Sports Picks & Predictions

It has been a pretty average season for Tennessee as it is off to a 9-9 start overall including a 2-4 record in the SEC. This is a very young team but now that the Volunteers have been together for half of a season, the chemistry is getting better and that has been evident. They have had a tough schedule to open conference action with four of six games taking place on the road with two home games coming against two of the top teams in the SEC. they lost at Mississippi on Tuesday which came after a win at Vanderbilt so a trip back home should get them back on track. Mississippi St. is another very young team going through a complete overhaul and it has exceeded expectations thus far with a 12-5 record overall and a 3-2 start in the SEC. However, the majority of the wins have been unimpressive as the Bulldogs have played the easiest schedule of any team in the conference while the Volunteers have played the No. 5 ranked schedule in the nation. Mississippi St. is coming off a hard-fought loss at home against Kentucky so getting up once again will be extremely difficult. 10* (624) Tennessee Volunteers

We played against BYU last Saturday as the Cougars went to San Diego and lost by 13 points as a double-digit favorite and this game looks like a very similar setup. BYU is 5-2 in the conference following a 29-point home win over Pepperdine on Thursday. They are doing all of this without Kyle Davis, their best returning interior player, who is gone for the season with a knee injury. They are just 3-4 ATS in the conference and 8-9 ATS overall which shows how inflated their lines have been and that is the case again here as they travel to Pacific. The Tigers are off to an opposite start as they are 2-5 in the conference following a pair of road losses at San Francisco and St. Marys. They are 1-2 in the conference at home with one loss against Gonzaga and the other coming by just four points. Another reason we played on San Diego last week was that it was out to avenge a 58-point loss to the Cougars last season and the Tigers have even more recent revenge as they went to Provo on January 7 and was blasted by 29 points and they certainly have not forgotten that. 10* (626) Pacific Tigers

The Big Ten seems to be in a transition period and that is a good thing as there is no dominant team right now as the conference is wide open. Maryland has the lead at 5-1 but there are eight teams within two games of the Terrapins including both teams in this matchup. Minnesota has been a pleasant surprise this season with a 15-4 record including going 3-3 in the Big Ten. This does include losses in two straight games but those came on the road where the defense was as strong as ever but the offense forgot to show up, scoring just 47 and 50 points. The Gophers are 12-1 at home with the lone loss coming against Michigan St. by a single point in overtime. Wisconsin meanwhile is coming off two straight wins against Ohio St. and Michigan but both of those were at home where the Badgers are 11-0. They are just 2-2 on the road and there is not much of a difference with them and Minnesota as who they play as Wisconsin is 4-3 against the top 25 while the Gophers are3-3 against such teams. Minnesota is in excellent shape to snap a five-game losing streak against one of their hated rivals. 10* (602) Minnesota Golden Gophers

It is not too often that you will see a 0-6 team in conference play favored by this much on the road but that is the case here and we will bite on this one. Colorado is one of the most disappointing teams in the country since conference play started as the Buffaloes are winless in the Pac 12 following a 10-3 nonconference season. They have played a tough schedule thus far as they have faced the top four teams in the conference and after coming off an overtime loss Thursday against Washington, they will be out to put the hurt on Washington St. The Cougars were picked to finish dead last in the Pac 12 and they are headed in that direction. After a 2-0 start, Washington St. has lost its last four games including a 41-point bludgeoning at home against Utah on Thursday. That is a difficult defeat to recover from and at 6-4 at home, there is no real home court edge for the Cougars. Colorado needs this game to get going in the right direction and playing their typical game means they can name the score here. 10* (597) Colorado Buffaloes

Florida St. won on Wednesday but failed to cover for us as the Seminoles let a big late lead go by as Notre Dame got the backdoor cover. The Irish stayed in the game thanks to going an unheard of 15-21 (71.4 percent) from long range so Florida St. was pretty unlucky. The Seminoles conclude a six-game run of facing ranked opponents and the fact they are 4-1 through the first four games shows this team is for real. They are now 17-2 overall and are in a first place tie with North Carolina and Notre Dame in the ACC. The fact they remain home is big as is the fact that Louisville is coming off a Thursday game which gives Florida St. the travel edge. The Cardinals were involved in a close game early on against Clemson but pulled away in the second half for the big victory. Louisville is 2-1 on the road with two very weak wins and a loss at Notre Dame and coming off a three-game homestand is never a good situation for a team, especially going to a very hostile environment. Florida St. surely has not forgotten the 19-point loss suffered at Louisville last season almost a year ago to the day. 10* (546) Florida St. Seminoles

Clemson opened the season 11-2 but has hit a major roadblock in the ACC. The Tigers two losses were against Xavier and Oklahoma by six points and they opened conference play with a win at Wake Forest but has lost the last four games. The schedule has not been in their favor as three losses came by three of the top teams in the ACC, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Virginia which are a combined 47-9 including 14-4 in the conference. Also in the mix was a bad loss at Georgia Tech but that was a tough sandwich spot. Clemson held their own in those three tough losses as they fell by 3, 4 and 5 points. Louisville has won its last three games after a 0-2 start in the conference including a win over Duke last time out. The Cardinals paid a price for that win however as they lost point guard Quentin Snider for the foreseeable future with a hip injury. Snider is second on the team in scoring with 12.1 ppg and leads the team with 4.0 apg. While the Tigers rely on Jaron Blossomgame, who is averaging 18.2 ppg, they are balanced beyond that as six players average between 8.0 and 11.3 ppg and all of which have posted multiple double-digit scoring games. 10* (745) Clemson Tigers

Two teams coming off opposite efforts over the weekend square off in Iowa City and this is a much bigger game for the host. Iowa is coming off its most lopsided loss of the Fran McCaffery era and its worst loss ever to Northwestern, an 89-54 rout at the hands of the Wildcats on Sunday night. The last time the Hawkeyes suffered a blowout loss, a 22-point setback at Purdue, they returned to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for its next game and won over Michigan as an underdog. Big Ten scoring leader Peter Jok scored just four points against Northwestern so expect a big rebound performance from him. Counting its win over Illinois on Saturday, Maryland is playing four out of five games on the road so this is a tough stretch. The Terrapins have won three straight games and they have been the underdog in all three games so winning another one in a similar role is going to be difficult. Maryland is average to below average nationally in defensive turnover percentage and opponent offensive rebounding percentage. If Iowa can operate without ball pressure or the passing lanes being filled, the Hawkeyes could make the Terrapins pay dearly. The Hawkeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (716) Iowa Hawkeyes

We won with Illinois St. for a small play on Saturday as it took care of Wichita St. outright, handing the Shockers there first conference loss while taking over sole possession of first place in the MVC. The Redbirds were expected contenders but coming off a massive home win like that can lead to a big letdown next time out and we see that happening here. They have covered three straight games and six of their last seven and are now laying a huge number on the road, by far their biggest of the season and this is just the third time all season they are laying double-digits. Bradley is 3-3 in the conference following a loss at Indiana St. and those three wins have already matched the conference win total from all of last season. The Braves were the youngest team in the country last season so their 5-27 overall record was not a surprise so their decent start this season should not come as a surprise either. They are 5-4 at home and while Bradley is 0-8 following a win this season, it is 7-3 following a loss and while winning this one outright will be a huge challenge, staying within this inflated number will not. The Redbirds are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as road favorites between 7 and 12.5 points. 10* (556) Bradley Braves

Texas Tech and TCU are meeting for a meaningful game in a very long time. The Red Raiders fell to 2-3 in the conference with a loss at Oklahoma on Saturday but a win here can vault them back up in the Big XII standings and into a tie for fourth place. So far, the home team is 5-0 in their five conference games with two wins coming at home by Texas Tech against West Virginia and Kansas St. The Red Raiders are 11-0 at home this season and going back, they have won 16 consecutive home games and at 13-4 overall, they are in decent shape for making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2004-2005. TCU has matched its best start in program history as it is 14-3 including a 3-2 record in the conference following a pair of wins over Texas and Iowa St. The Horned Frog are 13-0 this season when they outrebound their opponent but face one of the top rebounding teams in the country as Texas Tech is tied for No. 9 in rebounding percentage. Even though the Red Raiders made the NCAA Tournament last season, it was a stressful entry after losing to TCU in the first round of the Big XII Tournament so revenge is on the table. 10* (540) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Florida St. had a 12-game winning streak snapped at North Carolina on Saturday as they lost to the Tar Heels by 13 points. It has been a brutal stretch for the Seminoles and they have certainly held their own as they have huge wins over Duke, Virginia Tech and Virginia and it does not get much easier tonight against Notre Dame followed by a home game against Louisville on Saturday. The Seminoles are just the third team in ACC history to play six consecutive nationally ranked opponents and are the first to win three or more games during the stretch. Florida St. is a perfect 12-0 at home including additional impressive wins over Florida and Minnesota. Notre Dame has been equally impressive as it has won seven straight games as it the lone remaining undefeated team in the ACC. The Irish are 3-0 on the road this season but they are in a tough spot here as this is their third straight road game and all three have come in a span of seven days. Florida St. is 8-2 ATS this season as a home favorite and we will see a big bounce back effort tonight. 10* (536) Florida St. Seminoles

We played against Boise St. on Saturday as it suffered its first conference loss of the season at Fresno St. The Broncos were coming off a big win over San Diego St. in their previous game but a week off after that hurt the momentum from a perfect 4-0 start in the MWC. They will be fired up to get back into the win column tonight as they head home where they are 7-0 this season and 60-8 in their last 68 games at Taco Bell Arena. New Mexico snapped a three-game losing streak with a road win at Colorado St. on Saturday as they defeated the Rams by 13 points as a three-point underdog. The Lobos are 3-3 in the conference and the three losses have been tight ones as all three were by five points or fewer. That makes this line look pretty tempting to back the underdog but the situation is not in their favor. New Mexico has won only twice as an underdog and is just 3-6 following a victory. Boise St. has yet to lose as a favorite while going 5-1 ATS in its last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (742) Boise St. Broncos

The two top teams in the MAC East square off with first place on the line. Akron is off to a 4-0 start in the conference including a pair of big road wins last week. Overall, the Zips have won seven straight games and since a season opening loss at Youngstown St., they have lost just twice with those coming against Creighton and Gonzaga which are a combined 35-1. Akron owns the third longest home winning streak in the country behind Kansas (52) and Oregon (36) as it has won 25 straight games at Rhodes Arena, dating back to the 2014-15 season. Ohio lost its first MAC game at home on Saturday against Eastern Michigan as he offense managed just 49 points. The big reason was that reigning MAC Player of the Year Antonio Campbell left the game after just three minutes with a foot injury. Campbell leads the team in scoring (16.4), rebounds (8.9) and blocks (1.1) and has been the anchor of the Bobcats much improved interior defense this season. He will travel with the team but is very doubtful to play. The Zips are 21-10 ATS in their last 31 games as a home favorite of fewer than seven points while the Bobcats are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (724) Akron Zips

