Sports Picks & Predictions

We played against Mississippi on Saturday as it kept the game close against Georgia but the Bulldogs used a late 12-1 run to pull away. The Rebels are now back home to face their biggest rival where they are 11-2 on the season with one of those losses coming against South Carolina in overtime. Following a four-game losing streak, they have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games and have won their last four games following a loss. It will be a very electric atmosphere as Mississippi will be playing its final home game of the season while playing with revenge following a six-point loss back in January in Starkville. Mississippi St. has won three of its last four games with only one of those coming on the road where it is just 2-8 on the season. It was an upset win at Alabama but the Bulldogs were catching Alabama off a pair of road upsets at Florida and LSU and a home upset over Texas A&M. The other road win came against 3-13 Missouri so they have not been very successful on the highway. While they are playing a bitter rival, the number is not in their favor which is a poor spot as well. As mentioned, Mississippi has been solid of late coming off a loss and going back, the Rebels are 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 games following a straight up loss. 10* (740) Mississippi Rebels

The Lakers are in the rare role of the favorite tonight as they have laid points on only three other occasions this season. It has been a tough stretch for Los Angeles of late as it has dropped eight straight games but the schedule has played a big part of that. The majority of games have come on the road and the home portion of the schedule has been against playoff teams and it has been this way all season as the Lakers have played the toughest schedule in the NBA. That is no excuse for the horrible record it is important to note that they are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. The Nets have had a solid roadtrip as they may be just 2-2 but they have covered all four of those games. Three of those have been as double-digit underdogs and that certainly will not be the case here. Brooklyn played last night and while there is no travel involved, this is still the third game in four nights and the fourth game in six nights. Additionally, the Nets are just 2-8 this season playing with no rest. 10* (510) Los Angeles Lakers

We played against Iowa on Sunday as it went to Ohio St. and lost, giving the Buckeyes a small glimmer of hope for the NCAA Tournament. Even worse for the Hawkeyes though is that defeat was their third straight loss and fourth in five games following a 10-1 start in the Big Ten. They are part of a logjam of six teams that are within one game of each other for second place in the conference. It is important to get into at least one of the top four slots for the Big Ten Tournament and with a game at Michigan to close the season, this is close to a must win as there is. Indiana is two games up on everyone following its third straight victory, a 27-point win at Illinois on Thursday. One win in its final two games wraps up the regular season championship but the final game of the season is at home against Maryland so it will not be easy. The Hoosiers are just 5-4 on the road and while a win at Michigan was strong, the other victories on the highway have been very unimpressive against horrible teams. Indiana won the first meeting sat home by seven points so revenge is in play as well. The Hawkeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (552) Iowa Hawkeyes

It has once again been a bad season for Auburn as it is 11-17 overall including a 5-11 record in the SEC in the second season under head coach Bruce Pearl. He came in knowing it was going to be a rebuilding project and it certainly has been, The Tigers close out their home schedule as they are a respectable 8-6 at Auburn Arena and they own impressive wins against UAB, Kentucky and Georgia so winning here outright is not out of the question. We are getting a big number on top of it against a team that is solid at home and struggles on the road which is the case for a number of teams from this conference. Texas A&M has had a roller coaster season as it opened 17-2 including a 7-0 start in the conference only to go on a 1-5 run but has since won its last four games. This includes an impressive, and lucky, win at home against Kentucky but no other quality wins in the mix. The Aggies are 1-4 in their last five road games and while the losses have been against teams better than Auburn, they were not close to being favored by this much. The Aggies are just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (556) Auburn Tigers

As of the latest NCAA Tournament forecast, Florida is the last team in so there is little room for error as it closes out the season. The Gators could desperately use a quality win and while a loss would not be a bad one here, it could very knock them outside. They have dropped three straight games, one coming in overtime at South Carolina and another this past Saturday by five points at LSU. In-between those was a home loss against Vanderbilt by 13 points which was their second straight loss at home and easily the worst of the season. This is the last home game before going to Missouri to close out the season so this is a huge one. Kentucky is also coming off a loss at it fell at Vanderbilt, it second loss in three games and it has also dropped four of its last five road games. Typically, this could be a good spot for a bounce back but not with the way the Wildcats have played on the road and the fact Florida is also out for revenge from a 19-point beatdown in Lexington in early October. Going back, the Gators are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up loss while the Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (532) Florida Gators

We are going against one of the biggest home consensus teams of the night and for good reason as Washington finds itself in a very tough spot here. The Wizards took care of Cleveland on Sunday afternoon for their second straight victory and fifth over their last seven games. This is still a very inconsistent team and taking out the top team in the Eastern Conference, with or without LeBron, sets up the perfect letdown opportunity. Big wins have been an issue as well as the Wizards are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. The Sixers are not a good team as we all know but the value is simply too good to pass up here as they have lost eight straight games while failing to cover five in a row. That plays a big part in the huge public backing of the Wizards which failed to cover their only game this season as a double-digit favorite and actually lost it outright at home against the Lakers. Coincidentally, the Wizards were coming off a win over Cleveland the previous day then as well. These teams met here earlier this month and Washington closed as an 8.5-point favorite but now the Wizards are favored by a full four points more which is a huge overadjustment. 10* (703) Philadelphia 76ers

North Carolina heads home looking to bounce back from a loss at Virginia on Saturday and while winning is the most likely scenario, covering this number is a different story. The Tar Heels are laying double-digits for the 16th time this season and through the first 15 games, they are just 5-10 ATS and will be facing another quality opponent with a lot on the line. Syracuse is coming off a win in its final home game against NC State which kept it in a tie for seventh place in the ACC but with a pair of wins to end the season and the Orange could jump into fourth place which would be huge. Syracuse is still in the mix for the coveted double bye in the ACC Tournament as it is a game behind potential No. 4 seeds Duke and Notre Dame but with tiebreakers over both. Going back, Syracuse has won three of five true road games since losing its first four and one of those victories came at Duke so playing well in a tough environment is more than possible. The Tar Heels are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Orange are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (717) Syracuse Orange

Wake Forest is another team that is playing its final home game of the season and since the postseason is out of the question at any tournament level with the exception of an ACC Tournament Championship, this is now the biggest game of the season for the Demon Deacons. They have arguably been the biggest disappointment in the conference this season as they have won only two conference games and were expected to improve upon their five ACC wins from a season ago. Wake Forest does own quality non-conference wins against Indiana, UCLA and LSU but the problem has been close losses as five of their defeats have come within the last minute of regulation or overtime. Virginia Tech meanwhile has been the opposite this season as their seven ACC wins are five more than last year and it is currently on a two-game winning streak. The Hokies are just 3-6 on the rod however as they defeated Radford, Georgia Tech and 0-16 Boston College. They have won just one of seven games this season as a road underdog and a loss here very well means a cover loss as well. The Demon Deacons are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (846) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Portland is one of the hotter teams in the NBA as it has won seven of its last eight games following a win in Chicago last night. The Blazers are now three games over .500 on the season and are sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference. They are riding a four-game road winning streak but are still six games under .500 on the highway and overall they have won just eight of 20 games against the Eastern Conference. The Pacers lost a tough one on Friday night against Charlotte as it fell by a point with Kemba Walker scoring the game winner with just 2.4 seconds remaining. The Pacers had won three of four games coming out of the break and with Cleveland on deck for tomorrow, this is a big game now. They are sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race but are just a game and a half out of ninth place so taking care of home court is a must. They will be out for some revenge after a 12-point loss in Portland earlier this season where they allowed a franchise record 18 three-pointers. Going back, the Blazers are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Pacers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss. 10* (808) Indiana Pacers

This is a big game for Ohio St. which is on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Buckeyes are coming off a big game at home against Michigan St. which resulted in a 19-point loss and that makes this one that much bigger. If the season ended today, Ohio St. would be out but a win here and a win over the Spartans next Saturday along with a solid run in the big Ten Tournament could so wonders. The overall strength of the conference is in their favor but what has not been is the fact they are just 2-8 against teams ranked in the RPI top 100 but the good news is the amount of points they are receiving here. Iowa is on a two-game losing streak which is not a great situation to play against but the linesmakers are still overvaluing the Hawkeyes here. Iowa is just 5-4 on the road and while it is 3-1 as a road favorite, wins over Marquette, Rutgers and Illinois should not even be factored in. The Buckeyes are looking for double revenge from last season and they are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up loss while the Hawkeyes are 6-16 ATS in their last 22 games following a straight up loss. This is the final home game of the season for Ohio St. and while there is just one senior on the roster, playing the final home game is always a big thing. 10* (864) Ohio St. Buckeyes

We played on Pittsburgh on Wednesday in a game it could have won and probably should have won to up its NCAA Tournament body of work. The Panthers led for close to 30 minutes of the game but the Cardinals used a 9-2 run to close it out and send Pittsburgh to its fourth loss in six games. Now the Panthers are in what can be considered another must win spot as this is the final game of the regular season against a quality opponent so a win does a lot of good while a loss coupled with a loss at either Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech could send them outside the bubble. They are 14-4 at home and this being the final home game of the season will have the place amped. And the fact that it is Duke only helps get the energy higher. The Blue Devils are coming off a win over Florida St. which was their fifth win in six games but only one of those came on the road and that was the game at North Carolina that never should have resulted in a victory. The other four road wins came against four of the five worst teams in the ACC. The Blue Devils are 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Panthers are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss. 10* (826) Pittsburgh Panthers

This is a play on NEW MEXICO for our MWC Game of the Year. The Mountain West Conference race is over as San Diego St. clinched the regular season championship but there is still on lot on the line going further down with tournament seedings. Both of these teams are in that mix fighting for second place and the Lobos can move into a tie for second place with a win over 10-5 Fresno St. while holding the tiebreaker because of the series sweep. New Mexico has dropped two straight but those came on the road and it is 12-2 at home with those defeats coming by a combined three points so The Pit remains one of the toughest environments around. The Bulldogs meanwhile have won three straight games, the final two coming at home where they are 15-2 on the season. Conversely, they are just 4-7 on the road with three conference wins against teams with a losing record in the MWC. They are fighting for second place and have a doable schedule to close the season but this is a difficult spot and the toughest remaining game of the regular season. The Bulldogs are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Lobos are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (664) New Mexico Lobos

