Sports Picks & Predictions

At one point, Wisconsin was a clear top 10 team and shooting for a No. 2 seed and possibly even a No. 1 but the Badgers have fallen on hard times and are in need of something big before the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin has lost three straight games and five of its last six to fall into a tie for third place in the conference. The Badgers are coming off a last second loss against Iowa last time out but still sit at 14-2 at home and they have won 20 of their last 22 games at the Kohl Center. The Badgers are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a winning road record. Minnesota has been on the opposite type of run as it has won eight straight games to solidify its spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. While the run has been solid, the schedule has played a role as only two of those victories are against teams that will be part of the Big Dance. Four of the last five wins took place at home and the Gophers bring in an average 5-4 road record and the spot and situation are not good as the Gophers are 3-18 ATS in their last 21 games as a road underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (836) Wisconsin Badgers

After holding Virginia to a season low 41 points in the first meeting this season, North Carolina was held to a season low 43 points against the Cavaliers in its last game. It will be out to bounce back from that but more importantly, it will be out to avenge a loss at Duke in the first meeting this season as well as guarantee an outright ACC regular season championship. The Tar Heels lead Notre Dame by one game and the Irish are at Louisville earlier in the day so the it might already be decided but that is not going to take away any motivation for this one. The Blue Devils are coming off a win at home against Florida St. which snapped a two-game losing streak which came after winning seven straight. It has been an up and down season for Duke and it has dropped five of its eight ACC road games and now comes the biggest test of them all. Motivation will be high on the Blue Devils side as well but North Carolina is one of eight teams in the country to be undefeated at home and it wants to keep that intact. North Carolina has played Duke seven previous times under Roy Williams in the final game of the regular season with first place in the ACC at stake and it is a perfect 7-0. 10* (628) North Carolina Tar Heels

Virginia Tech will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007 thanks to a 10-7 record in the ACC and a loss here would match their conference record from last season and it did not get an invite which shows how strong of a season it has been this year. The Hokies have four wins against the top 50 and they bring in a 15-1 record at home to Senior Day. They have quality wins here against Duke, Syracuse, Virginia and Miami and the lone home defeat came against Notre Dame by just five points and going back to last season, they have won 20 of their last 21 home games. The Hokies are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning straight up record. Wake Forest could use a win to punch a ticket into the Big Dance as it is one of the last four teams in heading into the weekend. The Demon Deacons have won two straight games including a home upset win over Louisville on Wednesday. Those were both at home however where Wake Forest is 6-3 in the ACC but on the road, it is 2-6 with the win coming against Boston College and NC State which are a combined 6-29 in the conference. The Demon Deacons are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 games following a straight up win. 10* (594) Virginia Tech Hokies

We played on Xavier is it last home game of the season and it fell behind early because of a hot shooting Marquette team, which finished hitting 61.1 percent from the floor, and sent the Musketeers to their sixth straight loss. They were an NCAA Tournament lock a month ago but that is no longer the case as they are teetering on the bubble and can ill afford another loss especially against an opponent like this. This is the longest losing streak for Xavier since 1982 and while laying a big number on the road is never easy, DePaul has very little home court advantage. The Blue Demons were picked to finish last in the Big East and they have not disappointed as they come in at 2-15 with those two wins coming by a combined three points. To their credit, they have had a share of close losses here but three of their last four home losses have been by at least 13 points. We are getting some value in this number because of the Xavier losing streak as well as the fact that DePaul has covered five straight games. Going back, the Musketeers are 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (535) Xavier Musketeers

The bubble watch is on for many teams that need to win and make some conference tournament runs to make it to the Big Dance and one of those is Kansas St. The Wildcats are on the outside looking in despite a 7-10 record in the Big XII but they actually have a relatively high RPI as they possess three wins over top 50 teams. Kansas St. is 10-5 at home but this record includes four straight losses so it will be out to snap that streak in its final home game of the season. Texas Tech was on the bubble for a while but losses in five of its last six games has knocked the Red Raiders out and a championship in the Big XII Tournament is the only way they will get in. Part of the issue has been the inability to win on the road as Texas Tech is 1-8 on the highway including a winless 0-8 record in the conference. A loss by the Wildcats will knock them completely out of the conversation and they will be forced to take the entire Big XII Tournament which is certainly a longshot. The home team has dominated this series over the years and that continues this Saturday on Senior Day in Manhattan. 10* (532) Kansas St. Wildcats

Pepperdine was supposed to take a step forward this season after two straight 18-win seasons but instead, it took a couple steps back as it heads into the WCC Tournament with just nine wins overall. The Waves have lost their last four games which came after winning three straight games but the wind came out of their sails right after their winning streak with the loss of forward Chris Reyes who is one of three players averaging double-digits in scoring. After Reyes went down, Pepperdine has been outscored by 118 points over three-plus games. Pacific has not had much better success this season as it has just one more win overall and actually finished with one fewer victory in the conference. The Tigers have lost three straight games but were able to cover all of those as they cashed a huge number against Gonzaga while their last two losses came by a point apiece against Santa Clara and Loyola-Marymount. Overall, five WCC losses came by five points or less and they head into the tournament in much better shape. Pepperdine is 4-15 ATS this season as an underdog of three points or more and the Tigers have had similar results with the favorite winning 22 of 28 lined games this season. 10* (879) Pacific Tigers

Loyola-Chicago was the most snake bit team during the regular season and there should be plenty of motivation for the Ramblers heading into the MVC Tournament. They finished 8-10 but it could have and should have been a lot better. Of those 10 losses, six came by four points or less, two coming in overtime, including four defeats by two points or less. Conversely, of the eight wins, six were by double-digits. To show how unfortunate they were, they outscored opponents by 6.9 ppg while Illinois St., which finished the season 17-1, outscored opponents by just 8.5 ppg. Loyola is 0-8 this season in games decided by five points or less and is tied for seventh in the nation with six losses by three points or less. Two of the close losses came against Southern Illinois, including a two-point loss in the regular season finale, so there is the revenge factor as well. The Salukis finished the regular season with a .500 record but were outscored on the season and they fall into the situation of going against teams in conference tournaments trying to defeat the same team for a third time. The Ramblers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (865) Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

UC Davis is one of eight teams in the country that possess an undefeated record at home and that is on the line tonight. The Aggies are one win away from posting its second undefeated home record in the last three seasons, and providing the perfect ending for five graduating seniors, J.T. Adenrele, Darius Graham, Brynton Lemar, Georgi Funtarov and Lawrence White. They are a half-game behind Cal Irvine for first place in the Big West Conference and that is where they head on Saturday so a loss here means they will not be able to win the conference outright. Hawaii comes in riding a two-game winning streak and it is coming off its final home game of the season with an overtime win over CS Fullerton. The final home game is a guarantee considering the Warriors are ineligible for the postseason so they are just playing out the string in these final two games. They are 3-3 on the road but the three wins came against three of the four bottom teams in the conference and going back, the Warriors are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record. Meanwhile, the Aggies are 6-0 ATS in their last six games as a home favorite of fewer than seven points. 10* (746) UC Davis Aggies

This is a pretty big weekend for UTSA as it can finish as high as seventh in the C-USA standings with a pair of victories and some help this week. The Roadrunners are 7-9 in Conference-USA so getting to .500 would be a huge accomplishment for a team that was picked to finish dead last in the conference following a 5-27 record last season. They are getting the job done at home as they are 10-2 with the two losses coming against Middle Tennessee St. and Louisiana Tech which are a combined 28-5 in the conference. Following a four-game roadtrip, the Roadrunners are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a losing road record. It has been just the opposite for Charlotte on the road as it is 2-8 with one win coming in the non-conference slate over Elon and its lone conference win came against 2-14 North Texas. Additionally, only one of its conference losses came by fewer than 13 points. The 49ers just came off their final home game of the season which resulted in a loss so this is a tough spot to get up for and it is a horrible spot as they are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (722) UTSA Roadrunners

We played on and lost with Xavier on Sunday as the Musketeers had every chance to pull away and win the game but turned the ball over too many times late in the game and thus, were outscored 19-8 to end the game. They have lost two straight home games for the first time since 2011 and with this being the final home game of the season, we will be a solid bounce back effort to stop that skid as well as an overall five-game losing streak. Included in that is a 22-point loss at Marquette so there is the revenge factor as well. The Musketeers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Marquette is just 3-6 on the road this season so it could use another win on the highway to bolster a possible berth into the NCAA Tournament but this is not the place to do it. The Golden Eagles host Creighton in their final game of the season so there is still a chance after this not to mention the Big East Tournament. The problem they are caching Xavier at the wrong place at the wrong time and they are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (552) Xavier Musketeers

While Northwestern is still pretty much guaranteed to make its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Wildcats are not doing themselves any favors to make it a lock. They have lost five of their last seven games 9-7 in the Big Ten and they are currently projected as a No. 10 seed which seems pretty safe but losing their final two games as well as their first game in the Big Ten Tournament will put the decision in the hands of the committee. That is something they do not want so a win here is imperative with the final game of the season coming against Purdue. The Wildcats are 13-3 at home and they are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Michigan has clawed its way into the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks to five wins over its last six games including big victories over Michigan St., Wisconsin and Purdue but those all came at home where it is 15-3. The Wolverines played their final home game and won against Purdue so it will be tough to get up here and they 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (530) Northwestern Wildcats

While winning the Mountain West Conference is a stretch, Boise St. is still mathematically alive as it sits a game behind Colorado St. and Nevada who face off against each other in the final game of the season. The Broncos are coming off a win over San Jose St. on Saturday to make it six wins over their last eight games including their fourth straight home win where they are 11-2 on the season and have won 64 of their last 74. While winning the conference may be a stretch, Boise St. currently sits in third place which is a huge spot as it avoids the No. 4-No. 5 matchup in the first round of the upcoming MWC Tournament and a win here guarantees at least a No. 3 spot. The Broncos are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games as a favorite of fewer than seven points. Fresno St. has won three straight games to move two games over .500 in the conference and could be peaking at the right time similar to last year when it made a run into the NCAA Tournament. This team has been much more inconsistent however and the Bulldogs have struggled on the road for the most part, going just 5-9 including a 2-6 record in the conference. The Bulldogs are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (754) Boise St. Broncos