By the time this game tips off tonight, Kansas will be the new No. 1 team in the nation as it will take the spot vacated by Baylor following the Bears loss against West Virginia this past week. The Jayhawks improved to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big XII following a win at home over Oklahoma St. on Saturday. They are riding a 16-game winning streak following a season opening loss in overtime against Indiana so Kansas is the best team in the nation at this point but that No. 1 ranking will be short-lived. The Jayhawks are a huge public consensus for tonight which comes as no surprise. Iowa St. lost at TCU on Saturday to fall to 3-2 in the conference, the other loss coming by just two points at Baylor. The Cyclones only home defeat came against Cincinnati by a point in overtime and going back, they are 83-8 at home over the last six seasons. Additionally, Iowa St. is 5-0 the last two seasons at home following a road Big XII loss. Another notable loss came against Gonzaga by just two points and it is important because it is one of only three games for the Bulldogs that has been decided by single digits. Kansas is just 4-10 ATS as a favorite while the Cyclones are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (546) Iowa St. Cyclones

This is one of those under the radar games that may be overlooked but it sets up exceptionally well for the home team. Oakland is one of three teams in the Horizon League that has a legitimate shot at winning the conference and heading to the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Grizzlies stumbled over the weekend however as they lost at home against then 2-14 Detroit by five points as an 18.5-favorite. That was the first conference loss for Oakland and just its fourth loss overall, three coming by single digits. This was simply a bad loss to the Titans and one that the Golden Grizzlies should be pretty upset about which should strike some fear into Cleveland St. The Vikings are just as bad, if not worse, than Detroit yet are getting four fewer points than the Titans were getting on Friday which gives Oakland some significant value in this spot. Cleveland St. fell to 1-5 in the conference with a loss at home against Valparaiso, the lone victory coming at home against Milwaukee. On the season, the Vikings are 0-9 on the road and it has been ugly as the losses have been by an average of 17.5 ppg and all but three have come by double-digits. Oakland steamrolled Cleveland St. at home last season which was also following a loss and we will see a similar result here. 10* (532) Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Xavier had a tough week last week due to the schedule as it hit the road to face two of the top teams in the Big East Conference and those resulted in losses at Villanova and Butler. To the Musketeers credit, the Wildcats and Bulldogs are a combined 18-0 at home and Xavier can be put in that same club as well as it is 9-0 at the Cintas Center this season. it has won 15 straight games here as well as 24 of its last 25 home games. This is a very similar situation for the Musketeers. Xavier lost two straight road games back in early December and came back home to defeat a very solid Utah team. Creighton is coming off a glorified exhibition over the weekend as it rolled at home over Truman St. the Bluejays are 4-0 on the road but this is the biggest test of the season on the highway. This is clearly one of the best teams in the nation but this is a tough matchup as the Musketeers have a huge edge in the rebounding category as Xavier is No. 7 in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage while Creighton is just No. 213. The Musketeers are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games as a home favorite of fewer than seven points while the Bluejays are 0-5 ATS in their last five games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (522) Xavier Musketeers

While it was a great season last year for Northern Iowa that included another trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Panthers knew that this season would be more of an uphill battle. What they are currently experiencing however was not expected. They opened the season 3-0 but then back-to-back losses sent them into a tailspin and they are now on a 2-11 run that includes losses in seven straight games. Northern Iowa is 0-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference and it is in its longest losing streak since 2000-01. The offense has struggled big time but Northern Iowa is 5-1 when scoring 70 or more points while going 0-10 when scoring less than 70 points. The good news is the Panthers now face a team that does not play defense as Drake is allowing 77.6 ppg on the season including 83.4 ppg in conference games. The Bulldogs have won two straight games after taking care of Indiana St. on Wednesday but those wins were at home and they come in with a 0-5 record on the road. The last three road losses have been by an average of 18.7 ppg and they head to Cedar Falls at the wrong time. The Panthers are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning percentage below .400 while the Bulldogs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. 10* (874) Northern Iowa Panthers

Last season was a difficult one for Rhode Island as injuries decimated the Rams in their quest for an Atlantic Ten Championship and they ended up just 17-15 overall and missed the postseason after posting 23 wins the season before. The good news is that they have four starters back as well as their best player E.C. Matthews who was lost for the entire 2015-16 season after suffering a torn ACL. After opening the season 10-4, with all four losses against elite opposition, the Rams have lost their last two games. The first loss came at another quality opponent in Dayton but the last defeat was inexcusable. They lost by 12 points at home against LaSalle as a 12.5-point favorite on Thursday so they will out for retribution today. Massachusetts is coming off an opposite game as it upset Dayton at home as a 6.5-point underdog on Wednesday. The Minutemen picked up their first conference victory in doing so but now they hit the road where they have struggled this season. In addition to the Rams looking to bounce back off a pair of losses, they will be out for payback after the Minutemen ended their season last year with a loss in the first round of the Atlantic Ten Tournament. The Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a double-digit loss at home while the Minutemen are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS win. 10* (868) Rhode Island Rams

BYU is one of the few teams to give Gonzaga a run in the West Coast Conference and at 4-1, the Cougars are off to a good start. They are doing all of this without Kyle Davis, their best returning interior player, who is gone for the season with a knee injury. They are just 2-3 ATS in the conference and 7-8 ATS overall which shows how inflated their lines have been and that is the case again here as they travel to San Diego. The Toreros had a miserable season last year as they finished 9-21 overall but are just one win from matching that total. They are off to a disappointing 1-4 start in the conference but have been involved in some close losses as three of the defeats have come by a combined 11 points while a 12-point loss at St. Marys is nothing to be ashamed of. One thing San Diego was ashamed of last season came on February 20 when it travelled to Provo and got dismantled by 58 points as it shot 24.6 percent from the floor including going 0-20 from long range. The Toreros should be highly motivated for a rematch and while returning the favor will not happen, staying within this inflated number will. 10* (662) 10* San Diego Toreros

It has been a miserable run for the Sooners to say the least. After a trip to the Final Four last season and a 5-1 start this season, Oklahoma is on a 1-8 run including a 0-4 start in the Big XII. They have lost to Baylor and Kansas in their two home games and considering those teams are 30-2 overall, it is not overly surprising. The Sooners lost a ton of talent to graduation but still have some key players back to go along with a solid recruiting class but they have not been able to put it together. To their credit, they have played the No. 16 ranked schedule in the country so that has not helped. Conversely, Texas Tech has played the No. 261 ranked schedule in the nation which is the worst in the conference so its 13-3 record should not be surprising. The Red Raiders are 2-2 in the conference with the two wins coming by just one point. Granted, those were against West Virginia and Kansas St. but they both took place at home and their lone road win this season came at Richmond. Oklahoma was picked to finish third in the Big XII and while that is not looking good now, it does show the talent is there to make a run and with a game at West Virginia on deck, this one is a must. 10* (658) Oklahoma Sooners

We played against Fresno St. last Saturday as it traveled to San Jose St. on a nine-game ATS winning run and lost outright as a 3.5-point favorite. The Bulldogs backed that up with a loss at Air Force on Wednesday but now they are back home where they have won six straight games. Remember, this Fresno St. team went to the NCAA Tournament a season ago and is expected to do some damage again but it needs to get on a run and win at home. Boise St. was picked below Fresno St. in the preseason MWC predictions as the Broncos lost a ton of veteran talent but they have geld their own and are off to a perfect 4-0 start in the conference. It was culminated with a big home win over San Diego St. last Saturday and after playing four games in 11 days, the week off killed some momentum. While they have been solid against the number this season, the Bulldogs are 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (632) Fresno St. Bulldogs

Since suffering their first defeat of the season at Oregon, UCLA has bounced back with four straight wins including a win at Colorado on Thursday by 15 points. That snapped a five-game losing streak against the number as they were unable to cover four double-digit spreads. The offense topped 100 points for the first time in seven games and still remains one of the most potent offenses in the country but now they face a team that can actually play some defense. Utah is on a two-game winning streak after a 22-point win over USC on Thursday as it held its third straight opponent at home to 64 points or less. On the season, the Utes are allowing opponents to shoot just 39.8 percent at home where they are 9-1 on the season. Going back, they have won 10 straight Pac 12 home games and are 25-4 in their last 29. They are 3-1 in the conference with the lone loss coming at Arizona in a game where they went to the free throw line only four times. We won with Utah last Saturday at Arizona St. where they ended up going to the line 20 times and that is something they need to continue to do as they are averaging 22.2 attempts per game. 10* (636) Utah Utes

Temple is off to a rough 1-4 start in the AAC after losing four games in the conference all of last season. The schedule has had a lot to do with that as three of the first five games have come on the road and two of those losses came against 4-1 SMU and 3-1 UCF. The most recent road loss came at Connecticut which finally seems to be getting its act together. One home loss was against 4-0 Cincinnati but it has been a tough start. The Owls now host Tulsa which is 2-1 and is coming off an upset win at home over Memphis. The Golden Hurricane have covered all three of their conference games but they are just 1-3 on the road with the only win coming against Oral Roberts. Playing on the road is tough for this team following a 20-12 record last year as they lost nine seniors and this year have 10 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. The Owls final loss of the regular season a year ago was at Tulsa by 19-points so they will be out for some revenge from that. The Owls are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (602) Temple Owls

It has been an up and down season for Syracuse which opened 4-0 before going on a 4-6 run over its next 10 games including losses against three former Big East rivals Connecticut, Georgetown and St. Johns. The Orange bounced back with big home wins over Miami and Pittsburgh but then lost by 10 points at Virginia Tech on Tuesday. The one loss that stands out however was a 15-point loss at Boston College to open ACC action and you know they have had this one circled since then. Remember, Boston College went 0-18 in the ACC last season so that loss was as embarrassing as it gets. The Eagles are actually now 2-2 in the conference following a home win over NC State on Wednesday and they have now covered five straight games. That is helping with the number here but that should not even come into play as the Orange will be as motivated as ever to extract revenge on their old-time rivals. With back-to-back road games at North Carolina and Notre Dame, they know this one cannot get away. 10* (598) Syracuse Orange

Richmond is off to a perfect 4-0 start in the Atlantic Ten Conference which is a surprise considering the Spiders were not considered a contender heading into the season. Even more surprising is the fact they had an average nonconference record that included losses against Old Dominion, Bucknell and Oral Roberts. St. Joes is a game over .500 overall and 2-2 in the conference following a tough home loss against George Mason on Tuesday. That was the third game without leading scorer Shavar Newkirk who is out for the season with a torn ACL. The good news is that James Demery is back after missing 10 games with a stress fracture in his foot and he has picked up the scoring slack by averaging 19.3 ppg that Newkirk has been out. Going back, the Hawks are 44-21-1 ATS in their last 66 games following a straight up loss. 10* (532) St. Joseph's Hawks

Miami has its seven-game winning streak snapped with a 15-point loss at Syracuse. That was eight days ago so the Hurricanes have had over a week to stew over that defeat. That was their first true road loss of the season and now they are back home where they are a perfect 8-0 on the season and while this will be the biggest test so far, we expect a big bounceback effort. Notre Dame has opened up 3-0 in the ACC with wins over Pittsburgh, Louisville and Clemson so it has been an impressive run. However, the last two came at home while the win over the Panthers came in overtime. Miami falls into a great college hoops strategy where you play on an unranked home favorite over a ranked road underdog as this has been very lucrative in the past. Going back, the Irish are 0-4 ATS in their last four games as an underdog while the Hurricanes are 20-6-1 ATS in their last 27 games as a home favorite of fewer than seven points. 10* (518) Miami Hurricanes