Golden St. concludes its seven-game roadtrip at Oklahoma City after winning five of the first six games. The Warriors got away with one on Miami as Stephen Curry bailed them out late and the next night they shot an unheard of 60.2 percent from the floor against Orlando in a 16-point blowout. Now comes the biggest challenge of the trip as the Thunder looks to prove that they are still a contender as well. They have looked pretty bad coming out of the All Star Break as they have dropped three of their four games including two straight at home where they are now 25-7, still a very impressive record. These teams met earlier this month with the Warriors pulling away late for an eight-point win. They were favored by 7.5 points in that game and with the venue change, they are overvalued as this line should be more in the pickem range. While Oklahoma City has not fared well as an underdog this season, going 1-4 straight up and against the number, this is the first time they have been a home underdog and going back they are 7-2 ATS in this role since 2014. The Thunder are 27-9-1 ATS in their last 37 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Warriors are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games playing on one-day rest. 10* (512) Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a play on OKLAHOMA ST. for our Saturday Enforcer. It has been a down year for the Cowboys which typically frequent the top of the Big XII but this season they are just 3-12 in the conference while sitting four games under .500 overall. Oklahoma St. has lost its last three games by double digits and the home floor has not been up to it usual toughness but there have been spots showing what this team can do. The Cowboys defeated Kansas by 19 points and three home losses against Oklahoma, Baylor and Iowa St. came by two, four and five points respectively. They lost at West Virginia by 17 points last month so payback will be in play. The Mountaineers are coming off a big home win over Iowa St. to remain tied with Oklahoma for second place in the Big XII. West Virginia is 5-4 on the road but has been far from dominant as only one of those wins came by more than eight points which was a double-digit win at Virginia Tech. Four previous times this season, West Virginia won a home game with a road game on deck and lost all four of those games outright. The Cowboys are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home games and stay competitive here. 10* (622) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

Hopes of making the NCAA Tournament are pretty much done for Florida St. after coming into the season picked to finish fifth in the ACC. There is a remote chance if the Seminoles win out which means winning the ACC Tournament but that is a longshot as well. Still, Florida St. would like to gain momentum heading into the tournament as it has lost five straight games and closes the regular season with a pair of home games. After this, the Seminoles do not play until next Saturday so there is certainly full focus here and we are catching a solid line because of the recent skid. Notre Dame bounced back from a last second loss at Georgia Tech last Saturday with a win at Wake Forest on Wednesday by 11 points so this makes it the third straight road game for the Irish which is never an easy road. They have exceeded expectations this season after losing so much production from last year but they are just 5-4 on the road with a win at inconsistent Duke being the lone quality victory. Notre Dame is just 6-11 ATS this season following a victory and will have another tough road test here. 10* (612) Florida St. Seminoles

This is a play on PROVIDENCE for our Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We played on Providence on Thursday and the Friars put up an abysmal effort against Seton Hall as they lost by 18 points thanks to a 28.4 percent shooting effort including 16.7 percent from long range. They continue to play themselves out of the NCAA Tournament as they are hanging on by a thread following their fifth loss in their last six games. None of those games resulted in a cover but that should change in a big way Saturday. Providence welcomes DePaul which is coming off only its third win in the Big East against St. Johns which was hardly a big feat. However, pone of those three conference wins came at home against Providence earlier this month so it is safe to say that Providence has had this one circled for a while and the Blue Demons are coming here at the wrong time. Going back, the Friars are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Blue Demons are 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (582) Providence Friars

Kentucky had an unfortunate break last Saturday at Texas A&M as it was called for a late technical foul which aided the Aggies in their two-point overtime win. The Wildcats bounced back with a victory against Alabama at home by 25 points and that victory is typical for what has been going on of late. Kentucky seemed to have flipped a switch after consecutive losses against Kansas and Tennessee as it has won five of its last six games with all of those wins being by double-digits and coming by an average of 23 ppg. Only one of those wins came on the road and now they head to Vanderbilt which is peaking at the right time. The Commodores started 5-5 in the SEC but have won four of their last five games and all of those wins have been by double-digits also. This includes a big win at Florida on Tuesday and now they are back home where they are 12-2. Additionally, they will be out to avenge a 19-point loss in Kentucky last month. Look for Vanderbilt to keep rolling as the winning at the right time continues. 10* (588) Vanderbilt Commodores

We won with Miami on Monday as it took down Virginia to improve to 11-4 in the ACC. The Hurricanes remain a game behind North Carolina but are also just a game out of sixth place so there is not a lot of wiggle room to stay near the top. Miami remains home where it is 14-1 overall and has not lost since November 27th as it is riding a 12-game winning streak here, nine of which have come by double-digits. They have been off for close to a week which is a good thing here for preparation and making this one even stronger is the fact that this is Senior Day as this is the final home game of the season for Miami. Louisville continues to play inspired basketball as it is playing out the season knowing there is no postseason and that clearly has been a motivator for the Cardinals. They are coming off a win at Pittsburgh on Wednesday which was its third straight win following a pair of losses on the road. The Cardinals are 1-7 ATS in their last eight road games against teams with a winning home record while the Hurricanes are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 home games. 10* (544) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on GEORGIA for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. It was expected to be a down year in the SEC this season and that has certainly been the case as there are just two ranked teams currently and are projected to put only five teams into the NCAA Tournament. One team at the start of the season that was supposed to make a tournament run was Georgia but that has not happened. The Bulldogs opened the season 7-3 but they have struggled within the conference as they are just 7-8 as they have had a tough time closing out the better teams in the SEC. Making it worse, they are coming off a loss at Auburn last time out which was their third straight loss but while Georgia is 2-11 against RPI top 100 teams, it is 12-1 against teams below that so the loss against the Tigers was the lone one and that will provide a ton of motivation on Saturday. Mississippi is part of that top 100 group but barely and there are more factors that negates that anyway. The Rebels are on a two-game winning streak but those were against the tow worst teams in the conference and now face a Georgia team out for revenge from a one-point loss in Oxford last month. 10* (528) Georgia Bulldogs

Everyone was counting the Bulls out after suffering their fifth straight loss in their first game out of the All Star Break against Cleveland but they have gone on to win three straight wins since then. Additionally, they have covered four in a row as they stayed within the number against the Cavaliers but the last three victories came at home and now they hit the road where they have lost four straight and are 1-6 over their last seven games on the highway. Chicago lost at home against Atlanta, its last home defeat, right before the break but we are not worried about road revenge in this situation. The Hawks were talking about breaking this team up heading into the trade deadline a week ago but they held together and have gone on to lose their last three games. Atlanta lost to Miami by four points, lost to Milwaukee in overtime and most recently went down against Golden St. Losses are losses but these were not the worst losses but this is now a great opportunity to get back on track, especially on their home floor where they were once 17-8 but have dropped four straight games. Atlanta now trails Miami by a game and a half in the Southeast Division so the time to bounce back starts here. Derrick Rose missed the last game for Chicago and is questionable with a hamstring issue and that is the reason this line came out late but in or out, Atlanta has the matchup edge as well as the Hawks have comfortably won four of five meetings the last two seasons. The Hawks are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following a double-digit loss at home while the Bulls are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. 10* (850) Atlanta Hawks

We played on Princeton last Friday as it was able to pull within a half-game of Yale in the Ivy League with a 12-point victory. The Tigers followed that up a double-digit win over Brown the next night to stay within a half-game with still five games remaining. That gives them a lot of time and opportunities to make up ground and all they have to do at this points is win out and they will be guaranteed at least a playoff game for the championship. While the schedule is fairly easy down the stretch, this game presents the biggest challenge remaining. Columbia is just one game out of first place and can leapfrog Princeton with a victory here. The scenario is exactly the same for the Lions because if they win out, they can be guaranteed of no worse than a three-way tie for first place and all three teams going 1-1 against each other. Columbia lost at Yale and at home to Princeton in overtime for its only two conference losses and brings in a 6-5 road record with two of those defeats coming in overtime. The one benefit for the Lions is that they are finally getting over the flu, which hampered senior guards Isaac Cohen and Grant Mullins a week ago and still managed a pair of blowout wins. The Lions are 6-0 ATS in their last six road games following three or more consecutive home games while the Tigers are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 home games. Too many points to pass up here with an outright win far from out of the question. 10* (857) Columbia Lions

Phoenix continues to ride the longest current losing streak in the NBA as it has hit 12 games and going back, the Suns have dropped 18 of their last 19 games. 10 of those 18 losses have come at home which doesn’t seem to bode well here but taking a look at those home losses show that is was a brutal stretch against some quality opponents. Nine of those opponents are heading to the playoffs and the other opponent is Houston, which is just a half-game out in the Western Conference. There are few excuses for losing but the Suns have a legitimate gripe with the recent schedule and overall they have played the second toughest slate in the NBA. Brooklyn opened a nine-game roadtrip with a respectable eight-point loss at Portland but in no way does it deserve to be a road favorite. Even when going to Philadelphia, the Nets were underdogs and on the season they are just 4-20 on the highway including losses in seven straight. While this is certainly a winnable game for Brooklyn, the same can be said for Phoenix which has three more games on deck against future playoff teams. The Nets are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while the Suns are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (708) Phoenix Suns

Typically, we stay away from lines this large but this one sets up great that could turn into an absolute blowout. Louisiana Tech had its three-game winning streak snapped with a loss at UTEP on Saturday to fall to 9-5 in C-USA which is good for a half-game lead for fourth place. That is an important spot as the top four teams get a double bye in the C-USA Tournament and the Bulldogs will be out to sweep their final two home games of the season here and against Rice. They are 14-1at home this season with the only loss coming against Old Dominion by just three points and on the season, they are 5-1 following a loss. North Texas meanwhile has been horrific on the road with a 1-10 record with the lone victory coming at UTSA which is 3-12 in the conference and 5-23 overall. While the Mean Green have held their own in a couple road games, seven of those 10 losses have come by 20 or more points. There is also the revenge factor as Louisiana Tech lost at North Texas by 11 points as a road favorite just 19 days ago. The Bulldogs are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss while the Mean Green are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (758) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

William & Mary is in a tie for third place in the CAA with Towson and James Madison and in order to keep hold of that spot, this is a must win game. The Tribe close at James Madison on Saturday in their season finale so closing with a pair of losses could mean a drop down to fifth place which would mean playing a top four team in the first game of the CAA Tournament as opposed to possibly playing the sixth seed. William & Mary has been decent on the road with a 6-6 record with one of those losses coming in overtime against first place UNC-Wilmington. Making the motivation even stronger, the Tribe lost to then 1-14 Drexel on Saturday in their final home game so they will be out for blood. Elon comes in with a 6-10 record in the conference so a seventh or eighth place finish is the likeliest scenario. The Phoenix do own a solid win over James Madison but half of their wins have come against the two worst teams in the conference. They are 8-7 on the road which is nothing special and going back, the Phoenix are 11-28 ATS in their last 39 home games while the Tribe are 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 games following a straight up loss. 10* (717) William & Mary Tribe