Georgia Tech is hanging on by a thread to make the NCAA Tournament as it is currently one of the last four teams out meaning it will have to likely win out as well as win a game or two in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are 1-3 in their last four games including a pair of road losses in Miami and Notre Dame and the one home loss against NC State really hurt them and they cannot lose another home game against a non-quality opponent. This is the last home game of the season so coupled with the must win scenario, Georgia Tech is in a great spot laying a short number. Four home wins against ACC teams heading to the tournament shows they can get it done here. Pittsburgh has had a very rough season but it was expected. The Panthers are a game over .500 but are just 4-12 in the ACC including a 1-6 record on the road and that win came against 2-14 Boston College. They are coming off their final home game of the season on Saturday which resulted in a blowout loss against North Carolina so they are now just playing out the string. The Yellow Jackets are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (748) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This is the final home game of the season for Central Michigan which was looking good to possibly steal the MAC West but has dropped five straight games to fall into a tie for last place in the division. The losing run also includes five straight losses against the number and that is a big reason the Chippewas are home underdogs here despite playing a team with a losing record overall and the same record in the conference. This is likely the final home game for NCAA leading scorer Marcus Keene who is a junior but is projected to be a second round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Central Michigan will be out to avoid a four-game home losing streak before hitting the road to end the season. The Chippewas are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Eastern Michigan rolled on Saturday over Northern Illinois which snapped a six-game losing streak as well as a seven-game ATS losing skid. The road has been a real problem however as the Eagles are 4-10 overall including four straight losses. Additionally, the Chippewas will be out to avenge a 22-point loss against Eastern Michigan from last month. 10* (730) Central Michigan Chippewas

North Carolina has won four straight games since a loss at Duke to move to 25-5 overall and it has clinched at least a share of the regular-season ACC championship with a 13-3 record in conference play. The Tar Heels have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament so this game means little at this point and with a revenge game against Duke on deck in its final home game, it will be hard for them not to be looking ahead to that game. Virginia snapped a four-game slide with a win over NC State on Saturday to improve to 9-7 in the conference to move into a tie for seventh place in the loaded ACC. Should the Cavaliers win out, they have a shot of getting into the top four which comes with a double-bye but they will need some help along the way. They are 10-4 at home with three losses coming within the conference but one came in overtime, another by two points to Florida St. and the last coming against Duke which came two days after an excruciating overtime loss against rival Virginia Tech by a bucket. Virginia lost at North Carolina just over a week ago as it was held to a season low 41 points and the top defense in the nation would love to return that favor tonight. The Tar Heels are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games against teams with a winning home record while the Cavaliers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (516) Virginia Cavaliers

Butler is coming off an upset win at Villanova and the Bulldogs have handed the Wildcats two of their three losses this season so they certainly want no part of the Bulldogs come Big East Tournament time. Butler improved to 22-6 overall including 11-5 in the conference to remain in second place, a spot it is likely to stay in come the end of the regular season. After that is where it gets really interesting. Six teams are within two games of each other and only two of those teams will be locking down an extra day off in the tournament which comes with possessing a No. 1 though No. 4 seed. Xavier is in the mix as it sits in the No. 4 slot but is also just a half-game out of the No. 5 spot. The Musketeers have lost four straight games starting with a home loss against Villanova and then dropping three straight on the road. Xavier is 12-2 at home, the other loss coming against Creighton, so it will have to protect its home court here to avoid a second straight home loss for the first time since December of 2011. Xavier has won five straight games at home in this series and going back, the Musketeers are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games as a home underdog. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following an ATS win. 10* (836) Xavier Musketeers

UAB was picked to finish second in Conference-USA but that will not be happening and now the Blazers goal is to get back into the top four to receive a first round bye in the upcoming conference tournament. They opened C-USA play with a loss at Middle Tennessee St. before running off five straight wins but is has been an up and down ride since then as UAB has gone just 3-6 over its last nine games. However, five of those losses came on the road (0-5) so a return home here is big as the Blazers are 10-3 on their home floor and this is the start of a three-game homestand to close out the season and UAB has not lost consecutive games at home since 2014. Middle Tennessee wrapped up the regular season championship with a win at Marshall last Saturday and while it can still finish with the same record as Louisiana Tech, it owns the tiebreakers and while closing the season against 6-10 FAU and 2-14 FIU. We do not see a ton of motivation on the side of the Blue Raiders considering this being their last true road game of the season and for what little is at stake. It is much more meaningful to the Blazers who will also be out for revenge after being held to a season low 49 points in the first meeting. The Blazers are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games as a home underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (822) UAB Blazers

UC Davis is tied with UC Irvine atop the Big West Conference and the Aggies travel to face the anteaters in the regular season finale so the next two games are very important to make that last game have any meaning. UC Davis defeated Northridge in its last game which halted a two-game slide but both of those were on the road including an overtime loss at Long Beach St which sets up a nice revenge spot here. The Aggies are a perfect 9-0 at home, winning those games by an average of 12.5 ppg and 11 of those victories have been by at least nine points. The 49ers are just two games out of first place but they are coming off an awful loss at home against 4-9 Cal Poly which was just their second home loss of the season. The road has been the problem as they are 3-14 and while a lot of those came early on against powerhouses to try and get them ready for conference action, it has backfired. The 49ers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Aggies are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (656) UC Davis Aggies

After opening the season 20-2, Maryland has hit a rough patch as it has dropped four of its last six games including two in a row. The first one was a loss at Wisconsin which was expected but the last one came at home against Minnesota by 14 points and that one was certainly uncalled for. The Terrapins are now 10-5 in the Big Ten which is still good for solo third place so winning out will keep them in that spot and avoid a drop all the way down to sixth place in the conference. Iowa is coming off an overtime win at home over Indiana which snapped a three-game slide and the Hawkeyes are just playing spoiler at this point as they knocked the Hoosiers outside the bubble. While they have been solid at home, they have been dreadful on the road, going just 1-7 with the lone victory coming against 2-14 Rutgers. All but one of the seven road losses have been by double-digits and they are getting outscored by over 11 ppg on the highway. Going back, the Hawkeyes are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record while the Terrapins are 10-2-2 ATS in their last 14 games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (572) Maryland Terrapins

TCU hung around with Kansas for a half but eventually ran out of gas as it lost by 19 points in Lawrence and saw its losing streak reach four games. Three of those came on the road and the other came at home against Oklahoma St. and all four losses were against teams heading to the NCAA Tournament. The Horned Frogs will be facing another tournament bounce team on Saturday and an upset win here will more than likely secure their own berth into the Big Dance despite a losing conference record. Their two other home conference losses came against Baylor and Kansas and both were competitive games until the end so they can hold their own again here. West Virginia is just 4-2 in February with three wins coming against teams not heading to the tournament and the fourth coming against Texas Tech in overtime and the Red Raiders are still a bubble team as well. The Mountaineers are 5-3 on the road and could once again be without second leading scorer Esa Ahmad who was injured two games back. The Horned Frogs are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (522) TCU Horned Frogs

This is the final regular season game for Bradley and Drake as they look to position themselves for the final four seedings in the upcoming MVC Tournament. The Bulldogs are tied with Evansville and Indiana St., who are also playing each other this Saturday, for eighth place so a win here guarantees they will not be the lowest seed. They have dropped eight straight games with half of those coming on the road and three of the four coming at home against the top three teams in the conference. The other loss was just a three-point setback against Missouri St. Drake is 6-8 at home which is nothing great but this is the last home game of the season and it comes in a revenge game. Bradley has won its last two games but both of those came at home and on the season, the Braves are 2-10 on the road including a 1-7 record within the conference. Only one of those losses was a single-digit loss and they are getting outscored by nearly 14 ppg on the road. The Braves are 9-24-1 ATS in their last 34 games following a straight up win while the Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (544) Drake Bulldogs

Texas Tech has seen its NCAA Tournament hopes take a hit over the last week with a pair of overtime losses against West Virginia and Iowa St. The Red Raiders are now just 5-10 in the conference but they still have a relatively high RPI thanks to a pair of quality wins over West Virginia and Baylor while suffering some tough defeats. They have lost two other games by one point and another two games by four points so their record could be a lot better had they been able to close out some of these close games. They have a shot at winning out and then making a small run in the Big XII Tournament to enhance their chances. Oklahoma St. has been playing some of the best basketball in the conference as its 9-3 record over the last 12 games is second best only to Kansas. The schedule has been on the Cowboys side for sure though as seven of those conference wins have come against teams that are either in the bubble or have no chance of making the Big Dance. While road revenge is not a huge angle to go after, Texas Tech will be out to avenge it biggest conference loss of the season and one of only three losses at home. The Red Raiders have covered six of their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (549) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Clemson has had this game circled for close to three weeks as it went to Tallahassee and got hammered by Florida St. 109-61. That has sent the Tigers on a 1-5 downward spiral yet despite being just 4-11 in the ACC, they are still considered a bubble team. That shows how bad the rest of the country is right now as far as average teams go and Clemson does deserve some credit despite this recent skid. Three of their last four losses have come by two points or less while the other came at Miami by just six points so the Tigers have been more than competitive. Florida St. bounced back from a pair of road losses with a win over Boston College which is far from impressive. The Seminoles have lost five of their last six road games and they are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. This is a must win for Clemson to have any shot at the TNCAA Tournament as the final two games are against NC State and Boston College so no quality wins would come from those. 10* (520) Clemson Tigers

St. Mary's has won two straight games following its second loss of the season to Gonzaga and because of the Bulldogs win last weekend, the Gaels are officially eliminated from winning the West Coast regular season title. There is not a whole lot of incentive for them now as the goal is to stay healthy and make a run at Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament. This is the final road game of the season for St. Mary's making its game on Saturday at home against Santa Clara is its final home game which is something to look ahead to. The Gaels are now laying a monster number on the road which is unjustified in this spot. Pepperdine is coming off a three-game roadtrip where it lost all three games to fall to 1-12 on the road for the season. The Waves are now back home for the weekend to play their final two home games and they are a much better 7-5 at home including a solid win over BYU in their last home game. They were getting nine points in that game and it is questionable whether or not the Gales should be favored by 10 points more. The Waves are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (554) Pepperdine Waves

After a pair of losses last week, Wisconsin bounced back with a victory over Maryland at home on Sunday to remain a half-game behind Purdue for first place in the Big Ten. While the Badgers have had their share if blowout victories, they have also been involved in closer than anticipated games as three wins have come by five points or less while another three have come in overtime. One of the big victories was against Ohio St. by 23 points which sets the Buckeyes up for a payback situation tonight. Ohio St. is a disappointing 5-10 in the conference and just the opposite of Wisconsin, it has suffered some close losses along the way. Of those 10 defeats, four have come by five points or less including three by just one possession. All three of those were at home and the only other home conference loss was against Maryland by only six points in a game it was down by just a point with two minutes left. The Buckeyes covered their only game this season as a home underdog while the Badgers are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. Take advantage of Ohio St. getting its biggest home underdog line of the season. 10* (548) Ohio St. Buckeyes

