65 win. Southern Illinois has won all five games this season when playing with revenge. 10* (736) Southern Illinois Salukis

This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. New Mexico and Wyoming come in with identical 8-6 conference records with both doing most of their damage at home. The Cowboys beat San Jose St. on Saturday to snap a two-game skid and they have failed to cover their last three games which adds value to the number tonight. Wyoming is 12-3 at home which includes impressive wins over Nevada and Boise St., the two top teams in the conference. The Cowboys can move into fourth place in the conference with a victory which comes with a first-round bye in the upcoming MWC Tournament. They will be out for revenge after suffering a loss at New Mexico last month and going back Wyoming is 15-6 ATS in its last 21 games revenging a loss. The Lobos defeated Utah St. in its last game which also snapped a two-game slide, but they hit the road where they have won just twice this season and while one of those was a solid win against UNLV, the other came at San Jose St. by just three points. New Mexico is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of .600 or greater while going 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games after shooting 50 percent or better in two straight games. 10* (538) Wyoming Cowboys

This is a play on the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. Nebraska suffered a huge loss this past weekend as it fell to Illinois, the second lowest ranked team in the conference RPI, and that will make it difficult to make a case for the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers were already on the outside looking in and remain one of the last four teams out despite possessing 20 wins including an 11-5 record in the Big Ten. It shows how down the conference is this season so for any late run into the tournament, Nebraska cannot lose any more winnable games and that includes this one. The Huskers return home where they are 14-1 on the season, the only loss coming against Kansas by a point. Indiana won its fourth straight game on Saturday, but the Hoosiers are much further down in the rankings and those four wins came against the four worst teams in the conference. Indiana is just 2-6 ATS on the road against winning teams while Nebraska is 9-2 ATS at home against teams with a winning record. Additionally, Indiana is 4-17 ATS in its last 21 road games after scoring 80 points or more while Nebraska is 13-1 ATS in its last 14 games after playing a game as an underdog. 10* (528) Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a play on the TEXAS A&M AGGIES as part of our CBB Ultimate Trifecta. Despite possessing a losing record in the SEC, Texas A&M is a projected No. 5 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament as it has a very high RPI and has played the No. 7 ranked schedule in the country. Injuries and suspensions hurt the Aggies to open the conference season as they lost their first five games but have gone 6-3 since then. They are coming off a pair of losses but both of those were on the road against projected tournament teams and they bring in a five-game SEC home winning streak. Mississippi St. has a better record, both overall and within the conference, but the Bulldogs are on the outside looking in, so they must finish strong and make a run in the SEC Tournament. The problem is they have played the easiest schedule in the conference and they have won only one road game all season. On a plus side, they have covered seven straight games but that gives us the contrarian angle with the public favoring Mississippi St. here. The Bulldogs are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while Texas A&M has covered four straight road games. 10* (518) Texas A&M Aggies

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA SOONERS for our CBB Monday Star Attraction. Oklahoma was the talk of college basketball after a 14-2 start, but it has fallen on hard times since mid-January. The Sooners have lost eight of their last 10 games including their last five to fall to 6-8 in the Big XII while failing to cover eight straight contests. That is inflating this line as Oklahoma is getting the most points the entire season and Kansas has not shown the ability to blow out many teams this season. The Jayhawks are 12-3 at home and those three losses are the most in a season under head coach Bill Self. Kansas has won only one conference game this season by more than eight points and that was on the road at rival Kansas St. The Jayhawks have covered just three of their last 15 home conference games while going just 3-7 in their last 10 games following a win. Additionally, Oklahoma falls into a solid situation where we play on road teams that are coming off two consecutive double-digit conference losses, playing their 3rd game in a week. This situation is 55-28 ATS (66.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (715) Oklahoma Sooners

This is a play on the CINCINNATI BEARCATS for our CBB Sunday Star Attraction. Cincinnati is coming off its first loss since early December when it dropped back-to-back games against Xavier and Florida, ending a 16-game winning streak. It was a tough loss against Houston as the Bearcats usual tough defense allowed 48 percent shooting from the floor and that is not good news for Wichita St. as it is catching the best team in the AAC at the absolute worst time. The Bearcats own the longest home winning streak in the nation at 39 games and they are still in control of winning their first outright conference championship since joining the AAC in 2014. This number is right in the wheelhouse for the Bearcats as they are 10-2 ATS when favored between 3-15 points. Wichita St. is coming off a win over Temple, its third straight victory to move to within two games of Cincinnati in the conference. The Shockers are 4-0 on the road in the AAC but none of those wins are worth anything. Believe it or not, this is the first time Wichita St. has been an underdog all season which says something about the schedule it has faced. The Shockers are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (862) Cincinnati Bearcats

This is a play on the SETON HALL PIRATES for our CBB Sunday Supreme Annihilator. Seton is coming off a loss at Xavier which was its fourth straight loss and put the Pirates at 6-7 and in sixth place in the Big East. They are still No. 3 in the conference RPI and No. 23 in the country so they are not in jeopardy of losing out on an NCAA Tournament bid. Not yet. A loss here would be bad as they still have games at Providence and at home against Villanova and Butler. Seton Hall is 12-2 at home this season and has won 14 of the last 16 home games overall. Furthermore, the Pirates have won 13 of their last 17 Big East home games and six of the last eight at The Rock. Despite the losing streak, the Pirates have done a great job of protecting the basketball over the last four games, averaging just 8.5 turnovers. DePaul has lost four of its last five games and seven of nine to fall to 3-10 in the conference. The Blue Demons have the lowest RPI in the conference and going back, they are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games in the second half of the season against teams averaging 77 or more ppg. 10* (846) Seton Hall Pirates

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI REBELS for our CBB Saturday Enforcer. Mississippi lost at home to Arkansas on Tuesday to make it six straight losses and non-covers for the Rebels in what is turning into a disaster of a season. They are now 4-9 in the conference with no hope of going to any postseason tournament so there are only two meaningful games left in the regular season. The final home game to honor its four seniors and head coach Andy Kennedy who is leaving after this season and this one, a rivalry game against hate Mississippi St. The schedule has been brutal as Mississippi has played the No. 8 ranked schedule in the nation overall and within the conference. This is the fifth straight Saturday the Rebels have had to play on the road and now at least this one is meaningful. Mississippi St. has been a pleasant surprise this season even though it has lost its last two games. Both of those were on the road and tough to recover from as the Bulldogs lost at Missouri in overtime and at Vanderbilt by a point. Despite having the third fewest losses in the SEC, the NCAA Tournament will not be calling as they have played the easiest schedule in the conference. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are coming off a home conference loss going up against opponent off two consecutive road losses of five points or less. This situation is 39-13 ATS (75 percent) since 1997. 10* (635) Mississippi Rebels

This is a play on the LASALLE EXPLORERS for our CBB Atlantic Ten Game of the Year. It has been an ugly season for LaSalle as it has just 10 wins including four in conference action but today should be a wakeup call. The Explorers have dropped three straight games including a home loss against St. Bonaventure last time out, but they have been solid at home with an 8-3 record as the road has been the real problem where they are just 1-9. Closing out games has been an issue as well as the Explorers held double-digit, second-half leads in six consecutive games but came up short in four of those. The contrarian angle is in play as well as LaSalle has failed to cover five straight games heading into Saturday. George Mason has won its last two games and is now just a game under .500 in the Atlantic Ten but falls into a tough situation today. The Patriots have covered their last four games, also a contrarian angle, but they are not a good road team and going back, they are 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a winning home record. The tow contrarian angles mentioned are part of a great situation where we play on favorites after failing to cover the spread in four or more consecutive games going up against an opponent after successfully covering the spread in four or more consecutive games. This situation is 96-49 ATS (66.2 percent) since 1997. 10* (528) LaSalle Explorers

This is a play on the IOWA HAWKEYES for our CBB Saturday Star Attraction. Indiana hits the road following a pair of home wins over bottom-feeder Illinois and depleted Minnesota to extend its winning streak to three games. The Hoosiers are now a game over .500 in the conference and 15-12 overall but are not even sniffing a berth into the NCAA Tournament as the Big Ten is weak overall and Indiana is ranked No. 105 in the RPI. The last win over Illinois came by 10 points and going bac, Indiana is 0-7 ATS in its last seven road games following a double-digit win while going 4-13 ATS in its last 17 road games after scoring 17 or more points in two straight games. Iowa has lost four straight games but three of those were on the road against teams that are gunning for the NCAA Tournament while the home loss came against Michigan St. The Hawkeyes are just 2-5 at home within the conference but all five losses have come against Big Dance guarantees or hopefuls with the two victories coming against non-postseason teams by double-digits. Iowa will be out for revenge following a 13-point loss in Indiana earlier in the season and going back, the Hawkeyes are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (526) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a play on the BUTLER BULLDOGS for our CBB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. We played on Butler earlier this week as it was coming off a pair of tough losses against the two top teams in the conference, but the Bulldogs did not show up against Georgetown, losing as an 11.5-point favorite. While their NCAA Tournament projection may look safe, that is hardly the case as Butler needs to turn things around with just four games left. This has been a good spot as Butler is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 home games following a conference loss by six or more points as a favorite. Providence pulled off a shocker on Wednesday as it defeated Villanova as a 9.5-point home underdog which came right after losing at home to DePaul as a 7.5-point favorite. This is a huge letdown spot and the Friars have struggled on the road with the three victories coming against teams that will not be in the postseason. Additionally, we play on teams in a game involving two teams allowing between 67 and 74, after allowing 85 points or more in three straight games. This situation is 30-10 ATS (75 percent) since 1997. 10* (510) Butler Bulldogs

