Sports Picks & Predictions

While there is no need for motivation this time of year, you can imagine that Villanova might have a little extra spark which could get them out early. Way back in early December, the Sooners defeated the Wildcats by 23 points in Hawaii as they were atrocious from behind the arc, shooting just 4-32 (12.5 percent) and surely Villanova has not forgotten that matchup. Plus, there are plenty of differences since then anyhow. The Wildcats have become deadly efficient in the tournament, shooting over 46 percent from long range through four games and over 55 percent from the field. For comparison, the Sooners are shooting 44 percent from behind the arc, but a much less 48.5 percent from the field. Oklahoma has the best player on the court in Buddy Hield and while he has plenty of parts around him, Villanova arguably has the most talent top to bottom which makes the Wildcats a tough out because of their balance. There have been a ton of upsets in the NCAA Tournament but Villanova has not been fortunate to face one of those as it has faced the highest possible seed in every round from No. 15 to No. 7 to No. 3 to No. 1. The defense has led the way as they have not allowed more than 70 points in any postseason game and the defense has led the way most of the season. Going back, the Wildcats are 39-18-1 ATS in their last 58 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Sooners are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (811) Villanova Wildcats

The championship of the CBI Tournament has gone to a final game in the best of three series as Morehead St. and Nevada each won on their home floor in the first two games. The Wolf Pack have the advantage of playing the decisive game on their home floor and following a nine-point win here on Wednesday, they are again favored by the same amount. With this being the third game in five days between the two teams, I expect a very close game on Friday because of the familiarity. Nevada has covered every game thus far in the tournament and that is a huge reason the public is again all over the Wolf Pack but we are going contrarian in this one. This should be an ugly final game which favors the underdog with points being a premium. This is because Nevada ranks fourth in the nation, allowing just 99.5 points per 100 possessions, while Morehead State ranks sixth with 102.4 points per 100 possessions. With a championship on the line, expect both teams to play it a little more vanilla and while Nevada has been dominant on its home floor, the Eagles can no doubt win this game outright. Going back, the Eagles are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (521) Morehead St. Eagles

George Washington and Valparaiso square off for the NIT Championship on Thursday and the game has the potential to come down to the final possession as both have been playing at a high level. There is much better value in the total here with a lot of based on the number itself and also with the situation. Both semifinal games stayed under the total as both teams were playing at MSG for the first time and playing in a new arena can have effects on the offensive side but now both with a game under their belt here, the sightlines should be significantly better. Both teams shot an identical 42.6 percent from the floor on Tuesday and I expect both to be much better tonight. George Washington and San Diego St. had a closing total of 132.5 which stayed well below the total and while this number is slightly higher, it should be much higher. The total on Tuesday was based on the San Diego St. defense, one of the best in the country and while the Crusaders possess a good defense, it does not compare to that of the Aztecs. Valparaiso stayed under by seven points and this total is 16 points lower than its total against BYU and that is a huge and overaggressive swing. This is the lowest total the Crusaders have seen in 10 games and they have gone 6-3 to the over in nine games since. Going back, the over is 4-1 in the Colonials last five games following a straight up win while the over is 4-1 in the Crusaders last five games following an ATS loss. 10* Over (713) George Washington Colonials/(714) Valparaiso Crusaders

The Pac 12 has gotten a bad rap in the NCAA Tournament thus far and justifiably so as five teams lost in the first round and Utah was sent packing in the second round. Oregon though has been the exception and has been living up to its No. 1 seed following a 14-point romp over Duke on Thursday. The Ducks won the Pac 12 with a 14-4 record, then won the Pac 12 Tournament, including an 88-57 rout of Utah in the title game. Oklahoma is the more popular team simply because people have seen them more and because it has one of the best players in the country in Buddy Hield. We won with the Sooners Thursday against Texas A&M but the challenge will be a lot more difficult here. The Ducks were not great against the three-ball in conference play, but through three games in the tournament, Oregon hasn't let an opponent shoot better than 31 percent from long range. While Oregon is not familiar to many, the Ducks played the nation's second-toughest schedule, according to ESPN, and led the nation with 22 wins against teams in the top 100 of the ESPN RPI index. The Ducks are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Sooners are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (524) Oregon Ducks