The Big East has turned into a two-team race between Villanova and Xavier but third place to seventh place is wide open, separated by just 2.5 games between the five teams. Two of those square off here as underachieving Providence heads to overachieving Seton Hall in a game that can shake things up. The Friars opened the season 14-1 and rose to as high as No. 8 in the AP Poll but it has been a rough stretch since then as they have gone just 5-7 over their last 12 games and they are currently on a five-game non-cover streak which is helping drive this line up. Seton Hall meanwhile has won two straight and six of its last seven games with a pair of wins over Georgetown and a win over Creighton highlighting that run. The Pirates also won at Providence earlier this season and while we are not playing the road revenge factor, the fact that this line differential is 12 points from the first meeting, it is loaded with value. Providence is 6-3 on the road with quality wins over Villanova, Butler and Creighton so winning on the highway is not a problem. Going back, the Friars are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (727) Providence Friars

There are seven games on the board with spreads of eight or more points so while there will inevitably be some close games, I do not expect this to be one of those. Memphis has been on a roll as it has gone 16-7 over its last 23 games and while winning the Southwest Division is not going to happen, the Grizzlies are fifth in the Western Conference. They are coming off a loss against Toronto on Sunday and they have been a great bounceback team this season, going 15-7 following a defeat including going 6-1 over the last seven. The Grizzlies have covered 12 of their last 16 games at home and they are laying a very manageable number here. The Lakers have not been winning but they are keeping this number lower than it should be as they have covered seven of their last eight games but six of those were instances where they were getting more points. The last game resulted in a cover against Milwaukee where Los Angeles was getting nine points but now it is getting fewer points against a team that is nine games better than the Bucks. This is the first of a home-and-home that concludes Friday so there is no lookahead for Memphis so coming off a bad loss at Toronto helps the situation here. 10* (512) Memphis Grizzlies

Pittsburgh picked up a big win on Saturday at Syracuse which solidified its spot in the NCAA Tournament brackets but another quality win would not hurt. Facing Louisville and Duke at home in its next two games gives the Panthers a pair of opportunities to grab another quality victory. They are 14-3 at home with all three losses coming by double-digits, which is surprising considering the strong home court edge but it does show that they have the ability to win close games at home. Give a lot credit to Louisville for continuing to play strong despite knowing that there will be no postseason this year. The Cardinals are coming off a big come-from-behind win against Duke on Saturday but it is just 3-2 since the self-imposed ban was announced with both losses coming on the road. Louisville has just three road wins this season, none of which have come against teams with a winning conference record. Pittsburgh lost by 18 at Louisville last month so that will only add to the motivation as a home sweep here and Sunday likely guarantees an at-large tournament bid. 10* (552) Pittsburgh Panthers

Charlotte is playing some of its best basketball of the season as it has won five straight games including two in row coming out of the All Star Break. The winning streak is a season high and has put the Hornets three games over .500 and into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Those wins came against not the best of opposition however as road wins over Brooklyn and Milwaukee were against teams a combined 36 games under .500 while two others came at home against struggling Washington and Chicago. Charlotte has 13 losses against teams ranked in the top 16 of the league which is tied for the most defeats against such teams and it is catching Cleveland at a bad time. The Cavaliers are coming off a horrible game against Detroit, snapping their five-game winning streak so they will be ready to bounce back. These teams played back on February 3rd in Charlotte and the Cavaliers were favored by eight points and now they are favored by nearly the exact same amount at home which is not a correct line swing based on venue. Kemba Walker did not play in that game but he is not worth anything close to eight points. Cleveland lost that game by nine points on top of it so revenge will be in play here also. 10* (504) Cleveland Cavaliers

St. Bonaventure is coming off a huge win at Dayton on Saturday which followed up a horrible loss at LaSalle in its previous game three days prior. The Bonnies are still on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament bubble so they are a team that is in must win mode but they should not be laying a number this big to a quality team. St. Bonaventure is sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic Ten with a 10-4 record but of its last seven wins, only two have come by double-digits. Calling Duquesne a quality team may seem crazy as it is 5-9 in the conference including losses in five straight games but it has been competitive in the majority of losses. The Dukes are 2-2 over their last four road games and those two losses came by a combined five points against Dayton and Rhode Island and this is another situation where they are in a good spot against a team in a bad spot. The Bonnies are playing with revenge from a seven-point loss in Duquesne last month but again, winning and covering are two different things in this case. 10* (527) Duquesne Dukes

Villanova remains the No. 1 team in the country as it has now won six straight games and on the season, the Wildcats are 13-1 in the Big East. The only loss came in overtime against Providence so getting points in this game seems like an easy take. This is by far their toughest test on the road though and they haven’t exactly dominated against quality teams, winning by five at Butler, five at Georgetown and one at Seton Hall. Xavier is a big step up in class over those teams as it comes in 12-3 in the conference and its 24-3 overall record is identical to that of Villanova. Two of the three conference losses came on the road, one at Creighton by 14 points which was a shocking loss and the other came at Villanova by 31 points in the Big East opener so the Musketeers have had this game circled for quite some time. They are just 1-4 in their last five home games but all those lines were nine points or more and on the season, Xavier is 8-1 ATS as a favorite of seven points or fewer. Big revenge win here. 10* (532) Xavier Musketeers

Things are looking pretty bleak right now LSU as having lost at Tennessee on Saturday and losing Keith Hornsby in the process, the Tigers have fallen out of the projected NCAA Tournament brackets. Their RPI has fallen to 87 after two straight losses where they were favored in both and they cannot afford any more losses like that. Even though they are underdogs here, this would still be a bad loss as Arkansas has a losing record. We played on the Razorbacks as they took care of Missouri and it was either a win, a loss or a push depending on the line but the fact they snapped a three-game losing streak helps us here. They have been very solid at home which is the reason they are favored here despite possessing an RPI that is 50 spots lower. Arkansas was getting eight points in the first meeting at LSU which makes this a 12-point swing, simply too much. The loss of Hornsby hurts the Tigers but this is where his teammates pick up the slack in what is a must win game with Florida and Kentucky still on deck. The Tigers are 15-6-1 ATS in their last 22 games following a straight up loss and this game could very determine their NCAA Tournament fate. 10* (721) LSU Tigers

Following a loss at South Carolina on Saturday, Florida is just 4-4 over its last eight games as its value continues to drop. The Gators are now 8-6 in the SEC and they have to take advantage of their home floor here as the final home game of the season is against Kentucky in one week. Florida has been great this season following a defeat as it has won eight of nine games after a loss while covering seven of those. The Gators will be out for revenge here as well as they lost at Vanderbilt last month by a point as they shot just 32.9 percent from the floor. The Commodores bounced back from an ugly loss at Mississippi St. with a win over Georgia on Saturday to improve to 8-6 in the SEC as well. Their RPI is 30 spots lower than Florida and as of right now, Vanderbilt is on the bubble looking in so it desperately needs a win. Its 2-8 record on the road is a huge concern with one of those wins coming against 4-10 Auburn. Going back, the Gators are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Commodores are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS win. 10* (728) Florida Gators

At one point, Clemson was a lock for the NCAA Tournament as it has taken out Louisville, Duke and Miami in consecutive games to move to 5-1 in the ACC but it has been a struggle since then. The Tigers are just 4-5 since then but all of those losses came down to the final minutes while the wins were all by double-digits. The Tigers are now in seventh place in the ACC at 9-6 and like so many teams across the country, they can ill afford to lose any games they should be winning even though they come in as the underdog here. They catch Virginia at home and have Boston College on the road to end the season so a 3-0 finish is likely mandatory. Georgia Tech is coming off a last second win against Notre Dame and it is those types of victories that we like to go against next time out. The Yellow Jackets have won two straight games but are still just 5-9 in the conference which is fourth from last place. Georgia Tech will be out to avenge a 14-point loss at Clemson earlier in the season but the situation could not be worse. Additionally, the Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (731) Clemson Tigers

This line was delayed in coming out due to the uncertain status of Kyrie Irving who left yesterday’s game against Oklahoma City with flu like symptoms after playing just nine minutes. The Cavaliers did not seem to miss him however as they rolled over the Thunder by 23 points which sets up a possible letdown situation tonight. We played on Detroit yesterday and the Pistons were unable to control Anthony Davis who scored over half of the Pelicans points as he put up 59 points to go along with 20 boards. That was the fifth straight loss for Detroit going back prior to the All Star break and the Pistons have not been able to cover any of those games as well. Cleveland is on the opposite end of the streak as it has won five straight games but it has struggled all season in this role, going just 19-27-1 ATS as a favorite including a horrible 10-21 ATS when favored by six or more points. Part of the problem has been playing up or down to the competition as the Cavaliers are 6-15-2 ATS in their last 23 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (501) Detroit Pistons

We played against Miami on Saturday as it got trounced by North Carolina which was in bounce back mode following a loss to Duke earlier in the week. That loss dropped them to 10-4 in the ACC which is one game behind the Tar Heels and tied with two others for second place. Miami is now back home where it is 13-1 overall and has not lost since November 27th as it is riding a 11-game winning streak here, nine of which have come by double-digits. Virginia is one of the other two teams at 10-4 in the conference following its 20-point win over NC State on Monday. The Cavaliers have won eight of their last nine games with the lone defeat coming against Duke by a points on a last second bucket so they are playing at a high level now. That is keeping this number in check though. The Hurricanes had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a loss in Virginia last month as Miami was held to its lowest point total and 27.3 percent three-point shooting so it will be out to avenge that. The Hurricanes are 6-0 ATS in their last six games after allowing more than 90 points in their previous game while covering 12 of their last 16 home games. 10* (516) Miami Hurricanes

We won with Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday as it defeated Northern Iowa which was coming off a huge road win at Wichita St. but now we are playing against the Ramblers which have struggled following big wins. They are 2-7 over their last nine games following a victory but because they have covered four straight games, they are getting a much smaller line here than anticipated. Two straight road wins is also playing a role but the last came at 3-13 Bradley. Missouri St. has had a disappointing season as an 0-2 start in the MVC was followed by a solid 6-3 only to see a 1-3 record over its last four games. The Bears three losses over that stretch all came on the road against the three hottest teams in the conference including a 31-point drubbing at Wichita St. on Thursday as they caught the Shockers at the wrong time. They have won three straight at home and are laying a great value number here knowing the fact the Bears are 12-2-2 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points. 10* (836) Missouri St. Bears

Wichita St. can lock up the regular season Missouri Valley Conference championship with a victory here as the Shockers will have a three-game lead over Evansville and Illinois St. with just two games remaining. This is not a good spot however as they are coming off a three-game homestand and are laying double-digits on the road for the fifth time this season but two of those came against Drake and Bradley, which are 1-15 and 3-13 respectively in the conference. The other two resulted in an outright loss at Illinois St. and just a two-point cover at Missouri St. Indiana St. has lost four straight games but three of those were on the road and helping in the pointspread is the fact the Sycamores have filed to cover seven straight games so it makes sense that two-thirds of the public is backing the road team. The host is 19-5 in Indiana St. games this season and going back, the Sycamores are 7-2-2 ATS in their last 11 home games while going 14-6-2 ATS in their last 22 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (844) Indiana St. Sycamores