Typically, we are apprehensive in laying points on the road but this situation diffuses that. NC State hits the road where it is 0-3 on the season but if there is ever a spot where the Wolfpack should be fired up to get their first road victory, this is it. They are coming off a 51-point thrashing at North Carolina on Sunday which was the second-worst loss in school history. NC State is going to have to show some pride on the defensive end and stop settling for the shots that it did in Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack are 3-0 ATS this season as favorites and while they have yet to be favored on the road, they definitely should be here. Boston College is coming off a pair of road losses to fall to 1-2 in the ACC but the Eagles have not covered four straight games. It is important to note however that the lines have dictated the correct side in Boston College games as it was a double-digit underdog in all four games of this streak. Going back, the Eagles are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as a double-digit dog and 0-3 ATS in their last six games as a single-digit dog. NC State has won all three games this season following a loss and that continues tonight. 10* (761) NC State Wolfpack

While Indiana St. was not expected to contend in the Missouri Valley Conference, it was not expected to get off to the start it has. The Sycamores have gotten off to a 0-4 start in the conference but it has been better than the record shows. They opened with a respectable eight-point loss against Wichita St. and then followed that up with a pair of overtime losses on the road. Indiana St. clearly ran out of gas after those games as it was beat up pretty bad over the weekend against Illinois St. Indiana St. is just 6-10 overall but three losses have come in overtime and another three losses came by three points or less so they are better that what the results have been. Drake has turned things around as after a 1-10 start, the Bulldogs have won three of their last five games with all three of those wins coming at home. This includes a 12-point win over Evansville on Sunday to move to 2-2 in the conference which is a surprise as the Bulldogs were again picked to finish last in the MVC following a 2-16 season a year ago. The Sycamores are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite of fewer than seven points while the Bulldogs are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. 10* (749) Indiana St. Sycamores

San Diego St. was picked by most places to win the Mountain West Conference but it has been far from coming close to that in the early going as the Aztecs have dropped their first three conference games. While no losses are good, the three defeats have come against quality opponents that will reside in the top half of the conference come season end. This is their third three-game losing streak of the season and they busted out of the last one with a blowout victory and we can expect the same here as a return home after two straight road games will have them amped up. We won with San Jose St. on Saturday as it defeated Fresno St. as a home underdog. The Spartans had dropped five straight games against the number which was part of the reason for playing on them and now they could not be in a worse spot. They have had their struggles with the Aztecs since moving to the MWC as they have lost all five meetings by at least 15 points and in four of those, San Diego St. was coming off a win. In the lone game it was off a loss, it destroyed the Spartans by 26 points. The Spartans are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win while the Aztecs are 13-4-2 ATS in their last 19 games following an ATS loss. 10* (562) San Diego Aztecs

As expected, Arkansas lost at Kentucky on Saturday and it was not even close as the Razorbacks fell by 26 points to fall to 1-2 in the SEC. They will also be out to avenge their only home loss of the season which came in the conference opener against Florida. Sandwiched in-between there was a solid win at Tennessee and while the Volunteers are nothing special, it was still a quality road win. The tough opening of the conference schedule now eases up and it begins on Tuesday in a game Arkansas should have no problem running away with. Mississippi St. bounced back from a loss against Alabama with a win at LSU on Saturday which was its first true road game of the season. Things will be much more difficult this time around however. The Bulldogs have been an underdog only once this season but it has nothing to do with them being a quality team. It has to do with the fact they have played the No. 313 ranked schedule in the country as their best win is probably over Boise St. The Razorbacks are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 home games against teams with a winning road record. This line is big for a reason but not nearly big enough. 10* (556) Arkansas Razorbacks

It has been an up and down season for Syracuse which opened 4-0 before going on a 4-6 run over its next 10 games including losses against three former Big East rivals Connecticut, Georgetown and St. Johns. The other loss came against Boston College on the road by 15 points to open ACC action but the Orange have bounced back with two very impressive wins against Miami and Pittsburgh. Both of those were at home however and they hit the road where they are 0-2, the other loss coming by 17 points at Wisconsin. Virginia Tech jumped into the AP Top 25 Poll thanks to a 12-1 start which included a 140point win over Duke but it was unable to keep the momentum roiling as it has dropped its last two games and both were ugly losses at NC State and Florida St. The Hokies are 9-0 at home this season and have won 14 consecutive home games, the longest home winning streak since the 2009-10 season. Between the two teams, the home team is 23-3 on the season not counting neutral site games. The Orange are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win while the Hokies are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up loss. 10* (522) Virginia Tech Hokies

We are going against converging trends here as the value on the home team is too good to pass up. Troy has been involved in a brutal stretch over the last month as it has played seven straight games away from home. The Trojans have held their own however as they are 3-4 but most impressive, they have won all six games against the number that have been lined, covering two games as a favorite while staying close in the four games as an underdog. While this ATS run is impressive, we have to believe the travel finally catches up to Troy tonight. Georgia St. closed out 2016 with a loss at Georgia Southern but followed that up with a win over South Alabama on Saturday. The Panthers have failed to cover three straight games but the feeling is that it helps here and most important, they are on the opposite side of the travel aspect. They have not had to leave the state of Georgia since December 21 and have been at home every day of 2017. The Panthers also come in with massive confidence and momentum as they scored the final eight points against South Alabama on Saturday to earn the 78-77 win. That victory moved Georgia St. to 42-5 in its last 47 home games. 10* (710) Georgia St. Panthers

If we saw the records of these teams before the season, both overall and conference, we would have guessed they would belong to the opposite team. Connecticut and UCF are off to surprising starts and both in different ways. The Knights are 12-3 overall including a 3-0 record in the AAC which is good for a tie for second place and those 12 wins have already matched the 12 wins they had all of last season. It is hard to be completely sold on the Knights however as a look at the schedule shows no real quality wins. At this point, a win over Connecticut would not constitute a quality win either as the Huskies are off to a disappointing start. They are 5-9 including a 0-3 record in the conference and they were picked to win the AAC by many outlets. A season opening loss to Wagner was horrible as was the next game against Northeastern but they have lost to some elite teams since then and overall, they have played the No. 18 ranked schedule in the nation (compared to No. 302 for UCF). Riding a four-game losing streak with Temple, Georgetown and SMU on deck, this is a must win for Connecticut and we are getting a great price to back them at. 10* (538) Connecticut Huskies

Two of the top programs in the MVC square off today and while Wichita St. is living up to the credentials, Northern Iowa is not. The Shockers are off to another great start despite having to replace its best backcourt in the history of the program. They are 13-3 overall including a 3-0 record in the conference. Wichita St. has a solid road win but no cover at Indiana St. and the last two wins came at home against bottom feeders Bradly and Drake. The Shockers will be out for revenge after the Panthers snapped their 43-game home winning streak last February while also looking for payback after losing in the MVC Tournament Championship in overtime. However, laying a price this big on the road is not prudent. Northern Iowa is in some unchartered territory with its recent skids. It is in the midst of a five-game losing streak which is the longest such streak since the 2006-07 season. The Panthers have not lost six games in a row since the 2000-01 season which is also the last time they started 0-3 in the conference. This team is better than this current run and one thing to take into consideration is that the Panthers have played the No. 15 ranked schedule in the nation. The Shockers will no doubt get the best out of Northern Iowa this afternoon. 10* (532) Northern Iowa Panthers

This may seem like a big number to be laying but we are getting Kansas in a great spot. The Jayhawks are coming off a two-point win over rival Kansas St. on Tuesday thanks to a layup with no time remaining. That gave them their 13th consecutive win following a season-opening overtime loss against Indiana from Hawaii. Kansas has won 47 straight games at Allen Field House and it will be aiming for victory No. 2,200 in school history. They are in a good spot here based on that scare so we will see a bigger sense of urgency after blowing a 10-point lead especially after seeing what their opponent just did. Texas Tech is coming off an upset win at home against No. 7 West Virginia to improve to 12-2 overall and 10-0 at home. The Red Raiders nonconference schedule was non-existent so this was a surprising win and certainly presents a huge letdown. Kansas is 16-0 against Texas Tech in games played in Lawrence, with all 16 contests in Allen Fieldhouse. 10* (844) Kansas Jayhawks

This is another low profile game where we can take advantage of a good line that typically is not as tight as the higher profile games. Loyola-Marymount is projected to finish in the top half of the West Coast Conference but it is already off to a 0-3 start. The problem has not been that the Lions have been playing bad but the schedule has been the issue as they have faced the top three teams in the conference not named Gonzaga. They lost to the Gaels by 11 which was expected and the other two against BYU and Pepperdine were by six points combined. The bad news is Gonzaga is next on the road so this is a must win for sure. Santa Clara is off to a 2-1 start in the WCC following a pair of wins at home over San Francisco and Portland, two teams projected to finish low in the conference standings. So here we have two opposite conference records but the early schedules have played a role in that and we can take advantage of a soft line. Going back, the Broncos are 0-5 ATS in their last five games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game while the Lions are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a ATS loss. 10* (820) Loyola-Marymount Lions

Utah had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 10-point loss at Arizona on Thursday and it is safe to say the Wildcats had the home court edge as the Utes went to the free throw line just four times and were outscored by 12 points from the charity stripe. Utah has won its previous three games following a loss this season and we can expect the Utes to be a lot more aggressive in this one. The Sun Devils are coming off a win on Thursday over Colorado as underdogs as they caught a break when Xavier Johnson, one of the best Buffaloes players, got ejected with 1:23 remaining. That win improved them to 2-1 in the Pac 12 and 9-7 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 San Diego St. and Stanford were followed up by blowout losses. Arizona St. has won consecutive games only twice this season and it is 1-5 ATS in its last six games following a win. 10* (799) Utah Utes

This is a low profile game which are typically good one to get some additional value on and this is certainly the case here. San Jose St. has opened up 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference as it goy throttled at Nevada and lost a close one here Wednesday against Colorado St. The Spartans are still a game over .500 overall and part of the value in this line is the fact they have not covered a game since December 3, going 0-5 ATS in the process. It has been an opposite run for Fresno St. which is 2-1 in the conference following a home win over Wyoming on Wednesday. Ever since failing to cover against UTSA in their first game of the season, the Bulldogs have covered every game since then, going a perfect 9-0 ATS in their last nine lined games. Now they come in as the biggest favorite they have been all season and the situation calls for the upset. Fresno St. had a great turnaround last season as it won 25 games and made it to the NCAA Tournament and while still talented, the Bulldogs lost four key players and they have struggled on the road with some mediocre wins and close overtimes decisions. We know where the public money will be going in this one. 10* (802) San Jose St. Spartans

After blowing out Illinois to open Big Ten play, the Terrapins were upset at home by Nebraska by a bucket on New Year's Day. They have had a week to stew over that game which was just their second loss of the season, the first coming against Pittsburgh at home which was nearly as surprising. Maryland is 4-0 away from home this season including a win at Georgetown in their only true road game thus far. Since January 2015, Maryland is 14-1 in games following a loss and since joining the Big Ten Conference, Maryland has lost only two consecutive games in conference play, falling to Wisconsin at home on Feb. 13, 2016 and at Minnesota on Feb. 18. Michigan bounced back from an overtime loss at Iowa to defeat Penn St. on Wednesday to improve to 1-1 in the conference and 11-4 overall. The Wolverines are 9-1 at home with the lone loss coming against Virginia Tech which is a very solid team but this will be the biggest home test to date. The Wolverines are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (777) Maryland Terrapins