Notre Dame took care of Michigan in the first round on Friday and then escaped Stephen F. Austin on Sunday thanks to a late comeback and the game winning shot with under two seconds remaining. The Irish made the run last year into the Elite Eight and narrowly lost to Kentucky by a bucket and while this team is not considered as strong, they have an excellent matchup here to get back to the Elite Eight for a second straight season. Head coach Mike Brey has a lot to do with the success of these overachievers as it is no accident they are one of the most efficient teams in the country year in and year out. Wisconsin is coming off a very impressive win over Xavier to advance to the Sweet 16 but it was a game that could go either way. The Badgers won it on a 22-foot shot as time expired which capped a nine-point comeback with 6:19 remaining. Prior to that, they won an ugly game against Pittsburgh and that game shows the value here as Notre Dame is favored by the same amount the Panthers were and the Irish are ranked 19 spots higher in the RPI. Wisconsin is shooting just 42.6 percent on the season including 39 percent their last five games so the Irish have a huge edge in that department. Wisconsin will hang around for a while but the Irish will be able to comfortably pull away and head back to another Elite Eight. 10* (872) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The ACC has been the talk of the tournament as the conference placed six teams into the Sweet 16 and Virginia is near the top of the list. The Cavaliers are the top seed in the Midwest Region and caught pretty big breaks with Michigan St. and Utah, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds respectively, losing last week. They do match up on Friday with the team they were supposed to face and they have some pretty significant advantages. Virginia is one of the most complete teams in the country on both ends of the floor and they simply wear the opposition down. Iowa St. is solid but it did not close the season very well and caught a huge break when Purdie blew a huge lead against Arkansas-Little Rock and lost giving the Cyclones an easy second round matchup. The Cyclones are ranked No. 23 in the RPI and No. 16 in the Pomeroy rankings, but they are only 2-8 against the RPI top 25 and 3-8 against the top 27 teams in the Pomeroy rankings. They are not a good rebounding team as they are ranked No. 121 in adjusted defensive rebounding and they do not force turnovers as they are ranked No. 161 in adjusted turnover rate. Virginia is much better in both categories and they are very important categories. The Cyclones are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win while the Cavaliers are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (874) Virginia Cavaliers

Maryland has been the more inconsistent of these two teams of late as it is just 5-5 over its last 10 games but three of those losses came by five points or less, another came at Indiana in its last home game of the season and the other was a home game against Wisconsin where they just did not show up. Maryland shot 1-for-18 on three-pointers which is an NCAA tournament record for futility by a winning team but still beat Hawaii 73-60 on Sunday on the strength of a defense-induced 19-2 run. Kansas has won 16 straight games which is a big reason that this is the biggest line of all the Sweet 16 games. The Jayhawks are the overall No. 1 seed for a reason but this is a tough matchup for them as they do not have edges up top or down low like they have had many times this season. The Terrapins are extremely talented and for much of the season, they dealt with the pressure of fulfilling high expectations. Now playing the role of underdog, that pressure is off and when they compete at a high level, they are one of the best teams in the country. That makes this number very appealing considering it is very strong when betting an underdog that has every chance to win outright. 10* (811) Maryland Terrapins

Texas A&M is very fortunate to even be here as it rallied from a 12-point deficit with 44 seconds remaining to force overtime and then won in double-overtime. The Aggies suffered through a four-game losing skid to open February but have won 10 of their last 11 games but only seven of those wins came against teams that are in the round of 64. That is not taking away for what they have done this season but playing in the weak SEC has had a lot to do with that. While that latest comeback is all the talk, getting down by 12 points against a much weaker team should be the bigger concern. The Sooners nearly blew a big lead against VCU but held on for a four-point victory to reach the Sweet 16 for a second straight season. While Oklahoma is all about Buddy Hield, the Sooners are more balanced than people may think. Hield, Ryan Spangler, Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard have started 102 consecutive games together. All four averaged double digit points this season and all have scored at least 1,000 career points. The fact that Oklahoma has failed to cover seven straight games is giving us a very good number. The Sooners have been overvalued on many occasions this season but this is not one of those. 10* (818) Oklahoma Sooners

Florida has been the surprise of the NIT thus far as the Gators came in as a No. 2 seed but were forced to hit the road because the O'Connell Center is undergoing renovations. They easily defeated North Florida last Tuesday and then travelled to Ohio St. on Sunday and defeated the Buckeyes by eight points. Now they have to hit the road again with their overall 6-8 record on the highway into a very tough environment for their sixth consecutive game away from home. George Washington easily defeated No. 1 seed Monmouth on Monday and because of the Florida situation, it will be back in Washington for its final home game of the season so the environment will be a big advantage. On the line Wednesday will be the 23-game home winning streak against non-conference competition. The Colonials were a perfect 8-0 at home in non-conference play this year, plus the First Round NIT win over Hofstra. The last loss came at the hands of Kansas St. on Dec. 8, 2012. Despite the win Sunday, the Gators are 9-24-2 ATS in their last 35 games following a straight up win while going 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against teams with a winning straight up record. George Washington has won 18 of 22 games as a favorite this season. 10* (776) George Washington Colonials