This is a play on the ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES for our CBB Friday Enforcer. With a win over Richmond last weekend and with the loss by Cincinnati last night, Rhode Island owns the longest active winning streak in the country with 16 straight victories. The Rams have also won 21 consecutive games in the Atlantic Ten which is by far the longest streak in the conference, but the latest victory did not come without a scare. Second leading scorer E.C. Matthews left the last game with a knee injury and while he is listed as questionable tonight, it would be smart to sit him based on his past injury history. St. Bonaventure has won seven straight games to move into a tie with Davidson for second place in the conference. With just five games left, catching the Rams will not happen but locking down second place is the goal as to avoid them until the conference tournament finals should they make it that far. St. Bonaventure is 10-1 at home which includes wins in its last 10 games after a season opening loss and it has covered five of its last seven games at the Reilly Center. Rhode Island is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 road games when the line is between +3 and -3. 10* (802) St. Bonaventure Bonnies

This is a play on the LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS as part of our CBB Thursday Ultimate Three-Pack. Santa Barbara has reeled off seven consecutive wins to take over first place in the Big West Conference, but it has been a relatively easy road as the Gauchos have played the second easiest conference schedule. They are coming off a win at UC-Davis which may seem impressive, but the Aggies were without Big West Player of the Year candidate Chima Moneke who has been suspended for a violation of NCAA rules. The Gauchos remain without third-leading scorer Jalen Canty who has been suspended for a violation of team rules. Long Beach St. was on a 5-1 run before heading home for a four-game homestand, but the 49ers dropped two of the first three games and are now a game and a half out of first place in the conference, so a win here gets them right back in the mix with another meeting against Santa Barbara in the beginning of March. Long Beach St. hits the road for three straight road games after tonight which makes this a near must win. The 49ers are 27-13 ATS in their last 40 home games after failing to cover three of their last four games against the spread. 10* (558) Long Beach St. 49ers

This is a play on the USC TROJANS as part of our CBB Thursday Ultimate Three-Pack. USC got off to an 8-2 start in the Pac 12 but a recent three-game roadtrip, where it went 0-3, brought it back into the pack of eight teams that are separated by one game between 2nd and 9th place. The Trojans return home where they have won five straight games, covering four of those, and they are in need to stop the bleeding to avoid falling outside the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. They are currently projected as a No. 11 seed and are one of the last four teams in so winnable games must be won from here on out. Oregon is just a half-game behind USC, but the Ducks are a long way out from the NCAA Tournament because of a very weak schedule played. The Ducks are coming off a pair of home wins over Washington and Washington St. where they are 13-3 but just 3-3 on the road. The defense stepped up in those two games, but Oregon is 0-6 ATS in its last six games after allowing 60 points or less in two straight games including a loss at Stanford by 35 points earlier this month. Meanwhile the Trojans are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (548) USC Trojans

This is a play on the WASHINGTON HUSKIES as part of our CBB Thursday Ultimate Three-Pack. Washington is one of five teams projected to get into the NCAA Tournament which is a great accomplishment after winning only nine games all last season including just two within the conference. The Huskies were in much better position a week ago, but they were swept in their trip to Oregon including a tough overtime loss at Oregon St. on Saturday. Washington is 13-2 at home and has covered four of its last five and with this number, a win means a cover. Utah is one of the last eight teams projected to not make the Big Dance, so these games are all important for the Utes. They are 7-6 in the conference and the venue has made a big difference as the home team is 8-1 in the last nine games. The Utes showed a great defensive effort in the last two home games but going back, they are 3-12 ATS in their last 16 road games after two straight games allowing 37 percent or less shooting. There is motivation on the table for Washington which has lost the last five meeting against Utah including an eight-point loss in Salt Lake City last month. Look for revenge tonight as the Huskies grab another quality win. 10* (552) Washington Huskies

This is a play on the SETON HALL PIRATES as part of our CBB Wednesday Ultimate Three-Pack. Looking at consensus reports gives us a good idea of where the public is leaning, and this game is the most one-sided of all college games tonight. Xavier is the overwhelming public play as it has risen to No. 4 in the country in the AP Poll and it has a half-game lead over Villanova in the Big East Conference. The Musketeers are 15-0 at home and this number may seem short based on what they bring to the table, but the opponent is no slouch and Xavier is in a very tough spot. It is coming off a last second win at Creighton on Saturday with came after two overtime games and up next is a revenge home game against Villanova. Seton Hall has dropped its last three games to fall to 6-6 in the conference, and while a loss at Villanova was expected, the last two losses against Marquette and Georgetown are inexcusable. Still, the Pirates are No. 24 in the RPI as they own a pair of wins over RPI Top 25 teams as well as impressive road wins over Butler and Louisville. They are a projected No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament which does not correlate to their RPI ranking. 10* (771) Seton Hall Pirates

This is a play on the NEW MEXICO LOBOS as part of our CBB Wednesday Ultimate Three-Pack. The Mountain West Conference championship has come down to Boise St. and Nevada but there is a logjam between 2nd and 6th place as those five spots are separated just a half-game. New Mexico possesses one of those spots following a bad loss at Air Force on Saturday although the Falcons have shown some strong efforts at home. The Lobos have now lost two straight games following a 4-1 run and that lone loss came against Utah St. which sets up revenge motivation as well. New Mexico has failed to cover its last four games which sets up line value here and additionally, the Lobos are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Utah St. is coming off an upset home win over Boise St. which was just the third conference loss for the Broncos. The Aggies are now tied with New Mexico at 7-6 but they hit the road where they are just 2-9 on the season. They have not fared well against teams trying to rebound off a loss as they are just 1-7 ATS in eight games in this similar situation. 10* (764) New Mexico Lobos

This is a play on the CHICAGO BULLS for our NBA Wednesday Enforcer. Toronto is coming off a win last night against Miami at home by three points after nearly blowing a 17-point lead to extend its winning streak to six games. The Raptors are now a game ahead of Boston for first place in the Eastern Conference, but we can see a less than focused effort tonight as they are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a losing home record. Chicago is 2-1 on its current homestand as it is now a respectable 13-15 at home including an 11-7 record in its last 18 home games. The Bulls have lost the first three games of this season series to revenge is in play to avoid the sweep. Chicago is 14-5 ATS this season following a win and going back, it is 15-4 ATS in its last 19 games in the second half of the season against teams outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. Additionally, we play on home underdogs that have failed to cover the spread in eight or more of their last 10 going up against an opponent after having covered five or six of their last seven games against the spread. This situation is 82-41 ATS (66.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (712) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on the FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES as part of our CBB Wednesday Ultimate Three-Pack. Along with Auburn and Texas Tech, Clemson is one of the major surprises from the power conferences as the Tigers are coming off win No. 20 and are sitting in second place in the ACC. The loss of second-leading scorer Donte Grantham only affected Clemson for one game as it got blown out by Virginia but has since won four straight games after that. The one caveat over this recent winning streak is that three of those victories came against the three lowest-rated teams in the conference and the win over North Carolina came at home. Clemson has four road wins but the lone quality one came at Ohio St. early in the season when the Buckeyes had yet to peak. Florida St. is a game under .500 in the conference after a pair of losses against Notre Dame and Virginia but is still projected to make the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles are 10-2 at home with the two losses coming by four points each and are in a good spot facing a Clemson team that is playing their first tough road game without one of its top players. 10* (742) Florida St. Seminoles

This is a play on the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES for our NBA Tuesday Enforcer. Minnesota enters tonight on a three-game ATS losing skid, but we expect the outright win tonight meaning we get the cover as well. The Timberwolves defeated Sacramento in their last game on Sunday and while they did not cover, they were favored by 13 points and they have struggled as big favorites this season. Now they come in as home underdogs, a role they have been in three times this season, against Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Toronto and they won all three outright. The road team has only won once in Minnesota games in 2018 and that was when the Timberwolves beat the Clippers in Los Angeles as the home team is 21-1 in 22 games. Houston is riding an eight-game winning streak following a pair of home wins and while road wins during this streak include Cleveland an San Antonio, those two teams are not nearly on the same level as Minnesota presently. The Rockets are 9-4 ATS on the road against losing teams but just 5-7 ATS on the highway against teams with a winning record. Minnesota has covered 10 of its last 11 home games while going 5-0 ATS in its last five home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (506) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI REBELS for our CBB Tuesday Enforcer. Mississippi lost at LSU on Saturday which was its fifth straight loss and eighth loss on the road compared to no wins. The Rebels need a big run to end the season to make a postseason tournament and there is now plenty of motivation. Longtime Mississippi men's basketball head coach Andy Kennedy, who has the most wins in program history, announced on Monday that he will resign his post at season's end which puts a close to the longest tenured coach in the SEC. He has been one of the most respected coaches around and the players are going to rally around him tonight which happens to be his 400th game at Mississippi. While it has been a recent struggle, the Rebels are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games. Arkansas has won two straight games and remains in the hunt for a berth into the NCAA Tournament, but both of those games were at home where the Razorbacks are 13-1 on the season. They are just 1-6 on the road and the lone road victory came at Georgia in overtime, making the home team 19-2 in 21 non-neutral court games. The Razorbacks are just 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games while going 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (532) Mississippi Rebels

