Sports Picks & Predictions

The Bulls continue their torrid run as they have won six straight games after starting the season 3-20 but now the markets are catching up. Chicago has been an underdog in each game during the six-game winning streak which can make it more impressive but now we are seeing a massive line swing as the Bulls are favored for just the third time all season and the first time by more than two points. The adjustment is just too much in this spot as we go contrarian with Chicago and also go contrarian with Orlando. The Magic have lost five straight games and will again be without Aaron Gordon, but the rotation is loaded, and the offense should again produce well here. They have struggled to a 3-14 record against teams ranked within the top 16 of the league but are a much more respectable 8-6 against the rest. As good as Chicago has been playing, it has a game at Cleveland tomorrow night so a lookahead is imminent. 10* (713) Orlando Magic

This is the most Brooklyn has been favored by this season and we will be backing the Nets to snap their three-game losing skid. They have had two days off following that three-in-four situation which came after an impressive 3-1 run over their previous four games. Brooklyn has fared better against the tougher Western Conference this season as it is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games against the west. It has been the opposition for Sacramento as the Kings are 4-10-2 ATS in their last 16 games against teams from the Eastern Conference despite the upset win last night against the Sixers. They caught a break when Joel Embiid was a late scratch so now Sacramento will have to try and refocus, but this has not been an ideal situation. The Kings have won just once in nine games following a win and they are 0-5 this season when playing with no rest. 10* (704) Brooklyn Nets

Towson opened the season with a three-point loss at Old Dominion but has since reeled off 10 straight victories including a pair of wins in Ireland but now comes a real test in just its third true road game of the season. The Tigers sit atop the Colonial power rankings but that is not saying much in what is a weak group of teams this season and overall, they have played a schedule ranked No. 225 in the country. This is a very talented and deep team and one that will contend in the CAA but we like going against the winning streak as the Tigers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games following three or more consecutive home games. Oakland typically plays a tough early season schedule to get ready for this part of the season and this year is no exception as it has played Syracuse, Kansas and Michigan St. those were all blowout losses, but the experience is huge. Towson will be out for revenge from last season as it lost to Oakland 90-72 in the Vegas 16 Tournament, but road revenge is not a good angle and that game shows how good the Golden Grizzlies matchup with Towson. Going back, they are 28-11-1 ATS in their last 40 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (734) Oakland Golden Grizzlies

The Bucks were expected to challenge Cleveland in the NBA Central Division but that has not been the case as they trail the Cavaliers by 6.5 games following their third consecutive loss on Saturday. They held their own against Houston and return home where they look to bounce back from their ugliest home loss against the Bulls to fall to 9-5 at home. Making the gap even bigger against Cleveland is the fact Milwaukee has lost the first two meetings including a 19-point loss here back in October bringing the revenge factor into play. The Cavaliers have responded from a poor start to the season to go 18-1 over their last 19 games but it has not exactly been against supreme opposition. Overall, the Cavaliers have played the easiest schedule in the NBA and this is now a tough spot with this being the fourth game in six days for Cleveland. Going back, the Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win while the Bucks are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (506) Milwaukee Bucks

Northern Kentucky heads to Texas A&M sporting a 7-4 record with three of those losses coming by a combined five points. The Norse were an NCAA Tournament team last season with a 24-11 record and put up a fight with Kentucky before losing by nine points and the end to last year is important for this year as they have four starters back. This is the biggest test to date for Northern Kentucky, but it matches up well here as it can counter down low with Texas A&M where the Aggies usually have a big edge. Texas A&M is 9-1 with the lone loss coming against Arizona and it has moved up to No. 8 in the latest AP Poll. The public is all over the Aggies here in what is believed to be too short of a price, but it is actually the opposite based on recent happenings. Robert Williams is a beast down low but is on concussion protocol and while he is expected to play, he is not 100 percent. Another starter, Admon Gilder, who is third on the team in scoring and their best free throw shooter, suffered a knee injury in the last game and is out indefinitely. His absence will be costly to a team that is shooting just 63.4 percent from the charity stripe in five home games. Going back, the Norse are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a winning home record while the Aggies are 0-7 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (523) Northern Kentucky Norse

Syracuse is coming off a huge win against Georgetown on Saturday in overtime and that could spell letdown tonight as focus could be a real issue. The Orange are now 9-1 on the season including other win over Connecticut and Maryland but those are programs in rebuilding mode and while the opponent tonight will not scare many teams because of name, the Bulls will be a tough out. All of Buffalo's losses have all come against solid teams and include a 73-67 loss against No. 20 Cincinnati on a neutral court. Buffalo could be adding another weapon tonight as Wes Clark, a transfer from Missouri, could make his season debut after sitting out the first 10 games because of transfer rules in fall semester grades are posted by tonight. Still, Buffalo has a very balanced offense with five players averaging double-digits in scoring not counting Dontay Caruthers who is out with a stress fracture in his foot. The Bulls are No. 16 in the country in pace so the full court press that Syracuse brought out against Georgetown could be neutralized. The Bulls are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Orange are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win. 10* (509) Buffalo Bulls

One of the hottest team in the Eastern Conference is no surprise as Cleveland has won five straight games but the fact the Bulls have also won five straight games is a major surprise after a 3-20 start to the season. The Bulls won at Milwaukee on Friday for their fifth straight victory all of which have come as underdogs and while they are underdogs again tonight, they are getting the shortest number during this streak. The recent run is keeping it down as is the fact the Sixers will be shorthanded as Joel Embiid has already been ruled out tonight as he is resting due to a slightly injured back. Philadelphia is coming off a pair of overtime games which could typically be a red flag but those were on Tuesday and Friday so there is no issue with fatigue problems. The Sixers split those two games and they bring in a 7-7 record on the road and it has been a case of winning games they and losing games to the top teams. Five of the road losses have come against Washington, Toronto, Golden St., Boston and Cleveland all of which are either in first or second place in their divisions. Overall, Philadelphia has played the toughest schedule in the NBA and the Sixers are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (707) Philadelphia 76ers

Kent St. is back home following a pair of tough road games at Xavier and Wright St. and is in good position to rebound and at a very favorable price. The Golden Flashes are 3-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming against Southeastern Louisiana, a contender in the Southland Conference. Star player Jaylin Walker went 10-20 from the floor in that game but the rest of the team was a dreadful 31 percent. The Golden Flashes have put an exciting product on the floor this season, with a faster style of play than last year's MAC Tournament Championship team as they are averaging 70.6 possessions per game, the fastest Kent St. team on record. Northeastern is riding a four-game winning streak but all those wins came at home where the Huskies are a perfect 5-0 but away from home, they are just 1-4. This is the first time they have been favored on the highway and it is a bit overaggressive as they have failed to cover and of their four lined games on the road. Northeastern is shooting just 37.7 percent on the road as the offense misses T.J. Williams, the 2016-17 CAA Player of the Year. 10* (724) Kent St. Golden Flashes

Milwaukee came up small for us last night, but we will be backing the Bucks tonight as they fall into a great bounce back situation with an overpriced line. They have dropped two straight games after a three-game winning streak and are now sitting at 15-12 overall. Milwaukee is a respectable 6-7 on the road and it is catching double-digits for the first time this season. While it has been an underdog 10 times, it has not been an underdog of more than 4.5 points which shows the overlay in this number. No rest is a non-issue as the Bucks are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games playing with no rest and have won three of four games outright this season. The reason for the big number is the play of the Rockets as they are closing the gap between them and Golden St. and proving to be a threat to the Warriors. They have won 12 straight games but are just 7-4-1 ATS in those games and they are coming off a statement win over San Antonio last night which puts Houston in a letdown spot here. This is the third time this season playing on no rest and the Rockets have gone 2-1 in those games and they are 1-4 ATS in their last five games when their starting five combine for more than 160 minutes the previous day. 10* (511) Milwaukee Bucks

While we usually turn our heads at road revenge, this is a completely different situation. Cincinnati was 30-5 after a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament last season but got ousted in the second round by UCLA as it lost by 12 points as the Bruins were efficient as they shot 50 percent from the floor, hit 11 three-pointers and committed just three turnovers. That is not Cincinnati basketball and it is showing that this season by allowing opponents to shoot just 36.1 percent from the floor while forcing 16.2 turnovers per game. The Bearcats lost consecutive games against Xavier and Florida bust bounced back with a big win over Mississippi St. last time out to gain momentum heading into today. UCLA is off to a 7-2 start but five of those wins came against nobodies and it has struggled against teams with a pulse. Wins over Georgia Tech and Wisconsin came by three and two points respectively and losses against Creighton and Michigan were big. The Bruins are 5-0 at home but those victories were against those poor teams, so this will be the first true home test of the season. Going back, the Bruins are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning % above .600 and we expect them to struggle again against a team out for serious payback. 10* (545) Cincinnati Bearcats

This is one of those lines that makes you think, as Florida St. is No. 19 in the country thanks to winning and covering every game this season at 9-0 and 7-0 respectively yet is favored at a reasonable price. The public has taken note as the Seminoles are one of the biggest consensus plays of the day but despite that, the line has actually come down, so we take advantage of the reverse line movement. We played against the Cowboys last Saturday as they were getting too much respect at home against Wichita St., but they match up a lot better here. Oklahoma St. is a balanced team with eight players averaging between 7.4 and 12.7 ppg and that can be tough to defend. Florida St. does possess an impressive win over Florida but that is about it as even with that game, it has played a schedule ranked No. 286 in the nation. The Seminoles went 26-9 last season but lost four starters from that team including two that are playing in the NBA so because of that and the soft schedule, it is hard to get a read on a team like this. The talent and athleticism are here once again but the fact of the matter is that Florida St. has not been tested much this season and is laying too much here on a neutral floor. 10* (599) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

It comes as no surprise that the public is all over Iowa here based on name in this matchup and what many will consider being a short line. The fact is that the Hawkeyes are not a good basketball team and we learned that the hard way a couple weeks back when they lost at home to Penn St. in their conference opener. This is a deep roster that should be producing better results, but they have been unable to make a move while four of their five wins have come in non-lined games. Drake won seven games last season under two different coaches and this season has a new head coach, but this is a team heading in the right direction. The Bulldogs brought back a lot of production and they have been very competitive with a 5-5 start, four of those losses coming by five points or less including defeats against Colorado, Wyoming and Minnesota. This is a deep team as well and has the best player on the court in Reed Timmer who leads the team in all categories. Drake possesses a big edge in the significant free throw shooting category as it is shooting 79.8 percent from the line which is No. 5 in the country, compared to 65.2 percent for Iowa, good for No. 309. 10* (603) Drake Bulldogs