A pair of regular season conference champions square off tonight as St. Mary's heads to Valparaiso with the winner heading to New York for the NIT Semifinals. The Gaels struggled to put away New Mexico St. in their first round game as the disappointment of not getting into the NCAA Tournament may have been lingering. They bounced back with an easy win over Georgia and now hit the road where they have been very solid this season with a 7-3 record. Valparaiso has cruised to wins in both of its games but now faces one of its tougher tests of the season. The Crusaders have lost only once at home this season but this marks the best team to come and visit the Athletics-Recreation Center. St. Mary's finished the regular season with a 6-2 record against teams ranked among the top 100 in the NCAA RPI while Valparaiso went just 3-3 against similar teams. Going back, the Gaels are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games following an ATS win while going 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games against teams with a winning home record. Meanwhile the Crusaders are just 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up win while going 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (659) St. Mary's Gaels

San Diego St. easily defeated IPFW in the first round of the NIT after getting snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Often times, you see teams come out flat in the NIT after feeling the disappointment of getting left out of the big tournament but that is not the case for the Aztecs which are out to prove how good they are. A big win against a major-conference team would be more proof the Aztecs deserved a spot in the NCAA tournament. Should South Carolina win tonight, this would make it the final home game of the season for San Diego St .as it would have to travel to the higher seeded Gamecocks. The Huskies survived Long Beach St. at home as they won by five points after trailing by 10 points early in the second half. Washington has dropped five straight games on the road and overall it is 3-6 on the highway. Those three wins came against non-postseason teams by just 10 points combined and one of those came in overtime at Washington St. which finished 1-17 in the Pac 12. This will be the biggest test of the year for the Huskies offense, because the Aztecs play defense better than anyone in the Pac 12 and better than most in the nation as they lead the country in effective defensive field goal percentage and are second in adjusted defensive efficiency. 10* (624) San Diego St. Aztecs

Northern Iowa takes on its second consecutive team from Texas after an incredible victory on Friday against the Longhorns. Many will be against the Panthers here based on a letdown but this is a very solid team that is peaking at the right time. Northern Iowa was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita St. but a 1-6 slump in the early part of the conference season doomed that. The Panthers did not quit however as they went 12-1 over their final 13 games including a pair of wins over the Shockers and the lone defeat coming by just three points on the road. The Aggies ran away from Green Bay in their opener as they went over 90 points for the first time since early January. The challenge gets tougher here though as the Panthers are much better defensively than the Phoenix and they have allowed just 58 ppg on 38.7 percent shooting over their last five games. Additionally, Northern Iowa is shooting 75.4 percent from the charity stripe which is 17th in the country. 10* (719) Northern Iowa Panthers

Iowa survived a scare from Temple in the first round as the Hawkeyes needed overtime to advance. This line opened at 5 but it has risen as the public is not backing Iowa considering they have gone 1-8 ATS over their last nine games but they definitely present a challenge to Villanova because of the offense. Villanova took some time to take out UNC-Asheville but eventually pulled away for a 30-point win on Friday. The Wildcats are 25-1 this season when holding opponents under 70 points but Iowa averages 77.9 ppg and the Wildcats tournament struggles are pretty known as they are 0-6 in their last six tournament games against teams not seeded 15th or 16th. Beyond its three-point shooting prowess, Iowa prides itself on avoiding turnovers as the Hawkeyes are eight in the nation in offensive turnover percentage. Going back, the Wildcats are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win and on the season, Iowa is 3-0 ATS ion this price range as an underdog. 10* (713) Iowa Hawkeyes

North Carolina is one of two teams, with Kansas being the other, that has the most public backing to win the national championship and while the Tar Heels are a clear favorite, they should be in for a test here. They came out flat against Florida Gulf Coast but used an early second half run to pull away to survive the scare. North Carolina is just 5-5 this season against the top 50 from the ESPN Power Index and while Providence has only two wins against the same teams, it is an extremely dangerous team that is getting a huge number. The Friars are fortunate to be here for sure coming off a last second win over USC but when they play to their potential, they can beat anyone. The offense is led by Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil and the duo can create some problems for a Tar Heels defense that has struggled at times, case in point on Thursday when they allowed the Eagles to shoot 60 percent from the floor in the first half. 10* (525) Providence Friars

This is another example of the wrong team being favored because of the name. Gonzaga snuck into the NCAA Tournament because of the win in the WCC Tournament as it was a bubble team prior to that which its No. 11 seed attests to. The Bulldogs took care of Seton Hall in their first game which was a surprise based on how much they won by but when the Pirates best player goes 4-24 from the floor including 0-10 from long range, that will happen. Utah is one of just two of the seven Pac 12 teams left in the tournament and this line may have something to do with the perception of the conference being overrated. The Utes are extremely tough though and have one of the best players in the country in Jakob Poeltl who is a very difficult matchup down low. They won 19 games against the top 100 this season which is close to the most in the country while Gonzaga has just five against similar opposition. 10* (534) Utah Utes