After losing three straight games prior to the All Star Break, the Pistons opened the second half with a poor effort at Washington as they managed just 86 points which was their lowest point total since scoring 82 points at Indiana back on January 2nd. They followed that up a huge effort in their next game which was at home against Orlando in a 24-point victory and I expect another big bounce back effort here. The one bright spot on Friday was newly acquired Tobias Harris who came off the bench to score 21 points in 30 minutes of work. New Orleans won its first game out of the break but that was at home against Philadelphia and it wasn’t exactly a dominating performance as it won by just seven points. The Pelicans hit the road where they are just 3-8 over their last 11 games and are a woeful 6-21 on the season. New Orleans is just 5-10 ATS on the road against teams with a losing record while the Pistons are 8-1 ATS at home against losing teams. Additionally, the Pistons are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points while the Pelicans are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win. 10* (804) Detroit Pistons

There is a lot of talk this time of the season about must win games and the meanings can be different based on the situations. Hofstra finds itself in one of those today if there is any chance of a CAA regular season title. The Pride trail UNC-Wilmington by a game and a half for first place in the conference so a win here gets them to within a game with a contest at the Seahawks upcoming on Thursday that will play a big role in deciding the title. Hofstra lost the first meeting with UNC-Wilmington by just three points and two other conference losses came against James Madison, both in overtime so it has been a few plays away from being even better. Northeastern has had an up and down season as it is 7-8 in the conference as a six-game losing skid has been followed up by a three-game winning streak including an overtime win at James Madison on Thursday. That is keeping this number within reach and we fully expect Hofstra to regain its home dominance. 10* (828) Hofstra Pride

This is a play on OKLAHOMA ST. for our Saturday Enforcer. The Cowboys are having an unusually bad season as they are two games under .500 following a 1-4 stretch. They fell to 3-10 in the Big XII after getting blown out by Kansas by 27 points in Lawrence which was a big revenge game for the Jayhawks. Oklahoma St. is back home where it is just 8-5 on the season including a 3-3 record in the conference but one of those wins was the Kansas win and the three losses came against Oklahoma, Baylor and Iowa St. by just 11 points combined. Texas Tech is making some noise in the conference following its third consecutive upset win as it defeated Oklahoma on Wednesday after defeating Baylor and Iowa St. The Red Raiders are now 12-3 at home but just 2-5 on the road and while one of those road wins was at Baylor, the other was at 2-11 TCU. The Cowboys lost in Lubbock in the first meeting this season by a bucket in overtime and without much to play for this season, revenge becomes a big motivator at this point of the season. 10* (644) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

Golden St. did not come out of the break as expected as it was trounced in Portland last night by 32 points. It was the most one-sided defeat for Golden St. since a 123-84 loss to Denver in April 2012. The Warriors previous worst loss was 114-91 to Dallas on Dec. 30. That was just the fifth loss for the Warriors this season and following their four previous losses, they bounced back with wins by an average of 20.3 ppg. The Clippers meanwhile had last night off following a 19-point victory against San Antonio on Thursday, their fourth win in five games and eighth win in 10 games since late January. Many feel that the Clippers present a tough matchup challenge for Golden St. and we have partly seen that this season as the Warriors won the first two meetings by just four and seven points but those games were way back in November and Golden St. was not coming off a loss, let alone an embarrassing one like last night. They are 6-1 ATS this season when favored by fewer than seven points while going 7-2 ATS on the road against winning teams. Additionally, they are 6-1 ATS in the second of back-to-back road games playing with no rest while the Clippers are 5-12-1 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (507) Golden St. Warriors

Washington has dropped its last four games but all were competitive against future NCAA Tournament teams. The Huskies were once in first place in the Pac 12 with a 5-1 record but are now 7-7 which is good for just seventh place. The good news is that they are only one and a half games out of third place and with four games left, there is still time to move up. Washington is 10-5 at home with the three conference losses coming by an average of 4.3 ppg against California, Arizona and Utah. Stanford meanwhile is coming off another victory which was its second straight win and just its second win on the road this season. We played against the Cardinal on Thursday but Washington St. was unable to get out of its funk but all that does is set up a great opportunity to play on a team with a strong home floor that is very desperate for a win, not only for postseason consequences but for confidence levels. The Huskies were swept by Stanford last season, losing at home, on the road and in the Pac 12 Tournament so there will be no lack of motivation from that angle as well. 10* (636) Washington Huskies

Following three straight losses, Arkansas is now under .500 on the season overall including three games under .500 in the SEC. Coming into the season, the Razorbacks were tagged as a middle of the pack conference team and that is about right where they are now but the issues have mainly come on the road where they are just 1-8, six of those coming within the conference. They had dropped two home games prior to this week, one in the SEC against Kentucky but they lost to Auburn on Wednesday by four points as a 16.5-point favorite. Expect some huge energy on Saturday to make up for that. Missouri meanwhile is coming off an upset victory at home against South Carolina, its second straight win overall and going back, the Tigers have covered four straight games. This includes two covers on the road but those came by a combined two points and on the season, they are winless away from home, going 0-11 which includes a 0-8 record in true road games. Every one of those losses have been by at least nine points and they are getting outscored by 18.3 ppg on the road. 10* (622) Arkansas Razorbacks

This is a play on CINCINNATI for our AAC Game of the Year. We won with Connecticut on Thursday as it defeated SMU to move a game behind Temple for first place in the AAC. Now the Huskies hit the road on a two-game winning streak, both coming at home, and while they own a solid 5-2 road record, neither the situation nor the matchup are in their favor here. Those losses have come against teams that are part of the six-team logjam that are separated by just two games and Cincinnati is part of that group. The Bearcats are 9-5 which is just a half game out of second place following their loss in Tula on Thursday in overtime. Cincinnati is a bubble team right now as it is part of the last four in group and it is hard to fathom that. The Bearcats have eight losses, seven against the RPI top 100, five have been by exactly two points and another by four points. This team has played so much better than the record shows and even though Connecticut is playing with revenge following a one-point loss at home earlier this season, the Bearcats are in a great position for another quality win. 10* (586) Cincinnati Bearcats

We played against Northern Iowa on Wednesday for the simple main reason was that the Panthers were coming off a big upset win at Wichita St. in their previous game. They lost outright at Loyola-Chicago which snapped a six-game winning streak but now it is time to get back on track. Northern Iowa was picked to finish second in the MVC but after a 2-6 start, that finish was out of the question but the Panthers made a nice run prior to his week and we have to figure out which team is present and we are making the fair assessment that it is the one that was coming off the winning streak and has just defeated Wichita St. Illinois St. is the team that is currently holding down second place in the conference as the Redbirds have won five straight games which also includes a win over the Shockers, albeit at home. They are just 5-6 on the road which includes a 4-3 road record but three of those wins have come against the three worst teams in the conference including 1-14 Drake and 2-13 Bradley. Northern Iowa had its four-game winning streak against the Redbirds snapped last month on the road so revenge is in play here as well. 10* (580) Northern Iowa Panthers

This is a play on NORTH CAROLINA for our Saturday Supreme Annihilator. The Tar Heels lost a tough one on Wednesday at home against rival Duke but there is no time for head-hanging as they need to get back up quickly as they have fallen into a first place tie in the ACC with Miami. The rest of the schedule is far from easy as North Carolina still has games at Virginia and Duke so taking care of the home court is essential. The loss against the Blue Devils was their first of the season in Chapel Hill so as long as the effort is there, a second straight loss will not happen. Miami meanwhile has won five straight games and while a home win over Notre Dame was a quality victory, that is the lone quality win of the bunch. The Hurricanes are 3-3 on the road within the ACC with the three wins coming against Boston College, Georgia Tech and Florida St., none of which have winning conference records. Two of the three losses were against winning ACC teams and this marks the beginning of four straight games against ranked teams so the real Miami will be shown in the next two weeks. 10* (526) North Carolina Tar Heels

This is a play on SOUTH CAROLINA for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. South Carolina opened the season 15-0 and was one of the few remaining undefeated teams at the time but the Gamecocks have since cooled off and are just 6-5 over their last 11 games and are sitting in a three-way tie for third place in the SEC. Four of those losses came on the road and the lone home loss came last Saturday against Kentucky which is rolling right now with four straight blowout victories. Motivation will be huge here as South Carolina wants to make the loss to the Wildcats up to the home crowd while also bouncing back from an embarrassing loss at then 2-10 Missouri on Tuesday. Florida is part of that third place tie as the Gators improved to 8-5 in the conference with a rare road win at Georgia on Tuesday. The only other road wins came at Navy and Mississippi so they have defeated no one that is in the same class as South Carolina. The first time Florida defeated Georgia this season, it followed it up with a blowout loss at Tennessee and the situation will be even more difficult here. 10* (516) South Carolina Gamecocks

Handicapping the first full day back from the All Star Break can be very challenging based on the fact that teams are coming back at essentially the same strength with no positive or negative situations in their favor. However, the All Star Break came at a good time for a lot of teams but probably none more so than Phoenix. The Suns limped into the break on a nine-game losing streak while going just 1-15 over their last 16 games. To their credit, they have played one of the toughest over that stretch as of those 16 games, 12 of those teams are currently sitting in a playoff position. Another of those losses came here against Houston two weeks ago by just six points. The Rockets didn’t close the first half very well either as they dropped their final three games while losing six of their final eight games. They have played decent at home this season but are just 11-15 on the road and they have been especially horrible in this role as Houston is 2-8 ATS as favorites of seven or more points this season. Phoenix has covered four of its last six games as a home underdog and all of those have come against playoff bound teams. A week off was needed mentally for the Suns and they come out strong in the second half of the season with a great effort. 10* (860) Phoenix Suns

We haven’t dived into the Ivy League yet this season but Friday presents a great opportunity. Princeton trails Yale by a game and a half for first place and it looks to close the gap at home in the second meeting between the two this season. The Tigers went to New Haven last month and fell short by four points but have won four straight games since then to keep pace. Yale is undefeated in the conference and can take a big step in wrapping up the championship with just five games left after this, only one coming against a team with a winning record. The Bulldogs have gone 6-0-1 ATS over their last seven games with the lone push coming in that game against Princeton. All of the other six wins have come by double-digits so they are playing at a high level but this will clearly be their toughest road test in the Ivy thus far. Princeton is 8-0 at home this season and are 18-2 at home going back to last season and one of those losses came against Yale so double-revenge is in play Friday. This is the first of four straight home games for Princeton so this is the time to make a move. 10* (874) Princeton Tigers