This is a play on the BUTLER BULLDOGS for our CBB Tuesday Supreme Annihilator. We played against Butler on Saturday as Villanova won and got the frontdoor cover to bounce back from a loss in its previous game. We are now backing the Bulldogs that are in a similar spot and even though revenge is not in play. They will not be taking the Hoyas lightly based on the fact the first meeting this season went to overtime. Butler has dropped two straight games to fall to 7-6 in the Big East, but it has played the third toughest conference schedule and all six of those losses have come against teams that will be making the NCAA Tournament. The seven victories, including one over Villanova, have been by an average of 14.4 ppg and the Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Georgetown is coming off an upset win over Seton Hall on Saturday which snapped a four-game losing streak as the Hoyas are ranked second to last in the conference RPI. While the win over the Pirates was impressive, the other three conference wins were against St. John's (twice) and DePaul, so it has been a tough season which continues tonight. 10* (514) Butler Bulldogs

This is a play on the TEXAS LONGHORNS for our CBB Monday Star Attraction. Texas is back home following a Saturday loss at TCU where they fell by 16 points, the second consecutive defeat for the Longhorns. They are now 5-7 in the Big XII but are still projected as an NCAA Tournament team after the weekend. Texas dropped back-to-back games for just the second time this year and first since November 24th and 26th and that first time was against Duke and Gonzaga and both of those were in overtime. The Longhorns are now 7-2 following a loss while covering six of their last seven games in this situation. Baylor comes in with an identical record as Texas and despite an upset win against Kansas on Saturday, the Bears are not projected to make the tournament field. The win over the Jayhawks helps but the strength of the RPI is still not great at No. 61 and this is a tough turnaround coming off that upset win where the fans stormed the court. The Bears are just 1-7 on the road with the lone victory coming at Oklahoma St. last Tuesday, the lowest ranked team in the conference RPI, which was the second of the current three-game losing streak. This game presents a letdown and after Baylor took the first meeting by nine points in Waco, it is time for Texas to return the favor tonight. 10* (718) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the DETROIT PISTONS for our NBA Monday Enforcer. The Pistons got off to a great start with the newly acquired Blake Griffin as they won their first four games, part of a five-game winning streak, but they have dropped their last two games including a game at Atlanta yesterday. Detroit is back under .500 and is now two games behind Philadelphia for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are back home where they are 18-11 on the season and they have had better success against the Western Conference, winning 11 of 20 games while going 12-7-1 ATS in those games. Detroit closes the first half with Atlanta on Wednesday making this an important two-game run before the break. New Orleans is coming off a win in overtime at Brooklyn on Saturday which snapped a three-game losing streak. The Pelicans have struggled since DeMarcus Cousins was lost for the season as they are just 2-5 in seven games. The still have hold on the eighth spot in the Western Conference but are just a half-game ahead of the Clippers and they are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (704) Detroit Pistons

The hottest team in the NBA is a team that not many would guess as the Jazz have won eight straight games and are now just two games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Utah is still just 11-19 on the road despite the recent surge and this is not a good spot tonight as it has won just six games as a road underdog. Portland is just two games behind Minnesota in the Northwest Division and for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. The Blazers have won two straight games following a three-game losing streak on the east coast. The recent schedule has been tough as seven of their last 10 games have been on the road and this is the first of consecutive home games for the first time in three weeks. Portland has Golden St. on deck so this is a big win situation but there will be no looking forward as that game is not until Wednesday, the final game before the All-Star Break. The Blazers have won nine straight home games and are a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last five at the Moda Center. 10* (816) Portland Trailblazers

This is a play on the SMU MUSTANGS for our CBB Sunday Enforcer. We have been not very high on SMU this season as it has been all over the place with great games followed up by poor performances. The one thing that holds true is that the Mustangs are an extremely tough team at home and while the Bearcats are known for their tough defense, SMU is not far behind. The Mustangs are third in the AAC and seventh nationally in scoring defense at 62.8 ppg. The Mustangs lead the AAC in three-point percentage (.404, 19th NCAA) while ranking second in field goal percentage (.464), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4, 30th NCAA), turnover margin (3.0, 39th NCAA), 3-pointers made (8.9), steals (7.5), turnovers (11.5) and turnovers forced (14.5). those numbers all get better at home where they are 13-1, the lone loss coming by a bucket against Temple. Cincinnati has won 15 straight games and has the third-best winning percentage in the country. That said, the Bearcats face their biggest road test of the season as their last quality game was at Temple, which resulted in a two-point victory as 7.5-point favorites. The Bearcats are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Mustangs are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (832) SMU Mustangs

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH PANTHERS for our Sunday Afternoon Dominator. It has been a long season for the Panthers as the rebuild continues as they are now 0-12 in the ACC following a 24-point loss at Clemson on Thursday, their third straight double-digit defeat. All of those losses were on the road however and all against teams ranked within the top 25 of the RPI. They return home where they are 7-7 and are coming off close defeats against potential NCAA Tournament teams Syracuse and NC State and we can expect a good home effort again today. The Panthers are shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 72.1 percent from the foul line in their eight wins so the potential is there. Louisville meanwhile is coming off a three-game homestand where it lost the first two games but came back with a blowout win over Georgia Tech Thursday night. The Cardinals are just 2-5 on the road and this is the first time all season they are in the role of laying points on the road. The Cardinals are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven road games following three or more consecutive home games while the Panthers are 13-2 ATS in their last 15 home games following three or more consecutive road games. 10* (822) Pittsburgh Panthers

We played against Milwaukee last night as they lost to Miami for the third time since January 14th but have gone 8-2 against everyone else over that stretch, both losses coming on the road against winning teams. They are in good position to get a bounce back victory tonight to potentially move into fourth place in the Eastern Conference depending on the Washington outcome. Milwaukee is just 12-15 on the road but 11 of those losses have come against teams .500 or better and the Bucks are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a losing home record. Orlando has won three straight games including a win over Atlanta in its first game since trading Elfrid Payton but the task will be a lot tougher tonight. The Magic are still without leading scorer Aaron Gordon which presents a tough matchup with the Bucks. Orlando is just 6-12 ATS this season when getting fewer than six points and it has covered only five times at home against teams with a winning record. Additionally, the Magic are 19-39 ATS in their last 58 games following a straight up win. 10* (503) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE for our SEC Game of the Year. Tennessee is rolling right now as after a win at Kentucky on Tuesday, it has won six straight games to retain its spot in solo second place in the SEC. The Volunteers win over Kentucky was impressive but it is the only victory in this steak that has come again a future NCAA Tournament teams as the other four SEC victories were against the bottom four teams in the conference and the other win came against 12-11 Iowa St. they are 6-2 on the road this season but again, only the Kentucky victory is against a team heading to the big dance. Alabama closed its two-game roadtrip on Tuesday with a 67-63 loss at Mississippi St. The game featured eight ties and 11 lead changes before the Bulldogs used a 6-0 spurt in the final two minutes to take control and captured its 16th win in 17 home games this season. Alabama is tied for the conference lead in the NCAA's Quadrant 1 wins with five (Home 1-30; Neutral 1-50; Away 1-75) and tied for second in the SEC in both Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 victories with nine. The Crimson Tide are a projected No. 9 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament so nothing is safe yet at this point. 10* (628) Alabama Crimson Tide

This is a play on the GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS as part of our CBB Saturday Ultimate Package. The Atlantic Ten has been a very competitive conference as besides Rhode Island running away with it, only four and a half games separate 2nd and 14th place. George Mason is a game ahead of George Washington and a win here could move the Patriots into eighth place. They are coming off a tough 67-66 loss at Fordham on Wednesday in the Bronx. George Mason led by as many as 17 points in the first half and 12 points in the second half, but Fordham hit 10 second half three-pointers to outscore the Patriots 44-33 in the period. The Patriots return home where they are 7-6 with all those losses coming against teams that are No. 5 or better in their respective conferences. One of the Patriots conference losses came at George Washington by 12 points so there is rivalry payback in store. The Colonials are coming off an upset win over LaSalle which ended a three-game homestand and they now hit the road where they are 0-7 on the season. All seven losses have been by double-digits and have come by an average of 19.4 ppg. Additionally, they could be without second leading scorer Jair Bolden who is in concussion protocol. 10* (588) George Mason Patriots