UCLA is one of three Pac 12 teams ranked in the top six in the nation but that will change by the end of the weekend and that actually affects this game. The Bruins have a date with Arizona on Saturday which will go a long way in deciding the Pac 12 title and on top of it, they will be out for some payback following an 11-point home loss against the Wildcats last month so a lookahead to that is inevitable. UCLA is also coming off a 32-point annihilation of rival USC which capped a three-game homestand which equals a letdown-lookahead spot. Arizona St. has been pretty average this season as it has lost games it had no business losing but on the flip side, it has played some big games against solid opposition. The Sun Devils suffered a pair of road losses at USC and Oregon by just four points combined so when motivated, they can play with the best. They have won two of five games outright as home underdogs and are now catching a very overinflated number here. Going back, the Bruins are 6-22-1 ATS in their last 29 games as a road favorite while the Sun Devils are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss. 10* (546) Arizona St. Sun Devils

North Texas and Louisiana Tech are on opposite ends of the conference standings so clearly the Bulldogs are the better team but laying this number on the road is overaggressive given the situation. They are riding a six-game winning streak including a pair of home wins over the Florida teams last week and while they are 14-2 at home, they are just 5-6 on the road and they have failed to cover their last four games on the highway. Now they are laying double-digits with a big game at Rice on deck. North Texas is one of four teams in the conference that possess either no wins or one win on the road but all four teams are much different on their home floors. The Mean Green are 7-9 at home which is certainly nothing special but they have suffered some tough losses here. They are 1-6 in the conference but that includes a 5-2 ATS mark as three of those losses came by a possession or in overtime and the schedule has been brutal. This is the sixth home game against the top seven teams in the conference and they have certainly held their own. Going back, the Mean Green are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a home underdog. 10* (544) North Texas Mean Green

Western Kentucky is coming off a tough three-game homestand where it faced three of the top seven teams in Conference-USA and went just 1-2 but it did conclude with an upset win over UAB on Sunday. Now the Hilltoppers hit the road where they have not been very good by posting a 4-10 record. Three of those wins have been within the conference but all three of those came against teams with losing records where none of the teams has reached double-digit victories overall. Charlotte is certainly no juggernaut but it returns home following a three-game roadtrip where it went 0-3 and like the Hilltoppers, it was a tough stretch as all three games came against the top seven teams in the conference. The big difference though is the 49ers are now home which is a big edge as they are 9-4 overall including wins in three of their last four. Charlotte has won eight of nine games this season when favored and on the season, the favorite is 20-3 in its 23 lined games. Going back, the Hilltoppers are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record while the 49ers are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite. 10* (524) Charlotte 49ers

We won with Oregon on Saturday as it annihilated Colorado at home by 28 points thanks to a 29-2 run late in the first half that put the game away early. That was the final home game of the season for the Ducks which won their 42nd consecutive home game and will carry that streak into next season. Now Oregon must try to get off the emotional high from that game as it hits the road for the final three games of the regular season where it is a modest 4-3. While the Ducks have been solid as road favorites, those games have come against much inferior competition. California has quietly put together a very solid season as it is 18-8 overall including a 9-5 record in the conference which looks to be good enough at this point for an at-large big into the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Bears are coming off a three-game road trip where they went 1-2 including losses in the final two games but are back home where they have a six-game winning streak and their only home conference loss came by just five points against Arizona in the Pac 12 opener. Revenge will certainly on the table as well as California has not forgotten the 23-point loss in Eugene back in January which is by far its worst loss of the season. 10* (744) California Golden Bears

Somehow Pittsburgh is still a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament despite a 4-10 record in the ACC. The Panthers are only two and a half games out of last place in the conference yet as of the most recent bracket projections, they are just the seventh team out. Making the Big Dance will take a minor miracle so while motivation will be prevalent, getting the job done on the road will be a task where they are 2-5 on the season. Pittsburgh is coming off a home upset against Florida St. on Saturday which closed a three-game homestand and its only ACC road win was at 2-13 Boston College. Wake Forest is also on the bubble but the Demon Deacons have a much better outlook as they are just two games out of seventh place following a pair of road losses last week. Wake Forest is 4-3 at home in the ACC with a pair of losses coming against Duke and North Carolina and on the season, it is 7-3 ATS at home against teams with a winning record. Additionally, the Demon Deacons are 8-3 ATS following a loss while going 7-2 ATS as favorites of fewer than 15 points. Going back, the Panthers are 14-38-1 ATS in their last 53 games following an ATS win. 10* (716) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Duke has caught fire and is arguably the best team in the ACC right now as it trails North Carolina by just one game for the top spot. The Blue Devils have won seven straight games and while a road win over Virginia was very impressive, four of the last five games have taken place at home. Overall, they are just 4-3 on the road and going back, the Blue Devils are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 road games against teams with a winning home record. This is a huge game for Syracuse as its streaky season continues and right now it is going in the wrong direction. The Orange opened 3-4 in the ACC but then went on win five straight games including impressive victories over Florida St. and Virginia. However, they have dropped three straight games including a pair of losses against Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech which hurt their NCAA Tournament chances but those were both on the road. The lone home loss came against Louisville in overtime which snapped a streak of six straight ACC home wins and going back to last season, they are 12-2 in their last 14 conference home games. Syracuse is 7-3 ATS at home this season against winning teams while going 5-1 ATS in its last six games as a home underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (724) Syracuse Orange

We played against New Mexico on Saturday as it went to Fresno St. and had its two-game winning streak snapped to fall to 9-6 in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos have a chance to move within a game of first place with a victory but they are two back in the loss column with just three games left so winning the conference is out of the question but staying in the fourth spot is ideal for the upcoming conference tournament. They have been solid this season following a loss as they have won eight of 10 games after a loss and heading home here is big as they are 10-3 at The Pit this season. Colorado St. is tied for first place in the MWC at 10-4 following its fourth straight win on Saturday over Wyoming. Three of those four have come against losing teams however and only two of its 10 overall conference wins have been against winning teams. The Rams are 7-23 ATS in their last 30 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points while the Lobos are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a winning road record. Look for another bounce back win for the New Mexico. 10* (556) New Mexico Lobos

Northwestern may have been caught looking ahead to this game as it narrowly escaped at home against Rutgers. The lookahead aspect is due to this being an underrated rivalry with this being the 174th meeting and the fact the Wildcats were upset at home against Illinois in the first meeting. Northwestern has just three losses with all five regular starters in the lineup and those have come by a combined 10 points against Butler; Notre Dame and Minnesota. The Wildcats were without leading scorer Scottie Lindsey in the first meeting so it is a different dynamic this time around. Illinois is coming off an upset win at Iowa for just its second road win of the season and it has not fared much better at home, going just 1-4 over its last five home games. While the win over the Hawkeyes was nice, winning a second straight conference game will not be easy as the Illini have lost nine straight regular season games following a Big Ten win. The Wildcats are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a road favorite of fewer than seven points while the Fighting Illini are 9-26 ATS in their last 35 games as a home underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (543) Northwestern Wildcats

This is a situation where the wrong team is favored and in some cases based on the line, the home team should be more than a pickem. Davidson is riding a two-game winning streak yet is overvalued in this spot and a lot of that is based on name as the Wildcats have been a very public team over the years. They are 5-5 on the road but that comes down to what teams they have played and within the Atlantic Ten they are 0-2 against winning teams. Overall, of the seven Davidson conference wins, only one has come against a team with a winning record and overall it is 1-5 against teams above .500. Richmond is tied with Rhode Island for third place in the Atlantic Ten Conference and while it has the better RPI in this matchup, the Spiders are undervalued. They have lost two straight games which is just the third time all season they have dropped consecutive games and have yet to run that skid into three games. Richmond has five conference losses all of which have been against teams that are above .500 in the A-10 and the Spiders have won seven of 10 games this season following a loss. 10* (538) Richmond Spiders

The season comes down to the final four games for Texas Tech as it remains on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament following a double-overtime loss at West Virginia on Saturday. The Red Raiders fell to 17-10 overall including a 5-9 record in the Big XII but hope is not lost as they own two wins over the top 50 of the RPI and that is only one less than Oklahoma St., Iowa St. and Kansas St. which are all slated to make the Big Dance. Texas Tech returns home where it is 15-2 with one of those losses coming against Kansas last week by just a point. Iowa St. has been having a very solid season with some strong quality wins and some close losses against elite opposition. The Cyclones have won three straight games to move to 9-5 in the conference which is good for a tie for second place with Baylor and West Virginia so this is a big game for them as well. They are just 4-5 on the road however with some poor losses at Texas and Vanderbilt. The home team is 4-1 ATS over the last five meetings including an Iowa St. cover earlier this year which sets up a revenge situation and the Red Raiders are 6-0 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Additionally, they are 7-2 straight up and ATS following a loss this season. 10* (716) Texas Tech Red Raiders

It has been a rough stretch since late January for Creighton as it is 3-4 over its last seven games with two of those wins coming against DePaul which is 1-12 in the Big East. The Bluejays were 18-1 prior to that and were being talked of as a sleeper Final Four team and it comes as no surprise that this recent seven-game run coincides with senior point guard Maurice Watson Jr. being out of the lineup. They struggled from long range when he first went down but the Bluejays have regained their shooting stroke in the last four games, draining 50-of-97 three-point shots (51.5 percent). That stretch started not long after a dreadful 1-for-18 showing from long-range at Georgetown on January 25th. They lost that game to the Hoyas by 20 points which is easily their worst loss of the season so payback is in store. Georgetown has been up and down all season and is coming off a revenge win over Marquette at home last Saturday which snapped a two-game slide but the Hoyas are 4-8 ATS this season following a win and they have failed to cover three straight games in the Big East this season. Creighton is 3-1 straight up and ATS following a loss this season with those three victories coming by 13, 17 and 35 points. 10* (858) Creighton Bluejays

Middle Tennessee St. is the class of Conference-USA as it has compiled a 13-1 record to add to its 23-4 record overall. The Blue Raiders have won three straight games following a blowout win at Western Kentucky on Thursday. They are now 6-1 on the road in the conference but five of those wins have come against teams currently under .500 in C-USA. The two games against teams with winning conference records resulted in a loss at UTEP and a win at Rice by just three points. Going back, the Blue Raiders are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. Marshall easily took care of UAB at home on Thursday to improve to 12-1 at home and is now tied for third place in the conference with an 8-5 record. The won over UAB was even more impressive as second leading scorer Stevie Browning played only 20 minutes with a balky back so if he is not 100 percent, it should not affect this team much. The Thundering Herd will be out to avenge a12-point loss earlier in the season and they are now 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (604) Marshall Thundering Herd