We love playing on elite teams coming off upset losses and that is the case with West Virginia which got upset on a last second three-pointer at Texas Tech. The Mountaineers, which averaged 26.5 turnovers entering the game, only forced 13 turnovers so we will certainly see some havoc on Saturday afternoon. They followed up their first loss of the season with a 47-point win next time out over Manhattan and while we cannot compare Manhattan and TCU, it is not that overly far off. Additionally, this is the Big XII home opener for the Mountaineers. TCU is also 1-1 in the Big XII following a win over Oklahoma which ended a five-game homestand where the Horned Frogs went 4-1. While they have an identical 12-2 record as the Mountaineers, these teams are not even on the same level which is why this line is what it is. In three meetings last season, West Virginia won by an average of 23 ppg and while new TCU head coach Jamie Dixon know the Mountaineers well and was 11-7 against them when with Pittsburgh, his talent is much worse now. The Mountaineers are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up loss while the Horned Frogs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games following three or more consecutive home games. 10* (732) West Virginia Mountaineers

This is the first time in a long time that Ohio has had a distinct advantage over one of its biggest rivals and the Bobcats will take advantage tonight. Ohio rolled over Western Michigan in its conference opener by 29 points on Tuesday as it shot a blistering 51.6 percent from long range (16-31) to improve to 8-0 at home. It is the other side of the ball that has really been the difference this season. Ohio's effort on the defensive end was the lowlight of an otherwise strong 2015-16 campaign. The Bobcats ranked second-to-last in the MAC and 249th in the country by giving up 74.8 ppg but through 12 games in 2016-17, Ohio leads the MAC and ranks 60th in the nation with 65.6 ppg allowed and first in the conference and 52nd in the country with a 39.7 percent field goal percentage defense. Kent St. won its conference opener by 10 points over Ball St. but there are still a lot of questions on this team that lost four seniors and three other transfers. Overall, only two of the top seven scorers from last season are back. The Golden Flashes are shooting just 36.2 percent on the road while hitting just 16.9 percent from three and 59.2 percent from the free throw line. The Bobcats are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Golden Flashes are 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (524) Ohio Bobcats

Minnesota came into the season with a ton of question marks as it lost a lot to graduation, rules violations and suspensions but so far, it has answered those questions. The Golden Gophers are off to a 13-2 start and coming off one of their most impressive wins in a while as they won at Purdue on Sunday in overtime. That came after a heartbreaking loss in overtime against Michigan St. prior to that. Those two big games coupled with the fact they have a big revenge game on Sunday against Ohio St. puts them in a very tough spot here. Northwestern is off to an equally solid start as it is 12-3 following a loss at Michigan St. on Friday which snapped a nine-game winning streak. The other two losses came against Notre Dame by four points and Butler by two points, both of which are 13-2, but both of those came away from home. The Wildcats are extremely deep while possessing arguably the top point guard in the conference in Bryant McIntosh and the return of Vic Law, who missed all of last season, has been huge. This is a big bounce back game and if the Wildcats want to make their first ever NCAA Tournament, these are the games that need to be won. 10* (752) Northwestern Wildcats

The Bruins are laying a pretty big number here but this is a game they should win going away. UCLA opened the season 13-0 and climbed up to No. 2 in the nation after a big win at Kentucky but suffered a last second loss in Oregon last week. The Bruins bounced back with a 13-point win at Oregon St. two nights later and we can expect the home floor to be rocking tonight. They have failed to cover three straight after a nine-game ATS winning streak and that is adding some value to this number. UCLA will be out to avenge a 12-point loss at California last season as well. The Golden Bears are coming off a similar week last week where they lost at home against Arizona before bouncing back two nights later with a blowout win over Arizona St. they are off to a decent 10-4 start with the other three losses against pretty solid teams but after 14 games, this is their first true road game of the season. They are one of only four teams in the country that have yet to play a true road game. While solid defensively, the offense lacks the big scoring punch and facing one of the best offenses in the nations means they will not have the ability to play catch up. 10* (750) UCLA Bruins

Both UAB and North Texas are winless to open C-USA play but this game means a lot more for the former. The Blazers are off to a 7-7 start after a 17-3 start a season ago and their seven losses have already matched their total defeats from all of last season. After getting upset in the C-USA Tournament and getting relegated to the NIT despite a 26-6 record, UAB planned on making a statement and came in as the favorite to win the conference. There is still plenty of time for that but coming off their worst effort of the season where the Blazers managed just 49 points at Middle Tennessee St. including only 23 points for the starters, they will be out for a big win tonight. North Texas is 0-2 in the conference with both losses coming on the road but there is no big home court edge for the Mean Green. They have defeated no team of significance and while the same can be said for UAB, the talent level disparity between these two teams is significant. The Blazers have not lost back-to-back games this season and are 6-0 following a defeat with those wins coming by an average of 17.3 ppg. 10* (747) UAB Blazers

With a home upset over Duke on Saturday, Virginia Tech improved to 12-1 on the season and moved into the top 25. The Hokies have won eight straight games but now take to the road for the first time in over a month and while they have won their only other road game, the situation is a lot different this time around. This is the first time the Hokies have been ranked in either poll since the polls of Nov. 15, 2010 and this is the first time the Hokies have been 11 games over .500 since the 2010-11 season. NC State lost its ACC opener as it was routed at Miami which snapped a six-game winning streak. The Wolfpack are a perfect 9-0 at home and while this presents the biggest test at home of the young season, they catch the Hokies at the perfect time. After playing the first nine games of the season with at least one scholarship player missing, and sometimes two or three players missing, the Wolfpack have had their full complement of players for the last four games. Going back, they are 21-8-2 ATS in their last 31 games following a straight up loss. 10* (562) NC State Wolfpack

Iowa St. heads to Waco to try and hand Baylor its first loss of the season and these teams have played some solid games over the years. The Cyclones defeated Texas Tech on Friday to open Big XII action and extended their winning streak to three games. They have three losses on the season, one at rival Iowa which was not a pretty one, but the other two came by a point in overtime against Cincinnati and two points against Gonzaga. Baylor is one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the nation and the wins have been dominant for the most part. Ever since a non-cover in their season opener against Oral Roberts, they have reeled off seven straight covers including a blowout win at Oklahoma in their conference opener. Baylor has some big wins over big name teams this season but the cover streak is catching up as they are laying a bigger than expected number against a quality opponent. Going back, the Bears are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a home favorite between 7.0 and 12.5 points while the Cyclones are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games as a road underdog between 7.0 and 12.5 points. 10* (567) Iowa St. Cyclones

After solid starts to the season, both Georgetown and Providence are trending in the wrong direction. The Hoyas had won six straight games prior to the Big East season but have dropped their first two games in the conference. They lost bad at Marquette and while they hung with Xavier, they gave it away at the end and that game was at home. Georgetown is 1-1 on the road with the lone win coming at slumping Syracuse. Providence is in a slump as well as it has dropped three straight games following its own six-game winning streak. The Friars three losses all took place on the road however and the last two, at Xavier and at Butler, came against two Big East contenders. Heading back home is just what they need where they are 9-0 on the season and are now laying a short number. The Friars are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Hoyas are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (528) Providence Friars

Indiana opened Big Ten play with a loss against Nebraska at home which was its first loss at Assembly Hall this season and it snapped a 26-game home winning streak dating back to the start of last season. The Hoosiers then followed that up with a loss against Louisville on Saturday by 15 points in Indianapolis so this sets them up for a big bounce back on Tuesday night and at a short price. Wisconsin won its Big Ten opener against Rutgers which was far from a quality win and now the Badgers hit the road for just the third time this season. They are 1-1 on the highway with a loss at Creighton and a win at Marquette. They have won eight straight games overall but quality wins have been few and far between as the win over the Golden Eagles was the best of the bunch as Oklahoma and Syracuse are having down seasons. Going back, the Hoosiers are 23-9 ATS in their last 32 games following an ATS loss and fully expect them to bounce back again here. 10* (740) Indiana Hoosiers

We played against Drake on Thursday and it did not pan out as the Bulldog pulled off the upset at home against Loyola-Chicago but we will go against them once again here as they hit the road in a bad situation. They have won two straight games but they are 0-3 on the road and going back, they have lost 26 of their last 27 road games which includes losses in 19 straight true road games. While taking down Wichita St. in the MVC may not happen by any team, Southern Illinois is expected to be a top-tier team in the conference. However, the Salukis lost their conference opener at Bradly on Thursday as road favorites but a return home should turn things around. The value here is based on the season opening conference games as Drake is getting nearly the same amount of points on the road than it was at home against the Ramblers. Going back, the Salukis are 23-8 ATS in their last 31 games as a home favorite between 7.0 and 12.5 points while the Bulldogs are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a ATS win. 10* (742) Southern Illinois Salukis

Of the many marquee games on the schedule Saturday, Villanova and Creighton is the headliner and while many will think the home team has the edge, the Wildcats will prove why they are No. 1 in the nation. Villanova is coming off a scare from DePaul on Wednesday but it was pretty clear that the Wildcats were not focused at all and it almost cost them. That will not be the case here against the undefeated Bluejays. Creighton brings in an identical 13-0 record but only has one real quality win which came against Wisconsin in the second game of the season. In a game where the teams match up pretty well, free throws could be all the difference. Both schools are Top 25 nationally at keeping their opponents off the line, but once they get there Villanova has a massive advantage. The Wildcats are hitting 78.2 percent as a team which is good for No. 10 in the nation. Creighton on the other hand, is terrible at drawing fouls (230th) and even worse at making them count as they are shooting just 67.2 percent from the stripe which is No. 240 in the country. 10* (541) Villanova Wildcats

While we like to fade teams on big winning streaks, fading teams coming off massive wins is a much better strategy and that comes into play on Friday. USC won its 14th straight game to start the season as it defeated Oregon St. on Wednesday to open Pac 12 play. While the Trojans have been winning, they have not been covering as they have dropped five straight games at the betting window. However, they have been favored by at least nine points in all of those games and now they are close to that number in an underdog role. USC has been an underdog only once this season and that resulted in an outright win at Texas A&M. We won with Oregon on Wednesday as it defeated UCLA on a last second three-pointer and because of that, the Ducks go from being a home underdog to a relatively big home favorite over a quality opponent. It is too big of a swing and the celebration that took place after the win over the Bruins shows the Ducks are in a prime letdown spot tonight. The Ducks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5 while the Trojans are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5. 10* (751) USC Trojans

Typically, not a proponent for laying points on the road but this is a good situation to do so in the MVC opener for both teams. Loyola has gotten off to a solid 10-3 start after winning just 15 games all of last season. While the Ramblers are just 1-2 on the road, those losses came by just six points combined and they were against two quality opponents in Toledo and NC State. The loss against the Rockets was their last game back on December 20 so they have had eight days to seethe on that defeat. Drake is off to a 2-10 start and this is no fluke as the Bulldogs were picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference. The nonconference schedule was far from difficult but they have still had big troubles with the only two wins coming against non-Division I Simpson College and Mississippi Valley St. which has yet to win a game this season at 0-13. That win over the Delta Devils came in their last game so which it could give them confidence, it more likely will be a false sense of confidence. Drake won only two conference games last season and one came on this floor against Loyola in overtime in the final game of the regular season and the Ramblers have not forgotten. The Bulldogs are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points while the Ramblers are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (533) Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