It is not too common to see a No. 11 seed be favored in its first two games (not counting the play in game where it was also favored) of the NCAA Tournament but that is the case for Wichita St. The Shockers closed as a one-point favorite against Arizona and have opened as a bucket favorite against Miami and that seems to be an overadjusted line. This is a very solid team that was underseeded and Wichita St. looked every bit as a team that can make a long run into the tournament but it gets a much tougher matchup here. Miami had to shake off a pesky Buffalo team as it won by seven points it won by seven points as a 14-point favorite. The Hurricanes are a tough matchup for most teams and are the sleeping giants when they play to their potential. Line value plays a big role this time of year and clearly, the wrong team is getting the points. 10* (522) Miami Hurricanes

Northern Iowa was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita St. but a 1-6 surge in the early part of the conference season doomed that. The Panthers did not quit however as they went 12-1 over their final 13 games including a pair of wins over the Shockers and the lone defeat coming by just three points on the road. The Panthers used to be a powerhouse in this conference and after a couple of off years, they seem to be back and are peaking at the right time. Shaka Smart did a great job at Texas this season and he brings in a lot of tournament experience. The Longhorns struggled shooting the ball this season as they hit just 43.2 percent for the season including only 40.4 percent over their last five games. They are also very average at the free throw line while that is a place that Northern Iowa excels. Texas will have Cameron Ridley for this game after he saw two minutes of action against Baylor in the Big XII Tournament. His minutes will go up after he missed two months of action but how effective he will be is definitely a question. The Panthers are 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (831) Northern Iowa Panthers

There is obviously a big difference between the Big XII Conference and the Southland Conference as far as talent goes but when a team cruises through the regular season with an 18-0 record and wins its two tournament games by 58 points combined, that gap is narrowed. That was the case for Stephen F. Austin as it is now 59-1 over the last three seasons in the Southland Conference and is making its third straight NCAA Tournament experience. The Lumberjacks defeated VCU in the first round two years ago and lost by just seven points against Utah last season. They pressure the ball very well as they force 17.5 turnovers per game and have a very similar style to that of West Virginia. The Mountaineers are very similar in that they also force a lot of turnovers to create easy baskets but facing a team like their own is not a good matchup in the first round. This is very similar to that VCU game with both having similar styles and the Lumberjacks winning outright as six-point underdogs. Stephen F. Austin shoots the ball well, has a 1.50 assist/turnover ratio and has a big edge at the free throw line. 10* (821) Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Wisconsin made a huge run to get into the NCAA Tournament as it won 11 of 12 games following a 1-4 start in the Big Ten. The Badgers were pretty much left for dead after a rough overall start and the retiring of head coach Bo Ryan but they stayed on course with a huge turnaround. A one-point home victory over Michigan St. was the turning point and while there were some other solid wins, most of the victories over the surge were against the bottom teams in the Big Ten. A loss to Nebraska in their first Big Ten Tournament game put them in question even more. Pittsburgh did not finish the season nearly as strong and got its way into the NCAA Tournament thanks to a one-point win over Syracuse in the ACC Tournament and it was a bad shot by Orange away from playing in the NIT. But even though the Panthers will not go very far, they have a matchup edge that cannot be ignored. Pittsburgh's excellence in crashing the offensive glass is a huge advantage and it has dominated teams that have trouble on the boards and Wisconsin fits that profile. The Panthers remain one of the best in the country, collecting 37.4 percent of their own misses. Additionally, Pittsburgh has been a little more predictable and did not suffer as many bad losses as the Badgers did. 10* (835) Pittsburgh Panthers

Temple had an exceptional season as it won the outright AAC regular season title but did not make much noise in the conference tournament as it was ousted by eventual champion Connecticut. Still, the Owls are a dangerous team that are guard heavy and take great care of the ball as they are ranked second in the country in turnover rate. They are an average shooting team but that can be negated by the fact they get to take more shots because of the limited number of turnovers. They own seven wins against top 100 teams. Iowa was atop the Big Ten at one point with a 10-1 record but limped in with a 2-5 finish and then lost in its first tournament game against Illinois. The Hawkeyes are a very streaky shooting team and that is not good against a solid Temple defense that has held opponents to just 41.2 percent over its last five games and 41.7 percent on the season. This is by far the biggest spread of all of the 7/10 matchups and it does not have a lot of basis in it being that way. The Owls are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (819) Temple Owls