Denver expects to get Nikola Jokic back tonight after missing seven games with a sprained ankle and it could not come at a better time. This line came out late because of his status and the Nuggets will be out to rebound from a poor roadtrip where they went 2-4 to fall to 5-11 on the season away from home. They have been significantly better at home as they are 10-2 which includes seven consecutive wins. They have not been here much over the last month as 10 of the last 13 games have come on the road and Denver has taken care of the teams it should at home as the two losses have come against Washington and Golden St. New Orleans won on Wednesday at home against Milwaukee and while it comes into tonight with a respectable 7-7 record on the road, the situation has had a lot to do with that. The Pelicans have won five of six road games when favored but just 2-6 as road underdogs making the chalk 11-3 in their 14 games away from home. Denver will be out for revenge as well after losing in New Orleans by nine points in the second game of the recent roadtrip. 10* (820) Denver Nuggets

Chicago has won four straight games which is one more victory than it had through its first 23 games as it started 3-20 but the last three have come at home. The Bulls are just 2-12 on the road with one of those wins coming in overtime and on the season, they are getting outscored by over 11 ppg on the highway. This winning streak has coincided with the return of Nikola Mirotic who is averaging 19.5 ppg which leads the team by a comfortable margin, but this will not last. It has been an up and down season for Milwaukee and it has been the former of late as the Bucks have won six of their last eight games although they are coming off a loss against New Orleans last time out on Wednesday. That was on the road however and they are on a four-game home winning streak where they are 9-4 on the season with the four losses coming against Cleveland, Boston, Oklahoma City and Washington. Chicago cannot be lumped into that group and the Bucks playing elite competition has been the problem as they are 3-7 against the top ten of the league while going 12-4 against every other team. 10* (816) Milwaukee Bucks

Dartmouth finished in a tie for last place in the Ivy League last season and it is expected to hold down last place again this season. The Big Green are off to a 3-4 start including a win at Maine last Friday but now they face their biggest challenge of the season as they have played a schedule ranked No. 341 out of 351 Division I teams. This is a very young team with nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster and are even worse off now. Dartmouth was expected to have three starters back from last season including preseason All-Conference forward Evan Boudreaux, but he is out for the season as he was ruled ineligible after averaging 17.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg last season. Additionally, Guilien Smith, the only other double-digit returning scorer, is out until January with a broken finger. Illinois-Chicago is off to a disappointing 3-6 start, but the schedule has been challenging. The Flames have a solid nucleus back from a team that improved its record by 12 games last season and they are expected to contend in the Horizon League this season. We are getting value in this line considering they are off to a 0-6 ATS start and going back, the Flames are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (824) Illinois-Chicago Flames

We won with Detroit last night and part of the reason for playing the Pistons was because of the schedule it has recently faced. They had lost seven straight games, all against teams currently sitting in playoff positions, so facing the Hawks was a needed break. Now they go back to the tough slate as they are again going up again a playoff contending team and doing so with no rest. Detroit has not covered back-to-back games since last month and the Pistons are 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 games playing with no rest. Indiana lost its last game in the much-anticipated return of Paul George as it fell to the Thunder despite outshooting Oklahoma City, but the difference was from the charity stripe as the Pacers were outscored 15-4 which is kind of rare for a home team to have such a negative disparity. The loss snapped a four-game home winning streak where they are 10-5 and have won all seven games as a home favorite, covering six of those. The Pacers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss while going 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (802) Indiana Pacers

USC opened the season 4-0 but has lost three straight games against some powerful competition so it catches a break tonight and will be fully motivated to put the pedal on the gas. The Trojans made a run in the NCAA Tournament last season and came into the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll, but the three losses have dropped them out of the poll. They have four of five starters back and while the offense has struggled of late, they will be playing one of the worst defensive teams in the nation. Santa Clara had a winning record last season as it finished a game over .500 but its season ended in the WCC Semifinals and did not get to play in a postseason tournament. The Broncos have three starters back, but the losses will be hard to replace especially Jared Brownridge who finished his career as the No. leading scorer in program history. Santa Clara is 3-6 to start the season with six games coming at home and the other three on a neutral floor in Seattle making this its first true road game of the season. The only victories came against Division III La Verne University, Arkansas Pine Bluff and Northern Arizona with the last two teams possessing an RPI of No. 344 and No. 277 respectively. 10* (514) USC Trojans

While the term desperate may not quite be the term to use for Detroit right now, this team needs a victory to get its season turned back around. The Pistons have lost seven straight games after a 14-6 start, but the schedule has played a role in that as all seven games came against teams that are currently sitting in a playoff spot. There are no excuses for a losing streak like this, but the toughness of the slate can make a team go in the wrong direction despite being considered a team that is trending up. Detroit has gone 8-2 against teams ranked outside the top 16 so a visit to Atlanta is just what it currently needs. The Hawks have been playing competitively as they have covered four straight games and six of their last seven which is keeping lower that it should be. Atlanta is 1-13 against top 16 teams and it is the only team in the NBA that has fewer than two wins against teams in that group. The Hawks are 3-9 at home and there have been few upsets here as the favorite is 11-1 in those 12 games including Atlanta going 0-8 as a home underdog. The Pistons last game resulted in a 19-point loss to Denver and they are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (501) Detroit Pistons

It has been a disappointing run of late and a disappointing season overall for the Thunder, but they are in a rare spot tonight where they can break out. Oklahoma City has dropped nine straight games against the number to fall to 7-18-1 ATS on the season and the problem has been when expectations are high. The Thunder are 6-18-1 ATS as favorites while winning just 11 of those games outright but they won and covered their lone game as underdogs, a 17-point victory against Golden St. Going back, the Thunder are 38-18-1 ATS in their last 57 games following a double-digit loss at home. The Pacers have been the beneficiaries of the offseason trade between these two teams as Victor Oladipo has been more productive than Paul George at this point but that is a comparison that is skewed based on what is around each player. The Pacers are 16-11 on the season after four straight wins highlighted by the victory over the Cavaliers that snapped their 13-game winning streak. Indiana is tied with Milwaukee for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but the success has come within the conference as it is just 5-5 against the west. 10* (705) Oklahoma City Thunder

Temple has won two straight games and is now playing its third straight home game after opening the season with six straight games away from home. While the Owls are facing the No. 1 team in the AP Poll, a better indicator of this matchup is looking at the RPI since rankings are meaningless. They come in ranked No. 8 in the most recent RPI while the Wildcats are ranked just slightly ahead at No. 6, so these teams are much closer to each other than what the public is aware of. Temple does have some impressive wins on the resume as it has defeated Clemson, Auburn and South Carolina and most impressive, all were away from home and overall it has played the No. 3 ranked schedule in the nation. We have seen some big upsets this season and Villanova is on alert now in what will be a tough road game for a team that has not played a very tough schedule. A 16-point win over Gonzaga looks impressive but the Bulldogs are not the same team from last season as it is No. 38 in the RPI. While the Wildcats are still extremely talented, the loss of Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds is tough to make up while on the flip side, Temple has four starters back from last season plus the return of point guard Josh Brown who played only five games last season. 10* (720) Temple Owls

We lost with the Knicks on Sunday as they won but failed to cover by a bucket and we will be going back with them tonight. It has not been a very good run of late for New York which is 3-6 over its last nine games but keep in mind it has not been at full strength as Kristaps Porzingis missed three of those games which all resulted in losses. The Knicks are 12-5 at home and on the season, the home team is 20-6 in their games which makes this spot even better as they are a perfect 7-0 as home favorites and laying a short price here. Going back, they are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a losing road record. The Lakers have opened their current roadtrip with a pair of victories which is just the third time they have won consecutive games this season. They failed to make it three in a row in the previous two instances and with a game at Cleveland on deck, the focus may not be there tonight. The Lakers are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (506) New York Knicks

At first glance, this line looks to be inflated but it should be higher based on the situation. Mississippi St. comes in with a perfect 8-0 record which is exactly half of what it won all of last season, but it is a skewed undefeated record. The Bulldogs have played a schedule that is ranked No 341 out of 351 Division I teams and on top of it, they have yet to leave Starkville as all eight games have come on their own floor. They are the lone remaining team in the county that has not played away from home and they are going into a hornets nest tonight. The Bearcats are coming off a 30-win season and have three starters back including AAC Preseason Player of the Year Gary Clark. After opening the season 7-0, Cincinnati has dropped its last two games against Xavier and Florida, two above average teams both of which were away from home. The Bearcats return to BB&T Arena where they look to extend their 30-game home winning streak which is the longest in the country and they have not lost three games in a row since February, 2015. Mississippi St. is 0-7 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (522) Cincinnati Bearcats

The Knicks are now 2-6 over their last eight games following a loss last night in Chicago and we are looking for a big bounce back tonight. The recent run started back on November 24 with a 12-point loss in Atlanta after blowing a 15-point lead after the first quarter and while it is just the Hawks, revenge is in play here. New York committed 20 turnovers in that game which led to 20 more shots taken for the Hawks and it was a rare instance where a team shot over 50 percent and lost by double-digits. The Knicks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Atlanta won a rare game last night as it defeated Orlando by seven points in the second game of a home-and-home with the Magic. It was only the sixth win for the Hawks and they are in duel poor spots tonight as they are 0-5 when playing with no rest and 0-5 when coming off a victory. This is the first time this season they have played this combo together on the road and we are expecting ugly results. 10* (512) New York Knicks

This game could not set up any better for Kansas which is coming off its first loss of the season. The Jayhawks lost to Washington in Kansas City by nine points as a 21.5-point favorite, so we will see them buckle up and get the job done in their return home to Allen Fieldhouse. Six of their previous seven wins resulted in double-digit victories and there is no reason to think that it will not happen again today. Arizona St. is a quality team as it comes in undefeated and ranked No. 17 in the current AP Poll. The Sun Devils own a quality win over Xavier but that is about it and Sunday is their first true road game of the season. They could not have picked a worst time and opponent to be hitting the highway. Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas is 37-4 at home against ranked opponents and this streak includes 19 consecutive wins. It gets even better when the Jayhawks are back home following a loss as they are 37-0 at home in their last 37 games after a defeat. 10* (516) Kansas Jayhawks

This is the contrarian play of the night as Houston comes in riding an eight-game winning streak with all those wins coming by double-digits and additionally, it is on a seven-game road winning streak. Conversely, the Blazers have dropped all three games of this current homestand, so it may not come as a shock that the linesmakers have put up a double-digit number here. That is an aggressive move as this is a 16-point spread swing for Portland from its last game against Washington where it got crushed by 14 points. The Blazers have had four days off to stew about that defeat as well as the three-game slide, so we will see a very motivated bunch tonight. Portland has not been an underdog of more than 4.5 points all season so this is a massive jump and the extra time off also helps knowing that the Blazers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games playing on three or more days rest. 10* (720) Portland Trailblazers