UCLA remains No. 2 in the nation following a perfect 13-0 start in nonconference action. Now the real season starts and the Bruins will be tested right out of the gate in Pac 12 play. They defeated Kentucky in their lone road game this season so while that was impressive, they will not be sneaking up on Oregon like they did against the Wildcats. Oregon opened the season at just 2-2 but has won nine straight games since then. They hope to get Chris Boucher back tonight to help bolster the defense. Boucher has missed two games due to an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision Wednesday, though his recovery has been trending in a positive direction. Oregon is 6-1 all-time versus ranked foes in Matthew Knight Arena where it has now won 33 consecutive games, the third longest home winning streak in the nation. Going back, the Bruins are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 games as a road favorite of seven or fewer points while the Ducks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog of seven or fewer points. 10* (762) Oregon Ducks

Michigan St. opened the season ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll but a brutal schedule has sent the Spartans clear out heading into conference play. They lost to Arizona, Kentucky, Baylor and Duke, all of which have two or fewer losses. Michigan St. also lost to Northeastern at home which is the only really bad blemish on the schedule. Minnesota falls into the category of a team with two or fewer losses however it has played a very soft schedule thus far. The only real quality win came against Arkansas but the records overall are playing a big factor in this line tonight. Michigan St. has held opponents under 40 percent shooting from the field in each of the last five seasons, including finishing second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense in 2012 (.379) and 2016 (.382). The strong defensive effort has carried over to 2016-17, as eight opponents have been held under 40 percent. Depth is also on the side of the Spartans as ten players average more than 10 minutes per game, while nine players have played in all 13 games. Michigan St. has covered five of seven games against teams with a winning record and going back, the Spartans are 8-1 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (521) Michigan St. Spartans

Even though we have a power conference against a non-power conference, the wrong team is favored in this one. Georgia is off to an 8-3 start and has won three straight games heading into its final nonconference game of the season. The Bulldogs are a very solid team and have split their two road games, a 10-point loss at Clemson and a 17-point win over rival Georgia Tech in their last game. That last win was not overly impressive as the Yellow Jackets are a team in complete rebuilding mode. Oakland got off to a very impressive 9-1 start but has dropped its last two games, an upset loss against Northeastern on Tuesday and then a loss at Michigan St. the next night in a rare back-to-back scheduling occurrence. The Golden Grizzlies are one of the top teams out of the Horizon League and have a chance to pick up a quality win before starting conference action next week. Oakland is on a three-game ATS slide which is helping with the value and going back, the Golden Grizzlies are 26-9-1 ATS in their last 36 games against teams with a winning straight up record. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game. 10* (742) Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Despite the loss of four of their top six scorers from last season including Ben Simmons and Keith Hornsby, the Tigers are off to a better start through 10 games this year than last year. LSU has won four straight games but all of those were at home where it is a perfect 7-0. The Tigers have hit the road only three times and those came in a three-day stretch in Nassau in the Battle 4 Atlantis last month where they went 1-2. Tonight makes it the first true road game of the season and they were not very good in this spot last season as they are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record. Wake Forest is 8-3 and it is a very respectable 8-3 as the Demon Deacons have done a lot of travelling thus far. They have played four true road games and three neutral court games including games against Villanova and Xavier. The last game was a roadie at Xavier and Wake Forest played very well in a four-point loss as it kept it close thanks to a big edge on the boards. The Demon Deacons have followed up their previous two losses with wins and covers while LSU is just 1-4-1 ATS following a win. 10* (532) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

We played against UCLA on Saturday and while the Bruins ended up covering that game, Ohio St. was in it for the majority of the game until the very end. That made it nine straight covers for UCLA which is pretty much an unheard of run in college hoops but the line tonight is showing that the linesmakers have overadjusted. This is the final nonconference game of the season for the Bruins and while they are off for a week after this, the Pac 12 opener against Oregon has to have some of their attention. Western Michigan is off to a tough 3-7 start but it has played a tough schedule to this point. The Broncos have not lost a game by more than what they are getting tonight and this includes games against Villanova, UNC-Wilmington, Oakland, Boise St. and Washington, all of which have winning records. The last game came against the Huskies which resulted in a six-point loss on Sunday but the fact Western Michigan stayed out west is a big factor here as the travel aspect can be disregarded here. Pulling off the upset is not going to happen but staying within this inflated number will as the Broncos are already 2-0 ATS this season as double-digit underdogs. 10* (749) Western Michigan Broncos

Northeastern is coming off a very impressive win as it upset Michigan St. on Sunday by eight points as a 10-point underdog. The short turnaround is not in the Huskies favor however as they stay in Michigan to face a very strong Oakland team. The win moved Northeastern to 6-5 on the season and while those five losses have come by just 17 points combined, they came against some suspect opposition. A loss to Harvard can be overlooked but defeats against Stony Brook, Cornell, LIU-Brooklyn and Boston University cannot. Those teams are a combined 18-25. Oakland meanwhile is off to a 9-1 start with its lone loss coming against a very solid Nevada team by just four points in Alaska as the Wolf Pack made six more three-pointers than the Golden Grizzlies. They will not be overlooking Northeastern here after its big win despite having their own game against Michigan St. on deck tomorrow night. The Golden Grizzlies have led by at least 13 points in every game this season and have only surrendered one second half lead. Oakland has only seen two second half deficits and have led for 190 of 200 minutes in the final 20 minutes. Going back, the Golden Grizzlies are 26-7-1 ATS in their last 34 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (526) Oakland Golden Grizzlies

It has been a rough stretch for Syracuse which has gone 2-4 over its last six games after a 4-0 start. The latest setback came against rival Georgetown on Saturday and the difference came down to free throws as the Hoyas made eight more free throws than the Orange. Should Syracuse had won that game, the spread in this game might be a little higher but it would be a no play based on the possible letdown. Instead, the Orange will be out to make up for that and in a big way after suffering their first home loss of the season. Additionally, the Orange lost just their third nonconference home game over the last nine years and are now 78-3 in their last 81 nonconference home games. Eastern Michigan lost at Vermont on Saturday by eight points which was its second loss this season where no line was posted and those games should not be lost. That snapped a four-game winning streak and while they are 6-4, three of those victories came against non-division I teams. This is a good matchup for Syracuse to get its struggling offense in gear as Eastern Michigan likes to push the pace and that can lead to some easy transition baskets for the Orange. 10* (712) Syracuse Orange

Old Dominion is 5-4 but has played better than that record shows. The Monarchs lost in overtime against Louisville and then followed that up with a six-point loss the next day in a clear letdown spot. They are coming off a tough three-point loss against 8-3 VCU, their second straight loss so they will be out to rebound this afternoon. It has been a tough schedule thus far as not only has Old Dominion played some stiff competition but there has been a lot travel involved. This is the first time this season where the Monarchs have gotten to play back-to-back home games and this is just the fourth home game of the season. Going back, they are 34-5 in their last 39 games played at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The Panthers enter the game with a 6-3 overall record, are 6-0 at home/on neutral hardwood, but 0-3 on the road. Losses against Auburn and Purdue were expected but Georgia St. has a winnable game at Mississippi St. but lost by 22 points. The Panthers are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning straight up record while also going 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog of fewer than seven points. Meanwhile the Monarchs are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS and 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (518) Old Dominion Monarchs

UCLA was expected to contend with Oregon and Arizona in the Pac 12 but not many saw what a terrific start it has begun. The Bruins are 11-0 and a win over Kentucky vaulted them to No. 2 in the country. There was no letdown from that though as they destroyed Michigan and UC-Santa Barbara as the offense hit triple-digits both times. Now they will be facing a very tough defense and will be putting their eight-game ATS winning streak on the line. Ohio St. shook off an embarrassing loss at home to Florida Atlantic with a win over Connecticut while its only other loss came at the hands of 8-1 Virginia on the road by just a bucket making that defeat to the Owls a real head scratcher. The Buckeyes returned all five starters and their top six scorers from last season and they currently have six players averaging at least 9.2 ppg. If this game was at Pauley Pavilion, it may be a different story but catching the Bruins in Las Vegas is a great opportunity to pull off a major upset. We will grab the generous points based on the UCLA spread run nonetheless. 10* (783) Ohio St. Buckeyes

Texas has had a roller coaster start to the season, similar to last season before it rallied late to make the NCAA Tournament. A return trip is expected however it already has four losses and cannot ill afford any more before conference action starts later this month. All four losses have come against teams that are 7-3 or better so at least there have been no non-quality defeats and a win here adds a solid quality win to the record. The Razorbacks are off to an 8-1 start but the schedule has been pretty tame thus far. Arkansas has traveled outside of Bud Walton Arena only once this season and that resulted in a 14-point loss in Minnesota and while this is a neutral court game, the Razorbacks are tough to be trusted laying points away from home. Many feel Texas is an overrated team but they play hard every game and give 110% percent to head coach Shaka Smart and the outright win is far from out of the question here. 10* (770) Texas Longhorns

After suffering a pair of losses, Richmond bounce back with a win over Maryland-Baltimore County last Saturday and while that is far from a statement win, it was a much needed victory. That moved the Spiders back over .500 on the season and this would provide a must needed out of conference quality win. Texas Tech is 9-1 with the lone loss coming against Auburn in the first round of the Cancun Challenge. The Red Raiders have won six straight games since then but it is important to note that this is the first true road game for them this season and once it gets this late, it is a great angle to back. Richmond has lost two home games this season, one against a solid Old Dominion team and the other against Wake Forest which has turned into a pretty big rivalry. These teams met at Texas Tech last season and the Red Raiders prevailed by 15 points, setting up a big revenge situation in the rematch. 10* (722) Richmond Spiders

On paper, Auburn looks to be the dominant team in this matchup based on the fact it comes from the SEC while Coastal Carolina is playing its first season in the Sun Belt Conference. This is not the case however as the Tigers are coming off a brutal loss against Boston College at MSG on Monday and will be shorthanded tonight. Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl has suspended sophomores Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer who were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession. Both were starters which averaged over 20 minutes per game and while their scoring averages are nothing great, it is the other things that will be missed. Brown is the best defender for the Tigers while Spencer is considered the best rebounder on the team. The Chanticleers, who currently rank 11th in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounds (43.8) will present challenges similar to what the Tigers have already faced this year. Coastal Carolina is 5-6 overall and while it is 0-3 on the road, it has performed better of late with two straight covers as a double-digit underdog. The Tigers will have only six players available tonight that are averaging more than 10 minutes per game which is far from ideal. Coastal Carolina falls into a solid situation where we play on road teams in a game involving two up-tempo teams averaging 60 or more shots per game after two straight games allowing 37 percent shooting or less. This situation is 75-39 ATS (65.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (719) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