Oregon St. was a surprise to some to make the NCAA Tournament as it was right on the bubble but it is ranked No. 29 in the ESPN Power Index thanks to 12 wins against top 100 teams. The Beavers finished 9-9 in the Pac 12 during the regular season and after easily defeating Arizona St. in the tournament, they lost to California which was a very close game until the end. Those nine wins were the most since 1992-93 so it shows what a special season it was. A lot of this is due to senior Gary Payton Jr. who made first team All-Pac 12 and has won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards. VCU finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Ten but was unable to win the conference tournament as it fell to St. Joes by 13 points in the championship game. The Rams used to be known for their tenacious pressing defense which is not the same anymore. Many will argue that the Beavers are overseeded here as a No. 7 but that is right in line with that power index referenced earlier. That brings in the question of the pointspread where the Rams are the only No. 10 seed that is favored showing significant value for the Beavers. 10* (828) Oregon St. Beavers

This is the fourth and final matchup on Thursday coming from Raleigh with Providence and USC meeting for the first time since 1972. Both teams started the season red hot but cooled off once their respective conference seasons began but it is Providence that comes in as the hotter of the two teams. The Friars had won four straight games prior to being ousted in the Big East Tournament by Villanova by eight points in a game that was close until the final few minutes. Providence has point guard Kris Dunn, a probable NBA lottery pick, who averages 16.0 ppg and 6.4 apg and forward Ben Bentil, who averages 21.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg. The Trojans went just 3-7 over their last 10 games which included a loss to Utah in the Pac 12 Tournament. USC was awesome at home this season with a 16-2 record but it struggled on the highway, going just 5-10 in away and neutral court games. One key factor that the Friars possess if this is a close game is the fact they are the much better free throw shooting team and especially of late as they have a 75 percent to 64 percent edge over the last five games. Additionally, Providence is 8-3 ATS away from home against winning teams while USC is just 3-9 ATS in the same situation. 10* (727) Providence Friars

Fresno St. and Utah will face each other in the Midwest Region in the first night game from the Pepsi Center in Denver. The Bulldogs enter this game as one of the hottest teams in the country as they have won nine straight games including three games in three days to capture the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Even as hot as they are, they needed the title to get into the Big Dance and the win over the Aztecs was impressive. They held San Diego St. to only 42 percent shooting, they pulled out 11 steals, and senior guard and conference player of the year Marvelle Harris scored a team-high 18 points. Fresno St. ranks among the best in the nation in steals. Utah is a solid sleeper to make a Final Four run and the Utes had won nine straight games before getting blown out by Oregon in the Pac 12 championship. Utah does a lot of things right and it possesses one of the best big men in the country in Jakob Poeltl. The Utes committed 20 turnovers against Oregon in that championship game and that plays right into the hands of the Bulldogs and this line makes it even more inviting for the red hot Bulldogs. 10* (745) Fresno St. Bulldogs

Iona and Iowa St. meet in the first game from Denver on Thursday and I feel this one has upset potential. The Gaels are a perennial strong team from the MAAC and while they were not the best this season, they were close. They finished one game behind Monmouth but they defeated the Hawks in the MAAC Championship to grab the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Iona comes in riding an eight-game winning streak and while it comes from the much weaker conference, it has the game and the right matchup to stay within reach here. Iowa St. opened the season 9-0 but struggled after that by going just 12-11 after that including a pair of losses heading into the tournament. Granted, the Cyclones come out of the rugged Big XII Conference and they lost a lot of tight games but because of their pace, they will be in for a fight here. Iona is No. 31 on KenPom.com in ppg (79.6), 60th in adjusted offense (110.4) and 44th in adjusted tempo (72.4) while Iowa St. is 15th, 3rd and 54th in those categories. The bench is a factor also as drawing a game at high altitude against a running team might not be the ideal situation for a short-benched Iowa St. team. 10* (743) Iona Gaels

Connecticut and Colorado face off in the South Region in the first game from Des Moines on Thursday. The Huskies made a big run in the AAC Tournament as they won three games in three days to capture the title. It almost never happened however as Connecticut needed a half-court shot into what eventually was a four-overtime win over Cincinnati. That victory kept the Huskies out of the NIT as they were clearly a bubble team and while they bring in momentum, they have a very tough matchup here. Colorado lost to Arizona in the Pac 12 Tournament quarters and while it is 3-2 over its last five games, it includes a big win over Arizona and close two-point loss at Utah. The Buffaloes covered all five of those games and despite the higher seed here, they are getting a very attractive number. The Buffaloes are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, and that is a huge advantage in this one because Connecticut does not rebound the ball well, ranking 152nd in the nation. The Pac 12 got seven teams into the NCAA Tournament and while some of those will be fades, Colorado comes from the much stronger conference and that will show here. 10* (736) Colorado Buffaloes