We won with the Miners last Saturday and will be backing them again here as they are home dogs once again with a lot of that based on records. They had lost six straight prior to that win but they have played a tough schedule which is currently ranked No. 46 in the nation. The Miners roster is comprised of eight newcomers including five freshmen and only five returners from last year's fourth-seeded C-USA team that went 15-17 overall but an impressive 12-6 in conference play. They do return four starters while getting graduate transfer Keith Frazier from SMU, who is a former McDonald's All-American. Washington St. won 13 games last season and lost four starters and is expected to contend for last place in the Pac 12. The Cougars played their first true road game on Wednesday and got annihilated at Idaho by 27 points so wins over San Diego St, and St. Marys are a thing of the past. 10* (792) UTEP Miners

Tulsa and Kansas St. square off in Wichita with the Golden Hurricane grabbing a significant number on a neutral floor. They are 4-4 with only one of those losses coming by more than what they are getting here. Tulsa returns eight letterwinners, including four starters, and 72 percent of its offense from last season's team. It is shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and it has shot at least 45 percent in six of its eight contests, including four games of at least 50 percent shooting. One significant improvement from last year is the defense as it has allowed opponents to shoot just 38.6 percent away from home. Picked to finish eighth in the Big XII Conference, Kansas St. returns eight letterwinners and three starters from last year's team that went 21-14 and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats lone loss came against a good Arizona St. team and they have failed to cover their last four games when laying points. 10* (783) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Gallagher-Iba Arena used to be one of the most feared places for opponents to go to but that is not the case anymore as the Cowboys home court advantage has shrunk. They went 19-13 over the last two seasons and while they are 6-0 at home this season, the best win came against Austin Peay which is currently ranked No. 266 in the RPI. Oklahoma St. has the worst RPI of all Big XII teams as its schedule is ranked No. 339 out of 351 teams in the nation. Wichita St. comes in with an identical 7-1 record but against a much tougher schedule and the Shockers have had this game circled for close to a year. The Cowboys won last season in Wichita by 17 points which was the only home loss of the season for the Shockers and they will be out for serious payback. Laying points on the road is usually not ideal to back but the case is different today. 10* (763) Wichita St. Shockers

It has been a good start to the season for Oklahoma which is off to a 6-1 start and those six victories are more than half of their wins from last season. The Sooners lost a ton of production from two years ago, so they are more experienced now but are not nearly the same team that made it to the 2016 Final Four. The Sooners are getting too much credit for a win over Oregon back on November 26 as the Ducks are in a rebuilding mode and struggling to find consistency. They were favored by 29 and 23.5 points in their last two games and did not come close to covering either of those yet continue to be overvalued heading into this game. USC opened the season 4-0 and has lost its last two games but those came against Texas A&M and SMU, two powerful programs. The Trojans came into the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll and the two losses have dropped them to No. 25, but this team is still loaded with potential. They brought back all five starters from last season and while they are without De'Anthony Melton, Jonah Mathews has filled in great. While this is a neutral court game, the fact that it is in Los Angeles is a big edge for the Trojans. 10* (524) USC Trojans

Milwaukee is starting to put things together as it has won four of its last five games including two straight at home while going back, the Bucks are 5-1 in their last six home games. The offense is clicking as they have hit the century mark in seven straight games, averaging 107 ppg over that stretch after averaging 101.4 ppg through their first 16 games. Overall, Milwaukee is ranked No. 10 in the NBA in offensive efficiency and the Bucks are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing straight up record. The Mavericks are coming off a loss in Boston, but it was a solid effort as they had a lead going into the fourth quarter but could not hold on. Dallas has covered three straight games and is 6-1 ATS over its last seven games so this recent history is keeping this line down. How much so? Milwaukee is favored by just one point more here than it was favored by in Dallas just 20 days ago. Milwaukee will have no issues running the score up here if given the opportunity following a 32-point loss in Dallas in that game which was its biggest loss in close to two years and it lowest offensive output of the season. 10* (512) Milwaukee Bucks

Oklahoma City and Brooklyn head to Mexico City Thursday night and it should be the Thunder that have the advantage in the high altitude. They have now won three straight games but failed to cover any of those and are now on a 0-6 ATS run but tonight gives them a solid opportunity to break that streak. Oklahoma City remains a game under .500 and have not been .500 or better since November 15. The Thunder are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. Brooklyn has held its own this season, going 9-14 overall but most of those wins have come against lower level teams as it is 6-6 against teams outside the top 16 while going 3-8 against teams inside the top 16 including 2-5 against the top 10. The Nets are coming off a win over Atlanta by 20 points and have gone 8-1 ATS over their last nine games but putting together actual winning streaks has been an issue as the Nets are just 1-7 following a win this season. Going back, they are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (705) Oklahoma City Thunder

It has been a miserable couple seasons for Drexel as it has gone 15-48 the last two seasons and while there will be some minor improvements this season, the Dragons are still predicted to finish near the bottom of the CAA. They are off to a 4-4 start and do have an impressive win over Houston, but they have sense endured a bunch of injuries that have killed their depth as they are basically a six-deep team right now with injuries to Troy Harper, Sam Green and Miles Overton taking their toll. Drexel has won two straight but against much inferior opposition and in the only true road game this season, it lost at NJIT by 12 points. LaSalle is 5-4 but has played a much tougher schedule and it is back home where it is 3-0 on the season. This includes an upset win over Temple and this will be a good game to get them prepared for their game against Villanova on Sunday. The Explorers went 15-15 last season and have all five starters back so this is a team than can make some noise in the Atlantic Ten. They have a clear edge at the free throw line as they are hitting 81.1 percent from the stripe, which is fourth in the nation. 10* (714) LaSalle Explorers

Vanderbilt made a surprising trip to the NCAA Tournament last season, but it has its work cut out already as it fell to 3-5 after a loss against Kansas St. it has been a brutal schedule thus far as according to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt has the 40th toughest schedule so far in the nation and the seventh-toughest among Power Five schools. The slow start is a little surprising as the Commodores return eight letter winners and three of their top four scorers from last season. Vanderbilt has not been kind to its backers as it has gone 0-7 against the number. Middle Tennessee also went to the NCAA Tournament last season as it is coming off 31 wins, but it is now in reloading mode as it lost C-USA Players of the Year JaCorey Williams and All Second Team player Reggie Upshaw. The Blue Raiders are coming off back-to-back wins over Florida Gulf Coast and its only real test so far resulted in a loss at Belmont. This is an under the radar rivalry and the Commodores will be out for payback following a 23-point loss to the Blue Raiders last season. 10* (552) Vanderbilt Commodores

The Knicks have lost two straight and five of its last six games to fall under .500 for the first time since October 29 when they were 2-3. The last two losses came with the absence of Kristaps Porzingis who was out with an ankle injury, but he will return tonight which is huge to get back to their winning ways. He has missed four games this season and the Knicks have gone 0-4 in those games. New York is 10-5 at home overall and it is a perfect 5-0 straight up and against the number as a home favorite. Memphis snapped its 11-game losing streak with an upset win at home over Minnesota on Monday. The Grizzlies have lost five straight road games, yet it is catching the lowest spread over this stretch which suggests that this one could go either way, but they are clearly struggling without point guard Mike Conley who will be out until later this month. They are 1-10 without him overall on the season. Going back, the Knicks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points while the Grizzlies are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (508) New York Knicks

Temple is the only team from a major conference that has yet to play a home game but that finally ends tonight as the Owls open the home portion of their season against Wisconsin. They are coming off a bad loss at George Washington as 11-point favorites which was their second loss of the season, the first coming against city rival LaSalle. Temple does have some impressive wins on the resume as it has defeated Clemson, Auburn and South Carolina and most impressive, all were away from home. We played against Wisconsin on Monday and it pulled off the upset at Penn St., but it almost did not happen as the Badgers nearly blew a 17-point second half lead as it was a missed Nittany Lions shot in the final seconds to avoid the loss. The victory snapped a 1-5 run against some elite competition and the cohesiveness of this team is still not there after losing four starters from last season. This is not a deep team as after forward Ethan Happ, there is a drastic decline in production. 10* (526) Temple Owls

Princeton won the Ivy League last season for the first time in six years as it went undefeated and it will be contending again. The Tigers are off to a disappointing 2-5 start which includes losses against Butler, BYU and Miami and tonight presents a good opportunity to snap a two-game slide. The Tigers have not been hot from long range over the last two games, combining for 15 of 56 (.268) against Lehigh and Miami and hitting 30 percent neither time. History suggests they will break out of it, as it has been five years since Princeton shot below 30 percent in three consecutive games. Princeton has failed to cover any of its four lines games so that is where the value comes into play. George Washington pulled the upset over Temple last time out to even its record at 4-4. That was clearly the signature win for the Colonials whose other victories have come against Howard, Hampton and Morgan St. After finishing sixth in the Atlantic Ten last season, they are picked to finish No. 11 as they lost a lot of production with four starters gone. 10* (529) Princeton Tigers

This line came out late due to the questionable status of Utah guard Rodney Hood who has missed four straight games due to an ankle injury. It has not affected the Jazz as they have won six straight games following a 2-8 stretch so it has been an up and down season to say the least. Last night, Utah defeated Washington by 47 points and Monday marked the fourth time in franchise history the Jazz have beaten a team by at least 45 points. Five of the six wins have come at home where Utah is 11-4 compared to just 2-7 on the road. Oklahoma City looks to be slowly turning the corner as it has won two straight games following a 1-5 run, but it has not dominated and going back, the Thunder have dropped five straight games against the number. That along with Utah covering six straight games has kept this line within reason and an opportunity for both ATS streaks to come to an end. The Jazz are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games while the Thunder are 20-6 ATS in their last 26 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (704) Oklahoma City Thunder

This is one of our favorite college basketball situations where we are backing an unranked favorite over a ranked underdog on the road. The Red Raiders are coming off a loss in their last game against Seton Hall which took place at MSG as they caught a hot shooting Pirates team that went 11-20 from long range. Texas Tech heads back home where it is 4-0 on the season and it has put together a 33-game nonconference home winning streak dating back to the 2013-14 season. The streak is the nation's fifth-longest only behind Duke, Arizona, Butler and Villanova. The Red Raiders are a tough out and they rank inside the NCAA Top 35 in seven categories including rebounding margin where they have a significant edge tonight. Nevada is off to an 8-0 start and cracked the AP Top 25 and while this is a very solid team, the Wolf Pack have not defeated any one of note. On top of them going 8-0, they have covered every game as well and that streak is skewing the markets. The Wolf Pack have already won a nation's best four true road games this season and have won seven consecutive true road decisions dating back to last season. However, the Red Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (724) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Orlando is coming off a win yesterday against the Knicks and will be playing its fifth back-to-back of the season. It has been a struggle of late for the Magic which are 2-10 over their last 12 games and it was a rare road win on Sunday after having dropped seven straight on the highway but they were fortunate that New York was without Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., the top two scorers for the Knicks. Going back, the Magic are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games following a straight up win. Charlotte is struggling with a four-game losing streak which came after three straight wins, but the Hornets will be getting a weapon back tonight as Kemba Walker is returning after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury. The Charlotte offense has dominated the Orlando defense in recent meetings as the Hornets have averaged 115.4 ppg while beating the Magic eight times in a row including a win earlier this season. The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (504) Charlotte Hornets