The St. Louis basketball program has slipped tremendously over the last couple years as it has gone from 27 wins in 2014 to just 11 wins in each of the last two seasons. It is expected to be another rough year and a 3-6 start to the season is looking like that will happen again. to the Billikens credit, they have lost to some very good teams but they have not been competitive for the most part as three losses have come by 30, 31 and 30 points. The problem now is the system as it does not fit with the players. Travis Ford is in his first season at St. Louis and he preached playing up-tempo but St. Louis has topped 60 points only once in its last five games and is shooting 38.2 percent on the season. A 45-43 win over 3-6 Chicago St. in its last game is nothing to get excited about. Southern Illinois should be pretty focused tonight following a pair of losses over the last week against Louisville and Sam Houston St. The Salukis are 5-5 but they are better than the record shows and this is the first lined game of the season against a team with a losing record. The Salukis are 24-9-1 ATS in their last 34 games as a favorite of 7.0-12.5 points while St. Louis is 9-22 ATS in its last 31 road games after playing a game as a road underdog while going 4-13 ATS in its last 17 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (528) Southern Illinois Salukis

This line jumps out as being a short price for Memphis and the public agrees as the Tigers are the biggest basketball consensus of the night. Well, it is short for a reason. Memphis is 7-2 to open the season including a 6-0 record at home and while it has a pair of decent wins over Iowa and UAB, this is the biggest home test of the season. While it is not a complete rebuilding project for Tubby Smith, who is in his first season with the Tigers, this could be a tough transitional period. Memphis has a dynamic player in Dedric Lawson who leads the team in scoring at 20.7 ppg, but there is not much after him. They have only seven players that are averaging double-digits in minutes played. Monmouth got snubbed last season for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and the mission this season is to not let that happen again. The Hawks won the MAAC regular season championship and had numerous quality non-conference wins but their 28-8 record was not good enough. They opened the season with losses against South Carolina and Syracuse but have won eight straight games since then and this is a big game because while quality wins are big for the future, avoiding non-quality losses are just as important. Monmouth has nine players averaging at least 10 minutes per game so this is a very deep and talented team. The Hawks are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games as a road underdog or pick while Memphis is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games coming off a home win over the last 2 seasons. 10* (721) Monmouth Hawks

South Carolina is off to an 8-0 start and is currently ranked No 19 in latest AP Poll and this is looking a lot like last season. The Gamecocks started last season 15-0 including a 13-0 sweep in non-conference action but they really did not play anyone too strong and it showed once the SEC season started as they struggled to stay consistence. They have a pair of solid wins this season over Michigan and Syracuse but here comes the toughest test to date in my opinion. They will have to do it without leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell who has been suspended. Seton Hall is 7-2 following a 25-9 record last season that included a Big East Tournament Championship. The Pirates are coming off a tournament win in Hawaii and while this is not a true home game, it will feel like it being so close to their campus in New Jersey. They have a quality win at Iowa and while a loss to Stanford was bad, a five-point loss to Florida in the same tournament was not a bad one. Seton Hall has had to replace Isaiah Whitehead but four other starters returned as well as some strong incoming talent including four-start recruit Myles Powell, one of four players averaging double-digit scoring. Seton Hall is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games after allowing 60 points or less and have a good matchup here to go along with a good line on top of it. 10* (520) Seton Hall Pirates

Nevada is off to a solid 7-2 start and following a loss to Iona in the finals of the Great Alaska Shootout, the Wolf Pack have responded with a pair of double-digit wins over Bradley and Pacific. They have taken care of business at home in a big way with four blowout wins but hitting the road for a second straight game could be an issue considering they are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as a road underdog. They are without Elijah Foster however, who is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding as he has been suspended for the last five games and remains out. Washington returns to Seattle for its first home game since November 22 and this is the perfect time. The Huskies have lost three straight games and none have been close as they dropped back-to-back games against TCU by 13 and 15 points and most recent, lost at Gonzaga by 27 points. Those losses should put a spark into Washington as it looks to get back over .500 on the season prior to its week off for finals. The Huskies are 6-0 ATS in their last six games as a home favorite of less than seven points and will pull away in this one. 10* (730) Washington Huskies

BYU opened the season 4-0 before hitting a speedbump toward the end of November. The Cougars lost against a very strong Valparaiso team in Las Vegas and then followed that up with a head scratcher. BYU had a bad home loss against Utah Valley where the Wolverines nailed 18 three-pointers so some bad luck can be put into that defeat. The Cougars are coming off a much needed win over Weber St. on Wednesday to gain some momentum heading into this game. They lost by nine points in Colorado last season so they will be out for some payback tonight before taking a week off. Colorado is coming off an upset win over Xavier on Wednesday and now hits the road for just the second time this season. The Buffaloes defeated Portland in their first road game but that is quality win and they now face a huge test. They own one of the best home court advantages in the nation but they have been a very average road team and going back, they are 8-19 ATS in their last 27 road games as underdogs between 3.5 and 6 points. Meanwhile, BYU is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games coming off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. 10* (584) BYU Cougars

Obviously, we are big fans of playing on elite teams coming off losses and San Diego St. fits the bill on Saturday. The Aztecs opened the season 4-1 with the lone loss coming at Gonzaga but has since dropped their last two games, a loss at Loyola-Chicago and a loss at Grand Canyon. Those are two horrific losses and after missing the NCAA Tournament last season, they can ill afford another bad loss which would be the case here. San Diego St. was 28-10 including 16-2 in the MWC last season which shows there is little room for error as it was the first time in six years that the regular season champion failed to make the Big Dance. Arizona St. finished 5-13 in the Pac 12 last season and projections are again saying that the Sun Devils will finish near the bottom of the conference once again. They are off to a 5-4 start which does not seem that bad however, there is not a significant win on the slate so far. Additionally, three losses have come by 19, 46 and 34 points and those were on neutral floors. This is the first true road game of the season for Arizona St. and that is not good for a team that has gone 6-19 on the highway the last two years. The Sun Devils are 0-6 ATS in their last six road games after a loss by 15 or more points. 10* (568) San Diego St. Aztecs

Ohio St. is likely not a Big Ten contender this season as some sources say and coming off a home loss to Florida Atlantic in its last game will cement that. However, this is a team that cannot be counted out and this is an ideal situation to back the Buckeyes. They are coming off a 21-14 season where they made it to the NIT but they are one of the most experienced teams in the nation which makes that loss against the Owls even more surprising. They have their top six scorers back from last season with five of those being upperclassmen. There may have been a lookahead to this game from Tuesday as Ohio St. is out to revenge a 20-point loss to the Huskies from last season. Connecticut was ranked No .18 in the Preseason AP Poll but an opening loss to Wagner followed by a loss against Northeastern knocked it out pretty quickly. The only win in the Maui Invitational came against Chaminade and while the Huskies are coming off a win over Syracuse, it was ugly as they shot just 31 percent from the floor and 56.5 percent from the stripe. The Huskies are now entering a bad spot with finals week coming up as well. Ohio St. is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 home games following a loss. 10* (564) Ohio St. Buckeyes

We played on this Xavier team Wednesday as it was coming off a blowout loss in Baylor but the Musketeers failed to bounce back as they lost at Colorado by a bucket. Now, coming off two straight losses and heading back home, this is a statement game for them as they cannot afford a loss to anon-quality opponent and a blowout win is needed. Utah may not be considered non-quality to some but the Utes can be placed in that category this season. The Utes lost a ton of talent and have had to basically rebuild their roster which puts them in a tough spot here. They are off to a 6-1 start but their biggest win was against either UC-Riverside or Montana St. and if that is a question, it shows how soft of a slate it has been. Out of 350 Division I teams, Utah has played a schedule ranked No. 344 and has yet to leave its own gym on top of it. Do not let the big number be a scare here as this one has the potential to get out of control quickly. Xavier is 16-3 ATS in its last 19 home games against teams outrebounding opponents by seven or more rpg and we already know that that Utah number is skewed. 10* (560) Xavier Musketeers

Middle Tennessee St. made a name for itself last season when it upset Michigan St. in the NCAA Tournament and it will make another run this season. The Blue Raiders are riding a six-game winning streak and are led by Arkansas transfer JaCorey Williams who leads the team with 19.7 ppg, one of three players averaging at least 14 ppg. At 8-1, the Blue Raiders have risen to sixth in the NCAA RPI ratings and have been one of the best home teams in the country in recent years, holding a 70-12 record in the Murphy Center since 2011-12. Vanderbilt bounced back from a loss against Minnesota with a 27-point win over High Point to improve to 5-4 on the season. It has definitely been an uneven start for the Commodores under first year head coach Bryce Drew which were picked to finish middle of the pack in the SEC. The team that was picked ahead of Vanderbilt, Mississippi, fell to Middle Tennessee St. last month on its home floor so a middle of the road SEC team is no issue for the Blue Raiders. The Commodores are 0-5 ATS in their last five games as an underdog while the Blue Raiders are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as a home favorite of less than seven points. 10* (518) Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders

Long Beach St. opened the season with a win over CS-Los Angeles and has now gone on to lose nine straight games. While that may seem to be an issue in backing the 49ers, the fact of the matter is that all of those games were away from The Pyramid and includes games against Wichita St., North Carolina, Louisville, UCLA and Kansas. They have been off for three days which is significant after traveling over 15,000 miles over the last three weeks. Pepperdine has been struggling as well as it has dropped three straight games following a 4-1 start to the season. The Wave have defeated no one of significance however so its 4-4 record is worse than it looks. This is the first true road game of the season for Pepperdine as well and it will take to the road for the first time without Stacy Davis and Jett Raines, who combined for 2,786 career points. Long Beach St. has underachieved of late but is picked to win the Big West Conference and with a game at Texas on deck, it needs this one in a big way and a blowout will only help matters. 10* (760) Long Beach St. 49ers

Playing on elite teams coming off big losses are always a great angle and it fits here for Xavier. The Mustangs moved to as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll but then traveled to Baylor and were annihilated by 15 points despite leading by three at the half. They shot a mere 23 percent in the second half and were on the wrong end of a 19-2 run. Xavier is expected to give Villanova a run once again with four of its top six scorers back and this is a hungry team after an earlier than expected ending to last season in the NCAA Tournament. A big road win will help and Colorado can fit the bill. The Buffaloes are expected to be solid once again but the start this season has been average despite what looks like a solid 6-2 record. They have not beaten anyone, and that includes Texas, while they lost at home against Colorado St. which is a middle of the road team in the MWC. Playing in the Coors Events Center is never easy but Xavier has what it takes to win away from home (13 last season) and we are getting a good line on top of it. 10* (747) Xavier Musketeers

SMU started the season 3-0 including an impressive win over Pittsburgh prior to getting hammered against Michigan the next day at MSG. The Mustangs have been up and down since then with a pair of losses against USC and Boise St., two solid teams, but they bring in a two-game winning streak into tonight. SMU missed the NCAA Tournament last season because of violations and then head coach Larry Brown resigned but this team is in great shape to make another run as Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye has been everything as advertised. We are catching a small line here because TCU is off to an 8-0 start behind first year head coach Jamie Dixon. A pair of wins over Washington and a win over UNLV look good on paper and in name but those programs are in down years. The win at UNLV was the lone true road game of the season and TCU won that game thanks to being given 18 more free throw attempts as it was outshot from the floor as well as from long range. 10* (740) SMU Mustangs