This is a play on the CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS as part of our CBB Saturday Ultimate Package. The hottest team in the Big East is no longer Villanova as it is now Xavier which has won seven straight games to take over first place in the conference by a half-game. The Musketeers are also the highest ranked conference team in the RPI but that will change after today. They are coming off a pair of overtime wins, the first coming last Saturday at home against Georgetown and then on Tuesday at Butler and those will be tough to come back from. Creighton is 18-6 including an 8-4 conference record that is good for third place in the standings. The Bluejays have faced a tough schedule that contains a nation-leading eight games against ranked opponents. Five of the losses came to teams that were ranked at the time, but the Bluejays are also one of 18 teams nationally with three wins over Top 25 teams. They are 13-0 at home with nine of those wins coming by double-digits. Creighton will be out for payback as well as it lost in Cincinnati by 22 points last month. The Bluejays are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (556) Creighton Bluejays

This is a play on the BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES as part of our CBB Saturday Ultimate Package. Boston College is not having a tournament worthy season but it has held its own in what was supposed to be another rebuilding year. The Eagles are 14-10 overall after finishing with nine wins all last season and they have already doubled their ACC victories from last season. They have that signature win over Duke, a strong win over Florida St. and a pair of losses against Virginia and Clemson, No. 1 and No. 4 respectively in the RPI, by a combined five points. Boston College is 12-2 at home with a loss to Virginia Tech in overtime being the other defeat in addition to that Clemson loss. The Eagles are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a winning road record. Miami enters Saturday riding a three-game winning streak with the victory over Virginia Tech being the only quality one of the three. The Hurricanes are 3-3 on the road in the ACC with one of those wins coming against 0-12 Pittsburgh while their three non-conference wins were against poor teams as well. The Hurricanes are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win. 10* (542) Boston College Eagles

This is a play on the VILLANOVA WILDCATS for our CBB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Villanova will be particularly motivated this afternoon as it will have lost its No. 1 ranking heading into next week but has business to take care of. The Wildcats had their nine-game winning streak snapped with a shocking home loss to St. John's on Wednesday, sending Villanova down to second place in the Big East Conference. In addition to this most recent loss, Villanova has its eyes on some payback against Butler. The Wildcats suffered their only other loss this season in Indianapolis as Butler nailed 60 percent of its shots in the victory in December, including 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from long range. Additionally, the Bulldogs snapped the Wildcats 48-game Pavilion home court winning streak last February by posting a 74-66 victory. Butler is also coming off a loss as it fell in overtime at home to Xavier to drop to 7-5 in the conference. The Bulldogs are 3-4 on the road with those three wins coming against teams a combined 10-25 in the conference. Going back, the Bulldogs are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record while the Wildcats are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up loss. 10* (522) Villanova Wildcats

We lost with Miami on Wednesday against the Rockets as it played as expected and while in had one more field goal and one more three-pointers, it was outscored 21-10 from the free throw line with nearly half of those points coming from James Harden. The Heat let the league hear about it so do not be surprised if they get some calls their way tonight. Miami has dropped five straight games to remain two games behind Washington in the Southeast Division and it is now in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. 11 of their last 16 games have been on the road and this is just the second time in 2018 that is has been able to play three straight games at home. Milwaukee has been rolling since it made a coaching change as it has won seven of eight games including three straight, the last two coming on the road. All three road wins during this streak have come against teams that are all at least six games out of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bucks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Heat are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (810) Miami Heat

The West Coast Conference is another league that is top heavy even though both St. Mary's and Gonzaga are overrated based on their name and public AP Ranking. That could make San Diego a tad overrated as it has played the Gaels and Bulldogs tough this season, but the Toreros are in a great spot tonight to make a move back up the conference standings. They are coming off back-to-back losses against Gonzaga and St. Mary's, but they were quality losses and that has been the case on the road all season. San Diego is 2-4 in the WCC on the highway with the four losses coming against the four teams that are ahead of it in the standings. The two road wins were against Loyola-Marymount and Portland which are two of the four worst teams in the WCC and now it faced the bottom of the barrel. Pepperdine won just nine games last season and lost four starters, so a long season was expected and that has come to fruition. The Waves have won only three games against Division I teams including just one victory in the conference, a one-point win over Marymount. Pepperdine is ranked No. 327 out of 351 teams in the RPI. The Toreros are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a losing home record while the Waves are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (583) San Diego Toreros

The Pac 12 is ranked last of the power six conferences as it consists of a bunch of overrated teams and others that have underachieved all season, including UCLA, USC and Utah. Records can be deceiving though. The Utes are 5-6 in the conference with two of those losses coming against Arizona and the only other home loss coming against Arizona St. Overall, they have played the toughest schedule in the conference, but they have a good chance to make a move as five of their last seven games are at home and the two road games are not overly difficult. Stanford comes in at 7-4 in the Pac 12 but five of those wins have come at home while one of those road wins came at 1-9 Washington St. The Cardinal are coming off a 35-point home win over Oregon in their last game and the recency bias is playing a role with the line here. Stanford is shooting just 64.4 percent from the free throw line on the road compared to Utah shooting 78.1 percent at home from the charity stripe and the difference equates to six ppg which is significant. The Cardinal are 10-24-1 ATS in their last 35 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Utes are 37-14-2 ATS in their last 53 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (548) Utah Utes

Charleston can get some separation with a win tonight over William & Mary which makes second place through fifth place wide open and that is where Towson can make a move starting tonight with a game against a lesser opponent and then three straight home games upcoming. The Tigers have been a bit of a disappointment this season as they are currently 6-6 in the CAA after finishing 11-7 last season and bringing four starters back. They are coming off a loss at James Madison which was their fifth loss in the CAA that has come down to the final minute, so things could be a lot better at this point. Being a road favorite may seem aggressive here, but Towson is ranked over 100 spots higher in the RPI than the Dragons. This conference is broken into two sections with six viable teams and the other four sitting No. 220 or worse in the RPI and that is where Drexel resides. The Dragons have won four straight games which does say something considering they won three conference games all last season but except for the last one, the others all came down to the final seconds. It was five straight losses prior to that for Drexel and going back, the Dragons are 9-19-1 ATS in their last 29 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (515) Towson Tigers

Wyoming lost to Fresno St. on Saturday at home by 18 points and a reason had to be the fact it was mentally and physically drained. The Cowboys had played three straight overtime games coming into that one and won all of them on top of it including handing Nevada its only conference loss of the season, so it was a difficult spot. That was just their third home loss of the season and this is one of the best home court advantages in the conference as the Cowboys are 28-6 in the Arena-Auditorium the last two seasons. They shot just 36 percent on Saturday and have now shot in the 30 percent range seven times this season. Wyoming has responded with over 44 percent from the floor five times and over 50 percent three of those times and it is a perfect 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a double-digit home loss. Utah St. has won and covered three straight games following a four-game losing streak. The Aggies are extremely thin right now as they as basically a six-deep team and that will eventually catch up to them. Third and eighth place are separated by just a game and a half in the MWC and Wyoming can keep a hold onto third place with a win here. 10* (750) Wyoming Cowboys

The Rockets won their fifth consecutive game last night in Brooklyn but overall, this current streak has not been great. They have defeated three of the worst teams in the NBA, a shorthanded Spurs team and a Cleveland team that is having major issues. Houston has been solid on the road this season, but the schedule has had a lot to do with that. Only nine of their 26 road games have come against that are currently sitting in a playoff spot and they have covered just four of those games. This has led to a schedule that is ranked No. 25 in the league and the Rockets are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games against teams with a winning home record. Miami meanwhile has dropped four straight games to fall two games behind Washington in the Southeast Division and it is now in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. 11 of their last 15 games have been on the road so it has been a tough stretch over the last month. A home loss against Orlando last time out was inexcusable but this has been an issue this season as the Heat have played up or down to the competition and we have definitely seen this of late as the Heat are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (704) Miami Heat

We lost playing against Virginia on Saturday as it did not have much problem with Syracuse as it held the Orange to 33.3 percent shooting including 19 percent from long range. The Cavaliers possess one of the top defenses in the country, but the challenge is greater tonight against a Florida St. team that is much more balanced and likes to push the pace. Virginia is in the midst of one of its best seasons in school history, riding a 14-game winning streak after their lone loss at West Virginia in early December and there has been no shortage of quality wins along the way but the longer this streak goes, the better the efforts they will be seeing from the opposition. Florida St. was riding a three-game winning streak before a loss at Wake Forest last Tuesday, which is ranked third to last in the ACC ahead of Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, but it responded with a big win at Louisville on Saturday. The Seminoles have just one loss at home, which was against the Cardinals, and could use more quality wins as the NCAA Tournament is no guarantee at this points with an RPI ranking of No. 42. The Seminoles hope to keep their winning ways over the Cavaliers, and have the confidence heading into the matchup. 10* (728) Florida St. Seminoles

The SEC is headlined by Auburn at 9-1 and Tennessee at 7-3 and after that, it is wide open. Only two games separate the next 11 teams meaning every team except for Vanderbilt is within three games of second place. That explains why right now, the conference is predicted to place eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. One of those is not Mississippi which is 4-6 in the conference following a recent 1-5 run. Four of those losses were on the road where the Rebels are 0-7 on the season and the one home loss came against first place Auburn. They are 10-4 at home including wins over Florida and Alabama, two of the expected tournament teams and they can make it a third tonight. The Rebels are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points. Missouri defeated Kentucky over the weekend, which was their second straight victory, to improve to 5-5 in the SEC. The Tigers won at Alabama last week which snapped a three-game road slide where they are 3-4 on the season and they have not won three in a row since early December. Expect a huge effort from the desperate Rebels tonight. 10* (556) Mississippi Rebels