We played against Penn St. over the weekend and it resulted in a push as the Nittany Lions went to Iowa and won by four points to open 1-0 in the Big Ten while securing their first victory at Iowa since 2001. This is a team on the rise that has all five starters back from a team that hung with the big boys last season but dropped a bunch of close games. They have only suffered two losses, both to worthy opponents away from home against Texas A&M and NC State. The rest of their non-conference plays into their favor and there is reason to believe that they will come in to the full Big Ten slate with a record of 13-2. Wisconsin made another trip to the Sweet 16 last season, but this edition may miss out on all postseason tournaments. The Badger lost four starters from last year and they are struggling on offense, coming off a pair or poor showings against Ohio St. and Virginia. They have faced some tough opponents and as strange as it may sound, Penn St. now falls into that category. The Nittany Lions have not defeated Wisconsin since 2011and this is the first time they have favored over this stretch which shows how these teams are trending. The Nittany Lions are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (526) Penn St. Nittany Lions

We won with Boise St. on Friday as it defeated Oregon outright in Eugene on a half-court shot as time expired, snapping the 46-game home court winning streak for the Ducks but now the Broncos are paying the price. This is a huge overlay because of that win and this has letdown written all over it. That was the third straight victory and cover for the Broncos and now they go from a seven-point dog to a 19-point favorite which is a huge swing no matter the opposition difference. The Pilots had their hands full as one of the host teams of the PK80 tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. Portland drew the defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round and were handed a 102-78 defeat then followed that up with losses against Oklahoma and DePaul. While all three wins have come against non-Division I teams, this is still a solid team built around a high-scoring offense that can keep pace here. Going back, the Pilots are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Broncos are 0-7 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (725) Portland Pilots

We won with New Mexico on Wednesday as it hammered Evansville at home, but the home venue played a big part in that play and now the Lobos hit the road for just the second time this season. New Mexico has played one true road game this season which resulted in a 19-point loss at New Mexico St. The Lobos are favored on the road not because of what they have done but what their opponent has done of late. UTEP is coming off a horrible game where it shot 37.5 percent from the floor including 4-23 from long range and not one player scored in double figures. That was its sixth straight loss, but this team is much better than that. The Miners roster is comprised of eight newcomers including five freshmen and only five returners from last year's fourth-seeded C-USA team that went 15-17 overall but an impressive 12-6 in conference play. They do return four starters while getting graduate transfer Keith Frazier from SMU, who is a former McDonald's All-American. This is a great opportunity to get back into the win column as the Miners have covered nine of their last 10 home games going back to last season. 10* (596) UTEP Miners

After a 2-0 start, Long Beach St. has dropped five of its last six games but as is typical with the 49ers, they have played a tough schedule with losses coming against West Virginia, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona and Oregon St. twice. None of those games were at home and Long Beach St. is back at Walter Pyramid for the first time since November 14 and only for the second time this whole season. The 49ers went 1-9 in their first 10 games last season with those nine losses coming consecutively on the road and they returned home with a big win over Pepperdine and we can expect the same here. Fresno St. is expected to have another good season following n NIT berth last season as it has four starters back from its 20-13 squad but being favored on the road is quite aggressive considering it failed in the other attempt this season at Evansville where the Bulldogs lost as six-point favorites. They are 4-0 at home but 0-2 in true road games and catch the 49ers at a bad time and they are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games following three or more consecutive road games. 10* (578) Long Beach St. 49ers

We are high on Penn St. this season as it has all five starters back this season and is going to be a tough out in some games that it should not be in. But putting the Nittany Lions in the road favorite role here is outlandish as they have lost two of their last three games against good teams after a 5-0 start against poor teams. They were hammered by Texas A&M and lost in their last game at NC State where they were road favorites as well. Iowa will be a team on the rise as well after a 19-15 season and a trip to the NIT. The Hawkeyes have four starters back and are one of the deepest teams in the conference with 11 players that are averaging 13 or more minutes per game. They are coming off a bad loss at Virginia Tech but head back to Iowa City for their first home game since November 16. Iowa finished ahead of Penn St. last season and is picked to finish ahead of the Nittany Lions again yet is getting points at home and going back, the Hawkeyes are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games following three or more consecutive road games. 10* (566) Iowa Hawkeyes

Oregon rolled in its first four games of the season, winning by an average of 32.8 ppg but those victories came against overmatched unknowns. The Ducks then went to play in the Phil Knight Invitational in nearby Portland and showed this team still has a long way to go. Despite playing in front of partisan crowds, the Ducks struggled against all three teams, losing to Connecticut and Oklahoma while needing overtime to defeat DePaul. The roster got gutted from the Final Four team from last season as they lost four starters, including three NBA draft picks, with their top five scorers having departed. Additionally, they will be without five-star freshman recruit Troy Brown tonight, their fourth leading scorer and leading rebounder. Boise St. returned home following a loss in the championship game in the Puerto Rico Tip Off where it defeated UTEP and Illinois St., two solid teams, while losing to Iowa St. The Broncos lost some pieces from last season as well, but they have enough back to remember the disappointing loss here last season by five points. For a Boise St. team with eyes on getting to the NCAA Tournament, a game like the one tonight could go a long way in helping them be in consideration for an at-large spot come March. 10* (725) Boise St. Broncos

Minnesota will be the trendy pick here based on the struggles for Oklahoma City and those struggles are well documented. The Thunder are 8-12 following three straight losses with the last two coming against Dallas and Orlando being horrible but those were both on the road where they are 2-9. Oklahoma City is 6-3 at home with two of those losses coming by a combined three points and the other defeat coming against 19-4 Boston. One of those close losses came against Minnesota which has defeated the Thunder twice this season by five total points, so revenge will be in play here. The Timberwolves won in New Orleans two nights ago, but they have not exactly been lighting it up either. They do have a winning record but have lost four of their last seven games with those losses coming against Washington, Miami, Charlotte and Detroit so none have come against truly elite teams. While the season is young, Oklahoma City has heard the rumblings this week, so this is a statement game to show what this team is capable of. The Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games while the Timberwolves are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. 10* (708) Oklahoma City Thunder

The Blazers return home following a very successful roadtrip where they went 4-1 and overall, they have won seven of their last nine games. Portland is 7-4 at home where it has won three straight and currently has a half-game lead over Minnesota in the Northwest Division. The Blazers are third in the Western Conference in scoring differential behind Golden St. and Houston and it will be focused on revenge tonight following a season sweep last year and a loss in Milwaukee last month. The Bucks are coming off a 23-point win in Sacramento on Tuesday to improve to 2-1 on this current roadtrip and get back to .500 on the road. Winning consecutive games on the road has been a problem as it has lost three straight road games following a win in its last road game. The defense has been inconsistent all season especially on the road where they are allowing 107.4 ppg. The Bucks are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Blazers are 9-1-2 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (508) Portland Trailblazers

South Carolina was the Cinderella story last season in the NCAA Tournament, making a Final Four run and finishing the season with 26 wins. Coming anywhere near that will be difficult this season as the Gamecocks lost three double-digit scorers including 2017 SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell who averaged 21.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg. They are off to a 5-1 start but has not been tested with a pair of wins over Western Michigan being the best of the bunch. They have been favored by at least 8 points in every game showing how poor the opposition has been. Temple is 3-1 including a pair of quality victories over Clemson and Auburn. The Owls are coming off a loss against city rival LaSalle, a team that returned all five starters. Temple has four starters back from a disappointing 17-17 team and big things are expected this season. If this is a close game late or if Temple needs to seal the deal, the Owls have a huge edge at the free throw line as they are shooting 81.2 percent from the stripe which is No. 6 in the country while the Gamecocks are hitting just 66.2 percent from the line, good for only No. 271 in the nation. 10* (532) Temple Owls

Evansville is off to a 5-1 start on the season and has covered all four lined games following a close loss against Louisiana Tech in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge. The Purple Aces have overachieved thus far, and they are now playing their first true road game of the season and it comes in one of the toughest environments in college basketball. Evansville finished eighth in the MVC last season and that is the prediction once again for a team that lost Jaylon Brown, who averaged 20.9 ppg and led the conference in scoring. New Mexico has taken a fall over the past few years which led to the firing of head coach Craig Neal to the Lobos are far from a doormat. They won 17 games last season and while The Pit is not quite what it used to be, the Lobos are 25-9 over the last three years here. They are coming off an embarrassing loss in their last home game against Tennessee Tech which is part of a four-game skid so if there is ever going to be an all-out effort, this is the time and laying a short price against a team that hits the highway for the first time sets up a great value play. 10* (760) New Mexico Lobos

We played on Northern Iowa a week ago against SMU and the Panthers won that game outright while pulling off another upset over NC State the following day. They ran out of gas in their third game in three days against Villanova, but they certainly held their own in a 14-point loss against a top five team. To defend that loss, the fact the Panthers did not go to the free throw line shows how the game may have been officiated. The Panthers finished two games under .500 last season, but they were a very young team with only two seniors, so they bring back a ton of experience and are projected to contend in the MVC. They also faced North Carolina in their opener on the road and the Panthers played well in a 17-point loss so playing two elite opponents only helps their cause. UNLV is a team on the rise and is off to a 6-0 start but being a road favorite is a little aggressive considering this is the first time the Rebels have left Vegas after winning just two road games last season. They have dominated opponents which is factoring into this line but a young team playing its first road game is something to stay away from. 10* (746) Northern Iowa Panthers

Alabama made news last week by playing and coming close to winning against Minnesota despite playing 3-on-5 and that is factoring into this line with the betting public loving this team right now. While there are no suspensions, there are key injuries for the Tide as forward Braxton Key, an NBA prospect, is out until next month, key reserve Armond Davis is also out until December while starting freshman and second leading scorer John Petty is questionable tonight with an ankle injury. Louisiana Tech is going to be playing with a mission this season. The Bulldogs went 23-10 last season including a 14-4 record in C-USA which was good for a second-place finish and after getting ousted in the conference tournament semifinals, they were completely snubbed by all postseason tournaments. They have three starters back this season and are off to a 5-0 start while possessing one of the top backcourts you will see as four guards are averaging double-digits in scoring led by Jalen Harris and NBA prospect Jacobi Boykins. The Bulldogs need quality wins, and this will qualify as one of those so expect a huge effort tonight. 10* (753) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Washington is coming off an upset win last night in Minnesota and won its first game without john Wall after the news came out that he will be out two weeks. The Wizards benefitted from a slow-paced game against the Timberwolves but that will not be the case tonight as Philadelphia likes to push the ball as it is ranked No. 4 in the NBA in possessions per game. Washington is ranked No. 12 in the same category but with no Wall, the slower the better as is was shown that Tim Frazier has trouble running the offense. The Wizards are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up win. The Sixers had a three-game winning streak snapped against the Cavaliers on Monday as they lost by 22 points and they conclude their six-game homestand tonight before heading to Boston. Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS as a favorite of four or more points including a perfect 3-0 ATS during this homestand. The home team has won four straight in this series including a Washington victory last month setting up and going back, the Sixers are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (702) Philadelphia 76ers