St. Bonaventure and Hofstra both come in riding four-game winning streaks and we are getting significant value with the home team. The Bonnies are coming off a sensational 22-9 season but were snubbed by the NCAA Tournament committee despite sharing the A-10 regular season championship and the disappointment showed in an opening round loss in the NIT. They only lost two starters but they were two big ones in Marcus Posley and Dion Wright which averaged a combined 36.3 ppg. Now St. Bonaventure hits the road for the first time this season and is listed as a surprising favorite. Hofstra has won three games away from home during this current winning streak and tonight marks only the second home game of the season. The Pride have a great inside-outside duo in center Rokas Gustys who is averaging 14.3 rpg, which is tops in the country, and freshman guard Eli Pemberton who leads the team in scoring at 15.3 ppg. Gustys is expected to contend for CAA Player of the Year while Pemberton will likely be top newcomer in the conference. Hofstra has a legitimate shot at this one outright but we will gladly grab the points. 10* (514) Hofstra Pride

Auburn is a middle of the pack team in the SEC that is off to a solid 5-1 start because the schedule has been pretty light. The only true test came against Purdue in the Cancun Challenge which resulted in a 25-point loss and now the Tigers travel to UAB for their first true road game of the season. They have been a horrible road team over the last few years as they have not won more than two road games since 2008-2009 and have gone 12-64 on the highway since then. UAB is off to an average 4-3 start but has played a difficult schedule thus far with tough games against Kansas, St. Marys and George Washington. The Blazers won their last game and while it was only against Alabama A&M, the 30-point win was needed for confidence sake. UAB will be out for revenge here as it lost in Auburn last season by a point, losing in the final second by an Auburn three-pointer. Look for the Blazers to pull away for the comfortable win. 10* (800) UAB Blazers

Rider is one of nine teams in the country that has yet to play a home game so tonight marks the first time the Broncs take the floor at Alumni Gymnasium. They are off to a 3-2 start which is pretty solid considering they started the season with five road games. Rider has five players averaging 9.8 ppg or more and it is the frontcourt that has been the strength, led by seniors Kahlil Thomas, Xavier Lundy and Norville Carey. They have won the battle of the boards in all five games this season. The Broncs have failed to cover both lined games this season which is giving them value in the short price at home. Fairfield is 4-1 including a 2-1 record on the road. The signature win was a victory at Wagner, which beat Connecticut earlier in the season but Rider also defeated Wagner on the road this past Saturday. This is the conference opener for both teams and with Rider coming off their first 20-loss season which included a 0-5 start in the MAAC, the Broncs will be highly motivated for a better start and the home opener takes care of that. 10* (726) Rider Broncs

This is the second meeting this season between Northern Illinois and Indiana St. and the latter will be out for some payback. Two free throws from Laytwan Porter with 4.3 seconds remaining helped lift the Huskies to an 80-78 overtime victory over Indiana St. in the season opener for both sides. Northern Illinois had a great season a year ago based on what was expected but was just 3-10 on the road and they are already 0-1 on the highway this season. Indiana St. comes into tonight with a 2-4 overall record, with its four setbacks coming by a total of 10 points. This past weekend at the Advocare Invitational in Orlando, Fla., the Sycamores fell to Iowa St. by two, Stanford by three and Quinnipiac by three. This is just their second home game and going back, the Sycamores have won 53 of their last 71 home games making this a very potent home court advantage. Additionally, Indiana St. is 34-14 ATS in its last 58 games as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. 10* (548) Indiana St. Sycamores

The rebuilding season in Mississippi continues and while its 5-1 record looks good, it does not have much to it. Four of the wins came against Tennessee-Martin, UMass, Oral Roberts and Montana by a combined 17 points, only one by more than seven points and that went to overtime. The Rebels are doing well on offense after having to replace reigning SEC leading scorer Stefan Moody but are struggling on defense. Middle Tennessee St. made a name for itself last season when it upset Michigan St. in the NCAA Tournament and it will make another run this season. The Blue Raiders are riding a four-game winning streak and are led by Arkansas transfer JaCorey Williams who leads the team with 21.6 ppg. While this is the first true road game for the Blue Raiders, they are getting a very healthy number here in a game they feasibly can win outright. The Rebels are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite while Middle Tennessee St. is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games against teams averaging 84 or more ppg. 10* (553) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Ohio is off to a 4-0 start including a win in its only game on the road. The Bobcats are picked to contend in the MAC once again following an 11-7 conference record last season, good for second in the MAC East. The one road win came at Georgia Tech which may look good on paper but the Yellow Jackets are in a down year. Marshall is 4-1 on the season and will look to rebound from a 41-point shellacking at Ohio St. five days ago. The Thundering Herd were a big surprise last season as they finished second in C-USA with a 13-5 record and are a potent bunch once again. They were the third highest scoring team in the nation and while they lost James Kelly, four starters are back including point guard Jon Elmore who leads the team in scoring at 20.2 ppg and the point guard position is huge in the Dan D'Antoni fast paced offense. Marshall will look to snap a four-game losing streak in this heated rivalry with this being meeting No. 102. 10* (538) Marshall Thundering Herd

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge started last night and continues through Wednesday. Georgia Tech is off to a 4-1 start with the four wins coming against no one impressive. The Yellow Jackets lone loss came against Ohio at home and tonight is the first road game of the season for them. Georgia Tech returns seven lettermen from the 21-15 team, but it lost its top four scorers and lost upwards of 85 percent of its production from a lot of the major statistical categories. Expectations are very low and Georgia Tech has been picked to finish last, or near last, in the ACC. Penn St. is a young team as well with no seniors but it still brings back three starters and brought in one of the best recruiting classes in program history. Two of the top three scorers for the Nittany Lions are freshmen and overall they have four players averaging double-digits. Overall, they are 4-3 and after a loss in their season opener, the other two losses have come against No. 4 Duke and No. 21 Cincinnati. It is rare to see Penn St. a decent-sized favorite but it has had success in the past going 15-5 ATS in its last 20 games as a favorite between 6.5 and 9 points. 10* (724) Penn St. Nittany Lions

This is a classic case of experience versus inexperience with the latter taking a trip to a very tough environment. Central Michigan is off to a 4-2 start but do not let that record fool you any as two of those win came against non-Division I teams. The Chippewas are coming off a decent 17-16 season a year ago but they do not have much back as they have only six scholarship players returning. Guard Marcus Keene leads the team in scoring at 29.3 ppg which is also tops in the nation but after that, there is not much. Green Bay is 3-2 and will be playing just its second home game of the season. Since 2011-12, the Resch Center has been one of the toughest places for the opposition as the Phoenix are 63-13 here. They bring back seven seniors from the team that went 23-13last season and will be making another run at the Horizon League title. Here, we play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are averaging 76 or more ppg going up against teams allowing between 74 and 76 ppg, after scoring 95 points or more. This situation is 48-17 ATS (73.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (528) Green Bay Phoenix

Illinois coming off a nightmare season where it posted its worst record since 1999 as injuries took its toll before and throughout the season. Now healthy, the Illini can put a bounce back season together and get back to the NCAA Tournament after missing it for three straight years. The return of point guard Tracy Abrams is pivotal after he missed the last two years with injuries and he is one of six players scoring in double-figures, led by Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Malcolm Hill with 20.6 ppg. Illinois is 4-1 and coming off a loss to an extremely solid Winthrop team in overtime. West Virginia is off to a 3-0 start but it is hard to say how this team is overall based on the fact none of their games had lines showing the easiness of the slate. The Mountaineers are expected to give Kansas a run in the Big 12 and are currently ranked No. 19 in the nation but inexperience down low is an issue and will be early on in the season so Illinois will not be at a disadvantage here like it could be against other teams that are big. Illinois is 8-0 ATS in its last eight games after scoring 75 points or more two straight games while the Mountaineers are just 1-4 ATS in their last five non-conference games. 10* (513) Illinois Fighting Illini

After winning 28 and 30 games the last two season, Valparaiso is expected to flirt with those numbers once again as it brings back the majority of its team from last season. The Crusaders will have the best player on the floor with Alec Peters who is already averaging 25.4 ppg and 8.8 rpg through five games. They took care of Alabama in the first round of the MGM Grand Main Event and are now catching a very favorable number against BYU. The Cougars rolled over St. Louis in the first round game to improve to 4-0 but this will easily be the biggest test of the young season. They lost two key players from last season, Big West Conference Player of the Year Kyle Collinsworth and leading scorer Chase Fisher and while still very talented, it is hard to gauge how good this team actually is. These teams met last season in the NIT Semifinals at MSG and Valparaiso won by a bucket. On that neutral floor, the Crusaders were favored by 2.5 points and now we are seeing a double-digit line shift despite both teams being relatively equal to the teams from last season. 10* (790) Valparaiso Crusaders

Yale had an epic season a year ago as it won the Ivy League with a 13-1 record and then defeated Baylor in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Duke in the second round. The Bulldogs will be hard-pressed to come close to matching the effort from last season as they lost two-time Ivy League Player of the Year Justin Sears and forward Brandon Sherrod who averaged 12.7 ppg. Yale had been counting on Makai Mason, the leading scorer from last year, to lead the team but he is lost for the season with a foot injury while top incoming freshman Jordan Bruner is out until early December. Pittsburgh is coming off a solid win over Marquette at MSG on Friday to move to 3-1 on the season. The Panthers have a new head coach as Jamie Dixon left for TCU and Kevin Stallings from Vanderbilt steps in. Pittsburgh is a middle of the pack team in the rugged ACC but this is a very solid group that has six of its top seven scorers back from last season as they only lost James Robinson and his 10.2 ppg. Yale wax hammered in Virginia by 24 points and while Pittsburgh is not as good as the Cavaliers, they will be able to pull away for a blowout here. 10* (516) Pittsburgh Panthers

Clemson broke in the newly renovated Littlejohn Coliseum with a convincing win over Georgia and has held its own so far in Puerto Rico. The Tigers defeated a very good Davidson team before losing to No. 11 Xavier on Friday by just six points. Clemson had a surprisingly good season last year despite playing its home games a half-hour away from campus as it finished 17-14 overall including 10-8 in the ACC. The Tigers are pretty loaded this season as they return three starters including First Team All-ACC forward Jaron Blossomgame and they have six players averaging double-figures in scoring. Oklahoma suffered its first loss of the season in overtime against Northern Iowa and after a magical run last season, it is rebuilding time in Norman. The loss of Buddy Hield cannot be overstated but the Sooners also lost two other seniors that averaged double-digits in scoring so a ton needs to be replaced. In a down year in the Big 12, Oklahoma is still picked to finish only sixth. Even as good as they were, the Sooners are just 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (533) Clemson Tigers

The Rams are off to a 3-0 start this season and while those victories have come against some weak opposition, this is a very strong team. They are currently ranked No. 21 in the nation following a 17-15 season that was not as good as expected. A big reason for that was Rhode Island lost E.C. Matthews early in the year and then other injuries took place throughout the season. The Rams have nearly everyone back and have four players averaging double-digits in scoring led by Matthews and his 20 ppg. While this is not a home game, the Rams will have plenty of fans here in Connecticut. Cincinnati has rolled in its first two games against lesser opposition and faces a big test here. The Rams defeated Brown by just seven points in the last game and that will be big motivator here. After the Brown game, head coach Dan Hurley, clearly not pleased, left all of his players in the locker room instead of bringing two with him when he met the media. He called the defensive play of his guards "pathetic." That will certainly fire up the players for this contest and a chance to play Duke on Sunday. 10* (740) Rhode Island Rams