The first day of the NCAA Tournament starts off with UNC-Wilmington taking on Duke in the West Region from Providence. The Seahawks won both the CAA regular season and conference tournament and come in as a dangerous No. 13 seed. They possess a guard-heavy lineup that likes to push the pace and has the firepower to keep up with Duke on the offensive end. While they have not been to the tournament since 2006, they are coached by former Louisville assistant Kevin Keatts so he has the knowledge of playing on the big stage. It has been a down year for the defending national champion Blue Devils and while another big run is not out of the question, they are far from dangerous and have struggled in these spots in recent years as they lost to Mercer in 2014 and Lehigh in 2012. Duke has made the NCAA tournament 32 times but this is just the fourth time the Blue Devils have been lower than a No. 3 seed under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The loss of Amile Jefferson early in the season was a big blow for Duke down low so we will again see it push the pace but that is not an advantage in this matchup. 10* (723) UNC-Wilmington Seahawks

Tulsa was a surprise entrant into the NCAA Tournament by many and the public does not like this team in the First Four matchup on Wednesday as Michigan is the biggest consensus on the board in all NCAA Tournament games. While there may have been other teams that deserved consideration over Tulsa, this is a very solid team that will be out to prove the naysayers wrong. The Golden Hurricane are ranked No. 1 in the nation in experience, according to kenpom.com, as seven of their top nine players in their rotation are seniors. They have exceptional guard play even though they do not shoot the long ball very well but that has been a problem for Michigan of late as well. The Wolverines are pretty fortunate to be here as well and no one is really taking that into consideration. They needed a run in the Big Ten Tournament and got it thanks to an overtime win over Northwestern and a last second win over Indiana. A loss in either of those would have likely sent Michigan to the NIT but now everyone is already penciling the Wolverines into the matchup with Notre Dame on Friday. The Golden Hurricane are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Wolverines are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (621) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Two underachieving teams square off Tuesday in one of the First Four games as Vanderbilt and Wichita St. meet with the winner to face Arizona on Thursday. While both underachieved, they were for different reasons. The Shockers were hit hard by injuries early in the season as they opened just 5-5 after being ranked in the preseason top ten. They are healthy once again and have gone 19-3 over their last 22 games and only an overtime loss in the MVC Semifinals prevented this game from happening. Still, the experience will play a big part as will excellent guard play. Vanderbilt was expected to contend for the SEC title and while it showed signs of being a powerful team, it was too consistent overall. The Commodores have a great frontcourt but they rely on the three-pointer too much and against a very strong Shockers perimeter defense, that will pose to be a problem. The Shockers are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a straight up loss while the Commodores are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (546) Wichita St. Shockers

Florida hits the road to take the short trip to Jacksonville in the first round of the NIT and it clearly has the biggest disadvantage of all of the better seeded teams of this tournament. The Gators are a No. 2 seed in the tournament while the Ospreys are a No. 7 seed. However, the Ospreys will host the game because the O'Connell Center is undergoing renovations. Florida went 4-8 on the road this season but they come in as a big road favorite mainly because it is from a power conference playing against a lower-tiered conference but the SEC was not good once again this season. North Florida won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title but lost in the conference championship to Florida Gulf Coast to get relegated to the NIT. This is a big game for the Ospreys as they get a rare home game against a power conference and we have seen many times in the NIT how energized their environments can be. Florida head coach Mike White said Monday it's unclear whether center John Egbunu will even travel with the Gators as he has an injured ligament in his thumb. 10* (558) North Florida Ospreys

While the blowout victory may actually take some people off of Texas A&M today, that win was huge for the Aggies in this tournament round. It got ugly early which allowed only four players to log more than 20 minutes on the floor and with this being the third game in three days, that is a big edge. Kentucky trailed early and often and eventually took its lead over Georgia midway past the second half while pulling away late for the cover. The Wildcats have now covered four straight games which is one fewer than Texas A&M and despite the poll rankings and power rankings, they come in as a bigger than expected favorite simply because it is Kentucky. This is the second largest amount of points that the Aggies have gotten all season as their previous biggest pointspread was getting 4.5 points against Gonzaga in a game they won. They were arguably the best team in the conference from start to finish and that will show here. Texas A&M is 11-2 this season following a victory while going 5-0 ATS in its last five games against winning teams. 10* (884) Texas A&M Aggies

Villanova survived a temporary scare from Providence yesterday and it was fortunate that Ben Bentil was not even a factor as he fouled out midway through the second half and scored just three points which came after a 38-point effort against Butler the previous day. The Wildcats secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament win or lose here and while winning the Big East Tournament championship is still the goal, winning by this much is a stretch. They are clearly the best team in the conference but Seton Hall is playing some of the best basketball in the Big East right now. The Pirates have won 11 of their last 13 games following a tough two-game stretch where they dropped back-to-back games against Villanova and Xavier. While they lost both meetings this season against the Wildcats, both were more competitive than expected which we should see again today. The Pirates are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win. 10* (743) Seton Hall Pirates