Fresno St. made a magical run toward the end of last season as it won its final six regular season games and then won three games in three days in the MWC Tournament to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. It will take another similar run to made it back but the talent is there to give it another shot. The Bulldogs are coming off a win against San Jose St. on Wednesday which snapped a three-game skid to improve to 7-7 in the conference and of those seven losses, four have been decided in the final minute. One of those came at New Mexico in the conference opener back in December and Fresno St. will be out to avenge that and improve upon its 11-2 record at home. New Mexico is a victory away from matching its win total from last season following a home win over Boise St. The Lobos are now 9-5 in the conference and do have some solid road wins but none have come against teams with a similar or better home record than that of the Bulldogs. Overall, they are 5-5 on the road but they are just 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS win while the Bulldogs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS win. 10* (600) Fresno St. Bulldogs

Oregon remains a game out of first place in the Pac 12 as it improved to 12-2 with a very impressive win over Utah on Thursday. The Ducks are now 16-0 at home this season and have won 41 consecutive games at Matthew Knight Arena. They have had this game circled for three weeks as they went to Colorado and were upended by nine points which snapped their 17-game winning streak and gave them their first conference loss of the season. Not only will Oregon be out for payback, but this is the final home game of the season where it will be honoring three outgoing seniors. The Buffaloes have completely turned their season around as after a 0-7 start in the Pac 12, they have won six of their last seven games. The Oregon win was obviously the big one and there have been no other impressive victories as the other five have come against teams that have won no more than four conference games and are a combined 10-45 in the Pac 12. The only road game against a winning team resulted in an 11-point loss at California and going back, the Buffaloes are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 road games. 10* (556) Oregon Ducks

West Virginia opened the season 15-2 but it has been somewhat inconsistent since then as it has won just five of its last nine games. The Mountaineers are in a great spot on Saturday however as they will be out to bounce back from a tough loss at Kansas on Monday night in overtime where they blew a 14-point lead with 2:58 remaining. They will also be out to avenge a loss at Texas Tech in overtime which was their first conference loss of the season. This is their third revenge game of the season and they got their payback both times in the first two against Oklahoma and Kansas St. The Red Raiders meanwhile are coming off a home upset over Baylor which came right after losing at home to Kansas by a single point just two days earlier. That is hard stretch to recover from and hitting the road against a team out for serious payback is not ideal. Texas Tech is 4-2 at home in the conference but hitting the highway has not been kind as it is 0-6 on the Big XII Road and going back, it is just 5-36 in its last 41 conference road games. Laying a number this size is not an issue with all of the situations in play here. The Mountaineers are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up loss while the Red Raiders are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win. 10* (542) West Virginia Mountaineers

Notre Dame is going to be a very popular play here based on not only records but the fact that NC State just fired head coach Mark Gottfried. Gottfried will coach the remainder of the season and he vowed he will not give up on his team and his players are not going to give up on him either. The Wolfpack have dropped six straight games to fall to 3-11 in the ACC and they have failed to cover and of those games on top of it. This is a spot where players step up to back their fallen coach. Notre Dame has won three straight games following a four-game losing streak but two of those wins came at home and the one road win came at 2-12 Boston College by just eight points. That improved the Irish to 4-3 on the road but they are 0-3 ATS on the season as road favorites and are once again overvalued here based on the recent runs and the coaching situation at NC State. The Wolfpack are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a double-digit loss at home. Winning this game outright is more than possible so grabbing the hefty pointspread is a huge benefit. 10* (502) NC State Wolfpack

Wichita St. is dueling with Illinois St. for the Missouri Valley Conference championship and with just three games left in the regular season, they are all very important. Winning and covering are separate matters however and once again, the Shockers are saddled with a huge number to cover. They have been favored by big numbers all season and they are just 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight games when favored by 15 or more points. They took care of Northern Iowa on the road earlier in the season and that was a game they wanted pretty bad after the Panthers defeated them in the MVC Tournament semifinals last season. That loss by the Panthers was when they were a different team as they were supposed to be in the mix once again this season but stumbled out by losing their first five conference games but have since won nine of their last 10 games to move into third place in the conference. The lone defeat came by just six points at Illinois St. which is also 14-1 in the conference. This is a team no one should want to face right now and they have covered their last four road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (507) Northern Iowa Panthers

This is the 266th edition of the Battle of the Bay and while laying points on the road in a rivalry game in always a tough endeavor, this is a bad matchup for the home team. California checks in with an 18-7 record including 9-4 in the Pac 12 following a loss at Arizona in its last game. The Golden Bears four losses have come against the three top teams in the conference (Arizona twice, Oregon and UCLA) with three of those coming on the road where the combined home record of those three teams is 43-1. This is a big game for California as this would be considered a bad loss and currently projected as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a defeat could push it outside the bubble with a not-so-easy schedule remaining. Stanford has struggled this season as it is a game under .500 including a 4-9 record in the Pac 12. The Cardinal are 8-4 at home which is not very intimidating and they are projected to have their worst home record since 2010-11. Stanford has struggled against the top level teams it has faced as it is 1-10 against teams ranked in the Top 50 RPI while going 10-3 against teams falling below that ranking. Stanford is 2-10 this season as an underdog and going back, it is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games as an underdog. 10* (865) California Golden Bears

The biggest disappointment in the Big West Conference has been Long Beach St. which came in as the preseason favorite to win the conference but are just 6-5 although all hope is not lost just yet. The 49ers lost at CS-Fullerton on Saturday and the road has been a real issue all season as they are 2-14 on the highway with the majority of those losses coming from a brutal non-conference schedule. They have been a much different team at home where they are 8-1 on the season with the only loss coming against Northridge which happened to come two days prior to a trip to Hawaii. Even though they are just 6-5, a win here moves the 49ers to just a game and a half out of first place. This is the first of two meetings against UC-Davis which leads the conference with an 8-2 record. The Aggies have been overachieving and while they are 8-0 at home, they are just 6-6 on the road and two road losses within the conference were bad ones at Riverside and Cal Poly, two of the three losing teams in the conference. Going back to last season, Long Beach St. is 19-3 in its last 22 regular season home games. 10* (750) Long Beach St. 49ers

Two of the bottom three teams in Conference-USA square off in Hattiesburg and we give a significant edge to the home team. Southern Mississippi has lost three straight games but two of those were on the road while the other came at home against 6-6 Western Kentucky. The road losses were not surprising considering that the Golden Eagles are 0-10 on the road. They have been much better at home as they were 4-2 in their previous six home games prior to Western Kentucky and those two losses came against 10-3 Louisiana Tech and 7-5 Rice. Six of their seven conference home games came against teams .500 or better and they rolled over North Texas in their only game against a losing team. Florida International is coming off a win over North Texas on Saturday which came at home and was just its second conference win of the season. The Golden Panthers are also an identical 0-10 on the road yet they come into this game as road favorites which is the first time they have been in this role all season and it makes little sense. The Golden Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points. 10* (732) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

James Madison is coming off a poor loss on Saturday against Delaware at home and what started out as a good conference season, it has been pretty downhill. It opened the CAA season with three straight wins but it has been a struggle since then as the Dukes have gone 2-9 over their last 11 games. Six of those 11 games have been on the road, all resulting in losses and two home losses came against UNC-Wilmington and Charleston which are a combined 21-7 in the conference. William & Mary improved to 8-6 in the CAA with a home win over Charleston which puts it into a tie for fourth place. The Tribe are now 7-0 at home within the conference but that record is close to a reversal on the road where they are 1-6 with the lone win coming in overtime at Hofstra by a bucket. James Madison lost the first meeting by two points on the road as a 6.5-point underdog and now it is getting just over a bucket less at home which does not correlate to the change in venue and the Dukes have covered four straight games as underdogs of fewer than seven points. 10* (718) James Madison Dukes

Both Oklahoma St. and TCU are projected NCAA Tournament teams which is a surprise as both were picked to finish near the bottom of the Big XII. In the case of TCU, it was picked to finish dead last but right now, it is 17-8 overall including a 6-6 record in the conference. Four of those losses came against Baylor (twice), Kansas and West Virginia while the other two came at Texas Tech by just six points and at Oklahoma St. by 13 points which sets them up for a revenge play tonight. The Horned Frogs lost at Baylor on Saturday but they are 13-3 at home including an 11-1 record as home favorites and are now laying a very short price. Oklahoma St. opened the conference season by going 0-6 but instead of tossing in the towel, the Cowboys went on to win five straight games before losing at home against Baylor. They bounced back against Texas on Saturday with a 13-point victory and while they have covered all five games as road underdogs this season, they were getting at least 6.5 points in all of those. 10* (568) TCU Horned Frogs

Alabama is hanging onto its NCAA Tournament hopes by a thread as it has dropped three of its last four games to fall to 7-5 in the SEC which is good for a tie for fourth place. The Crimson Tide can ill afford to lose many more of its games and especially games like this against the lower echelon of the conference. Alabama is 4-4 on the road and that record includes a pair of solid road wins at South Carolina and Georgia over the past three weeks. Missouri has been playing much better as after a 0-9 start in the SEC, the Tigers have won two of their last three games while covering the game in-between at Texas A&M. In all of those games, the Tigers were sizable underdogs which makes it more impressive but on the season, the Tigers are 1-4 ATS when getting seven points or less and their 6-8 home record is not going to intimidate anyone. The Crimson Tide are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss sand they keep their tournament hopes alive with a needed victory tonight. 10* (561) Alabama Crimson Tide

Massachusetts is coming off a win at St. Josephs on Saturday which snapped a five-game losing streak and now the Minutemen come into tonight as road favorites which they have no business doing. They have laid points on the road only once this season and that was at St. Louis which resulted in an outright loss. They are just 3-7 on the road and while they are coming off a road win, they opened Atlantic Ten play by dropping their first five road games. Duquesne is sitting in last place in the conference at 2-10 as it has lost eight straight games but the stretch has been brutal. Five of the games have come on the road while the three home games have been against Dayton, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure which are a combined 26-11 in the Atlantic Ten. Prior to that, their only other home conference games where against St. louis, which the Dukes won, and 11-2 VCU. Now they are a home underdog against a losing team for the first time and we can take advantage of that tonight. 10* (546) Duquesne Dukes

Clemson is in bounce back mode tonight and this is a game it cannot lose. The must-win term can be overused at times but for the Tigers, it fits here. They are coming off a hard-fought loss at Duke which was their third straight loss and despite a 3-9 record in the ACC, they are still on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Clemson has a tough three-game stretch on deck all against teams going to the Big Dance so getting past this one and playing well in that stretch is a must. Of their 10 losses, eight have come by six points or less including five by four points or less. This is a big game for Wake Forest as well as it is on the outside looking in but it is catching Clemson at the wrong time. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 30-point win over NC State which was its sixth win in the conference but only one of those was against a potential NCAA Tournament team and the two ACC road wins came at Boston College and NC State, which are a combined 5-21 in the conference. The Tigers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite of fewer than seven points while the Demon Deacons are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (712) Clemson Tigers