The Clippers took out the Spurs in a great seven-game series in the Conference Quarterfinals last season and San Antonio was able to revenge that loss at home back in December. Now the season series shifts to Los Angeles where the Clippers are back home following a solid 3-1 roadtrip prior to the All Star Break. While they are 0-3 as home underdogs this season, one loss came by a point against the Thunder, a loss to Indiana was without Chris Paul and the third came against the Warriors. San Antonio won its final six games before the break and its overall record is what is driving this line. The Spurs are 17-8 on the road which is identical to the Clippers record at home and while a road record can be given more credibility in this league, most of the success has come against losing teams. The Clippers have been on a solid run, winning 15 of their last 20 games while also winning seven of their last nine home games and 12 of their last 16. This is a game that can come down to a final possession so getting home points is very advantageous. The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Clippers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following an ATS loss and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (504) Los Angeles Clippers

Washington St. returns home in search of snapping its 11-game losing streak but the schedule has been a tough one. The Cougars opened with three straight home games where they went 1-2, losing to a very solid USC team and Washington in overtime but since then, six of their last 10 games have been on the road. Five of those road losses were by double-digits while three of those four home losses were against Arizona, Colorado and Utah, all future NCAA Tournament teams. The other loss at home came against Arizona St. despite outshooting the Sun Devils 46 percent to 36 percent as the difference was turnovers and a 25-8 attempt disadvantage at the free throw line. Stanford is just 5-7 in the conference but is coming off a huge upset against Oregon at home, its third outright win at home as an underdog. The problem has been on the road where the Cardinal are 1-5 so this is a very difficult line to be backing them with. This is arguably the last winnable home game for Washington St. as it hosts California Sunday and then it ends the season with three straight road games. A victory would assure a winning home record on the season as well so we will see a big effort from the Cougars here. 10* (556) Washington St. Cougars

The logjam between 2nd and 5th place could get even tighter with a Connecticut win on Thursday and that is what I am expecting here. The Huskies are 8-4 which is a game behind SMU and they are ahead of Tula and Houston by just a half-game so a win here keeps them in the hunt while a loss puts them two and a half games behind first place Temple. Connecticut is 12-2 at home with a one-point loss to Cincinnati and a two-point loss to Temple being the only setbacks so laying a short number here is ideal. The Mustangs are coming off a home win over Gonzaga which avenged a big road loss against the Bulldogs from last season so this is a potential letdown for SMU. Give credit to the Mustangs for playing as good as they are with nothing to play for since there is no postseason in their future but as the season winds down, we should start seeing less effort and we have already started seeing that. They have gone 3-3 over their last six games following an 18-0 start. The Huskies are 23-10 ATS in their last 33 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Mustangs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS win. 10* (520) Connecticut Huskies

William & Mary is one of five original Division I teams to have never made the NCAA Tournament and after coming so close last season, the potential was there again this year. The Tribe are still in fine shape to achieve that goal but it will take a run in the upcoming CAA Tournament which is the case for all teams but gaining a top four seed is necessary. Right now William & Mary is tied with two other teams for third place so slipping down to fifth is a possibility which is not ideal. The Tribe are coming off a pair of losses as they fell to Hofstra and then could not recover two days later and fell to Towson on the road. They now face leader UNC-Wilmington which is 12-2 and riding an 11-game winning streak but nearly half of those wins have been decided by two or fewer possessions. The Seahawks have a two-game lead over Hofstra and they still have a home game against the Pride and a win there could put the conference away. William & Mary will be out to avenge an overtime loss at Wilmington last month and going back, the Tribe are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (510) William & Mary Tribe

We lost a tough one on Saturday with Oklahoma as it was unable to shoot the ball early in the game as the Sooners shot just 26.7 percent from the floor but still trailed by only eight points. They were unable to pull away in the second half however and could not avenge the triple overtime defeat in the first meeting. Now it is time to regroup and bounce back on the road to keep pace in the Big XII and while catching the Jayhawks is going to be a challenge, grabbing second place is important as well. Oklahoma has rebounded with a victory following its first three losses this yet the Red Raiders will be no easy out. They are riding a two-game winning streak, both coming as underdogs against Iowa St. and Baylor, the latter coming by 18 points on the road so it was a massive upset on Saturday. It has been an up and down season for Texas Tech as it is now just 5-7 in the conference and while it is 11-3 at home, it is 1-3 both straight up and against the number as a home underdog. The Red Raiders will be out to avenge a 24-point loss in Norman earlier this season but the talent is not there to get it done in this spot with the Sooners expected to be completely focused after Saturday. 10* (735) Oklahoma Sooners

Winning games in the Missouri Valley Conference rarely provoke a letdown situation but when the win comes against Wichita St., that is the rare occasion where the situation can take place. Northern Iowa took out the Shockers on Saturday as a 14.5-point underdog on the road no less which snapped a 43-game home winning streak. The Panthers have now won six straight games to improve to 8-6 after a dreadful 2-6 start in the MVC and they have also covered all six of those games on top of it. Loyola-Chicago opened the conference season with five consecutive losses but has been playing a lot better since then, going 5-4 over their last nine games and the only bad loss over that stretch came at Wichita St. The Ramblers lost by a point at home against Evansville in their last game and they have gone a perfect 4-0 in their last four games following a loss. They have been horrid as favorites this season but are a perfect 3-0 ATS as home underdogs. The Panthers are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record while the Ramblers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (730) Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

We played against Massachusetts on Sunday but the Minutemen were able to make a big second half run and take out Duquesne in overtime. That was the second straight victory as a significant underdog, the first coming against VCU as an 11-point underdog. Now they head to the Bronx to take on Fordham and this will be a tough one to get up for based on the recent upsets and the quality of the opponent. Fordham got off to a great start this season as it opened at 9-1 before things started going downhill quickly. The Rams have dropped 10 of their last 13 games and while that run is not good, they have defeated the teams they were supposed to and have been playing better of late. Fordham has been favored just twice of this 13-game stretch and won both of those games and its last two losses were by just four points each against St. Bonaventure and Richmond. The other victory over this stretch came against Massachusetts on the road but we will not buy into the road revenge here based on the situation. The Rams are 17-5 ATS in their last 22 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Minutemen are 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (716) Fordham Rams

Baylor was cruising along with a 6-2 record in the Big XII with the only losses coming against Oklahoma and Kansas but the Bears have hit a mini slump as they have dropped three of their last four games. This includes an uncalled for home loss against Texas Tech by 18 points on Saturday as a 10-point favorite but that puts them in a great bounce back spot on Tuesday. They have covered only once in their last seven games and because of that, we are getting a very manageable number here. Baylor is still 14-3 at home despite a pair of consecutive losses at the Ferrell Center. Iowa St. has seen its season take a turn for the worst as well as it has gone 2-3 in its last five games that also includes a loss against Texas Tech. The Cyclones are coming off a win at home over Texas and while they will be out to avenge a home loss against Baylor back on January 9th, road revenge is not a great angle here. Their three conference road wins have come against Kansas St., TCU and Oklahoma St., which are 3-9, 2-10 and 3-9 respectively in the Big XII. After this, Baylor has Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia in its last five games which makes this a huge must win contest. 10* (550) Baylor Bears

A pair of middle of the pack teams in the Atlantic Ten square off on Tuesday with conference tournament seeding the main focus right now. Davidson and Richmond are both 6-6 and it is the Wildcats that have the significant edge tonight based on the home court advantage. They are 12-1 at home with the lone loss coming against VCU at the end of January and while there are not many quality home wins, this has always been one of the toughest environments in the country. Davidson is coming off a road loss but it is 6-2 this season following a defeat. Richmond owns a very solid road win over George Washington in overtime but its other two conference road wins were at Fordham and St. Louis, both of which are 3-9 in the Atlantic Ten. The Spiders other three wins are not any more impressive even though they were at home as those came against Fordham, LaSalle and Massachusetts with the Minutemen being the best of the bunch at 4-8. The Wildcats won the first meeting this season on the road and going back, the Spiders are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. We will lay the short number as Davidson bolsters its postseason hopes with a big victory. 10* (504) Davidson Wildcats

We played against Butler Saturday and it got trounced at home to Xavier and the Bulldogs are now a surprising 6-7 in the Big East. It is surprising as they came into the season picked to finish second behind Villanova and after an 11-1 start, the Bulldogs were on pace. But an erratic start in the conference has led to inconsistency throughout and they have struggled against the top teams. Six of seven losses have come against teams that are in fifth place or better including a loss at Creighton in the first meeting which sets up a revenge situation in the rematch. The Bluejays have been fairly inconsistent as well but they come in riding a three-game winning streak including a road win at Marquette on Saturday. For the most part though, the road has not been kind as Creighton is 4-5 on the highway with three of those victories coming against the three worst teams in the Big East. The Bluejays have been the opposite of surprise as they were picked to finish dead last in the conference and are in a very bad spot here against a team in desperate need of a quality victory. Butler still has a better RPI but is on the NCAA Tournament bubble as one of the first four teams out. 10* (516) Butler Bulldogs

Green Bay was unable to make it through a five-game roadtrip by winning its final road game as it lost at Oakland by 18 points on Saturday and now it is up to Milwaukee to try and end a roadtrip with a victory. I do not see it happening here either. The Panthers are playing their fifth straight road game after losing at Detroit on Saturday and this trek is over a span of just 12 days. While the travel is not far as teams are congested pretty tight in this conference, it still takes its toll. Green Bay has to be glad to be back home as it has been a tough schedule thus far as it has played 17 road contests this season, the second most road games of any Division I school in the nation, behind only IUPUI which has played 18 games. The Phoenix are 7-2 at home including a 3-1 record in the Horizon League and this marks the first of five straight home games to end the season. Milwaukee has been decent on the road with a 7-5 record but it is just 1-3 on this current trip as fatigue can be playing a big factor. The Phoenix will be playing with revenge after suffering a tough one-point loss in Milwaukee against their rival and going back, they are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss. 10* (706) Green Bay Phoenix

Florida St. and Syracuse played a big game on Thursday which was considered a must win for both as far as NCAA Tournament aspirations go and after a blowout loss, the Seminoles are one of the last four teams out in the tourney. A win here can change that however as Florida St. is in need of another quality win as wins over VCU, Florida, Virginia and Clemson show what they are capable of but could still use to add to it. Miami has been consistent all season as it now trails North Carolina by just one game following its third straight victory on Tuesday over Pittsburgh. While they have dominated at home, the Hurricanes are just 4-3 on the road and while that is considered decent, the last three road wins have come against Georgia Tech, Boston College and LaSalle, which are 3-9, 0-11 and 1-11 in their conferences respectively. Florida St. is playing for payback following a 13-point road loss last month and it has the talent to get it done and at a great price. The Hurricanes are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record while Florida St. is 7-3-1 ATS following an ATS loss. 10* (860) Florida St. Seminoles