Connecticut survived an epic four-overtime game yesterday against Cincinnati that included a half-court buzzer-beater and those extra minutes will be a factor. The Huskies needed that game badly as they were on the outside looking in for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament but they are now one of the last four teams in so while a win here cements the berth, a loss is not going to kill them. Temple had a much easier game Friday as it took out South Florida by 17 points to make it four straight wins. Aside from a 19-point loss at Tulsa, the Owls have been exceptional by going 144 over their last 18 games with two of the other losses coming by five combined points and the other coming against Villanova. The defeated Connecticut in both of the regular season meetings and while beating a team three times is difficult, the matchup is in their favor as is the situation of the games that took place yesterday. Connecticut is just 2-5 ATS in its last seven games against winning teams while Temple 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games against teams above .500. 10* (740) Temple Owls

We won with LSU yesterday as it pulled away from Tennessee in a game that was close throughout and as mentioned, the road to the NCAA Tournament is still not horrible. The Tigers have to win out and his is a very winnable game despite what the line may be suggesting. Texas A&M also won a game that was tight as the Aggies took advantage of Florida that was ice cold from long range, going just 3-19 from beyond the arc. They have now won seven straight games which is a big part in the size of this number. LSU and Texas A&M split their regular season series with both teams winning on their home floor but looking at those lines shows the value that the Tigers are getting here. While LSU is known for having one of the best players in the nation in Ben Simmons, the balance on this team is huge and it showed yesterday with all five starters scoring in double figures. Expect a closer than anticipated game today. 10* (725) LSU Tigers

Many teams are still fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives and one of those is Tulsa. Despite a 12-6 record and a tie for third place in the AAC, the Golden Hurricane are on the outside looking in. A lack of quality wins may be to blame but they have victories over Wichita St., Connecticut, SMU, Cincinnati and Temple so there are plenty of good victories. The issue is not bad losses either as five of those defeats came against the five teams at the top of the conference with the sixth loss coming on the road against Memphis setting up a big payback spot to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Memphis has once again disappointed as the elite days are a thing of the past. The Tigers finished 8-10 in the AAC and has some very bad losses along the way. This will be the second straight season missing the NCAA Tournament and while Memphis is coming off a win last time out, it was against lowly East Carolina and the Tigers are 4-11 ATS this season following a victory. 10* (544) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Villanova took the Big East Conference regular season championship by two games and is in line for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament which it will probably get win or lose this tournament. The Wildcats easily took care of Georgetown yesterday for their fourth straight victory but the Hoyas have been playing horrible and now they catch a team that could be peaking at the right time. Additionally, they are favored by only 2.5 fewer points here and that line adjustment does not make sense. Providence defeated a very solid Butler team Thursday without much of a problem which was also its fourth straight win following a tough 1-5 stretch. The Friars are a tough matchup this time of year with a strong high/low game and should again give Villanova fits. The teams split the season series and if not for Providence not being able to find the hoop in the first half of the second matchup, a sweep could have been in order. Providence is 7-3 ATS this season away from home against winning teams while the Wildcats are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS win. 10* (565) Providence Friars

LSU is not getting into the NCAA Tournament unless it wins the SEC Tournament and things got a little easier for the Tigers for that to happen. It looked as though they were going to have a tough matchup with Vanderbilt but the Commodores lost to Tennessee yesterday and possibly played themselves out of the big dance. Now, LSU gets to play Tennessee and a win here gets it a step closer to what would not be an unconceivable run. The Volunteers have won their first two games here after an awful ending to the regular season where they dropped four straight and six of seven. While they shot pretty poor yesterday, they committed only six turnovers and a repeat of that is not going to happen. The Tigers closed the regular season with a brutal loss at Kentucky but have new life and going back, the Tigers are 16-7-1 ATS in their last 24 games following a straight up loss while the Volunteers are 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up win. 10* (548) LSU Tigers

Dayton has the best RPI in the Atlantic Ten Conference but now is the time that it needs to step up its games. The Flyers have not been playing very well as they are 3-3 over their last six games with two wins coming in overtime and the other coming by just a single point. That victory happened to come against Richmond but it was on the road and this is a great position for Dayton as it is 10-3 on the highway this season. The Spiders are well down in the conference RPI following an unimpressive win over Fordham on Thursday. That snapped a two-game slide but they are still just 2-5 over their last seven games but are still getting a relatively small number here. A big reason for this is due to the fact Dayton has not covered a game since February 6th, going 0-7-1 ATS over that stretch and this is a streak we love going against. Despite not cashing tickets of late, Dayton is a perfect 3-0 ATS as a favorite in this price range and expect that to continue Friday. 10* (530) Dayton Flyers