The MAC West is a wide open race with all six teams separated by just one game. Central Michigan is tied with Ball St., Northern Illinois and Toledo for first place and it has done the job at McGuirk Arena with a 10-1 record on the season including going 4-1 in the conference, the only loss coming against 9-0 Akron by just four points. The Chippewas have played a tough stretch of late with four of their last five games coming on the road and this is the start of three straight home games. They lost on Saturday at Miami Ohio as Marcus Keane, who leads the nation in scoring at 29.3 ppg, was held to a season low 12 points so we should see a huge effort from him. Buffalo comes in with a 7-5 record in the MAC but it trails Akron by four games so winning the MAC East is pretty much out of the question. The Bulls are coming off a win at Bowling Green which was their fourth straight win and fifth straight cover so they are playing at a high level but that helps us out with the line as they are now laying points to a team that has lost at home just once all season. The Bulls are a respectable 6-7 on the road but the Chippewas are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (722) Central Michigan Chippewas

Kansas is back home following a narrow one-point win at Texas Tech on Saturday as it nailed a free thrown in the final seconds to pull out the victory. It was a tough spot for the Jayhawks which were coming off a win over rival Kansas St. and facing a revenge game two days later and in addition, leading scorer Frank Mason was dealing with an illness and ended up fouling out of the game with over three minutes remaining. Kansas will be out to avenge a 16-point loss at West Virginia back on January 24 which snapped an 18-game winning streak. While Kansas will be out for payback, it will also be out to get back on track at home as it had its 51-game Allen Fieldhouse winning streak come to an end in its last home game against Iowa St. West Virginia is coming off a big home win over Kansas St. on Saturday which was also a revenge game so the inevitable letdown can certainly take place here. Going back, the Mountaineers are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games as a road underdog of fewer than seven points and with Kansas going four straight games without a cover, Kansas has value in the home number tonight. 10* (540) Kansas Jayhawks

Wichita St. has bounced back very well after suffering its first conference loss of the season as it has won seven straight games following a road loss at Illinois St. by 14 points. The Shockers are 6-1 on the road this season including a 5-1 record in the conference but they have covered only two of those games as they continue to be overpriced on the highway. Additionally, the Shockers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Loyola-Chicago comes in at 16-10 but that record does not show that it has been a better team than that. The Ramblers have suffered some excruciatingly close losses this season. Their last four setbacks have come by a combined 12 points, their last three by nine points and their last two by eight points. This year, Loyola-Chicago is 0-6 in games decided by five points or less. The Ramblers have the ability to keep games close because they are such a good shooting team. They are ranked sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 50.1 percent and they have shot below 45 percent from the field just four times this season. They hung with Wichita St. in the first meeting on the road until the Shockers pulled away late so hanging at home, where they are 11-2, should not be a problem. The Ramblers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (850) Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

A pair of NCAA Tournament bubble teams square off in Bloomington in a huge game for both sides. Indiana remains home following a tough loss against 9-3 Purdue making it two straight losses overall to fall to 5-7 in the Big Ten. That was the Hoosiers second home conference loss with the other coming against 10-1 Wisconsin and on the season, the home team is 18-4 in Indiana games. This team is a lot better than the record shows as this roster is filled with talent proven by the fact Indiana is the first school to have seven players record a double-double in the same season since North Carolina did it in 2009-10. Michigan is coming off a blowout win over rival Michigan St. on Tuesday which snapped a two-game slide. The Wolverines have been similar in the fact that the venue makes a difference as the home team 19-3 in its games this season and this includes Michigan going 0-6 on the road. These teams met just over two weeks ago and despite the Hoosiers shooting 54.5 percent, they were blown out by 30 points as they managed a mere 44 shots. Revenge will certainly be in play here and going back, Indiana has won 17 of the last 18 meetings in Bloomington. The Wolverines are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Hoosiers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (842) Indiana Hoosiers

UNLV used to be a fixture in the NCAA Tournament but has not been there since 2013 and that is not going to change this year. The Rebels have only 10 wins this season and are on pace for their fewest victories since 2000-01 and that is if they win out. UNLV has lost five straight games including a blowout loss against rival Nevada last time out and it will look to get back on track at home in a very winnable game. The Rebels four home losses within the conference have come against superior teams and we cannot put San Jose St. in that group. It has been a solid turnaround season for the Spartans as they have surpassed their win total from the last two seasons combined thanks to a three-game winning streak, their third such streak of the season. They are coming off a pair of upset wins at New Mexico and at home against San Diego St. and prior to that, it was a home win over UNLV so the Rebels will be additionally motivated here. San Jose St. is just 2-6 ATS in its last eight games following a win. 10* (628) UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

James Madison opened the CAA season with three straight wins but it has been a struggle since then as the Dukes have gone 2-8 over their last 10 games. Losing is never a good thing but the schedule has played a big role in this rough stretch as six of those 10 games have been on the road, all resulting in losses and the two home losses came against UNC-Wilmington and Charleston which are a combined 21-5 in the conference. One of the road losses came at Delaware so revenge is in play here. That win over the Dukes was just one of three conference wins for Delaware which is now 3-10 in the CAA. The Blue Hens are coming off an upset win over Elon in overtime at home on Thursday and they have not won consecutive games this season over Division I teams as they are 0-7 following a victory. Delaware has really struggled on the road as it is 2-10 and of their 10 losses, only one has come by single digits and on the road for the season, the Blue Hens are getting outscored by an average of 15.7 ppg. This includes six conference road losses by an average of 23.2 ppg. 10* (576) James Madison Dukes

After seven straight wins, Maryland has dropped its last two games by a total of seven points. The Terrapins lost last Saturday at home against Purdue by a single point and they had a tough time recovering from that last second loss as they fell at Penn St. on Tuesday. They now trail first place Wisconsin by a game and a half in the Big Ten and with a pair of road game on deck against 7-4 Northwestern and the 10-1 Badgers, this is a big game to avoid a three-game skid. Ohio St. is coming off a pair of wins including an impressive victory at Michigan but it has not won three straight games since early in the season as the Buckeyes are 0-3 in their last three games following consecutive victories. Ohio St. is just 3-5 on the road with two Big Ten road wins coming by just five points combined. The Buckeyes are 7-23-1 ATS in their last 31 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Terrapins are 9-1-2 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (574) Maryland Terrapins

Seton Hall went 10-2 during the non-conference portion of its schedule but Big East play has not been very good. The Pirates are 5-6 which is not horrible after seeing who some of the losses came against but they are in a bad spot here as they are coming off consecutive wins in overtime against Georgetown and Providence after a brutal 1-5 stretch. They are just 2-5 on the road and the lone victory over that prior stretch came at home against St. John's which puts the Red Storm in payback mode. They lost that game by 13 points but are a respectable 3-3 over their last six games. They have had a tough slate as five of seven losses in the Big East have come against Villanova twice, Xavier twice and Creighton. St. John's owns impressive home wins over Butler and Marquette and it is 7-4 at home overall. Included in this in a perfect 4-0 ATS run against teams with winning records. 10* (520) St. John's Red Storm

Akron is clearly the class of the MAC as it comes into Friday night with a 10-1 conference record which is four games better than any other team. The Zips are in control of the MAC East as they have a four-game lead over Ohio which is now without its best player so winning the division is pretty much a guarantee. Akron has dominated at home with a 12-0 record but it has been average on the road at 4-4. Tw o non-conference losses came at Creighton and Gonzaga so no real hard there and while the Zips are 4-1 on the MAC road, three of those wins have come by four points or less against inferior competition. Eastern Michigan has been a disappointment this season as it was expected to contend in the MAC West and while it is just 5-6 in the conference, that is good enough to trail three teams by just one game. That makes this a huge game for the Eagles which have dropped three straight and need this one to remain in the hunt in the MAC West. The public is all over the Zips here at this short price but the Eagles are 21-6 ATS in their last 27 games as a home underdog and they will be out to avenge a loss to Akron back on January 20. 10* (886) Eastern Michigan Eagles

While North Carolina and Duke is getting all the attention as usual, the marquee game of the night is taking place in Los Angeles. UCLA heads home following a three-game roadtrip where it went 2-1 including a 41-point win over Washington last Saturday. While that could lead to a letdown in normal circumstances, this is far from a normal circumstance. The Bruins lost their last home game prior to the recent trip as they fell to Arizona by 11 points and they will be out to make good from that. Additionally, the Bruins opened the season 13-0 and commenced Pac 12 play with a game at Oregon and lost on a last second three-pointer so they will be out to avenge that defeat, the third straight to the Ducks. Oregon defeated Arizona at home by 27 points on Saturday to move to 15-0 at home but it is just 3-2 on the road with only one win coming against a team with a conference winning record and that was 6-5 Utah. The Ducks failed to win or cover their lone game as a road underdog while the Bruins are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (756) UCLA Bruins

UAB came into the season as the team to beat in C-USA but it is three games behind conference leader Middle Tennessee St. however there is still time for a run. The Blazers have lost two straight games but both of those came on the road and the schedule has been difficult up to this point with seven of the first 11 games taking place on the road. They are 9-2 at home including six straight victories and going back, UAB has won 22 consecutive home games against conference opponents. Charlotte moved to 5-6 in the conference with a win over Florida International on Saturday but it was far from a quality win as FIU is 1-9. Another win came against 4-7 Southern Mississippi and two other victories came against 0-10 North Texas. The 49ers are 0-3 on the road within the conference against teams that are .500 or better and they have struggled against the teams they are expected to lose to as they are 0-6 ATS as underdogs of more than seven points while the Blazers are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as a home favorite. 10* (738) UAB Blazers

Arizona had its 15-game winning streak snapped on Saturday as it was throttled at Oregon by 27 points so a return home is bad news for Stanford. The Wildcats are now tied with the Ducks atop the Pac 12 with a 10-1 record and they are one of three teams in the conference with a 21-32 record with UCLA being the third. They are a perfect 12-0 at home and have won 18 straight games going back to last season while winning 67 of their last 68 games at the McKale Center. Arizona is 2-0 following a loss this season, winning the two follow up games by 22 points apiece and going back to 2012, it is 21-4 at home following a loss. Stanford won at home over Utah on Saturday which was just its fourth win in the Pac 12. Three of those have come at home with the lone road win coming at 0-11 Oregon St. which happens to be its only road win of the entire season. Arizona won the first meeting by 39 points so while revenge can be a factor for Stanford, the Wildcats have won the last 14 meetings in this series so revenge has been on the plate since 2009 but it has proved to be a non-factor. Five of the last six wins have comes by at least 13 points. Going back, the Cardinal are 7-21 ATS in their last 28 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (578) Arizona Wildcats