Duquesne is in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Ten and a win today gets it back to .500 and into a tie for sixth place. The Dukes remaining schedule is not very easy so this is a must win game and they are coming off in a great effort at Dayton where they lost by just a bucket. Half of their conference losses have come against Dayton and VCU which are a combined 21-3 and they have beaten the teams they should have beaten with a swing game against Davidson being the exception. The good news is there will be no letdown from that Dayton loss as it was back on Tuesday as we find Massachusetts in a horrible spot coming off an upset win over VCU on Thursday. The Minutemen have struggled all season as they are just 10-13 including a 3-8 conference record. They are 1-4 on the road with the lone victory coming at 1-11 LaSalle which happened to be their first conference game of the season. The Dukes are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Minutemen are 0-6 ATS in their last six games following an ATS win. 10* (850) Duquesne Dukes

Depending on the line, which did a complete 180, Michigan St. covered its fifth straight game based on the closing number although it was favored for a good portion of the time at Purdue. The Spartans rallied from a huge deficit only to lose in overtime but now they head back home with a 7-5 record in the Big Ten which is good for just eighth place despite the Spartans coming into the week ranked No. 8 in the nation. They are 10-2 at home, losing to Iowa and Nebraska in consecutive home games which was part of their three-game January skid. Indiana is coming off a huge win over Iowa on Thursday and thanks to the Maryland loss on Saturday, the Hoosiers are now tied with the Hawkeyes for first place in the Big Ten. That was the first real quality win as Indiana has played a pretty tame schedule within the conference. They are 4-3 on the road and while a win at Michigan was solid, a loss at Penn St. was dreadful. Indiana leads the all-time series but Michigan St. has won 10 of the last 13 meetings and under head coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 16-1 at home against the Hoosiers. 10* (844) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on PACIFIC for our Saturday Enforcer. The West Coast Conference has been unpredictable at times with a few major upsets along the way but what has held true is the fact that letdowns continue to come into play. That is the case here with Pepperdine which has been all over the place and is coming off a road upset win at St. Marys on Thursday. This is the second time this season the Waves have defeated the Gaels, which only have three conference losses, and Pepperdine followed up that first one with a loss at Santa Clara next time out. Pacific has been a disappointment this season as it is just 5-8 in the WCC and showing how inconsistent it has been, the Tigers lost at lowly San Diego last Thursday only to win at BYU on Saturday. They catch Pepperdine at a perfect time and it is also a game the Tigers will be highly motivated for. They lost against Loyola-Marymount on Thursday at home and will be out to snap a three-game home losing streak while also out for payback from a loss in Pepperdine last month. Going back, the Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (662) Pacific Tigers

This is a play on IOWA ST. for our Saturday Supreme Annihilator. The Cyclones are coming off a tough overtime loss at Texas Tech and the losses are starting to pile up. Iowa St. has now dropped three of its last four games and what was once thought of as a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Cyclones are getting to the verge of falling out of the No. 4 slot. This is a huge game as running the table at home is necessary with road games at Baylor, West Virginia and Kansas remaining. Texas is making a move despite a loss last time out. The Longhorns were on a 7-1 run before losing at Oklahoma on Monday but it was a tough defeat and they have now covered seven straight games which is adding value to the home side. The Cyclones have five losses in the Big XII and they have all been close as they have all been by five points or less, with two of those coming in overtime. One of those overtime losses was at Texas in mid-January so payback will also be in play tonight. The Cyclones have covered five of their last seven conference games10* (504) Iowa St. Cyclones

This is a play on NEVADA for our MWC Game of the Year. While this is a play on Nevada, this is a very strong play in going against Fresno St. The Wolf Pack are 6-5 in the MWC following a victory over Air Force on Wednesday at home and this is just the second time this season they have played back-to-back conference home games. The first time it resulted in a loss following a win but that came against San Diego St. Nevada is 8-2 at home and will be out to avenge a 22-point loss against the bulldogs last month, easily its worst MWC loss of the season. Fresno St. is a game better in the standings following a pair of wins at home and it is because of those wins that makes this a great go against spot. The Bulldogs defeated UNLV as a home underdog and followed that up with another home dog win, this one against San Diego St., the first conference loss for the Aztecs this season. The letdown and revenge factors are huge here and adding to that, the Bulldogs are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (620) Nevada Wolf Pack

The Horizon League is turning into a runaway by Valparaiso after the two teams on its tail lost on Thursday so now it is about seeding position for the upcoming conference tournament. Milwaukee took out Oakland on the road which at the time was a game and a half back and it kept the Panthers in a tie for fourth place. That was by far their best road conference win as the others came against Youngstown St., Cleveland St. and Illinois-Chicago which are the three worst teams in the conference and a combined 8-28. This is now the fourth straight road game for Milwaukee as Detroit looks to bounce back from a tough one-point loss against Green Bay on Thursday. That snapped a three-game winning streak for the Titans which can pull back to within a game of fourth place with a victory here and a loss by the Phoenix. The Schedule is a tough one and this marks the final home game of the season for Detroit, a rarity for any team this early in the season but a great spot to play on. 10* (552) Detroit Titans

Xavier is coming off a loss at Creighton on Tuesday which snapped a five-game winning streak and this has turned into a must win situation. The Musketeers are now 9-3 in the Big East which puts them two games behind Villanova with a meeting left after losing the first one to the Wildcats. Xavier is still a very solid 6-2 on the road which includes quality wins against Michigan and Providence and while this is no easy place to win for visitors coming in, the Musketeers has what it takes. Butler is riding a three-game winning streak including a pair of road wins in its last two games and on the season, the Bulldogs are 10-2 at home. However, they do not have a quality home win to speak of as the best victory is against Georgetown while the two teams better than that, Villanova and Providence, resulted in losses. This is a revenge game for Butler but it just doesn’t have what it takes in this matchup. 10* (541) Xavier Musketeers

Oklahoma and Kansas meet for the second time this season with the Sooners looking to even the score following a thrilling three-overtime loss in Lawrence last month. Kansas had a lackluster run after that victory as it went just 3-3 with all three losses coming on the road and by double-digits. The Jayhawks have since won and covered four straight games but only one of those was on the road and that was at 2-9 TCU and their only other road conference win came at 4-7 Texas Tech. Oklahoma has been getting by with a lot of close conference wins this season, four by three points or less, but that is what makes a good team great. The Sooners are perfect at home with a 12-0 record and going back to last season, they have won 19 consecutive games inside the Lloyd Noble Center. I think we are getting a very reasonable number her based on the current Kansas run and the fact that Oklahoma is on a 4-10 ATS slide. 10* (524) Oklahoma Sooners

This is a play on PROVIDENCE for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. We lost with Providence on Wednesday as it lost in double-overtime at Marquette. It was the third straight loss for the Friars which were at a disadvantage with point guard Kris Dunn not seeing the floor in the second overtime after following out. They are now just 6-6 in the Big East after expecting to make a run at Villanova and while making the NCAA Tournament is very likely, this team needs to right the ship in a hurry with difficult road games at Xavier and Seton Hall up next. Georgetown has been fairly inconsistent as well and while it owns an impressive road win at Xavier, four of its seven conference wins have come against St. Johns and DePaul which are 0-12 and 2-10 in the conference respectively. After a 9-0 start at home, Providence has lost four of its last five home games including two straight against Xavier and Villanova but going back, the Friars are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a losing road record. Additionally, the Hoyas are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning record and 0-5 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (506) Providence Friars

We played on California last night in a similar situation as this one where we have a ranked road team as a slight favorite over an unranked home team. The difference here though is Rhode Island does not have close to the same home court advantage as the Golden Bears do so defending it in this spot will be difficult. The Rams are off to a 6-5 start within the Atlantic Ten and while they are 1-4 on the road and 5-1 at home, it is a bit skewed. Those five home victories came against teams with records of 14-41 combined and none of which possess a winning conference record. On top of that, the lone road win was against 1-10 LaSalle. Granted, LaSalle is the only team to defeat Dayton in the Atlantic Ten but we can chalk that one up as an anomaly. The Flyers have won eight straight games since then and while this will be no easy task, they are the better team by a significant amount. Dayton is the only team in the conference with a winning record against top 50 teams while Rhode Island is 0-5 against those teams. The Flyers are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a winning home record while the Rams are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (859) Dayton Flyers

Oregon has come out of nowhere this season as they entered the season unranked and are now up to No. 11 in the country thanks to six straight wins in the Pac 12. This includes impressive victories over Utah, Colorado, Arizona and USC and along with the straight up wins, the Ducks have covered all of those games as well. They lead the conference with a 9-2 record which is a game and a half ahead of USC but they are 3-3 on the highway and despite the recent win at Arizona, I do not think Oregon should be favored here. California has been a major disappointment this season despite a 15-8 overall record as it is 5-5 in the Pac 12 but that comes down to where the Golden Bears play. They are 5-0 at home and 0-5 on the road but that latter record could be better as all of those losses have been by single digits and those were against teams with combined home records of 58-9. Overall, California is 14-0 at home and took out Arizona in its only game as a home underdog this season. The Golden Bears are 6-1 ATS in their last six games following a win while going 6-1 ATS in their last six home games and are in an excellent spot to get back over .500 in conference play. 10* (754) California Golden Bears

The college basketball season always brings big surprises in the major conferences and in this case, it is also one of the bigger surprises in the entire nation. Iowa came into the season unranked, receiving only six AP votes, and picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten by Blue Ribbon but the Hawkeyes are now leading the conference with a 10-1 record and have vaulted all the way to No. 4 in the country. It has been a very impressive run with numerous quality victories but the recent run of three straight victories does not include any and this is not an ideal situation tonight. Indiana once led the conference with a 7-0 record but it is just 2-2 over its last four games with both losses coming on the road by a combined eight points, one taking place in overtime. The most recent loss at Penn St. was uncalled for but it came right after a huge upset at Michigan so the letdown spot was in play for sure. Indiana remains perfect at home with a 13-0 record and since 2011-12, the Hoosiers are 77-11 at home. Some will consider the Hoosiers schedule being soft thus far, they are 6-0 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (756) Indiana Hoosiers

Milwaukee is coming off a solid but what might be considered fortunate win over the Celtics on Tuesday as the Bucks blew a 19-point lead in the final quarter but won in the final second to snap a five-game losing skid. Milwaukee is still a disappointing 11 games under .500 but the issues have been on the road where it is 7-24 compared to being 14-8 at home. You can see a nine-game difference there so the schedule has not been on the Bucks side and because of this, they have played the toughest schedule in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are coming off a victory against the Knicks in their last game on the road despite getting outshot but the difference was their 16 made three-pointers compared to just eight for New York. Washington is now a game over .500 on the road which is a reason the line is as low as it is. But stringing together consecutive wins has been a problem of late as the Wizards are 0-4 in their last four games following a win while going 3-7 in road games following a win in their last road game. Additionally, the Wizards are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game while the Bucks are 7-1 ATS in their last games against the Eastern Conference. 10* (704) Milwaukee Bucks