Chicago will be out for some quick turnaround revenge after losing in Phoenix nine days ago which was the first loss in its current five-game slide. Four of those losses were on the road and going back, the Bulls have played six of their last eight games on the road. All against Western Conference teams. Chicago is coming off a home loss against Miami in its last game, but it was a competitive game and the Bulls have covered two straight home games. Coming in, we knew the Bulls would be in for a long season, but the schedule has not helped as they have played the No. 2 ranked schedule in the league. Chicago is the only team in the league to not win a game against the top 16, going 0-12 in those games but going 3-3 against the rest of the NBA. Phoenix has lost three straight games with nine of its last 11 games have come at home, so it has been a favorable run. While Chicago has played the second toughest schedule, Phoenix has played the second easiest. This line came out late due to the questionable status of leading scorer Devin Booker who is battling a toe injury. 10* (506) Chicago Bulls

Utah St. is on its 11th day of a 13-day roadtrip so there is some fatigue settling in. The Aggies are 2-2 on the trip, losing to Gonzaga and Portland St. while winning a tournament in Nashville, defeating northeastern and New Hampshire. The Aggie guards will have their work cut out for them, especially since three of the top four will most likely not play. Brock Miller (foot) and Julion Pearre (calf) are for sure out, while Koby McEwen (ankle) is doubtful. This is not ideal as McEwen is their best player and was names MWC Freshman of the Year last season. Valparaiso is 7-0 and back home following five straight games on the highway. While the Crusaders lost four starters, this team is long and deep. They start 7-foot sophomore Jaume Sorolla, then bring in 7-2 sophomore Derrik Smits and Utah St. does not have the size to match up as 6-11 center Norbert Janicek is out for the season. The backcourt is deep with three double-digit scorers so there are edges both down low and up top. 10* (534) Valparaiso Crusaders

Florida St. is a heavy consensus play for tonight which comes as no surprise as the Seminoles are a team that has been playing at a high level for years while Rutgers has not been relevant in years, but the roles could be reversed this season. The Seminoles are coming off a 26-win season and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. However, they lost the majority of the starters from that team and are now relying on a lot of players stepping up in key roles for the first time in their careers. This is the first true road game for Florida St. and it comes at an underrated venue. 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 brings back four starters. The Scarlet Knights are off to a 6-0 start and while they have not been tested, this is a team on the rise that will produce some surprises this season. This could be the first. 10* (518) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Xavier is coming off its first loss of the season as the defense was to blame. It led by as many as 15 points in the first half but allowed 73 points over the final 23 minutes of the game. After building that 15-point lead late in the first half, the Musketeers then went scoreless over the final three-plus minutes of the period as the Sun Devils went on a 15-2 run to pull within a bucket going into halftime. Xavier will be out for immediate redemption and there will be added motivation as well. The Musketeers opened last season 7-0 before a trip to Waco and they lost by 15 points, so payback is in play. Baylor is 5-0 including a pair of wins over Wisconsin and Creighton but this will be the biggest test of the season for the Bears which lost a lot of production and experience from last season. This is the first true road game of the season for Baylor and it comes against a pissed off Xavier teams in one of the tougher environments in the country. 10* (512) Xavier Musketeers

This line came out late due to the uncertain status of Indiana guard Victor Oladipo who missed the last game with a knee injury and is questionable for tonight. He would like to go against his former team, but his status will be determined close to tipoff tonight, Nate McMillan and Oladipo said. If he goes, he will not be 100 percent which will keep the Pacers leading scorer in check. Indiana is just 5-4 at home including losses in three of its last five games. Orlando has been on a miserable run following a good start to the season as it has lost eight straight games including the first three on this current four-game roadtrip. The defense has been a real problem over this stretch as they have allowed at least 110 points six times while allowing an average of 117 ppg. The Indiana defense is not much better as it is allowing just three fewer ppg on the season and while Orlando is getting outscored by 2.5 ppg on the road, the Pacers are getting outscored by 1.8 ppg at home. The Magic are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game while going 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss. 10* (701) Orlando Magic

This is the first true road game for Maryland but that is not a huge concern in this spot. The Terrapins are 6-1 with three of those games coming on a neutral floor so they have had some exposure to other courts as opposed to their own. The one loss came against a good St. Bonaventure teams and Maryland bounced back from that with a win over New Mexico. The Terrapins defeated Butler earlier in the season by 14 points which was an impressive signature victory. They are dealing with the loss of Melo Trimble, but this team is still pretty loaded as three of five starters returned from their 24-win season and currently have nine players averaging 11 or more minutes per game. Syracuse is 5-0 but has yet to be tested with their best win coming against Oakland. The Orange are extremely young as they lost three key starters as well as two senior reserves that played big roles. They look good defensively but again, have not played anybody and the Achilles Heel that has plagued this team for years is back against as Syracuse is hitting just 63.9 percent from the free throw line which is No. 313 out of 251 Division I teams. 10* (717) Maryland Terrapins

Michigan St. coasted by DePaul and Connecticut, stomping both opponents by over 20 points in the first two rounds of the PK80 tournament. The Spartans will be tested here though, and it does have a favorable matchup as their size can be the difference in this one. North Carolina rolled in its first two games as well and while after leading the country in offensive rebounding a season ago, the Tar Heels lost most of their height heading into this season. They are led by junior forward Luke May, who is averaging 21.2 ppg and 10.8 rpg and is coming off scoring 28 points with 16 boards against the Razorbacks. Michigan St. has the size that can neutralize him though as Jaren Jackson Jr. (6-11), Nick Ward (6-8), Miles Bridges (6-7), Gavin Schilling (6-9), Xavier Tillman (6-8) and Ben Carter (6-9) are part of a big team. Michigan St. has had issues with North Carolina in the past, but this is one of the better advantages it has had, and the line is proving that. 10* (548) Michigan St. Spartans

The Sixers are one of the pleasant surprised in the NBA this season as they are off to a 10-7 starts and currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They have won four of their last five games while covering all five of those which is affecting the line for tonight and there is a very good possibility that Philadelphia is looking ahead to its game with Cleveland. Orlando opened the season red hot with a 6-2 record, but things have gone downhill since then as the Magic are 2-9 over their last 11 games including seven straight losses. They lost in Boston last night but that was a horrible spot against the Celtics which were coming off their first loss after a 16-game winning streak. This is a good matchup for Orlando which is 5-2 ATS when getting five or more points and the Sixers have done most of their damage as underdogs, going 6-0 ATS when getting fewer than eight points. Philadelphia will be without Ben Simmons tonight which is a huge loss as he has been outstanding in his rookie season. 10* (701) Orlando Magic

St. Bonaventure is coming off a big upset over Maryland yesterday and while it is a big upset over a top program, the Terrapins are not the Terrapins we are accustomed to. The Bonnies head to the finals of the Emerald Classic with a 3-1 record with their lone loss coming against Niagara their season opener and that is a loss that cannot be ignored. St. Bonaventure went 20-12 last season and finished fifth in the Atlantic Ten but failed to go to a postseason tournament so there is plenty of motivation. However, the Bonnies will again be without their leader Jaylen Adams who is out with an ankle injury and his absence is pivotal in this matchup. TCU is another team that was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament committee, but the Horned Frogs were invited to the NIT and took their frustrations out on the bracket and won the whole thing. They bring back all five starters from their 24-win season and there is a realistic shot of contending in the Big XII with one of the best frontcourts in the conference. All-Big XII forward Vladimir Brodziansky was held in check yesterday as he had a tough matchup with Sam Longwood of New Mexico, but he has no such matchup issues tonight. 10* (753) TCU Horned Frogs

Phoenix is coming off a loss against Milwaukee in overtime on Wednesday which snapped a two-game winning streak. The Suns are now 7-12 on the season overall but have gone a more respectable 7-9 since the coaching change was made. The Suns scoring differential at home is skewed because of blowout losses against Portland and Houston by 48 and 26 points respectively and they do own impressive home wins over Utah and Minnesota and nearly pulled off another one against the Bucks. This is a horrible spot for New Orleans which improved to 10-8 overall following a couple signature wins over Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Five of their last six games have come at home where the Pelicans are 4-1 in those games and is currently on a two-game road losing streak. If the two big recent home wins are not bad enough, New Orleans travels to Golden St. tomorrow night so the letdown/lookahead angle is in full effect tonight. The Pelicans are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Suns are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (518) Phoenix Suns

West Virginia comes into the Advocare Invitational ranked No. 20 in the country after opening the season with a 23-point loss to Texas A&M but it has recovered with four straight wins including a less-than-inspiring effort against Marist in the first round yesterday. The Mountaineers were favored by 29.5 points but won by just six points as they shot only 35.1 percent from the floor compared to 55.3 percent for the Red Foxes but they dominated the boards 41-28 including a 22-3 advantage on the offensive glass. They look to shoot better today and still have a dominant rebounding advantage. Central Florida defeated Nebraska yesterday to improve to 4-0 on the season but the Huskers are picked to finish No. 13 in the 14-team Big Ten and the other three wins came against nobodies. The Knights finished fourth in the AAC last season but are expected to fall back after an impressive 24-win season. They lost three starters and are without their best player as B.J. Taylor broke his foot in the first game and is out four-six weeks. He averaged 17.4 ppg in 29 games last season and his absence will be problematic here. 10* (546) West Virginia Mountaineers

Texas is coming off a miserable season, one of its worst ever and now the pressure is on head coach Shaka Smart in his third season. The good news is that his recruiting efforts are going to pay off with his best roster in his tenure and the Longhorns were able to start the season early in the summer with a trip to Australia and that makes such a big difference early in the season. Texas has 11 players averaging double-digits in minutes, so the depth of this team is a big advantage as well. Butler is 3-1 but suffered a bad loss against Maryland in its only real game of the season. The Bulldogs are going through another coaching change and while good things are expected, they are predicted to finish fifth in a relatively weak Big East Conference after the top three teams. After a last place finish in the Big XII last season, Texas is expected to make a top four finish this season which is big turnaround in a vital season for Smart. This is a loaded tournament and the Longhorns can make a name starting tonight. 10* (744) Texas Longhorns