We waited on this one to get better injury information from the LaSalle side. The Explorers two of their top three leading scorers B.J. Johnson (17.8 ppg) and Pookie Powell (13.4 ppg) came in as questionable with the overnight line and now as of Wednesday afternoon, Powell has been downgraded to doubtful. Johnson remains questionable and if he does go, he will not be 100 percent so either we get that outcome or if he misses, the line should move considerable so bet early as possible. Fordham is coming off a double-overtime win at St. Joes on Saturday to improve to 4-6 in the Atlantic Ten and while the Rams have lost two straight at home, they boast a huge win over VCU prior to that. LaSalle is 6-4 in the conference following a 20-point loss at George Mason with both Johnson and Powell out which shows how important their presences are to be successful. The Explorers have lost four of their last five games including all three on the road and on the season, they are 3-7 ATS away from home. Fordham has had recent success in this series with three straight wins and since 2010, every home meeting has either been a win or tight loss. The Rams are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Explorers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (536) Fordham Rams

Two NCAA Tournament bubble teams square off on Tuesday as Clemson hosts Syracuse in a huge game for both sides. The Tigers are projected to be one of the last teams in with a No. 11 seed and they cannot afford to lose any more of these marginal games. They are 3-7 in the ACC which is a horrible record for a team projected to make the Big Dance but six of the seven losses have come against teams that are also projected into the tournament with four of those losses coming by five points or less. Three of the losses came at home by eight points combined and the Tigers will be looking to bounce back from a 48-point loss at Florida St. on Sunday which is motivation enough in itself. Syracuse has turned its season around with four straight wins including a pair of home upsets over Virginia and Florida St. The Orange are now 7-4 in the ACC but they are still on the outside looking so this is clearly a big game for them as well. They are just 1-5 on the road and the one win came in overtime where they had to erase a 16-point lead at NC State. The Tigers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points while the Orange are 0-5 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog. 10* (738) Clemson Tigers

Florida is coming off a monumental win over Kentucky on Saturday as it defeated the Wildcats by 22 points which was the most lopsided win for the Gators in the series 90-year history. The Gators have now won four straight games and it has been a dominating run as they won the other three games by 35, 32 and 39 points but those three wins were against poor teams with conference records a combined 4-26. The win over the Wildcats was impressive for sure but it sets up a letdown for Tuesday. Georgia is in a bad run that has dropped the Bulldogs into a four-way tie for ninth in the SEC as the Bulldogs have dropped four straight conference games. They lost 77-75 on Saturday at first-place South Carolina and 90-81 in overtime at Kentucky just four days earlier. All but one conference loss has come down to the final minute. This is a revenge spot for Georgia as well as it lost by four points in overtime as the Gators shot 35 free throws on their home floor, compared to 21 for the Bulldogs and head coach Mark Fox made some shrewd references to the disparity in his post-game remarks. The Bulldogs are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog. 10* (714) Georgia Bulldogs

Notre Dame was sitting near the top of the ACC a couple weeks ago but it has since dropped four straight games to fall to 6-5 which puts it in seventh place in the conference. Two of the losses have come at home against quality opponents Virginia and Duke which were its first two home losses of the season. They are coming off a tough loss against North Carolina on Sunday which was rescheduled to Greensboro from Saturday and there will be plenty of motivation as they head home looking to get back in the win column. Wake Forest is now 5-6 in the conference following a pair of wins last week but those were against teams with losing ACC records and of the five conference wins, none have come against teams with a winning record. The Demon Deacons are 4-5 on the road including two conference wins against 2-9 Boston College and 3-8 NC State. Notre Dame defeated Wake Forest twice last season by double-digits and the situations are similar as both of those victories came following a loss. Going back, the Demon Deacons are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up win while the Irish are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite. 10* (730) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Kansas and Kansas St. are meeting for the second time this season with the Wildcats looking for some revenge following a hard-fought two-point loss in Lawrence the first time around. The problem now is that the situations are different as the Jayhawks are coming off their first home loss in a span of 54 games so what better way to make up for that than to face and take it out their in-state rival. The Wildcats meanwhile enhanced their NCAA Tournament prospects with a win at Baylor by a bucket as a seven-point underdog. That snapped a three-game skid for the Wildcats and bumped them back into an at-large bid with a 16-7 overall record and a 5-5 mark in the Big XII. The win over the Bears was the first of the season in four tries against an RPI Top 25 team so making it two in a row will be a challenge. The Wildcats have dropped two of their last three games at home and are just 1-4-1 ATS in their last six home games. Kansas leads the Big XII in field goal percentage at 49.5 percent, three-point field goal percentage at 41.5 percent and rebounding at 40.0 per game and we can expect a full effort following that loss knowing the Jayhawks are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up loss. 10* (533) Kansas Jayhawks

It has been a tough year for Temple which won 47 games over the last two season but sits at 12-11 this season including a 3-7 record in the AAC. The Owls are coming off a win at Tulane but are now laying their biggest line of the season and while it comes against a poor South Florida team, it is unjustified at this price. They were hit hard by graduation while two returnees that were expected to contribute a great deal have been sidelined with injuries. It has been an even bigger struggle for South Florida which has yet to win a game in the conference after a 6-5 non-conference record. Only two of ten games have come against teams that are under .500 in the conference, While South Florida has gone winless on the road in its AAC games this season, it has gotten double-digits in the last four but those came against Cincinnati, UCF, Memphis and SMU which are a combined 33-10 in the conference. Getting points has served the Bulls well as they are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog of 13 points or more while going 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games following a double-digit loss at home. Meanwhile the Owls are 4-17 ATS in their last 21 games as a home favorite of 13 points or more. 10* (861) South Florida Bulls

This is the second meeting between the two top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference and with Illinois St. taking the first meeting at home by 14 points, Wichita St. needs to take this one for any shot at the MVC title. The Shockers have won five straight games since that loss to the Redbirds including the last two games coming on the road. They are 12-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming against Oklahoma St. but that game was played at INTRUST Bank Arena, which is an annual stop for the Shockers. They have won 16 consecutive games at Charles Koch Arena, their on-campus home. Illinois St. is a perfect 11-0 in the conference as it came in as the leading candidate to take out Wichita St. and so far so good. There have been some suspect losses away from home where all four of the Redbirds defeats have taken place. This is a similar situation to last season when Wichita St. opened 11-0 in the MVC and went to Illinois St. and lost before getting its retribution at home in the second meeting by 16 points. The big story here is that Illinois St. will be without forward MiKyle McIntosh. He is second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 13.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg and put down 20 points and five boards in the first meeting. 10* (672) Wichita St. Shockers

Memphis has won two straight games and five of its last six to improve to 7-3 in the AAC. The Tigers have covered just once in their last seven games however as they continue to be overpriced with a lot of that based on name alone. They are two wins away of their total from last season which shows how good of a job Tubby Smith has done in his first season in Memphis. The Tigers are 3-2 on the road in conference action and while a win over Houston was impressive, the other two came against South Florida and Tulane which are a combined 1-19 in the conference. UCF started the season 14-4 including a 5-1 record in the AAC but the Knights have lost four straight games. Three of those have been on the road while the lone home loss came against 9-1 SMU and one of those road losses was at Memphis which started this skid so revenge will be in play. The Knights are seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 61.3 ppg and while smith has done a great job in Memphis, the UCF turnaround can be attributed to new head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Tigers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record while UCF has won six of seven games this season as a favorite. 10* (588) UCF Knights

William & Mary has moved into a tie for third place in the CAA, trailing UNC-Wilmington and Charleston by two games thanks to four straight wins after a 3-4 start in the conference. The schedule has played a big part in the recent surge however as all four of those wins came at home where the Tribe are now a perfect 11-0 on the season. Conversely, they are 2-9 on the road so the home team is 20-2 in their 22 games on the season. William & Mary is 1-4 on the highway in the CAA with the one win coming by a bucket in overtime. Towson has been playing solid as well as it has won six of its last seven games after starting the season 0-4 in the conference. The Tigers are 4-0 at home and 2-1 on the road during this recent stretch so they have done excellent despite a challenging schedule. They defeated Drexel on Thursday in overtime which was a big win following a loss at Northeastern last Saturday. Towson has won six straight home games and are 8-3 overall this season and it is averaging 80 ppg during its six-game home court winning streak. The Tribe are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games following a straight up win while going just 3-7 ATS on the road this season against teams with a winning record. 10* (590) Towson Tigers

Tennessee has won four straight games to get back into the NCAA Tournament mix. The Volunteers are now 13-9 overall including a 5-4 record in the SEC and while that does not seem overly impressive, they did pick up a big win over Kentucky a week and a half ago and followed that up with a solid victory over Kansas St. in a game they could have easily shown a letdown. They have been fairly solid on the road with a 4-3 record but they are in a tough spot here. Mississippi St. has been equally impressive with a 13-8 record and while it started 3-1 in the conference, the Bulldogs have lost four of their last five games. Three of those took place on the road including the last two while the lone home loss came against Kentucky by just seven points. Following that Kentucky loss, the Bulldogs suffered a letdown and lost at Tennessee by 17 points so they will be out to avenge that defeat. The last time Mississippi St. lost two straight games, it bounced back at home with a blowout win to improve to 8-4 at home. The Bulldogs are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss and even better, they are 18-4 ATS in their last 22 games following an ATS loss. 10* (578) Mississippi St. Bulldogs

The MAC West is a wide open race with all six teams separated by just three games. Central Michigan trails Ball St. by two games and it has done the job at McGuirk Arena with a 9-1 record on the season including going 3-1 in the conference, the only loss coming against 9-0 Akron by just four points. The Chippewas are just 1-4 on the MAC highway and Western Michigan knows how those struggles feel as it is 0-8 on the road overall including five conference losses. This is a great matchup for Central Michigan and its high-powered offense as it is ranked in the top 20 nationally in six stat categories - No. 2 in three-point field goals per game, No. 3 in total three-point field goals made and three-point field goal attempts, No. 4 in scoring offense, No. 6 in free throw percentage and No. 7 in free throws made. The Broncos allow opponents to shoot 50.5 percent from the floor including 39.8 percent from long range. Western Michigan got the best of the Chippewas twice last season including an overtime win in this gym so there is some added motivation for Central Michigan against their rivals. The Chippewas are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games as a home favorite of fewer than seven points while the Broncos are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (884) Central Michigan Chippewas

Arizona has moved up to No. 5 in the country thanks to a 14-game winning streak and this is a big roadtrip for the Wildcats. They have a Saturday showdown at Oregon, which sits one game behind Arizona in the Pac 12, so there is certainly the possibility of a lookahead to that game. The Wildcats have yet to lose on the road and while they are clearly a big step above Oregon St., laying a number this big on the highway is pretty aggressive. Arizona is just 1-5 ATS as a favorite this season of 15 or more points and the last time it layed more than 15 points on the road as all the way back in February of 2003. Oregon St. has yet to win a conference game but it continues to play hard and with no postseason on the horizon, trying to play spoiler is the remaining goal. While the Beavers are just 4-7 at home, they have not lost by more than what they are getting here and on the season, they are 4-1 ATS when getting more than 12 points. Most impressive though is that the Beavers are 11-0 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (744) Oregon St. Beavers