Conference USA is basically a three-team race right now but there are seven teams that are separated by just two games for the all-important fourth place position which comes with a first round bye in the C-USA Tournament. Both of these teams are in that mix with UTEP and Florida International sitting at 5-6, coming into these records from different directions. UTEP has won two straight games at home over Marshall and Western Kentucky but those were by a combined eight points, one coming in overtime. On the season, the host is 10-1 in Miners games, the lone home team not winning was UTEP losing at home against Florida International. That sets up a revenge spot for the Miners but that is tossed out considering they are 0-7on the road this season. The Golden Panthers have lost four straight games, the last three coming against the top three teams in the conference based on power ratings. They are coming off road losses at UAB and Middle Tennessee which are a combined 19-3 but those defeats were by only six points combined. The Miners are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a losing record while the Golden Panthers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning record. 10* (726) Florida International Golden Panthers

The Big XII has been one of the most competitive conference in the nation and they lead the country with six teams ranked in the top 25. Those six teams are all within two games of each other and one of those is Baylor which is two games behind West Virginia for first place. The Bears are 6-4 in the conference no thanks to a pair of losses in their last two games including one against West Virginia. All four losses have come against those ranked teams A win at Iowa St. is the lone conference win over a ranked Big XII opponent but it is 5-0 against unranked foes and that is where Kansas St. falls. We won on the Wildcats Saturday as they upset Oklahoma at home which presents a great letdown opportunity here to fade them. Kansas St. is just 3-7 in the conference with all seven losses coming against ranked teams, including a loss at Baylor last month in overtime. That actually helps here as the closeness of the game will have the Bears taking no chances at a lookahead especially with 3-7 Texas Tech on deck. Baylor has gone six straight games without a cover and that is giving us contrarian value here as the Bears should be marginally favored. 10* (555) Baylor Bears

While Golden St. remains the hottest team in the NBA with ten straight victories, the second hottest team may come as a surprise as it is the Utah Jazz following their seventh consecutive victory last night against Dallas in overtime. The Jazz have won three straight games on the road, two of those coming against Phoenix and Brooklyn, both of which are 14-39, but they have won only nine games on the highway the entire season. To their credit, they are now over .500 for the first time since being 8-7 in late November but coming off a tough battle last night makes tonight's game a tough challenge. New Orleans has had a tough season but it is 14-14 following a brutal 5-18 start so the latter part of the first half has been a lot better. The Pelicans are coming off a win at Minnesota last time out and they return to New Orleans on a 6-3 run to move over .500 on the season at home. The Jazz are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record while the Pelicans have covered five straight against Northwest Division teams. 10* (516) New Orleans Pelicans

We lost with Memphis on Monday as the Grizzles fell in overtime against Portland which was their second straight loss in overtime. Tonight presents a great opportunity to bounce back from that to avoid three straight losses going into the All Star break and also evade their first three-game losing streak since November. Since then, Memphis is 12-4 following its last 16 losses while going 4-0 in its last four games following consecutive losses. Brooklyn picked up a rare win on Monday as it won in the final seconds against Denver and that was just its 14th win of the season. The Nets have won two straight games at home but have won here only 10 times all season long and winning consecutive games has been a challenge as they are 2-11 following a victory. They have won only nine of 28 games as home underdogs but of those nine wins, only three of those have been against teams with a winning record. The Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win while the Grizzlies are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against the Eastern Conference. 10* (509) Memphis Grizzles

This is a very odd situation for Sacramento as reports surfaced that head coach George Karl was going to be fired and yesterday those rumors were rescinded and Karl will remain with the team. Changes within the coaching policies and leadership will be taking place and this is a really big game for the Kings that need a victory before heading into the All Star break as they have dropped four straight games and eight of their last nine. Back-to-back losses against Boston and Cleveland was not surprising but a loss here against the lowly Sixers will put them in a bad spot heading into their off time. Philadelphia is coming off a loss against the Clippers in overtime in their last game and was able to grab its second straight cover. The Sixers are 3-4 in their last seven home games and have covered seven of their last nine games here but that is keeping this number within reason. There should be some extra motivation for the Kings as they surrendered one of the three Philadelphia road wins this season and certainly that is game they have not forgotten. 10* (503) Sacramento Kings

Right now the Atlantic Ten is controlled by two teams, VCU and Dayton, which are both 9-1 in the conference but three other teams remain in the hunt and two of those square off here. St. Josephs is in third place at 8-2 and it surprisingly has been a lot better on the road than at home. The Hawks are just 3-2 on their home floor but a perfect 5-0 on the road and those goes to 8-0 when taking into account nonconference games. The five Atlantic Ten road wins however are all against teams that are .500 or worse so this will be the biggest test to date. George Washington is a game behind the Hawks so it can move into a tie with a victory here. The Colonials are 12-1 at home this season with the lone defeat coming in overtime as they faced a Richmond team that could not miss, hitting 60 percent from the floor including 57.9 percent from long range. They are coming off a huge road win at VCU and while that normally could spell letdown, that will not be the case here with everything at stake. We are catching a great line here because of the Hawks road success and they finally go down on the highway. 10* (536) George Washington Colonials

It has been a very up and down season for Providence as it has won some games it really should not have while losing some games it has no business losing. This includes a loss during the recent two-game skid at DePaul as the Friars fell by seven points and could not rebound at home against Villanova, the No. 1 ranked team in the country which they actually beat on the road in the first meeting. That loss to DePaul was their first road loss of the season so winning away from home is not an issue and motivation will be high here to not only snap the losing streak but get some payback from a one-point home loss to Marquette last month. The Golden Eagles have been very inconsistent this season as they also have dropped two straight games which came after a three-game winning streak that followed a three-game losing streak. Two of the four Marquette conference wins came against 0-12 St. Johns which makes the road win over Providence that much more surprising. The Golden Eagles are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Friars are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (545) Providence Friars

Arkansas is in the rare role of a road favorite which is a little too aggressive in this spot. The Razorbacks have won three of their last four games to move to 5-5 in the SEC, good for a seventh place tie. The venue has had a lot to do with wins and losses as they are 4-1 at home and 1-4 on the road and on the entire season not counting neutral court games, the host is 17-3 in Arkansas games. The Razorbacks have covered four straight games and that is helping with the value. Mississippi St. is coming off a loss at LSU on Saturday and it too has struggled on the road with a 1-7 record, the lone victory coming at Missouri which is the only team that Arkansas has defeated on the road as well. The Bulldogs are 6-4 at home including just a 1-3 record in the conference but those three losses came by a total of just eight points while its only other home loss which came in nonconference action was by just four points. This is a revenge game for the Bulldogs which loss in Fayetteville last month by 14 points and they are in good position to avenge that defeat. They are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss while the Razorbacks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (752) Mississippi St. Bulldogs

San Antonio begins its annual rodeo roadtrip and the good part is that it is wrapped around the All Star Break so at least there is come break up to it. The Spurs have won four straight games and going back to just after Christmas, their only two losses have come against Golden St. and Cleveland to the run has been pretty outstanding. Going against them here may seem irrational but laying this big of a number to a quality team on the road is a tad aggressive. The Heat lost their last game on Sunday against the Clippers but to their credit, the recent schedule has been brutal. 14 of their last 17 games have been on the road and this is the first time since January 4th and 6th they have been able to remain home for back-to-back games. Miami has won two of three games outright as a home dog, defeating Atlanta and Oklahoma City. The loss home underdog took place in that last game against the Clippers and on the season, the Heat have won 14 of 22 games following a defeat. The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game while the Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last five games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. This is the final game for Miami prior to the break while the Spurs play tomorrow which is a big motivational edge for the Heat. 10* (702) Miami Heat

Losses in five straight and nine of their last 10 games was the breaking point for Knicks head coach Derek Fisher who was fired on Monday. Kurt Rambis takes over on an interim basis and this is a great spot to play on New York as teams playing their first game with a new coach tend to pick up the energy level and we should see that tonight at home from the Knicks. They are now 4.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but there is confidence from Rambis for a playoff run and it is all about staying healthy. New York is 23-24 with Carmelo Anthony in the lineup and 0-7 without him. Washington is coming off a loss on Saturday against Charlotte and it too has been struggling with losses in eight of its last 11 games including three of four on the road. The Wizards have actually been better on the road than at home as they are 11-11 on the highway but four of those wins came when they were favored. Going back, the Knicks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Wizards are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a ATS win. So with a new coach and this being the final game before the break, the Knicks are in an excellent spot to break out of their skid. 10* (704) New York Knicks

Michigan St. and Purdue, along with Michigan, are tied for fourth place in the Big Ten at 7-4 but are also just a game out of eighth place so there is not a lot of wiggle room making this big for both sides. The Boilermakers are coming off a loss at Maryland on Saturday which was their third road loss within the conference and coming in, they are 13-1 at home with the lone defeat coming against Iowa which sits atop the conference at 10-1. Since the start of last year, Purdue is now 26-4 at home, having won 19 of its last 20 games at Mackey Arena. The Spartans are rolling right now with four straight wins which came after a three-game skid and the outright winner has now covered the last nine games they have played. Michigan St. is 5-2 on the road and while the most recent win at Michigan was impressive, the other wins over Northwestern, Penn St., Minnesota and Northeastern were far from it. There is plenty of motivation for the home side as Purdue has dropped seven straight meetings in this series but this is one of the best Boilermaker teams over this stretch. Going back, the Boilermakers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss while going 29-14 ATS in their last 43 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (718) Purdue Boilermakers

Clemson returns home following a three-game roadtrip where it went 1-2 to fall into a tie for fifth place in the ACC. This is a wide open conference as heading into Monday, 10 teams have winning records with just 2.5 games separating all of them. The Tigers are 11-2 at home including a perfect 5-0 within the conference, four of which coming as underdogs and all five of those wins were against teams currently ranked in the RPI top 50. Only Kansas, Virginia and Oregon have more wins over teams ranked in the RPI top 50. Notre Dame is coming off an upset win over North Carolina on Saturday to improve to 12-1 at home but is just 3-3 on the road including losses in two straight. This is now a big letdown situation and the Irish have struggled recently, going 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a victory. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. The winner of this game moved into solo fifth place in the conference and this is a big one for Clemson as after this, five of its last six games are against teams 2-8 or worse in the conference so this is the first of only two opportunities to add a quality win to the record. 10* (530) Clemson Tigers