SMU is coming off a huge season where it went 30-5 but suffered a loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and it is starting right where it left off. The Mustangs have started the season a perfect 4-0 with all four wins being blowout victories but they have played nobody, and this is a team that is in major transition. SMU is still on probation in that it is getting fewer scholarships and comes into this season needing to replace three important starters with a young roster that has not played together very much. The Panthers finished two games under .500 last season, but they were a very young team with only two seniors, so they bring back a ton of experience and are projected to contend in the MVC. Northern Iowa has rolled in its last three games against low-level competition, but they faced North Carolina in their opener on the road and the Panthers held their own in a 17-point loss and that experience against an elite team will help here. This line has a lot to do with what happened last season for SMU and it start this season, but it is overly aggressive in what should be a very competitive game. 10* (556) Northern Iowa Panthers

Idaho comes in to the season as the favorites to win the Big Sky Conference after going 12-6 last season, which was good for a tie for third, and 19-14 overall. That was good for an invite to the CIT which was important for extra playing time and practices. The Vandals are loaded as they bring back all five starters as well as point guard Perrion Callandret who took a medical redshirt last season after averaging 14.0 ppg in 2015-16. They are off to a 2-1 start with the lone loss coming at Nevada, the favorite to win the MWC. Santa Clara had a winning record last season as it finished a game over .500 but its season ended in the WCC Semifinals and did not get to play in a postseason tournament. The Broncos have three starters back, but the losses will be hard to replace especially Jared Brownridge who finished his career as the No. leading scorer in program history. Santa Clara is 1-2 to start the season with all three games coming at home including a 30-point loss to aforementioned Nevada. The only victory came against Division III La Verne University. The experience of Idaho will show in Alaska. 10* (585) Idaho Vandals

Louisiana Tech is going to be playing with a mission this season. The Bulldogs went 23-10 last season including a 14-4 record in C-USA which was good for a second-place finish and after getting ousted in the conference tournament semifinals, they were completely snubbed by all postseason tournaments. They have three starters back this season and are off to a 4-0 start including a victory over George Mason by 13 points in the first round of the Cancun Challenge. This is one of the top backcourts you will see as four guards are averaging double-digits in scoring led by Jalen Harris and NBA prospect Jacobi Boykins. Evansville pulled off the upset over Fresno St. to get to the finals and improved to 5-0 on the season while covering all three lined games. The Purple Aces have overachieved thus far and have a tough matchup here as their strength is in the backcourt but cannot match up with the Bulldogs. Evansville finished eighth in the MVC last season and that is the prediction once again for a team that lost Jaylon Brown, who averaged 20.9 ppg and led the conference in scoring. The Bulldogs keep rolling. 10* (592) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

San Antonio improved to 8-2 at home following a pair of wins over Oklahoma City and Atlanta and it has enjoyed a favorable schedule as eight of its last 10 games have been at home. The Spurs are 3-4 on the road and two of those wins came against Chicago and Dallas, two of the worst teams in the NBA. They have been a road underdog twice this season and lost both games, a 12-point defeat at Minnesota and a 14-point loss at Boston. San Antonio is 0-5 ATS in its last five road games. The Pelicans have won six of their last nine games while going 3-1 at home over that stretch. New Orleans is ranked fourth in the NBA in effective field goal percentage and while the Spurs present a strong defense, they are 1-4 against teams ranked in the top ten in effective field goal percentage. San Antonio has won six of the last seven meetings but was favored by at least 6.5 points in all those games, so this line shows the difference in these teams right now. 10* (522) New Orleans Pelicans

The Clippers have lost nine straight games, but they have not lost to any teams that are in the category of Atlanta. Five of those losses came against winning teams while the other four came against teams that are all 7-9 so the recent schedule has been a tough one. There are no excuses for big losing streaks like this with what is supposed to be a quality team, but this is the opponent Los Angeles needs to face to break this skid. Atlanta has lost two straight games as it is now just 3-14 overall. The offense has sputtered most of the season and it is coming off a season low 85 points against San Antonio. The Clippers defense is not on that same level, but this is one of the worst offenses it has seen over the recent losing stretch. The Hawks are 0-5 this season as a home underdog and the Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. 10* (507) Los Angeles Clippers

Boston is rolling right now and anyone that had Dallas in the Celtics last game endured a horrible beat as the Mavericks blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost the cover in overtime. The Celtics have won 16-straight games, so it is no surprise they are the biggest public consensus on the board tonight as they have gone 14-1-1 over that stretch so not many people will step in front of them, but they are vulnerable as they have had to come back from double-digits down in their last three games. Miami will be fired up to snap the Boston winning streak as it is coming off a 25-point home loss against Indiana on Sunday and it has now lost two straight home games. While the Heats have been outscored at home, they are outshooting opponents 45.7 percent to 41.9 percent here so the play has been better than the 3-5 record shows Miami lost the first meeting here by six points, but the difference was from the free throw line while committing 19 turnovers. 10* (512) Miami Heat

Two teams that will be outside the playoffs this season square off in Los Angeles in the lone game on the NBA slate for Tuesday. Chicago continues its four-game west coast roadtrip following a loss in Phoenix on Sunday where it was outscored by seven points in the fourth quarter and lost by eight points. The Bulls are just 1-7 on the road but one look at the schedule shows they have played some strong teams and while the Lakers are an improving team, they do not fit into that group. Chicago is 0-7 against top ten teams but a much more respectable 3-4 against teams outside the top ten. The Lakers are coming off a win over Denver on Sunday which snapped a two-game slide and they are favored by more than four points for just the second time this season, the first resulting in an outright loss against Phoenix this past Friday. Los Angeles is 5-6 against teams outside the top ten so these teams matchup well with each other giving an edge to the undervalued underdog. Going back, the Bulls are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss while the Lakers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. 10* (701) Chicago Bulls

We won with Penn St. last night as the Nittany Lions rolled over Pittsburgh and while we think this is a very good team, they take a huge step up in competition here and will have a tough time keeping up. Penn St. is 5-0 but has defeated no one good and that includes the Panthers who are in for a very long season. The Nittany Lions have covered all three of their lined games which is keeping this number a reasonable one. They will have size advantages over a lot of teams this season as they are big down low with five players averaging at least 5.2 rebounds per game. The problem tonight is they will be facing a bigger and more athletic team, so their typical advantage will not be in play here. Texas A&M is coming off an average season where it went 16-15 overall including 8-10 in the SEC and did not go to a postseason tournament. The Aggies are loaded this season as they are led by forward Robert Williams who was a projected first round NBA draft pick but decided to come back for one more season and could be the No. 1 overall pick next year. Overall, they have four starters back while also adding graduate transfer Duane Wilson to compliment J.J. Caldwell who will return from a suspension on November 30. Depth and experience to go along with a stingy defense will lead Texas A&M to the Legends Classic Championship. 10* (742) Texas A&M Aggies

California is coming off a difficult loss yesterday as it blew a double-digit second half lead against Wichita St. and it was outscored 54-35 in the second half, ruining a chance for a monumental upset. The Golden Bears are now 2-2 on the season with the other loss coming against UC Riverside at home while the two wins came against Cal Poly by three points and Wofford. The loss to the Shockers will be hard to recover from for this extremely young team that has been picked to finish dead last in the Pac 12 after losing four starters, a part-time starter and their best incoming recruit. It is going to be a long season, and this is a bad matchup to have after a bad loss as the Bears are a pressing team and will be facing a VCU team that has pressed hard for years and will know how to break it after practicing it so much. VCU lost to a good Marquette team yesterday and will look to rebound to get back over .500. The Rams also lost a lot to graduation and are breaking in a new head coach as well, but Mike Rhoades was an assistant here, so he knows the program and has reinstalled the full-court Havok system. The other loss on the season came against Virginia which was considered a quality loss. Look for the Rams to be the team to bounce back on Tuesday. 10* (733) VCU Rams

Another pair of undefeated teams square off late Monday night in Las Vegas as Mississippi plays Utah in the second game of the MGM Grand Main Event. The Rebels are coming off a solid season where they went 22-14 including 10-8 in the SEC but they were not quite there to get a berth into the NCAA Tournament and had to settle for the NIT where they won two games. Mississippi lost a ton as four starters departed and is still without Karlis Silins who was a projected starter coming into this season. The lack of proven players has shown early on as the Rebels have struggled the last couple games to put Eastern Kentucky and Georgia State away and now comes its best test of the young season. They had to rally twice in the second half to stay undefeated. Utah has rolled in its first three games including a win over Missouri in its last game although the Tigers were without Michael Porter Jr. Still, we can put that team on the same page as Mississippi. The Utes are doing it with defense once again as they are allowing opponents to shoot just 33.7 percent from the floor including 21.2 percent from long range. This is a very balanced team on offense with six players averaging between 9.0 and 14.0 ppg. Going back, the Utes are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. 10* (579) Utah Utes

This line may seem off to some based on who these teams are, but this is in fact correct and it is going to get a lot of public action on Pittsburgh. The Panthers are coming off a tough season where they went 16-17 including a 4-14 record in the ACC. They lost four starters to graduation while another one, Cameron Johnson, transferred to North Carolina while also losing five other players that decided to leave the program early. So, it is a complete rebuild in Pittsburgh and we are already seeing the signs it lost to Navy on the road and Montana at home while struggling to get past Santa Barbara in their last game. While the Panthers lost everyone, Penn St. has most everyone back as all five starters return from a team that went just 15-18 but showed signs of getting over the hump. The Nittany Lions has big wins over Michigan St., Maryland and Minnesota but faded down the stretch and missed the postseason. They are 4-0 this season, winning all four games by double-digits including a 13-point victory over the same Montana team that beat Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Panthers are 12-36-4 ATS in their last 52 games following a straight up win. 10* (567) Penn St. Nittany Lions

After starting the season 6-2, the Magic have gone through a 2-6 run including four straight losses, all against Western Conference teams. The last one came on Saturday against Utah by 40 points which is easily their worst loss of the season and the fact it came in front of the home crowd will provide plenty of motivation tonight for that not to happen again. Orlando has been solid at home for the most part as it was 4-2 heading into Saturday with one of those losses coming against Boston and a solid victory over San Antonio. While the Magic were getting blown out last game, Indiana was doing the blowing out yesterday as the Pacers rolled over the Heat in Miami by 25 points. That was their third straight win to move over .500 for the first time since November 3 and going back, they have also won three straight road games. This is a tough back-to-back situation and the Pacers are 1-3 this season in the second game of a back-to-back while going 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games playing with no rest. Orlando head coach Frank Vogel said to his team after that Utah loss, everyone in the locker room, including himself, will be judged by how they respond to their 40-point defeat. Going back, the Magic are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss. 10* (508) Orlando Magic