UNC-Wilmington and Charleston are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the CAA and there is a logjam of five teams that are within two games of each other fighting for the final four spots of not having to play a first round game in the CAA Tournament. Elon and James Madison are both part of that group and it is the Dukes that are currently sitting in that unenviable seventh spot in the standings. They have dropped four straight games after a 4-2 start and half of their conference losses have come down to the final minute. While James Madison has been slipping, Elon has been moving up the ranks thanks to a complete opposite run as it has won four straight games after a 2-4 start. Elon caught a break last game as it faced a Hofstra team that was without two of its best players in guard Eli Pemberton (13.2 ppg) and center Rokas Gustys (12.2 rpg) and the absences showed in a 14-point Phoenix win. They have covered eight straight games which is a big reason they are favored by so much which matches the most they have been favored by in conference action. 10* (727) James Madison Dukes

Washington is having another down season and will miss the NCAA Tournament once again to make it six years since its last appearance. The Huskies have lost three straight games to fall to 2-7 in the Pac 12 which includes a 0-4 record on the road and while its 2-3 home conference record does not look good, two of those losses came against Oregon and Utah. They are coming off a solid game at Arizona as they led the Wildcats in the second half before faltering down the stretch. The Huskies possess one of the most dynamic freshmen in the country as Markelle Fultz is the only player in the nation averaging 20 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds and has been projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick. USC upset UCLA in its last game to make it two straight wins to improve to 5-4 in the Pac 12 and 18-4 overall. The short price the Trojans are laying here is clearly very enticing for the public as they are one of the highest road consensus plays of the night. We are bucking that here as the Trojans are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite of fewer than seven points. 10* (586) Washington Huskies

Northwestern cracked the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since 2009-10 and its 18-4 start to the season is the best 22-game start in program history. The Wildcats are pretty much a cinch for the NCAA Tournament and a win here would lock it up. They have won their last six Big Ten games and have not won seven straight conference games since 1932-33. The public is all over them again tonight with this pretty big line but they will be without leading scorer Scottie Lindsey who will be out for a couple weeks with mono. Purdue has fallen to No. 23 following a loss at Nebraska on Sunday to fall to 2-3 on the road but the Boilermakers have been pretty dominant at home. They lost early in the season to Villanova and then again to Minnesota in overtime but they have won all other 11 home games, the last nine coming by double-digits. With the next two games taking place on the road, this is the only home game in a 24-day stretch so Purdue has to take advantage and pick up a quality win without much of a challenge. 10* (560) Purdue Boilermakers

Syracuse picked up a big win on Saturday as it upended then-No. 6 Florida St. and that was its first win over a top 25 RPI ranked team after four losses to start the season. The Orange fans acted like it was even more than that as they stormed the floor and that is a great scenario to go against the next game as the players see that and get a little too overconfident. That was the second straight win for Syracuse to improve to 5-4 in the ACC and it is important to note that the home team is a perfect 9-0 in those nine games. NC State picked up a huge win at Duke just over a week ago but then could not sustain the momentum as the Wolfpack went to Louisville on Sunday and got hammered by 25 points. They have been hit or miss this season and are just 3-6 in the conference but have shown what they are capable of. NC State is ranked 66th in the most recent RPI with a 2-4 record overall against teams listed in the top 50 but it is 12-4 against teams ranked outside the top 50. 10* (548) NC State Wolfpack

DePaul is having another DePaul-like season as it has fallen to 1-7 in the Big East following its fourth straight defeat. Three of those losses came on the road where the Blue Demons are 0-6 overall including 0-5 in the conference. While they are 1-2 at home in Big East games, one loss came against St. Johns where they blew a big lead while the other came against 18-4 Butler by a point in overtime. DePaul is 3-1 ATS as a home underdog and it is catching a bigger than expected number here. Georgetown started 1-6 in the Big East but pulled off a pair of upsets last week when it defeated Creighton at home and Butler on the road. That is a big reason this line is what it is but it is hard to believe that the Hoyas have somehow flipped a switch and become a good basketball team. They have gone just 3-6 ATS as favorites and this is the first game they have been favored on the road. Going back, the Hoyas are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a winning percentage below .400 and if ever there a spot for a letdown, this is certainly the one. 10* (758) DePaul Blue Demons

Illinois St. and Wichita St. are separating themselves from the rest of the conference but Loyola-Chicago and Missouri St. are in a battle for third place. Right now it is the Ramblers that possess that spot at 6-4 thanks to three straight wins but those came against the three worst teams in the conference which have a combined record of 5-25. All six wins have come against teams at .500 or worse and one of those came against Missouri St. just over two weeks ago setting up a revenge spot for the Bears here. They were outscored 20-9 at the free throw line in the six-point losses but we should see a reversal of that here. Missouri St. is 5-5 in the MVC with three of those losses coming in overtime including its last two games by a single point each. The Bears have been solid at home with a 10-3 record, two losses coming in conference action and the other coming against 18-4 Valparaiso by just three points. The Bears have not been out-rebounded in 11 straight games and are now 14-3 when beating their opponents on the glass. This is big because the Ramblers are getting outrebounded by close to four rpg overall and 4.0 rpg on the road. 10* (740) Missouri St. Bears

We lost with Minnesota on Saturday as Maryland came in and defeated the Gophers to move to 5-0 on the road. The Terrapins remain one of only three undefeated teams on the road but this is the spot it ends with this being their fourth road game over their last five contests. Maryland has won six straight games overall and are one of eight teams in the nation with two or fewer losses. However, the Terrapins are the lowest ranked of the bunch. It has been a tough season for Ohio St. despite being a very veteran team as the Buckeyes are now 3-6 in the Big Ten following a loss at Iowa on Saturday. They are 1-4 on the road and while they are just 2-2 at home, the two losses came against Purdue and Minnesota by a combined three points. The veteran aspect of Ohio St. is important here as the Buckeyes will be pretty amped up to avenge a pair of losses last season against Maryland. The Terrapins are on a 6-0 ATS run so we go contrarian with that while knowing the Buckeyes are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 games following a straight up loss. 10* (734) Ohio St. Buckeyes

It was not a good Big XII/SEC Challenge day for Oklahoma as the Sooners hosted Florida and got annihilated by 32 points. Whether they were looking ahead to the Bedlam game with Oklahoma St. is unclear but we do know that it is imperative for a bounce back on their home floor. Oklahoma is 5-5 at home and has now lost three straight as prior to the Florida game, it fell in overtime to Iowa St. on Saturday before falling to rival Texas on a last-second three-pointer on Monday. Oklahoma St. dispatched of Arkansas on Saturday at home by 28 points for its third straight victory. The Cowboys opened 0-6 in the conference before taking care of Texas Tech and TCU but they are catching Oklahoma at the wrong time. The Cowboys are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win of more than 20 points while the Sooners are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points. Oklahoma has won 15 of the last 16 Bedlam battles in Norman, including the last 12 meetings. The Sooners have not lost a Bedlam game at home since 2004. 10* (526) Oklahoma Sooners

Washington St. gave Arizona an unexpected fight on Thursday as the Cougars trailed by just six points at halftime and were down by only three points with eight minutes to go until the Wildcats eventually pilled away. They fell to 3-5 in the conference and 10-10 overall which are nearly identical records as the host yet Washington St. is receiving double-digits and the Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Sun Devils are coming off a win on Wednesday over Washington as small favorites and they caught a break by going to the free throw line 21 more times than the Huskies. That win improved them to 3-5 in the Pac 12 and 11-10 overall. This is an extremely young team with only one senior on the roster so coming back from a big win has been difficult as previous wins over Colorado, San Diego St. and Stanford were followed up by losses. Arizona St. has won consecutive games only twice this season and it is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games following a win. 10* (857) Washington St. Cougars

This has not been the typical Michigan St. team we have seen in recent years but the schedule has had a lot to do with that. Last season, the Spartans went 13-0 prior to the Big Ten season but went just 8-5 this season and that was due to a brutal November slate. The Spartans had never faced three Top 10 opponents in November until this season, and had never played four Top 20 non-conference opponents in a single month during the regular season. What is similar is the early conference record as they are 4-4 this season and after starting 3-4 last season, they went on to finish 10-1 over their final 11 Big Ten games. Michigan is coming off a 30-point win over Indiana on Thursday as it shot a ridiculous 63.3 percent from the floor. The Wolverines are 0-5 on the road compared to 14-2 in 16 non-true road games. Going back, the Wolverines are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Spartans are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (852) Michigan St. Spartans

Oakland is going through some struggles right now as this team was supposed to contend for the Horizon League Championship with Valparaiso but is now stuck in a three-way tie for third place at 5-4. The Golden Grizzlies lost at home to 7-2 Green Bay on Friday which was their fourth loss in their last five games and most surprisingly, their third straight home defeat after a 9-1 start at The Blacktop at the O'rena. Milwaukee is riding a three-game winning streak but two of those took overtime and all three came against the only three teams that are below the Panthers and those three teams are a combined 8-21 in the conference. The last victory came on Friday against Detroit on the road but that was just their second road win on the season, the first coming at Montana St. Going back, the Panthers are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games following a ATS win while the Golden Grizzlies are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games following a ATS loss. 10* (854) Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Colorado finally broke through with its first conference win as it took out Oregon St. on Thursday after seven straight Pac 12 losses. The Buffaloes have definitely been the biggest disappointment in the conference but they have suffered some brutal losses including a pair of overtime losses and two other losses by three points or less. They led in the final minute of regulation or in overtime in all four of those games. Oregon continues to roll as it defeated a very solid Utah team on Thursday to run its winning streak to 17 straight games. Additionally, the Ducks have covered their last eight games and because of that, the linesmakers have had to make an overadjustment here. The run has been solid but the quality of opponents over the last six games has not been great with the exception of the Utes. The confidence of that first conference win for Colorado will have them in great shape here with an outright upset far from out of the question. 10* (662) Colorado Buffaloes

Iowa returns home following a loss at Illinois to fall to 0-5 on the road including four conference losses. Overall, the Hawkeyes have lost three straight games to fall to 3-5 in the Big Ten and they need to get a run going and it should start here with the first of three straight winnable games. Ohio St. is also 3-5 in the conference but it has been playing a lot better with wins in three of its last four games following a 0-4 start in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes own just one road win in the conference and that came by a point at Nebraska which came on a last second layup. The only other road victory came at Navy in their first game of the season. going back, the Buckeyes are 6-22-1 ATS in their last 29 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Hawkeyes are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight home games. 10* (642) Iowa Hawkeyes