Memphis looks to close out its four-game roadtrip by not going 0-4 and it is in a good spot to end it with a victory. The Grizzlies have struggled on the road this season as they have lost six straight games but the last five have come against teams sitting in current playoff spots and the other coming against the Clippers, which are just a half-game out in the Western Conference. Overall, Memphis has played the No. 8 ranked schedule in the NBA and going back, the Grizzlies are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. Atlanta is in the rare role of favorite tonight and is has been average, going 4-3 straight up and ATS when laying chalk. The Hawks are coming off a win in their last game, a three-point win on the road against the Knicks but winning streaks have been few and far between this season as they are just 2-13 straight up following a victory. The Hawks are 0-4 ATS in their last four games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (507) Memphis Grizzlies

We played on St. Joseph's last Wednesday and it fell short against St. Louis and that game was one many frustrating losses this season for the Hawks. They are 4-6 in the Atlantic Ten following another close loss at LaSalle on Saturday and of those six losses, five have come by three points or less while the other one came by just six points. The majority of these have been on the road and while St. Joseph's is 1-8 on the true highway, it has been outscored by just 4.2 ppg. The Hawks are ranked 66 spots behind Davidson which does not equate to a double-digit line. The Wildcats have won two straight games, and both were comfortable victories to move them to 7-3 in the conference which is good for solo second place. That is certainly part of the reason they are favored so big as is the fact it is 7-1 at home but the level of competition it has faced is suspect. The Wildcats have played the second easiest schedule overall in the conference and just over the halfway point, they have played the easiest Atlantic Ten schedule. 10* (521) St. Joseph's Hawks

Kentucky is back home following a loss at Missouri on Saturday to fall to 6-4 in the SEC, tied with Florida and Alabama for third place in the conference. The Wildcats are having a rare down season although there is nothing wrong with a 17-6 record and many teams would take that anytime. With the loss against Missouri, the Wildcats dropped from their No. 21 spot in the AP Poll, but they remain in the top 25 yet are a much better No. 16 in the most recent RPI. Kentucky is 42-9 under head coach John Calipari following a loss with those victories coming by an average of 14.7 ppg. Tennessee is playing as best as anyone in the SEC as it is riding a five-game winning streak and going back further, the Volunteers have won eight of nine games, starting with a 76-65 win over Kentucky, to charge into the rankings where they are currently No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the RPI. They are sitting in second place by themselves in the SEC and while a win here can provide some separation, this game is bigger for the home team which is playing with revenge and Tennessee has not won in Lexington since 2006. 10* (542) Kentucky Wildcats

Oklahoma lost at Texas on Saturday to make it five straight road losses for the Sooners including four in Big XII action, but we expect them to get things going the right way in a return home. The Sooners have been great this season coming off a loss as they are 4-1 following a defeat and heading home makes it a better spot as they are 11-0 in Norman. Oklahoma is 6-1 against ranked opponents and going back it is 13-1 during the Lon Kruger era in home games in which both teams are ranked. West Virginia has been in a funk with five losses in its last seven games and while the two victories have been blowout wins, both came at home following a loss. The Mountaineers opened the season with three road win, but they have dropped their last three, the last two coming by nine and 16 points. They like to slow things down but that will be a problem here as Oklahoma is fourth in the nation and first among major conferences in adjusted tempo rankings with 76.0. The Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (720) Oklahoma Sooners

By now you have heard that the Eagles are biggest underdog in the Super Bowl since 2009 and the dogs have ruled this game by going 11-4 over the last 16 Super Bowls (Super Bowl XLIX closed as a pickem). We were on the underdog last year, but overtime killed that, but we will be backing the underdog again this year based on Philadelphia possessing the better defense which has been a huge aspect in the outcome of this game. This is the eighth Super Bowl for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and they have gone 5-2 in the previous seven editions. The average margin of victory in those seven games is 3.7 ppg with the biggest margin of victory being six points from last season in overtime. There have been many better Patriots teams than this one, yet they have not been able to dominate the big game and we expect the same here as the Eagles present a huge challenge. The Eagles were not expected to make any sort of run after Carson Wentz went down but Nick Foles has been sensational, yet no one gives him a chance. He is coming off two great postseason games against Atlanta and Minnesota defenses that came in ranked No. 9 and No. 1 respectively overall. Granted, those games were at home but even going to a neutral environment should not affect things much considering that New England is ranked No. 29 in total defense in the NFL. Ignore the talk about how much the Patriots defense has improved since Week Five because they have played the weakest schedule in the NFL over that stretch. The Patriots have allowed opposing quarterbacks to produce an 89.5 passer rating. Since 2001, only the 2008 team, which failed to qualify for the postseason, was worse (89.8). Foles does not need to have a similar game like last week for the Eagles to win as he has a defense behind him that can take the game over, just like the Jaguars did for three quarters. The Philadelphia defense is quick and athletic, and it is not so different in skill level or speed from the Jacksonville defense that should have put the AFC Championship away. 10* (101) Philadelphia Eagles

We have ridden Temple on a couple of occasions this season when the value was there, and the situation was on its side, but neither are the case today. The Owls are coming off a huge win over Wichita St. as they won in overtime as a 7.5-point home underdog. Now they go from a home dog to a road chalk and all value has shot for this team with it now going in the other direction. This has been a Jekyll and Hyde team as they have big wins like the victory over the Shockers plus a win at SMU, but they also have some questionable losses and they have struggled on the road. Temple is just 2-6 in true road games and this season the Owls are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up win. Tulane is also coming off an overtime win, this one on the road at East Carolina and a loss there would have been devastating. The Green Wave can move back to .500 in the AAC with a win here and potentially put them into a tie for fourth place in the conference. Tulane is 9-3 at home as it has been a home underdog twice, winning both games outright against Houston and SMU. 10* (828) Tulane Green Wave

The Kicks are back home for an extended period for the first time since early December as they are playing the first of two home games. The last time New York has enjoyed back-to-back home games was December 10th and 12th as the recent schedule has been brutal. 19 of the last 26 games have been on the road including nine of the last 10 games. The Knicks lost in Milwaukee on Friday to fall to 7-21 on the road but they are 16-9 at home and have taken care of business when they had to as they are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Additionally, they have covered five of their last six games following a loss. Atlanta has lost two straight and five of its last six games including a nine-point loss in Boston Friday night. The road has been a real problem as the Hawks are just 4-21 away from home which is the worst road record in the NBA. Only two of their last 11 games have been away from home so they have had the opposite type of schedule as New York. Atlanta has done surprisingly well against the Western Conference but has failed to cover its last eight games against teams from the Eastern Conference. 10* (802) New York Knicks

Utah has won and covered four straight games, three of which have come on the road and the other coming in a home blowout victory over Golden St. The Jazz took care of business last night in Phoenix as they have scored 129 points in two straight games, but the offense will face more of a challenge tonight. Utah is still just 8-19 on the road despite the three straight wins and it has won just once in five tries when playing with no rest on the highway. That lone win came against Orlando while the losses were against Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Golden St., those last three being the caliber of competition they will face tonight. San Antonio fell to 22-5 at home with a loss against Houston on Thursday and they have yet to lose consecutive home games this season, winning the four follow up games by an average of 18.3 ppg. The Spurs managed just 91 points against the Rockets and since early December, they gone over 100 points in nine of 11 games after being held to fewer than 100 points in their previous game. They have averaged 109.1 ppg in those nine games while winning and covering eight of those. Additionally, the Spurs are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss and have covered four straight games following a double-digit loss. 10* (514) San Antonio Spurs

This is a play on the BAYLOR BEARS as part of our CBB Saturday Blowout Package. Disappointing is an understatement for both Iowa St. and Baylor as they are sitting at the bottom of the Big XII standings although this was hardly unexpected. The Bears went to the Sweet 16 last season but lost some key parts from that team and they have struggled away from home as they have dropped all seven true road games, but they are 12-3 in all their other games. Baylor has lost four straight games and six of its last seven but five of those have come on the road. They did play an excellent game last time out against Oklahoma before just falling short and while that could be cause for a letdown, they will be out to avenge a 10-point loss in Ames three weeks ago. Baylor is 12-2 all-time against Iowa St. in Waco, with the only losses in 2000 and 2013 and the home team has won 26 of 30 campus site games in the series. The Cyclones are coming off just their third conference win of the season as they upset West Virginia at home by 16 points as nine-point underdogs. All three victories have come at home as they are 0-5 on the road with those losses coming by an average of 13.3 ppg. They will be playing their first road game without point guard Nick Weiler-Babb, who is ninth in the nation in assists, as he is out for a couple weeks with a knee injury. 10* (656) Baylor Bears