We played against Creighton in its last game but the Bluejays won at Northwestern as the Wildcats home court advantage not be as strong as in the past because of the relocation. The Bluejays shot lights out once again and they are shooting over 55 percent on the season while averaging 97.7 ppg. Creighton did suffer a loss in that last game however as starting senior forward Toby Hegner suffered a high ankle sprain and he will be out for a while. The Bluejays have covered both lined games this season which helps with this line while going back, they are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win. UCLA is also off to a 3-0 start, but it has not looked good in doing so. It narrowly defeated Georgia Tech in China while needing overtime to defeat Central Arkansas at home. It is obvious that the distraction stemming from the shoplifting incident carried over into basketball, but the Bruins shook those first two games off with a 28-point win over South Carolina St. last time out. After allowing an effective field goal percentage of 55.2 percent over its first three quarters back in the United States, including a mark of 59.5 percent by Central Arkansas, UCLA tightened up its defense in the second half against South Carolina St., holding the Bulldogs to a 44.3 percent effective field goal percentage. 10* (570) UCLA Bruins

Chicago is coming off a win over Charlotte on Friday which was just its third of the season and it has yet to pull off back-to-back wins this season. The Bulls have struggled with their offense considerably although they are coming off a 123-point performance against the Hornets which can be considered an aberration as they had topped 100 points only four other times in their previous 12 games. Chicago is 1-6 on the road with a scoring differential of -9.6 ppg. Phoenix has not fared much better this season as it is 6-11 overall but has gone a more respectable 6-8 since the coaching change was made. The Suns scoring differential at home is skewed because of blowout losses against Portland and Houston by 48 and 26 points respectively and they do own impressive home wins over Utah and Minnesota. Winning the winnable games is a necessity and this is one of those games as it opens a three-game homestand before hitting the road for a six-game, east coast trip. 10* (710) Phoenix Suns

The finals of the Puerto Rico Tip Off take place Sunday in South Carolina after a day off on Saturday. The Broncos defeated UTEP by just a bucket in the opener but came to life the next day and rolled over Illinois St. On the heels of a rough shooting outing in the opener against UTEP, senior Chandler Hutchison posted the 12th double-double of his career with 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against the Redbirds. He will look to back it up again against a depleted backcourt of Iowa St. that lost three double-digit scorers from the perimeter last season. We played against Iowa St. in its season opener and noted how there is little quality talent on this team. Donovan Jackson is the most productive returning player as he was fifth on the team in scoring with 6.4 ppg. Fred Hoiberg's staff neglected to recruit high school prospects his last two years at Iowa St. and those kids who would now be contributing as juniors and seniors, and ready to step into star roles, do not exist on the Cyclone roster. While both teams are in a rebuild, the Broncos are not nearly in as bad of shape as the Cyclones which narrowly escaped in the first two rounds. 10* (733) Boise St. Broncos

This is a move you see now and again but not to this extent. The Celtics are going from home underdogs to road favorites and it is almost a complete flip where they are going from +7 to -7 in a reverse venue change. Boston is the hottest team in the NBA with 14 straight wins and after coming back twice from 17 points down against Golden St. to pull off the win on Thursday, this is the prime letdown spot. Boston has won seven straight road games but only two of those have come by more than what they are favored by tonight. This includes a three-point win over the Hawks less than two weeks ago. Atlanta is the worst team in the Eastern Conference with a 3-12 record, but the value cannot be overlooked here as the Hawks are in prime upset mode here. They are coming off a win over Sacramento in their last game on Wednesday but there will be no letdown scenario based on who they are playing. Going back, the Celtics are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of less than .400 while the Hawks are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (508) Atlanta Hawks

Portland is riding a two-game winning streak to move to 8-6 on the season but that can be considered a poor record based on the schedule it has played. The Blazers have played the easiest schedule in the NBA and the recent stretch has played a big part in that as 10 of their last 11 games have been at home where they have gone an average 6-4. They are 2-2 on the road while this is just the second game on the highway in November and going back, the Blazers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing straight up record. The schedule has been drastically different for Sacramento which has played the eighth toughest schedule in the league as nine of its first 14 games have come on the road. The Kings are coming off a three-game roadtrip on the east coast where they went 0-3 but they head home riding a two-game home winning streak which came against Oklahoma City and Philadelphia. There will be motivation tonight as the 126-80 drubbing to the Hawks marked the sixth-worst loss in franchise history, and their biggest since February 2, 2008. The Kings are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games and that streak continues with a big effort tonight. 10* (718) Sacramento Kings

**7:30 PM ET Start** Providence is coming off another successful season where it went 20-13 and it is expected to be another great season for the Friars which return the bulk of their production. They are coming off a win over Washington yesterday in the first round of the 2K Classic and are heavy favorites to bring home the championship tonight. They opened the season with a blowout win over Houston Baptist but followed that up with a head-scratching loss against Minnesota where they melted down in the second half. High expectations lead to inflate lines early in the season which is the case her and adding to that is the fact they are playing a team that has won a total of 34 games over the last three seasons. St. Louis made the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons, but the last three years have been a struggle where it has lost 21 games each season. This is a different team now however and could be one of the biggest surprises in the country. The Billikens have been picked to finish in the upper half of the A-10 thanks to four starters back as well as one of the best freshmen in the country and big name incoming transfers. Jordan Goodwin is a five-star recruit who is second on the team in scoring behind Javon Bess who came over from Michigan St. This team is talented and deep and is getting this many points because of the past and not the present. 10* (780) St. Louis Billikens

When Gordon Hayward went down in their season opener and they opened the season 0-2, the Celtics odds to win the Eastern Conference went up considerably. 13 consecutive wins later and the struggles for the Cavaliers have shot Boston back into the mix and it will be out to prove tonight that it belongs in elite company. The schedule has not been overly difficult which has helped but the Celtics are the only team in the NBA to not lose a game against the top 10, going 3-0 against such teams. They are 4-0 ATS this season against teams with a winning record and they have covered all five games this season as underdogs. Golden St. brings in a seven-game winning streak, so it is again playing at a high level after an average start of 4-3. The Warriors are a bucket away of covering all seven of those games as well but are overvalued here. In their last road game, they were favored by nine points over Denver and are laying less than a bucket less against the second-best team in the NBA which is not a proper adjustment. The Warriors are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (502) Boston Celtics

**2:00 PM ET Start** Boise St. is coming off another 20-win season and expectations are high once again for the Broncos. They have opened the season 2-0 as they routed Eastern Oregon on Friday (104-65) and Southern Utah on Sunday (90-69) but things will be not as easy Thursday afternoon. Boise St. has the best player on the floor in Chandler Hutchinson, who is the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, but they will be challenged with depth early on. They lost a couple of key players from last season including point guard Paris Austin who transferred to California after averaging 12.3 ppg and leading the team in assists. UTEP is coming off an easy win over Louisiana College after jumping out to a 32-0 lead. The Miners roster is comprised of eight newcomers including five freshmen and only five returners from last year's fourth-seeded C-USA team that went 15-17 overall but an impressive 12-6 in conference play. They do return four starters and were granted a sixth year out of center Matt Willms while getting graduate transfer Keith Frazier from SMU, who is a former McDonald's All-American. The confidence level of the Miners is high as they have won 14 of their last 18 games and they were able to open the season with a summer trip to Costa Rica that gave them an extra 10 practices and three competitive games. 10* (520) UTEP Miners

Northwestern achieved many firsts last season including their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament which resulted in a win in the first round and a tough loss to Gonzaga in the round of 32. The goals are higher this season as the Wildcats have four starters back from their 24-win season and they were ranked in the initial AP Poll for the first time in program history. They have not looked great through two games but we can blame that on the lack of competition but that changes here, in at least name. Creighton is off to a 2-0 start as well but this is a team that will have a different look than it did at this same time a year ago. Creighton lacks a true point guard and it showed last year how it derailed their season when point guard Maurice Watson tore his ACL and the Bluejays limped to the finish line. They have just 38 assists in 73 made field goals and while they have been shooting lights out, they face their toughest defensive test of the season. Northwestern is playing its home games off campus this season at the Allstate Arena which is a half hour away and that will hurt later in the season when they will be playing early games. Playing a game at 8:00 PM local time will not affect the student crowd and the Wildcats home court advantage will be in full effect. 10* (736) Northwestern Wildcats

We played against the Spurs last night and got the cover by a half-point and we will fade them again tonight in a much tougher matchup playing with no rest. They improved to 2-3 on the road with the victory and overall, they have won five of their last six games but all five of those wins came against teams with losing records. This is already the fourth back-to-back of the season for San Antonio and while it has gone 2-1 in the second game, in all three instances the Spurs were coming off a loss. Minnesota has gone 4-1 at home compared to 4-4 on the road and it is coming of a three-game roadtrip where it went 1-2. Minnesota is off to the second-best start in team history and has scored more than 100 points for a team-record 12 straight games. The Timberwolves are ranked No. 8 in the NBA in offensive efficiency. San Antonio has won 12 straight meetings in this series including a home victory earlier this season, but the tide turns here as this is the best Minnesota team during this time and it is back home. Going back, the Timberwolves are 23-11-1 ATS in their last 35 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (708) Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans has won its first two games of this three-game homestand and going back, it has won five of its last six games and seven of its last 10 to improve to 8-6 on the season. The Pelicans look to finally be gelling as the offense is coming together, currently ranked No. 11 in scoring offense and tied for No. 7 in shooting as they are hitting 47.3 percent from the floor. It needs to be noted that the only loss during this recent six-game stretch came in Toronto so there is the revenge factor going into tonight as well. The Raptors are coming off a win last night in Houston as they put up 129 points on 51.9 percent shooting from the floor including 46.7 percent from long range. Toronto had lost its last game in Boston on Sunday and it has had a tough time playing consistently as the Raptors are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win. They too have a solid offense as witnessed last night but the defense has held them back from putting together a better start to the season. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 4-0 ATS in their last four games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (712) New Orleans Pelicans

The Mavericks have gotten off to a tough start to the season as expected since we knew it was a rebuild that was going to take place and the Mavericks have just two wins through their first 12 games. They are coming off a pair of losses against Cleveland at home and Oklahoma St. on the road and as is the case with most of the NBA, the home play of the Mavericks has been a lot better. Four of their last 10 games have been at home and that includes a win over Memphis and the three losses were close as Dallas missed the covers by a combined 2.5 points, so it has been very competitive. It has not exactly been a great start for San Antonio per its standards and while it looks like the Spurs have turned the corner with wins in four of their last five games, we are not buying that. This is coming from a six-game homestand and this is their first road game in November. The Spurs are 6-2 at home but just 2-3 on the road including three straight losses. San Antonio has struggled to finds a rhythm without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker and while this looks like a blowout on paper, it is never that easy. 10* (506) Dallas Mavericks