Northeastern was pretty average during the non-conference portion of its schedule where it went 7-5 but that included a pair of solid wins over Connecticut and Michigan St. on the road. Of those 12 games, only two took place at home so in reality, the start to the season was arguably better than the record shows. The Huskies then opened CAA action with a perfect 5-0 record, four of those wins coming at home. The run did not last long however as Northeastern has lost its last four games including a loss to Elon on Thursday. Towson is also 5-4 in the CAA but it has had the opposite conference season as it opened with four straight losses but has bounced back with five consecutive wins and covers. This includes two road wins but those were against teams a combined 3-15 in the conference. This is also a revenge game for the Huskies which lost the first meeting by seven points and that was the start of this recent four-game skid. 10* (628) Northeastern Huskies

After a great start to the season, Minnesota has hit a rough stretch. The Gophers opened the season 15-2 including a 3-1 record in the Big Ten but they have lost their last four games. To their credit, three of those losses came on the road while the lone home loss came against Wisconsin last Saturday in overtime by just two points. That was just their second home loss of the season and the first defeat was by just one point which also came in overtime against Michigan St. Maryland has cracked the Top 25 thanks to five straight wins to improve to 18-2 on the season. The Terrapins are 4-0 on the road and they are one of just three teams in the country that are still undefeated on the road, Arizona and Gonzaga being the others. It is very difficult to sustain that type of play on the highway and they catch Minnesota at the absolute worst time. Going back, the Gophers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (538) Minnesota Golden Gophers

Marquette pulled off a big upset on the road last Saturday at Creighton and it turned out to not be a fluke as the Golden Eagles backed that up with a home upset over Villanova on Tuesday. They definitely have the confidence going right now but this sets up as the classic letdown spot and because of those two big wins, they are overpriced here. Keeping the winning streak going is a definite possibility but now they are being asked to cover a bigger than expected number here. Providence has dropped two straight games to fall to 3-6 in the Big East. The Friars have struggled away from home but have covered five of those nine games including three of their last four. While they have lost three of their last five games, they are outshooting opponents by over four percent from the floor so things could be better at this point. The Golden Eagles are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Friars are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (541) Providence Friars

Syracuse picked up a much needed win over Wake Forest on Tuesday to improve to 4-4 in the ACC and while the home team is now 17-2 in its games this season, this is not a good spot. The Orange are 0-4 this season against teams ranked in the RPI Top 25 with all four of those resulting in blowout losses by at least 14 points. The Orange are struggling mightily on defense and this is not the game for that to improve. We played against Florida St. on Wednesday as it lost at Georgia Tech by 22 points which came after a 5-1 run. Most impressively, those six games all came against teams ranked in the Top 25 so it was a brutal stretch that they survived very well. The loss to the Yellow Jackets was just the third of the season for the Seminoles and they are a perfect 8-0 against teams ranked outside the RPI Top 100. The Seminoles are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games following a ATS loss while the Orange are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. 10* (521) Florida St. Seminoles

UAB opened the conference season with a loss at Middle Tennessee St., which is currently 7-0 in C-USA, but then ran off five straight wins before losing at Florida International this past Saturday. The Blazers were picked to win the conference and sitting just two games behind the Blue Raiders, they are still in great position. The front end of the schedule has been tough with five of the first seven conference games taking place on the road. They are 7-2 at home including four straight victories and going back, UAB has won 20 consecutive home games against conference opponents. Louisiana Tech has been one of the big surprises early on in the conference season as it is off to a 6-1 start. The Bulldogs have won and covered four straight games but the opposition has not been very strong and overall, they have played the fourth easiest schedule in the conference. All six conference wins have come against teams that are 4-3 or worse so the fact they are sitting in second place by themselves is a bit skewed. The Blazers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite of fewer than seven points while the Bulldogs are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (742) UAB Blazers

It was a solid start to the conference season for Western Kentucky as it opened 3-0 including a pair of road wins where it came in 1-6 but things have started going the wrong way. The Hilltoppers have lost four straight games including the last three that all came on the highway. The schedule has not been in their favor with five of the first seven C-USA games taking place on the road but this start a stretch of five of the next seven games coming at home. Western Kentucky has gone 0-5 ATS in its last five games which gives us some value in the number tonight. UTEP is having the opposite start to its conference season as it opened 0-3 in its first three C-USA games, all on the road, but has won its last three games, all at home. Two of those came by a point in overtime and the latest win came over UTSA which was riding a three-game winning streak at the time. The recent win over the Roadrunners snapped an eight-game ATS slide. Overall, the Miners are winless on the road and going back, they are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Hilltoppers are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games following three or more consecutive road games. 10* (736) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Northwestern is in great position to make its first ever NCAA Tournament as the Wildcats are 16-4 overall including a 5-2 record in the Big Ten. Currently, they are projected as a No. 8 seed which is pretty secure at this point barring a monumental collapse. The remaining schedule is a monster and a look ahead to Indiana on Sunday would not at all be surprising. The Wildcats opened 15-3 last season but failed to make the Big Dance so the solid record this season does not necessarily mean this team is any more dominant. Nebraska has been up and down this season as it is now 9-10 following an upset loss at Rutgers this past Saturday which was its fourth straight defeat. This comes after a 3-0 start in the Big Ten including very solid wins over Indiana and Maryland on the road. This recent skid has been tough considering all four losses have come by eight points or less with the last two coming by three points combined. The Huskers have played the second toughest schedule in the country after playing non-conference games against UCLA, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Creighton and Kansas. They have covered five straight games as an underdog. 10* (731) Nebraska Cornhuskers

Creighton is laying a short price on the road and at 5-0 on the road this season, there is no reason to think the Bluejays will not keep it going. They are coming off a loss against Marquette on Saturday and while it seemed like a bad loss at the time, the fact the Golden Eagles defeated Villanova last night shows that it was not a poor loss after all. That was just the second loss of the season, the first coming against Villanova, and Creighton responded with a blowout win next time out. While that may have come against St. Johns, Georgetown is not much better this season. The Hoyas were a disappointment last season as they finished with the worst record in the John Thompson III era and while a turnaround was expected this season, it has not happened. They are 10-10 which is not horrible but their 1-6 record in the Big East is horrible and Georgetown has not even hit the tough part of the schedule. The Hoyas still have Creighton once again, Butler and Villanova twice. The Bluejays lost point guard Maurice Watson for the season two games back which definitely hurt against Marquette but now have had extra time to adjust. The Bluejays are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as a road favorite while the Hoyas are 2-12 ATS in their last 14 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (539) Creighton Bluejays

Florida St. is coming off a brutal, yet very successful, stretch so it is in position for a big letdown. The Seminoles are coming off a run of six straight games against nationally ranked opponents where they went 5-1 and the victory over Louisville was the sixth win over a ranked opponent this season which ties a school record. Four of the six games during the recent run came at home where they are 14-0 this season but just 1-1 on the road. Georgia Tech has played better than expected this season as they Yellow Jackets are 11-8 overall including 3-4 in the ACC. Those three wins are pretty impressive as well as they won at home against Clemson and on the road at NC State but the big one was a home victory over North Carolina by 12 points as a 17-point underdog. Georgia Tech is coming off a three-game roadtrip that resulted in that win over the Wolfpack and a tough one-point loss at Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech leads the ACC in field goal percentage defense against ACC teams and that is a key component when facing the Seminoles which have been fairly potent on offense this season. In its last game, Georgia Tech held Virginia to its third-lowest point total of the year and eight points below its season scoring average entering the game. The Seminoles are 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Yellow Jackets are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as a home underdog of 7.0-12.5 points. 10* (532) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

If the season ended today, 10 ACC teams would be heading to the NCAA Tournament with two additional teams on the bubble looking in. This list does not include Syracuse which is 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. The problem is the Orange have only one quality win which came at home over Miami three weeks ago. The problem has been their lack of success on the road where they are 0-4 in conference action and all of those have been double-digit losses. Syracuse is 3-0 at home in the ACC and in need of a win here following blowout losses at North Carolina and Notre Dame last week. One of those 10 teams currently in the Big Dance is Wake Forest despite also being 3-4 in the ACC and having a 0-5 record against the RPI top 25. The Demon Deacons are coming off a pair of upset victories over Miami and NC State which has helped their rundown. They were picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC so we can definitely see a dropoff coming soon. The Orange are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as a favorite of fewer than seven points while the Demon Deacons are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up win. 10* (740) Syracuse Orange

This has not been the typical Michigan St. team we have seen in recent years but the schedule has had a lot to do with that. Last season, the Spartans went 13-0 prior to the Big Ten season but went just 8-5 this season and that was due to a brutal November slate. The Spartans had never faced three Top 10 opponents in November until this season, and had never played four Top 20 non-conference opponents in a single month during the regular season. What is similar is the early conference record as they are 4-3 this season and after starting 3-4 last season, they went on to finish 10-1 over their final 11 Big Ten games. Coming off two straight road losses, this is a huge game. Purdue has won two straight games but those were at home against Illinois and Penn St. and the Boilermakers have not been great on the road, going 1-2 with the lone win coming by just a point at Ohio St. Going back, the Spartans are 9-0 ATS in their last nine games as a home underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (728) Michigan St. Spartans

Texas opened the Big XII season with a loss to Kansas St. and then a win over Oklahoma St. but has since dropped five straight games to sit in last place in the conference. While the Longhorns are 1-6 in the conference, they are 6-1 against the number which shows the record could be better than it actually is. Half of the losses have come by just one possession and all four road Big XII losses have come against teams with winning records in the conference. The last three games came against top ten teams and this marked the first time in program history that the Longhorns have faced three consecutive opponents ranked in the AP Top 10. Oklahoma got off to a rough start with four straight losses to begin conference play but was able to put together a pair of wins including a big upset at West Virginia before losing on Saturday in overtime against Iowa St. The Sooners were stacked last season in their trip to the Final Four but they are clearly feeling the effects from losing three starters including dynamic guard Buddy Hield. The Longhorns are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss while the Sooners are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games following an ATS loss. 10* (538) Texas Longhorns

LaSalle is tied with Dayton and Richmond for first place in the Atlantic Ten Conference thanks to a schedule that has been pretty tame thus far. The Explorers opened the conference season with a loss at Dayton but have won five straight games to get everything turned around. Four of those games however took place at home and while a road win at Rhode Island was impressive, they are going into a bad spot on Sunday. VCU has had the complete opposite A-10 season thus far as it opened with four straight wins but lost both games last week against Davidson and Fordham, the latter taking place in overtime on Wednesday. Both of those defeats were on the road and the Rams head back home looking to improve upon their 8-1 record, the lone loss coming in overtime against Georgia Tech. LaSalle is 0-2 ATS this season as a single-digit underdog while the Rams are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 home games against teams with a losing record away from home. 10* (854) VCU Rams