Georgia Tech is off to a 2-0 start with a pair of wins over Tennessee Tech and Southern but do not let those fool you. This is not a good team. Georgia Tech returns seven lettermen from the 21-15 team, but it lost its top four scorers and lost upwards of 85 percent of its production from a lot of the major statistical categories. Expectations are very low and Georgia Tech has been picked to finish last, or near last, in the ACC. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets will be without senior point guard Josh Heath. He is suspended for the first four games of the regular season and can return Nov. 26 against Tulane. Ohio is also 2-0 as it also defeated Southern while beating a very solid Sam Houston St. team by 21 points. The Bobcats are coming off a 23-12 season and are expected to have an even better season this year. They have the reigning MAC Player of the Year in Antonio Campbell as well as a great point guard in Jaaron Simmons as well as two other returning starters. This team is loaded and the line shift in this game is warranted. 10* (529) Ohio Bobcats

This is a huge game for Connecticut. The Huskies are off to a 0-2 start after suffering embarrassing home losses against Wagner and Northeastern and the season could get out of control very shortly. Following the game tonight, Connecticut heads to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational where it faces Oklahoma St. in the first round. The remaining teams include North Carolina, Oregon, Georgetown, Tennessee and Wisconsin so it will be a true test and going in there 0-3 could very well mean coming out 1-5 at best. The Huskies need to build confidence heading into next week. Loyola Marymount is a program on the rise but it is not on the same level as Connecticut despite the poor start for the Huskies. The Lions are 1-1, winning a glorified exhibition against Vanguard and then getting thumped at Nevada by 15 points. Hosting Connecticut is a big deal so the Lions will no doubt be fired up for this one but they are catching the Huskies at the wrong time. A fast start is important for Connecticut as it has led only for five minutes and five seconds this season and twice trailed by double digits in the first half. Going back, Loyola-Marymount is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 home games after one or more consecutive losses. 10* (735) Connecticut Huskies

UC Santa Barbara lost its season opener by 14 points to Omaha which may seem like a horrible loss but in reality, the Mavericks are a solid team out of the Summit League and following that win, they played USC and Kansas St. very tough in a pair of losses. Back to the Gauchos which are expected to contend in the Big West this season and will be in full bounce back mode tonight. They have three starters back led by a strong backcourt and the addition of Jalen Canty will help the undersized roster right away. The Gauchos will struggle against big teams but San Francisco poses no threat down low. The Dons are coming off an unimpressive win at home against Illinois-Chicago by just a bucket and this team is in for a long season. They lost two starters to graduation and when head coach Rex Walters was fired, they lost two more starters who opted to transfer out. Now they hit the road for the first time and in a very bad spot. The Gauchos fall into a solid situation as we play on favorites with two more starters returning from last year than opponent, in the first five games of the season. This situation is 153-96 ATS (61.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (534) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

On paper based on last year, the fact that Georgetown is favored here may be shocking and that is a significant reason that Maryland is a huge public consensus tonight. The Hoyas were one of the most disappointing teams in the country last season as they lost some games to teams they never should be losing to enroute to a 15-18 season, the first losing record ever under head coach John Thompson III. Georgetown will bounce back this season and the first game was a good start as it rolled over USC Upstate. While that may seem unimpressive, remember Georgetown lost its first game last season against Radford. Graduate transfer Rodney Prior led the Hoyas with 32 points and he is a big piece of the resurgence after leading Robert Morris in scoring and rebounding last season. The Hoyas also have four starts back. That is the complete opposite of Maryland which lost four starters and while the lone returnee is a great one in Melo Trimble, it is going to take some time for this team to come together. That was proven in the Terrapins opener, a narrow six-point win over American (The Eagles lost by 23 at Texas A&M last night). Look for a signature Hoyas win tonight. 10* (716) Georgetown Hoyas

Auburn closed last season with a four-game losing streak which closed a bad second half of the season where the Tigers went just 2-11 over their last 13 games. A lot of this was due to the unexpected injury to their point guard and then a suspension to their leading scorer. There is a solid foundation in place and expectations are pretty high in Auburn thanks to blue chip recruit Mustapha Heron. This is the third year here for head coach Bruce Pearl and this is usually the pivotal one as every player on the team is his recruit. Georgia St. is a team in transition after losing some very key components from last season. The Panthers were solid on defense but were unable to score consistently and while that has been addressed heading into this season, it will take some time for this team to jell as the roster is young in some spots and transfer heavy in others. They are coming off a blowout win in their opener but that came against Thomas University, a team from the NAIA. The Panthers have failed to cover their last six games against the SEC. 10* (544) Auburn Tigers

Connecticut entered the season ranked No. 18 but dropped its opening game against Wagner on Friday which snapped a 27-0 home opening winning streak on campus. It was a horrible loss for the Huskies but it does give us an edge here as you can guarantee they will put up their best effort tonight in trying to bounce back. Expectations coming into the season were very high, even higher than the preseason ranking based on some solid returning talent as well as one of the top freshman classes in the country. Northeastern is coming off a win in its season opener against Boston University but it was not overly impressive but at least it was a win, something that Connecticut cannot say. The Huskies are coming off an average season, one that was supposed to be much better as they had two of the best players in the conference in Quincy Ford and David Walker but they have now departed to this is a team in transition mode. Northeastern heads to Connecticut at the wrong time which results in a blowout loss tonight. 10* (520) Connecticut Huskies

Wichita St. has been a mid-major power for years and while the Shockers are picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference once again, some of that has to do with the rest of the conference team being down rather. The Shockers lost Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet to graduation and the NBA and those are two tough losses top make up. Overall, three starters have to be replaced and no returning players scored in double-figures last season so there is plenty of work to be done. The Shockers defeated South Carolina St. by 46 points so that victory is inflating this line. Long Beach St. is the pick to win the Big West Conference and it is also coming off a big Friday win by 36 points over CS-Los Angeles. The 49ers have a veteran backcourt, always important in games like this in a very tough environment, and one key ingredient is Evan Payne who transferred in from Loyola-Marymount. He led the team with 15 points on Friday in just 21 minutes after averaging 18 ppg with the Lions two years ago. This has the makings of an early season classic battle and we will gladly grab the double-digits. 10* (727) Long Beach St. 49ers

Georgia Tech enters the season with a new coach and plenty of questions. Josh Pastner takes over the program after Brian Gregory was fired and he inherits a team without much firepower. Georgia Tech returns seven lettermen from the 21-15 team, but it lost its top four scorers and lost upwards of 85 percent of its production from a lot of the major statistical categories. Expectations are very low and Georgia Tech has been picked to finish last, or near last, in the ACC. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets will be without senior point guard Josh Heath. He is suspended for the first four games of the regular season and can return Nov. 26 against Tulane. Tennessee Tech lost its top two scorers but this could very be the deepest team head coach Steve Payne has had in his five years with the Golden Eagles. They reached their first postseason since the 2012 CIT and this season, Tennessee Tech is picked to finish second in its division of the Ohio Valley Conference. It is loaded with JUCO talent coming along with impact players coming back led by preseason all-OVC Serbian combo guard Aleksa Jugovic. After watching Georgia Tech struggle with Shorter in its lone exhibition game, this one is certainly no gimmie. 10* (811) Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

Evansville posted a 25-9 record last season, the best record for the program in 27 years, but a heartbreaking loss in the MVC Tournament against Northern Iowa ended its season earlier than expected. The Purple Aces were passed over by the NCAA Tournament and the NIT and decided not to play in any other postseason tournament. Now the rebuilding process begins. They lost guard D.J. Balentine who led the conference in scoring three straight seasons and center Egidijus Mockevicuis who led the conference in rebounding three straight seasons. Also gone are three-year starter Adam Wing, MVC Sixth Man of the Year Mislav Brzoja and projected starter Blake Simmons who is out for the season after a summer injury. Louisville had a potential Elite Eight team last season before the university's administration sacrificed the season because of the Andre McGee allegations. This team is a potential top ten team once again and they will be out for blood early on. Louisville is built to run, create turnovers and score and Evansville does not have the bodies to keep up here. 10* (718) Louisville Cardinals

Louisiana Tech went 23-10 last season and finished in a tie for third in Conference-USA and the Bulldogs will once again contend for the conference title. They lost three starters from last season but they are still experienced and very deep so they will be able to run and defend without a problem. The Bulldogs recently scrimmaged a Power Five team, according to head coach Eric Konkol, who said he was pleased with the performance. Freshman guards Jalen Harris and DaQuan Bracey, who are expected to see significant playing time, will be key in replacing Alex Hamilton, the 2015-16 C-USA Player of the Year. South Carolina tied a school record for wins last season with 25 but failed to make the NCAA Tournament and made an early exit in the NIT. The Gamecocks have a solid backcourt but they lost their entire frontcourt and enter the season with seven new scholarship players including five freshmen so it will take a while for this team to get going. Overall, South Carolina only has ten scholarship players and they lost 36.9 points of their scoring production in the offseason to graduation and transfer. 10* (733) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

If you though Saturday night was boring, well it was as the 61-point scoring differential was the largest combined margin of victory in Final Four history. Both teams have been playing at a high level the entire tournament as the North Carolina non-cover against Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round is the only game the two teams have not covered. For the first time since 2008, the No. 1 team in Ken Pomeroy's ratings will play the No. 2 team in Ken Pomeroy's ratings for the national title and that is significant since it shows how close these two teams are which gives the underdog the value. The Wildcats may be the better team anyway based on what they have done and what they are doing now. They are 48-for-98 (48.9 percent) from long range in the tournament which would make them the best three-point shooting team in the country albeit from a slam sample size. Villanova is already No. 2 in the nation in two-point field goal percentage (57.3 percent) and free throw percentage (78.2 percent) so all around, they are the team to beat in my opinion. Even more impressive, Villanova has had a much tougher road to get here as it has faced the highest possible seed in every round with the exception of the last round and Oklahoma was no slouch. North Carolina has not faced the seed it should be facing as each game going forward came against a higher than expected seed. While both teams are rolling and covering, the Wildcats are 40-18-1 ATS in their last 59 games against teams with a winning straight up record which is an impressive run going back. 10* (601) Villanova Wildcats

Syracuse is certainly the surprise to be here in the Final Four and not many will be giving the Orange a shot in this one and the line is definitely saying that. North Carolina took both regular season meetings and that will be a big factor in the backing of the Tar Heels but beating the same team three times in the same season is not easy and looking at those first two meetings may not tell the whole story. The Orange led the first game by six points with 8:30 remaining before North Carolina unleashed on a huge run as it was able to create easy baskets and in the second meeting, the Orange had the ball down by three points in the final 10 seconds, but Michael Gbinije missed a layup. If there is one thing Syracuse proved effective at in its two regular season losses to North Carolina is that it was able to contain Marcus Paige. In the first meeting, he scored three points on 1-of-8 shooting and in the second meeting, Paige was 2-of-10 from the floor with six points. Overall, he was just 3-13 from long range and while some can be blamed on just cold shooting, the zone defense had a lot to do with that. The Syracuse defense has been the main reason it is in this position as it has allowed 55.8 ppg on 36.4 percent shooting and while keeping the Tar Heels to those averages likely will not happen, keeping them well below their own averages should keep them within the number. 10* (813) Syracuse Orange