Under head coach Kevin Keatts, UNC-Wilmington won 78 games in three years and won or tied for the CAA regular season championship in all three seasons. Keatts has moved on as he took the job at NC State and in comes C.B. McGrath who was an assistance at North Carolina, so the transition will not be seamless. In addition, the Seahawks must replace four starters while the five-player recruiting class that was coming in all decided to go elsewhere so the roster is very raw and inexperienced. It is going to be a tough start for UNC-Wilmington which won its first game over NC-Wesleyan but hits the road for the first time against a much-improved opponent. Davidson missed the postseason for the first time since 2011 last year but the Wildcats will be contending in the Atlantic Ten Conference this season. They bring back four starters and got an early start to the season as they went on a summer exhibition tour in Europe which teams can do once every five years and that extra time together makes a big difference early in the season. Davidson rolled in its first game as well as it went an incredible 26-53 from long range against Charleston Southern and that is not good news for the Seahawks that struggled defensively against a D-II team. 10* (508) Davidson Wildcats

Denver closed a six-game homestand with a three-game winning streak and overall, the Nuggets went 5-1 and now they hit the road for the first time in November. The only loss came against Golden St., so they have taken care of business everywhere else, but the road has been an issue. They are 2-3 on the highway with the wins coming against Atlanta and Brooklyn, two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, while the three losses came against Utah, Charlotte and New York and Portland is ranked higher than all three of those teams. The Blazers have dropped two straight games and it has been a very average start as they are 6-6 despite the fact eight of their last nine games have come at home. In total, after this game and the Wednesday game against Orlando, Portland will have played 10 of 11 games at home and while the results so far have been average, it does have the rest edge where there has been no travel. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Blazers are 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (714) Portland Trailblazers

The Cowboys are the second biggest consensus on the entire college hoops slate and a big reason is name. Oklahoma St. is a big-name program and only laying 13.5 points against an unknown team looks to be easy money. That is hardly the case and this is a tough matchup against a team that can keep up. Both teams are coming off comfortable opening victories, so we do not have to dive into those but should bring up the fact that the up-tempo offense the 49ers possess is for real as they shot 62 percent while scoring 116 points albeit against a D-II school. Charlotte is loaded offensively and while it struggled last season on defense, it brought in players to help. Overall, the 49ers have four starters back so chemistry is in place. Oklahoma St. made a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season but lost head coach Brad Underwood who left for Illinois and while Mike Boynton Jr. was an assistant and is familiar with the roster, this is his first ever head coaching job. The Cowboys lost three starters including two important pieces in Juwan Evans (19.3 ppg and Phil Forte III (13.3 ppg) so there are voids to fill, and it may take a while. They rolled Pepperdine, but the Waves are a horrible team and the 49ers are getting just a field goal fewer points. 10* (729) Charlotte 49ers

San Diego opens the season two days later than most teams but are in a good spot to open it the right way. The Toreros 13-18 season but they bring back a load of talent and experience making this the best team under head coach Lamont Smith who is in his third season. Six of the top seven scorers are back for San Diego and Isaiah Wright, a point guard transfer from Utah, is now eligible. This is the first true point guard Smith has had at his disposal and that makes a huge difference. San Jose St. rolled over Antelope Valley in its season opener and never hearing of Antelope Valley shows how much of an unimpressive win it was. The Spartans made progress last season but encountered two huge losses over the summer as head coach Dave Wojcik stepped down in July and their best player, All-MWC First Team forward Brandon Clarke who averaged 17.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg, transferred to Gonzaga a month after that. The team is in transition right now as a new system was put into place, so it could take some time for them to come together. This line flipped right after opening and it is the right move. 10* (519) San Diego Toreros

After a 2-0 start to the season, things have gone sour for the Cavaliers as they have dropped seven of their last 10 games including horrible losses to Brooklyn, New York and Atlanta. They are coming off a loss to Houston on Thursday and look to right the ship against an opponent they should have no trouble with. The defense has been a real issue, but Dallas is a horrible offensive team as it is shooting just 42.4 percent from the floor which is second worst in the NBA. Dallas is coming off just its second win of the season as it pulled a big upset in Washington on Tuesday. Any positive momentum is lost because of the extended time off and prior to that, the Mavericks had dropped six straight games. They put up 113 points against the Wizards and the other two times they scored 110 or more points, they followed those up by scoring 88 and 89 points next time out. Going back, the Mavericks are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while going 0-8 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (709) Cleveland Cavaliers

We lost with Utah on Tuesday as it fell at home against the Sixers but now it has a better matchup with a worst team and a line that is nearly half of what it was against Philadelphia. The Jazz are now 5-2 at home and had their four-game streak of scoring 100 or more points snapped and will be out to halt their three-game losing streak. They are coming off a dreadful shooting performance as they shot just 30.3 percent from the floor including going 9-39 from long range as they were forcing unneeded shots since they trailed pretty much the entire game. Miami is coming off a win over Phoenix, which is struggling bad right now, to move to 2-2 on this current roadtrip and 2-3 on the highway overall. The Heats have lost three straight games following a win and has won back-to-back games only once all season and both of those were at home against a pair of below-average Eastern Conference teams. Miami is just 1-5 on the season against top 16 teams and going back, the Heat are 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Look for the Jazz to snap their skid tonight. 10* (512) Utah Jazz

Iowa St. has been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 2012 but that streak will be in serious jeopardy this season. The Cyclones are going through a serious rebuild and things could be sticky early in the season. They lost First Team All-Big XII point guard Monte Morris as well as double-digit scorers Deonte Burton, Matt Thomas and Naz Mitrou-Long. Donovan Jackson is the most productive returning player as he was fifth on the team in scoring with 6.4 ppg. Fred Hoiberg's staff neglected to recruit high school prospects his last two years at ISU and those kids who would now be contributing as juniors and seniors, and ready to step into star roles, do not exist on the Cyclone roster. Missouri won eight games last season, fired head coach Kim Anderson and hired Cuonzo Martin. The Tigers do not lack talent as they have a strong roster with potential lottery pick Michael Porter Jr. and four-star center Jeremiah Tilmon. Additionally, Blake Harris and Jeremiah Tilmon, who were supposed to be in Washington and Illinois respectively, decided to come to Missouri after their coaches were fired. This team is young, but expectations are high and getting off to a flying start is imperative which begins on Friday. 10* (552) Missouri Tigers

Even though it is early in the season, this is a huge game for Oklahoma City which has lost six of its first 10 games with its revamped roster that is supposed to challenge Golden St. in the Western Conference. The Thunder have lost their last three games including a loss at Sacramento in their last game which gave the Kings just their second win of the season. The offense has stalled as they have averaged only 93 ppg during the three-game skid while shooting just 39.7 percent and while the poor play is no excuse, they have faced some tough defenses and slow paces but that changes tonight. Denver is off to a 3-1 start on this current homestand and while a win over Toronto was a good one, that is the only good one on the entire season. The Nuggets have played a schedule that is ranked No. 28 in the NBA and the other five wins have come against Brooklyn twice, Miami, Atlanta and Sacramento, all of which have losing record. Granted, so do the Thunder but we all know the talent is there and a turnaround will happen, and this is the starting point. The Nuggets have failed to cover their last four games against teams with a losing record and are just 1-4 ATS this season following a win. 10* (709) Oklahoma City Thunder

We played against the Knicks last night and unfortunately, ran into a team that would end up shooting 60 percent from the floor which enabled them to come back from a 15-point deficit. It was the second straight game that the Knicks rallied from a late double-digit deficit as they were down by 19 points against the Pacers on Sunday and this magic is unlikely to continue. New York played five straight home games and has not gone on the road since October 29 and now it must do so playing on no rest. This is the first time the Knicks are playing a back-to-back going from home to the road and going back, the Knicks have lost 12 of their last 16 games when playing with no rest. Orlando has been off since Saturday where it was blown out at home against Boston which was its second straight blowout loss at Amway Center. The Magic opened the season 6-2 including a 3-0 record at home so we feel the last two games have been an aberration more than the norm. the offense was rolling with eight straight 100-point games before putting up just 83 and 88 points the last two games but now faces a below average defense. Orlando players have been stating how big of a game this is as after this, the Magic head out west for a four-game roadtrip while eight of their next 10 games are on the road. The Knicks have failed to cover both road games against winning teams this season while the Magic are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss. 10* (502) Orlando Magic

The Sixers have turned their season around with four straight wins after a 1-4 start and this is no doubt a team on the rise. Ben Simmons is a future star in this league as he is averaging close to a triple double while Joel Embiid is a horse underneath. Embiid will be out tonight as he is resting, and this is just the second game he has missed this season, the first resulting in a 34-poinbt loss at Toronto. In addition to the four straight wins, the Sixers have covered their last six games including all three on the road that were also straight up victories. It has been an average start to the season for Utah as it is 5-5 and the venue has played an important role as the home team is 9-1 in its 10 games. The Jazz have dropped two straight games including a 27-point loss in their last game at Houston and prior to that, it was a nine-point home loss against Toronto. The offensive cohesion has been an issue as point guard Ricky Rubio is still trying to get the chemistry going but it has been progressing of late as they have scored 100 or more points in four straight games. Now Utah faces a Sixers team that is allowing opposing teams to average 108.6 ppg so the Jazz can keep the offense rolling and going back, they are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (714) Utah Jazz

The Knicks have been one of the big surprises in the NBA this season as they are off to a 5-4 start with wins in five of their last six games after opening 0-3. We are not sure of this team yet as it has been a one man show during this stretch as Kristaps Porzingis has averaged 32.7 ppg during this recent six-game stretch. Enes Kanter has been a good addition at center but after that, it is a bunch of role players with the majority that are having trouble shooting the ball. This is only the third time New York has been favored this season with the first two coming against Brooklyn and Phoenix and Charlotte is much better than those two teams. The Hornets have lost two straight games after a three-game winning streak and the two recent losses came against Minnesota and San Antonio. They are just 1-4 on the road but the other two losses came at Detroit which was playing its first game in its new downtown arena and the other came at Milwaukee. Charlotte has played the No. 6 ranked schedule in the NBA with eight of 10 games coming against top 16 teams, where the Knicks are not. The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points while the Knicks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (709) Charlotte Hornets

Indiana was riding high with a three-game winning including a win at Cleveland but failed to keep the momentum going as it lost its next two games in Philadelphia and New York. Both of those teams have been playing well though but are definitely overachieving on a season level so now the Pacers need to take care of business at home before they hit the road for two more games. Indiana is 3-1 at home and it has gotten an offensive boost from Victor Oladipo and has Myles Turner back who missed seven games with a neck injury. New Orleans has won two straight games, both coming on the road at Dallas and Chicago which are two of the three worst teams in the league. The Pelicans are 5-5 overall and while they also possess a win over Cleveland, the four other wins have come against teams that will not be tasting the playoffs this season. With the recent opposite runs and the Western Conference vs. the Eastern Conference, we are catching a short number with Indiana. The Pacers are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a winning road record while the Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. While it is too early in the season to talk about must win games, but this is a very important early season game for the Pacers. 10* (706) Indiana Pacers