This is a play on the ELON PHOENIX as part of our CBB Saturday Blowout Package. We played against Elon Thursday night as it lost to William & Mary by seven points, but the game was not as close as that final margin indicates. It was the fourth loss in five games for the Phoenix which have fallen to 5-5 in the CAA. Four of the five recent games have come on the road including the last three so a return home against one of the worst teams in the conference is a much-needed break. Prior to the loss against the Tribe, the last four defeats were tough to take as two were in overtime, another by a single point as well as another loss against William & Mary at home. The Phoenix are 7-2 at home and are currently 4th in the CAA Standings, just three games out of first, two out of second and a game out of 3rd. They have the expereience to make a run and it must start at the beginning of this three-game homestand. Delaware is coming off its own three-game homestand, losing all three games, part of a five-game losing streak overall. The Blue Hens hit the road where they are 4-6 but most of those wins came early in the season and this is a different team now as two of their top three scorers are on the shelf. Ryan Daly and Kevin Anderson are averaging over 30 ppg combined to go along with 10.9 rpg and 82 assists. 10* (648) Elon Phoenix

This is a play on the PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS as part of our CBB Saturday Blowout Package. Penn St. is coming off a hard-fought loss at Michigan St. as it led at the half, but the Spartans shot 62.5 percent in the second half to outscore the Nittany Lions by 14 points in the second frame. That loss snapped a two-game winning streak and these three recent solid efforts coincide with the return of Josh Reaves who missed four games while serving an academic suspension and to no surprise, those four games were bad as they went 1-3 straight up and 0-4 ATS. While he is fourth on the team in scoring, it is the other things as he is second in assists, third in rebounding and first in steals. Reaves currently ranks in the NCAA top 30 individually for total steals and top 15 for steals per game. Penn St. cannot lose anymore must win games if there is any chance for an NCAA Tournament run. Iowa is having a down year which was expected after losing so much production, but it has had its moments. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes today, all those moments have come at home where they are 8-4 but just 1-6 on the road. That lone road victory came at 2-8 Illinois in overtime. Iowa is coming off a win at home against Minnesota but in its previous two conference wins, it followed up with losses by 12 and 16 points. 10* (612) Penn St. Nittany Lions

This is a play on the INDIANA HOOSIERS as part of our CBB Saturday Underdog Package. We played on and won with Indiana last Sunday as it hung around at home against Purdue before eventually losing by seven points. We then played against them on Tuesday at Ohio St. as a quick turnaround off a tough loss is hard to overcome and they had to face a Buckeyes team coming off their first conference loss. Now we will again back Indiana in another great home situation. The Hoosiers are 5-6 in the Big Ten following three consecutive losses and the home team is 9-2 in Indiana games this season within the Big Ten with the lone road victory coming from the Hoosiers at Minnesota. Indiana is 10-4 at home this season and has had this one circled for a couple weeks following a 28-point drubbing in East Lansing. Michigan St. has won five straight games with the streak starting with that game against Indiana but the four wins after that have been lackluster. The Spartans have covered only one of those and that was by just one point at Illinois while it had to have a big rally at Maryland in their only other road game over this stretch which resulted in a late push. Make no mistake, Michigan St. is a great team, but something is askew when it is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll but just No. 24 in the RPI. 10* (610) Indiana Hoosiers

This is a play on the GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS as part of our CBB Saturday Underdog Package. This is a great example of how recent results can skew lines and how they get overadjusted based on those factors which sets up a great contrarian situation. George Mason lost its fourth straight game as it lost to St. Bonaventure by 16 points on Wednesday to fall to 3-6 in the conference. The Patriots have failed to cover in any of those four losses, so the markets must take that into consideration as well as adjusting based on the other side. Richmond has caught fire with wins and covers in each of its last five games and this is where the real overadjustment is highlighted. The Spiders last four wins have all been as underdogs, which is certainly impressive, while the first win in the streak came as a favorite of just two points. Now they are favored for only the fifth time all season and this is the second most amount of points they have layed, second to being -10 against Delaware and losing outright. Richmond is 0-3 straight up and ATS when favored by three or more points so asking it to cover this is a stretch. There is only a 46-spot differential in RPI ranking here and when it is far down the list, 162 to 208, the gap closes even more. The Patriots are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (597) George Mason Patriots

This is a play on the SYRACUSE ORANGE as part of our CBB Saturday Underdog Package. While there is a lot of basketball yet to be played, the season for Syracuse will be affected by what happens here today. Right now, the Orange are a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament and on the outside looking in, so a quality victory is needed as they do not possess a top 25 victory this season but do have six wins against teams No. 26-100 which is tied for the most in the ACC. Syracuse is No. 42 in the RPI following a loss at Georgia Tech earlier this week to fall to 4-5 in the conference and it will be out for some retribution after losing in Virginia last month in a game the Orange with in throughout but a 10-point differential from the free throw line was the difference and Syracuse can hope that gets reversed at home. Virginia is No. in the RPI for good reason as it has won 13 straight games and its only loss of the season came at West Virginia back in early December. The Cavaliers are 7-1-1 ATS over their last nine games with the lone non-cover coming against Syracuse and another low scoring, ugly game favors the underdog. Syracuse got beat handily against Kansas early in the season but in its six subsequent losses, every one came down to the final minute including a pair of overtime defeats. 10* (588) Syracuse Orange

This is a play on the TCU HORNED FROGS for our CBB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. If you look at just rankings, Texas Tech appears to be the superior team here as the Red Raiders enter at No. 10 in the AP Poll while TCU received just 11 votes. Meaningless. The Red Raiders are No. 16 in the latest RPI while TCU comes in at No. 21, so the public rankings are skewed based on records which are meaningless as well. The Horned Frogs are 4-5 in the Big XII following a much-needed comfortable win over Oklahoma St. They have won three of their last four conference games, all relatively easy and the losses this season have been excruciating with two coming in overtime, another by a single point and overall, the five losses have been by an average of 3.2 ppg. TCU ranks among the national leaders in assist turnover ratio (10th, 1.55), field goal percentage (11th, 50.5), rebounding margin (17th, +7.3), scoring (6th, 86.5) and three-point percentage (15th, 41.0). Texas Tech is no pushover as it has won three straight games including an overtime win over Texas last time out. However, the Red Raiders have lost three consecutive conference road games as opposed to going 5-0 at home in the Big XII and 14-0 overall. 10* (544) TCU Horned Frogs

The Horizon League is wide open as four teams are within two games of each other for first place and two of those square off tonight. Oakland is two games behind Wright St. and Northern Kentucky but suffered a big blow last Friday when it lost to the Ramblers which was the second loss to them this season to it must make up extra ground. That was the fourth straight road game for the Golden Grizzlies as they return home for the first time in three weeks to look to improve upon their 8-2 record at the Blacktop. The Golden Grizzlies lead the conference in scoring offense (80.4 ppg) assists per game (17.8), free throw percentage (76.7) and three-point field goal percentage (37 percent) and they have the most dangerous weapons as no other team in the nation has had more players score 30 points or more this season as it has happened 14 times. The Flames are off to a 7-3 start in the Horizon, but it is a mirage. Illinois-Chicago has won four straight games, but they were all unimpressive based on opposition as the victories came against teams with RPI rankings of No. 252, No. 309, No. 323 and No. 334. Of the seven overall conference wins, all have been against teams ranked No. 252 or worse with five of those coming against teams No. 300 or below. The Flames are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (834) Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Colorado is back home after getting swept at the Arizona schools and will be out to snap a three-game losing streak where it has gone from 4-3 in the Pac 12 to 4-6. The Buffaloes have a significant home court edge as they have won 39 of their last 46 games at Coors Events Center including an 8-2 record this season with significant wins over Arizona and Arizona St. Currently in ninth place in the Pac 12, Colorado is part of an eight-team logjam in the third through 10th spots that is separated by just two games. With five of their remaining eight games at home, Utah, California, Stanford, USC and UCLA, and road games at Washington, Washington St. and Utah, the Buffaloes have a great shot at moving into the top four in the conference. The Buffaloes are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Utah has won two of its last three games while covering all three of those. This is the third straight road game for the Utes which are 3-5 away from home on the season including a 1-3 record in their last four games on the highway. This has not been a good role for Utah is it is 3-7 as an underdog and it will see a motivated Colorado team that will be out to snap its current skid as well as its seven-game losing streak in this series. 10* (836) Colorado Buffaloes

Toronto returns home following a loss in Washington last night against the short-handed Wizards. The Raptors are in a good bounce back spot as this is the third time this season they have returned home following a road loss in their previous game and they took care of business the first two times. They are 19-4 at home including a 4-1 record over their last five home games and while the record is 1-4 in those games against the number, they were favored by at least six points in all those games. This is the start of an important four-game homestand as they try to close the two-game gap between them and Boston. Portland has won four straight and seven of its last eight games, but the schedule has been in its favor. Five of those games were at home and the only road game against a winning team resulted in a loss. The Blazers are 9-18 against teams ranked within the top 16 and that record is significant. The nine wins are tied for the seventh fewest wins against such teams and they are one of only three teams ranked No. 23 or better than have single-digit wins against the top 16. And those 18 losses are tied for 10th most in the league. The Blazers are just 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (806) Toronto Raptors