Portland shook off a loss against Toronto on Thursday, which snapped a five-game winning streak, as it took care of Houston on Saturday by 17 points. That was the biggest road win of the season for the Blazers and while it was the third time they have won consecutive games on the road, they have yet been unable to make it three straight. Memphis has been on a roll as it has gone 14-5 over its last 19 games and while winning the Southwest Division is not going to happen, the Grizzlies are fifth in the Western Conference. They are coming off a loss against Dallas on Saturday and they have been a great bounceback team this season, going 14-6 following a defeat including going 5-0 over the last five. The Grizzlies have covered 11 of their last 14 games at home while the Blazers are 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Additionally, the Grizzlies are 5-0 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (518) Memphis Grizzlies

We played against Brooklyn on Saturday as the Nets were a rare underdog against the Sixers. They are now back home in the underdog role for the 28th time this season but this is an overadjusted line based on what Denver has done lately. The Nuggets have been playing better after a brutal start to the season as they have covered 13 of their last 15 games but most of those games have been at home and in the five road games, they have been the underdog. This includes a game yesterday against the Knicks which they won by five points but they are still six games under .500 on the highway and this marks just the second time they have been favored on the road. Denver has not won consecutive road games since mid-December as it is 0-5 since then and this is not the ideal spot to break that coming off a game just yesterday afternoon. The Nets took care of Sacramento in their last home game and this is just the third losing team to visit Brooklyn in a month. 10* (510) Brooklyn Nets

The Bulls conclude their roadtrip tonight with no chance to make it a winning one but are in need of a victory here. Chicago is 2-4 through the first six game of this trek and the latest defeat was a tough one against Minnesota the Timberwolves closed the game on a 12-0 run in the final 2:55 to deal the Bulls a 112-105 defeat. They are getting a pretty big number against a team that rarely wins big but it is due to the absence of Jimmy Butler, which is big for Chicago but Derrick Rose has picked up the slack as he is averaging 19.5 ppg and 9.5 apg in the two games with Butler out. The Hornets took out Washington on Saturday to make it three wins in their last four games but this is a team that cannot be trusted laying this number, the biggest they have been favored by since November. Charlotte is 1-6 ATS this season when favored by five or more points while going 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games after scoring 100 points or more in its previous game. 10* (501) Chicago Bulls

Tulsa is coming off a tough loss against Temple which was its second loss in three games, both coming on the road. The Golden Hurricane are now back home where they are 4-1 this season in AAC action and will be out to bounce back from that loss as well get some payback from a week and a half ago. During the Thursday deflating defeat at Temple, the Golden Hurricane led by as many as 12 points in the second half and was up three before giving up a late three-pointer and ultimately falling in overtime. Houston is coming off an upset win at home over SMU as the Cougars inconsistent season continues. They are now on a three-game winning streak following four straight losses which came after five straight wins. The losing team will have five losses in the American Athletic Conference, putting championship and postseason hopes further out of reach. Tulsa lost in Houston by 15 in the first meeting so there will be no lack of motivation today. The Golden Hurricane are 8-2 ATS as favorites this season while the Cougars are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS win. 10* (872) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Atlanta is the biggest consensus play of the day by the betting public as 80 percent of the action is behind the Hawks. It is pretty obvious why with Atlanta riding a three game winning streak both straight up and against the number and Orlando currently on a three-game skid. This is where our contrarian rationale comes into play by backing the Magic in the first game of this home-and-hone set that concludes tomorrow night. While the Magic have struggled over an extended period of time as well, the damage was mostly done on the road. 10 of their last 16 games have come on the highway and they went a dismal 1-9 in those games. The Hawks are a game under .500 on the road this season and are just 4-7 over their last 11 with two of those wins coming over the Sixers. Of the 14 teams in the NBA with losing records, Orlando actually has the third best scoring differential at just -1.6 ppg which shows the difference between winning and losing has not been much. Orlando is 7-4 ATS as a home underdog this season while the Hawks are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (856) Orlando Magic

This is a play on COLORADO for our Saturday Enforcer. The Pac 12 is as wide open as it has been in years as six teams are separated by just two games for first place. Oregon holds down the top spot and Colorado is one of the three teams that is 6-4 and tied for fourth place following a 20-point loss to the Ducks in Eugene on Thursday. That dropped the Buffaloes to 4-3 on the road which is pretty respectable considering their struggles on the road in the past. They have been a great team on the rebound this season as they have gone 4-1 in their previous five games following a loss. Oregon St. meanwhile is coming off a win over Utah, which snapped a two-game slide and while the Beavers own quality home wins over California, Oregon and USC, they have failed to follow any of those up with a victory next time out. They are playing with revenge from a 17-point loss in Boulder but the situations on both sides completely negate that. Going back, the Buffaloes are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss while the Beavers are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following an ATS win. 10* (679) Colorado Buffaloes

We are playing on the Sixers here as they are in a pretty good situation coming off a loss last night in Washington. They are in a rare spot as the favorites as this is just the third time all season they have been laying points and it is once again a small number. The first time it resulted in a 12-point win over the Lakers and the second time it was a 10-point win over Phoenix close to two weeks ago. Philadelphia has gone 8-19 ATS this season against winning teams but a solid 14-8 ATS against teams with a losing record. Brooklyn is coming off a rare win as it defeated the Kings last night following five straight losses. While the Sixers have been the laughing stock of the league, the Nets are only 5.5 games better so there is not much of a difference between these two teams especially considering their 4-18 record on the road. Brooklyn is 2-10 this season following a victory while going just 2-7 playing with no rest. The Sixers have covered six of their last eight games following a loss while going 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing record. 10* (510) Philadelphia 76ers

Youngstown St. has dropped two straight games including its last one at home against Oakland by 22 points as the Golden Grizzlies were avenging a home loss to the Penguins last month. Their last four losses have come against 8-3 Oakland, 8-3 Wright St. and 9-1 Valparaiso twice so it has not been an easy stretch but they catch a break on Saturday as they catch Detroit which is just one game better in the Horizon League. The Titans are coming off their first road win of the season after suffering eight consecutive losses away from home. Some of those have been close but overall are getting outscored by nearly 10 ppg. There is revenge in play tonight for Youngstown St. as it lost the first meeting in Detroit this season by nine points and has now dropped five straight meetings with the Titans but this is definitely one of the better spots over that stretch with the prior games and the fact that the Penguins are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (652) Youngstown St. Penguins

Oklahoma has retained the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll for three straight weeks as the one loss over this stretch came after the poll came out on January 18th and followed that up with a big road win at Baylor later in the week. The Sooners have won four straight games since that with over Iowa St. including a huge comeback at LSU last Saturday and while this may seem like an easy test, it should not be especially with the fact they could be looking ahead to their home game against Texas on Monday. Kansas St. has had a very disappointing season as it is just 2-7 in the Big XII after an 11-2 non-conference record. The schedule has not been on the Wildcats side however as their five road games have come against the top five teams in the conference while two home games have come against two of the top six teams. Granted, Oklahoma falls into this category but now Kansas St. is getting its biggest number at home. The Wildcats are 21-5-2 ATS in their last 28 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (628) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on LOYOLA-MARYMOUNT for our WCC Game of the Year. Portland and Loyola-Marymount come into this game with pretty similar records overall and within the conference but it is the venue and the converging situations that heavily favor the Lions. They are 6-4 at home but are coming off a blowout loss against Gonzaga on Thursday by 29 points but that does not come as a total surprise as the Bulldogs have been rolling. Overall, Loyola-Marymount has lost three straight games overall while three of four home losses have come against the Big Three in the WCC. Portland was riding a four-game losing streak before defeating Pepperdine Thursday night on the road as a 10-point underdog. That was just the second road victory for the Pilots with the first coming against rival Portland St. and all seven losses have been by at least eight points. Portland was expected to have a decent season but that has not been the case and stepping down in class has been a big issue as the Pilots are 0-9 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (630) Loyola-Marymount Lions

After losing just one game last season, Kentucky has already dropped seven games this season including two straight games at Kansas last Saturday and at Tennessee on Tuesday. The Wildcats have not lost consecutive games since the end of the 2013-14 season and I expect a big bounce back here to avoid the first three-game losing streak under head coach John Calipari. Florida on the other hand has won two straight games and five of his last six games but four of the last five have all come at home. The Gators are just 2-5 on the road with the wins coming against Mississippi and Navy so this is another big test that I do not expect them to pass. Kentucky has won all 12 home games this season by an average of nearly 18 ppg and catching the Wildcats with a spread this low is pretty rare. Going back, the Gators are 7-20-2 ATS in their last 29 games following a straight up win while the Wildcats are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss. 10* (590) Kentucky Wildcats

This is a play on WAKE FOREST for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Wake Forest got off to a solid start this season as it won nine of its 12 non-conference games which included solid victories over Indiana and LSU while two of the losses were against Vanderbilt and Louisville, the latter being a lot closer than expected. What has happened since then is a mystery as the Demon Deacons are 1-9 in the ACC with the lone victory coming against NC State. The schedule of late has been very tough however as the last five games have come against North Carolina, Miami, Virginia, Notre Dame and Clemson, all of which are at least 6-4 in the conference. Florida St. has won three in a row including a pair of home wins in their last two games. This is now a tough spot for the Seminoles against a very desperate Wake forest team than finally catches a team it can legitimately defeat. Going back, the Demon Deacons are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games following a double-digit loss at home and they catch a very favorable number here. 10* (528) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Cleveland is coming off a pretty uninspired effort at Charlotte on Wednesday which snapped a five-game winning streak but now it heads home to add to its 19-3 record at home. Boston has won two straight games and seven of its last eight but only two of those have been against teams with a winning record. While the Celtics have a winning record on the road, only four of those have come against winning teams and only one since the start of December. Boston has gone 26-12 against teams not ranked in the top ten in the NBA but is just 3-10 against the top ten in the league. Conversely, the Cavaliers are 26-9 against those non-top ten teams and a much more solid 9-4 against the top ten. Two of those four losses came against Golden St., another against San Antonio and the last against Toronto, three of which came on the road. On the season, the Cavaliers are 15-8 ATS against teams with a winning record including 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games against winning teams. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. Look for Cleveland to bounce back from that loss and move to 9-4 following a defeat this season. 10* (860) Cleveland Cavaliers

The Grizzlies are in the midst of their best run of the season as they have gone 13-4 over their last 17 games to go from a 16-16 start to their current 29-20 record which is good for fifth in the Western Conference. But the schedule has been in their favor as only six of those 17 games have been on the road where they have gone just 3-3. Memphis is 10-13 on the highway overall and six of those have come against teams with a worse record than the Knicks. New York is in a bad run right now with losses in two straight and six of its last seven games going into Thursday and with the lone victory coming against lowly Phoenix, things are not good. Four of those losses have come against teams ranked in the top six in the NBA so while no losing is good, at least the Knicks have been falling to the elite teams. And on top of it, they have been banged up along the way and are now back to nearly full health. The Knicks own 11 outright wins against teams ranked in the top 16 in the league which is tied for eighth most in the entire league. The Grizzlies are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games while the Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (862) New York Knicks