Washington is coming off a pair of victories, one at Colorado and most recently at home against rival Washington St. The Huskies are now 5-3 in the Pac 12 and those five wins are more than half of their entire win total from all last season, a record that included a 2-16 mark in the conference. At 15-6. The Huskies are a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament as they are part of the fir four out grouping so quality wins are of the most important and tonight would qualify as one. Washington is currently No. 49 in the RPI so its body of work has been good but there is still plenty of work to be done. It was a great start to the season for Arizona St. and after a 12-0 start to the season, the Sun Devils have hit a rough patch once conference play started despite the Pac 12 being a watered-down conference. Arizona St. is ranked only eight spots higher in the RPI than Washington yet comes in as a road favorite with a 4-5 conference record that does not include consecutive victories. It has played a weaker schedule than the Huskies and while two of those early wins came against Kansas and Xavier, the Sun Devils caught them at the right time. They are 0-3-2 ATS in their last five road games. 10* (566) Washington Huskies

This was a late line release due to the uncertainty of Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe who was injured last game and is likely out for tonight with an ankle injury. The Bucks are now 4-0 since Jason Kidd was fired and Joe Prunty took over the coaching duties but they very well could have gone 4-0 with Kidd as those victories came against the Suns, Nets, Bulls and Sixers and three of those games were at home on top of it. They are just 2.5 games behind Cleveland in the Central Division which is also good for third place in the Eastern Conference, but Milwaukee is three games under .500 on the road and while it has thrived as a road favorite, it has won just six of 17 games as a road underdog. Minnesota has been up and down of late but a lot of this is because of venue. During the month of January, the Timberwolves went 9-8 with the home team going 16-1 in those games, the lone road victory coming by Minnesota in a win at the Clippers. Going back, the Timberwolves have won 10 straight home games to improve to 20-6 and they are currently on an eight-game cover streak as well. Minnesota has 18 wins against teams ranked within the top 16 of the league which is second most in the NBA behind 22 wins for Golden St. 10* (508) Minnesota Timberwolves

We have played against SMU on a couple of occasions this season, most recently in an 11-point loss at Connecticut as a six-point favorite. As mentioned then, it has been a relatively down season for SMU but that was not unexpected. The Mustangs were coming off a 30-win season but lost all but three scholarship players and for a program that is still on probation and limited to 11 scholarships, that is tough to overcome. The Mustangs put together a decent non-conference season but played only one true road game and the road has been an issue heading into AAC season as they are now 1-4 on the road. Tulsa has been up and down with a 4-5 conference record where it has struggled on the road but has been a lot better at home. The Golden Hurricane lost to the two best teams in the conference by 33 and 19 points on the road and they are 3-1 at home within the conference with the one loss coming against Wichita St., which is 35 spots higher in the RPI than SMU, by just three points. The Mustangs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record while the Golden Hurricane are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (542) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

William & Mary is back on its home floor following a three-game roadtrip where it went 2-1 with the lone loss coming in overtime. That winning trek kept the Tribe in a tie for first place with Charleston and Northeastern in the CAA and this will be a very motivated team tonight. The recent roadtrip followed a pair of home losses, the only two of the season, that were blowouts by 26 and 20 points and they have been waiting to make up for those on the Kaplan Arena floor. William & Mary has won 20 of its last 22 games here while going back further, the Tribe are 44-9 at home. Elon opened the CAA season 2-0 but it has gone 3-5 since then, although it is coming off a huge win at Towson as an 8.5-point underdog. This is the third straight road game for the Phoenix which are 4-8 on the season compared to a 7-2 record at home. They have gone 0-3 in their last three games following a victory and head into a tough spot as the Phoenix are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a winning home record. Meanwhile, the Tribe are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (516) William & Mary Tribe

Butler is the only team to beat Villanova this season, but a lot of its other wins have been poor as it is coming off a pair of wins over 0-10 St. Johns and 2-7 DePaul and the other two wins in the conference came against 3-7 Georgetown and 4-5 Marquette. It is that win against Marquette that is in play here based on revenge from last month. The Bulldogs are 2-4 on the road and that win over Georgetown took overtime to get it done. As with typical Butler teams, it does a lot of things fundamentally right, but the perimeter offense and defense have let them down this season and that has especially been the case on the road where they are getting outshot by over 10 percent from long range. Conversely, Marquette is outshooting opponents close to nine percent from behind the arc at home and this was a major aspect in the first meeting at Butler that went the Bulldogs way. The Golden Eagles are 4-5 in the Big East and besides the loss to Butler, the other four losses have come against Villanova and Xavier twice each and those two teams are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the latest RPI. This has led to the toughest conference schedule in the country, so a 4-5 record is not all that bad. Marquette is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games following a loss. 10* (766) Marquette Golden Eagles

South Carolina made an improbable run into the Final Four last season and this year was expected to be a down season with a slew of talent loss, but it has not been as bad as expected. The Gamecocks are 13-8 overall including a 4-4 record in the deep SEC and it is hard to ignore the fact that two of those wins came against Florida and Kentucky. That has been a problem in conference play as they have played up to competition at times, but they have also played down although home losses against Missouri and Tennessee cannot be considered bad. South Carolina is 7-3 at home and has covered five of its last seven games following a loss. Mississippi St. is coming off a home win over Missouri on Saturday to move to 3-5 in the SEC, but the venues have played a big role as the Bulldogs are 3-1 at home but 0-4 on the road in the conference and 0-5 overall. They have failed to cover any game away from home as their offense is atrocious, averaging 57.8 ppg on 36.2 percent shooting including 25 percent from long range. Mississippi St. has played the easiest schedule of any team in the SEC as 75 percent of its games have come at home yet are catching a smaller than anticipated number here. Going back, the Bulldogs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a win. 10* (752) South Carolina Gamecocks

The Knicks closed their seven-game roadtrip with a win at Phoenix and then backed it up with a victory over Brooklyn in their short return home. Those of course are two of the worst teams in the NBA and that has been the story this season for New York as it 14-13 against teams ranked outside the top 16 while going just 3-12 against the top 10. This does include a home upset over the Celtics back in December, so Boston will not be taking this team lightly, but things have been different for New York away from home. The Knicks have struggled on the road as they are 7-19 and only two of those wins have come against teams that are currently sitting in a playoff spot. Overall, they are 2-11 on the highway against playoff teams and of those 11 losses, 10 have come by double-digits and the 11 defeats have been by an average of 15 ppg. Boston is coming off a 2-2 roadtrip as it won the finale in Denver in the final seconds and that could be the spark the Celtics need as it has been a rough couple of weeks. Prior to the roadtrip, Boston had dropped three straight home games to fall to 18-8 at home and there will be plenty of motivation to put a halt to that skid, especially with revenge in play. The Celtics are 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (712) Boston Celtics

St. Joseph's returns home following a pair of road losses last week, first by three points at St. Bonaventure and then at Penn by 11 points in a Big 5 matchup. The road has not treated the Hawks well as they are now 1-7 in true road games, but they are the complete opposite at home where they are 7-1. The loss to the Bonnies dropped them to 4-4 in the Atlantic Ten and that record is deceiving in itself. The four losses came by a combined 14 points with three of those coming by three points or less and all of those were on the road. In the four home conference games, two wins were blowouts and the other two wins came against A-10 powers St. Bonaventure and VCU. The Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. St. Louis meanwhile is coming off a win over Dayton to improve to 4-5 in the conference but like its counterpart, the Billikens have struggled on the road to a 1-*4 record. They are shooting just 59.6 percent from the free throw line in those five games and in a close spread like this, that is a big detriment. This is an underrated Hawks team with the tough part of the schedule done and now is the time they can make their expected move up the standings. 10* (726) St. Joseph's Hawks

Missouri St. was a letdown for us on Saturday as it played the game it needed to play, shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, 40.7 percent from long range and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. The problem was that the Salukis shot 63.8 percent with a six-player rotation and that is impossible to beat even it ended up being just a two-point game. The Bears are now 5-5 in the MVC, tied with two other teams and just a game out of second place, so this has turned into a big home game. Despite the lights out shooting from Southern Illinois, Missouri St. remains one of the top 20 defensive programs in the nation, entering the week ranked 6th in three-point field goal defense (.300), 17th in scoring defense (63.5 ppg) and 18th in field goal defense (.395). Missouri St. has failed to cover their last seven games which puts the Bears in another contrarian angle as the public is going the other way with the Redbirds. Illinois St. is coming off a win over Valparaiso on Saturday to also move to 5-5 in the conference, but that game was at home where it is 4-1 in the conference compared to 1-4 on the road. This includes four straight losses by an average of 17.5 ppg. Going back, the Redbirds are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS win. 10* (544) Missouri St. Bears

Indiana took care of business on Sunday with a wire-to-wire cover, but it was the outright loss that stings. The Hoosiers were locked in a back and forth battle before Purdue pulled away late and that is a difficult loss to overcome when trying to pull off a major upset. Now, they face a quick turnaround from Sunday which only adds to the difficulty of trying to regroup. Indiana is 5-5 in the Big Ten which is good considering not much was expected heading into the season as it was picked to finish No. 12 in the 14-team conference. The Hoosiers have held their own at home, but the road has been a different story as they are 1-6 with the only win coming at depleted Minnesota and they are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record. Making the challenge more difficult is that they face an Ohio St. team that has had four days off to stew over its first conference loss of the season against Penn St. on a late second shot. The Buckeyes are now 9-1 in the Big Ten and this is the third game of an all-important four-game homestand before a trip to Purdue after that. They are 12-2 at home with the other loss coming against Clemson, which is up to No. 7 in the latest RPI. Ohio St. is 8-3 ATS as a favorite of 12 points or less on the season. 10* (538) Ohio St. Buckeyes

Boston put together a seven-game winning streak, but it has gone through a lull since the middle of the month as it has lost five of its last six games including a couple questionable defeats against the Magic and Lakers. This is the final game of a four-game roadtrip and the Celtics can salvage a split with a win tonight before heading home for a three-game homestand. Boston is 16-7 on the road and has covered six of seven games as a road underdog while going 9-1 ATS overall when getting points. Additionally, the Celtics are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Denver is on a three-game winning streak and it has had a very easy schedule this month as only three of 13 games have come against teams currently in a playoff position and the Nuggets went 1-2 in those games, losing to San Antonio and Golden St. Denver is just 5-10 against the NBA top ten and those five wins are tied for second fewest of all teams ranked within the top 16. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win. 10* (711) Boston Celtics

It has been a down year for Wisconsin but that was expected as it entered the season as one of the most inexperienced teams in the country. The Badgers are 3-6 in the Big Ten as the schedule has been brutal with five of their last six games taking place on the road and all five of those resulted in losses. They are 2-1 at home in the conference, both double-digit wins, and 6-3 overall. Wisconsin and Nebraska were the only two major conference teams to have played eight road games by this past Friday. Nebraska has won its last two games and four of its last five contests while covering 12 of its last 13 games. This includes all six road games however, in five of those games the Huskers were getting at least 7.5 points and the only low spread was against Rutgers, the lowest ranked team in the conference RPI. They are just 2-6 straight up on the highway and the Huskers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game. They will have to deal with one of the top players in the conference in Ethan Happ who had a solid game in the first meeting before fouling out. Happ is the only player to rank in the Big Ten top 10 in points, rebounds and assists. He is also the only major conference player averaging at least 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 3.0 apg. The Badgers have covered four of their last five home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (722) Wisconsin Badgers

Temple had won two straight games before a loss at Cincinnati earlier this week, shooting a season-low 28.6 percent and committing a season-high 20 turnovers in a 75-42 loss to the Bearcats. The offense has been inconsistent, and this situation is similar to one a couple weeks ago when the Owls went to Central Florida and got blown out 60-39 only to recover and win their next game against SMU. Despite a 10-120 overall record including a 2-6 mark in the AAC, Temple is ranked No. 3 in the conference RPI thanks to a schedule that is ranked No. 1 in the entire country. Overall, the Owls are No. 46 in the RPI which is a very strong ranking for a team that is sitting right at .500. The Owls are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games after scoring less than 50 points in their previous game. We won with Connecticut on Thursday as it upset SMU at home as a six-point underdog and that spells letdown coming into today. The Huskies are just 1-4 on the road with three of those losses coming by double-digits and they are catching Temple at the wrong place at the wrong time. This will be the first road game for Connecticut without second leading scorer Terry Larrier who is averaging 14.8 ppg and is their best three-point shooter. The Huskies are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win. 10* (846) Temple Owls

After a seven-game losing streak, Northern Iowa has won three of its last four games to improve to 3-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference and there is a lot of work to be done still but this is nothing they are not used to. The Panthers started 0-5 in the MVC last season only to go on a 9-1 run over its next 10 games. Northern Iowa has struggled on the road this season as it is 0-5 including a 0-4 record within the conference. The lone non-conference loss was at North Carolina and while the Panthers have failed to cover any of the MVC road games, the lines have been short and now they are catching their biggest number of the season. Four of the six conference losses came down to the final minute, so the record can be considered deceiving as well. Loyola-Chicago sits atop the standings in the conference as it is 7-2 thanks to a six-game winning streak after a 1-2 start. The Ramblers have covered all six of those games as well and that is putting the public on their side this afternoon which has increased the line value. Loyola-Chicago has a strong offense but will be facing a tough defense as Northern Iowa ranks No. 10 in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 62.2 ppg. The Panthers will be out for payback as the Ramblers closed on an 11-2 run to score a 56-50 win over Northern Indiana on Jan. 7 in the McLeod Center. 10* (837) Northern Iowa Panthers

With the Ohio St. loss on Thursday, Purdue sits alone at the top of the Big Ten with a 9-0 record and it has won 16 straight games following consecutive losses against Tennessee and Western Kentucky. The markets have not done a good job of catching up however until the last game as the Boilermakers were on a 7-2 ATS run before a narrow win at home against Michigan on Thursday. They are the class of the conference but laying doubles on the road against a quality opponent is a bit overaggressive. In their last road game, they were laying a similar amount at Iowa, but the Hawkeyes have the third lowest RPI in the conference. Indiana is coming off a loss in its last game, a two-point setback at Illinois to fall to 5-4 in the conference as it is holding its own in what was supposed to be a big rebuild. The home team is 8-1 in Indiana games this season within the Big Ten with the lone road victory coming from the Hoosiers at Minnesota. Indiana is 10-3 at home this season and while it failed to win or cover its only game as a home underdog, that was against Duke and it was getting fewer points. The Hoosiers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while going 5-0 ATS in their last five games after a loss and 5-0 ATS in their last five home games. 10* (834) Indiana Hoosiers

This is a play on the UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS as part of our CBB TV Ultimate Trifecta. A late line move last Saturday due to a Colorado St. injury caused the Rebels to push the closing number and they have now gone nearly seven weeks without covering a closing number. They are 0-9-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a loss at Fresno St. on Tuesday and that defeat dropped UNLV to 3-4 in the Mountain West Conference, three and a half games behind first place Nevada. Three of those losses have come at home after opening 9-1 at the Thomas & Mack Center. It has been a down year for San Diego St. which has had a hard time adjusting to a new head coach after Steve Fisher retired after 18 seasons. The Aztecs are 4-4 in the conference including a 1-3 record on the road and are vulnerable for the first time in a long time against the Rebels. UNLV has dropped 11 straight meetings in this series, so motivation will be aplenty on Saturday. The San Diego St. defense is not as strong as it usually is which is not good here as the Rebels are ninth in the country in shooting at 50.6 percent and 11th in scoring at 86.2 ppg. 10* (660) UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Charlotte is coming off a win last night to conclude its five-game homestand where it went 3-2 with the last two wins coming against Sacramento and Atlanta, the last place teams in their respective conferences. The Hornets have won three straight road games but all of those came against teams with a losing record and they have struggled against better competition, going just 5-16 as underdogs and this number is right in the wheelhouse as Charlotte is 2-10 ATS when getting fewer than five points. Miami is coming off a loss on Thursday against the hapless Kings as the offense managed a mere 88 points against the third worst defense in the NBA. The Heat remain a game ahead of Washington in the Southeast Division and they are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, so they can ill afford to lose games against teams they should not be losing to. Going back, the Hornets are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Heat are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up loss. 10* (508) Miami Heat

This is a play on the WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS as part of our CBB TV Ultimate Trifecta. After opening the season with a loss against Texas A&M, West Virginia ripped off 15 straight wins before its recent rough stretch where it has gone 1-3 in its last four games. The schedule has not helped as two losses came at TCU and Texas Tech which are a combined 24-2 at home and a home loss to Kansas where it blew a 13-point halftime lead. The Mountaineers rolled over Texas here last Saturday and while it goes out of the conference here, facing Kentucky will have them ready to go. The Wildcats pulled away from Mississippi St. in the second half on Tuesday for a 13-point victory as they were playing with a chip on their shoulder after falling out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in nearly four years. Now comes their first real road test of the season. They are 2-2 on the highway with wins over Vanderbilt and LSU, the two worst teams in the SEC according to the RPI. The Wildcats are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following an ATS win while the Mountaineers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss. 10* (586) West Virginia Mountaineers

This is a play on the MISSOURI STATE BEARS for our Missouri Valley Conference Game of the Year. Missouri St. was the overwhelming favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference, but it now has its work cut out to make that happen. The Bears have fallen to 5-4 following a pair of losses against Drake and Bradley, both of which have come on the road. The highway has been a problem of late as after a 3-1 start, they have lost four straight within the conference but look to remain perfect at home in the MVC. Missouri St. has dropped six straight against the number, a streak that we love to go against. Southern Illinois meanwhile has won two straight games and like the Bears, the venue has played a big role in their results. The home team has won seven straight Salukis games and they are just 2-6 in true road games this year. Southern Illinois is just 1-6-1 ATS as an underdog this season and there is no reason to believe that record improves after Saturday. For the Bears, winning here and Tuesday at home against Illinois St. is imperative before a showdown at first place Loyola-Chicago next Saturday. 10* (598) Missouri St. Bears