Michigan picked up a big win over Northwestern yesterday in overtime in what was a must win situation for the Wolverines. While many think they are now in the NCAA Tournament, I think they are still in need of one more victory to be assured of an at-large berth. This is a great opportunity for a quality victory over an overrated team. Typically, the regular season winner of the Big Ten is up for No. 1 seed discussions but that is not the case here. Indiana pull off a surprise with the regular season championship but right now it is being projected as a No. 3 seed and a reason for that is due to a soft schedule. The Hoosiers played the second easiest Big Ten schedule behind Illinois and the feeling is they are overpriced here. Plus, you take the Hoosiers way from their home court where they went 17-0, they become a much less dominating team. Additionally, the Hoosiers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win. 10* (521) Michigan Wolverines

Seton Hall is playing some of the best basketball in the Big East Conference as it has won nine of its last 11 games with both losses coming against Butler. Of the Pirates other conference losses, two came against Villanova, another came against Xavier while the last came against Creighton at home by 15 points in its biggest conference loss of the entire season. Seton Hall came out of nowhere this year and after the meltdown at the end of last year, not much was expected of the Pirates this season but they have definitely been a surprise. They own the third best RPI in the conference and can enhance their NCAA Tournament seeding with a big tournament run. Creighton meanwhile had a good season after a disaster from a season ago where it went just 4-14 in the conference. The Bluejays improved by five games but that is still not enough for a legitimate shot at a tournament bid. They would have to win this tournament and that will not be happening. Creighton is just 3-9 against the top 50 and while a win over Seton Hall was one of those, that was a fluke as the Pirates were just 15-28 from the free throw line. 10* (732) Seton Hall Pirates

Alabama had snuck into the NCAA Tournament conversation with wins in six of its last eight games while going on a 7-3 run following a 1-5 start in the SEC. Two of the recent three losses have come on the road at South Carolina and Kentucky so those are considered quality losses but a defeat at home against Mississippi St. really hurt the Tide. That was a bad spot however as Alabama was coming off a pair of road upsets at Florida and LSU and a home upset over Texas A&M. A loss to Arkansas dropped the Tide back out of the at-large conversation so now they need a huge run in the SEC Tournament. Mississippi was never in the conversation despite a winning conference record because of a poor RPI that was not helped by playing the easiest schedule in the conference. Both teams were great at home and average on the road and we are getting value with the Tide because of five straight cover losses. Despite that, the Tide are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 games following an ATS loss while going 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (753) Alabama Crimson Tide

Georgia Tech survived round two of the ACC Tournament as it erased an 18-point second half deficit to force overtime and eventually take out Clemson. The Yellow Jackets could be in for a letdown as is often typical but I do not think it happens here as they are a very tough out and could make some noise the next couple days if they catch some breaks. Georgia Tech is not an easy team to take out in tournament play as it possesses both inside and outside strength on both ends of the floor and getting a line this big is just icing on the cake. Virginia has been playing exceptional right now as it has won 11 of its last 13 games with the two losses coming on the road by a combined four points. The Cavaliers are in line for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and they are certainly deserving of it but this is not a great matchup. They are at a big disadvantage on the boards and that was evident in the first meeting this season at Georgia Tech as they were outboarded by 13 in their upset loss. While Virginia has been on a roll, the Yellow Jackets have won six of their last seven games with the lone loss coming at Louisville by only three points. 10* (721) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Arizona is not having a typical Arizona season and a lot of that can be due to some injuries that took place but the Wildcats are definitely still vulnerable. They are a very hefty favorite here and a big reason for that is based on name alone and that cannot be taken into consideration during this time of year. Granted, Arizona is a top 25 team while Colorado is not but opinion polls are meaningless. Based on power rankings, Arizona is No. 25 and Colorado is No. 31 according to the ESPN Daily RPI report and that does not equate to a spread this big. The Wildcats went just 3-6 against the top 50 while the Buffaloes went 4-8 which is not that much better but again diffuses the size of this number. Arizona lost in Boulder last month which is definitely an angle for revenge but avenging losses this time of year is overrated based on other factors. A big one for Colorado is that it could use one more quality victory to ensure an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. While it is in, other tournament upsets could still come into play. The Wildcats are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against team with a winning percentage above .600 while the Buffaloes are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win. 10* (775) Colorado Buffaloes

Florida has played itself out of the NCAA Tournament but since it is the fifth team out at this point, the Gators can play their way right back in. they were looking good up until a four-game losing streak sent them reeling. The losses were against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, LSU and Kentucky and while they all count as quality defeats, even one win out of those would have them in much better position. An early exit cannot happen and while a win over Missouri to end the regular season was far from a quality victory, at least it provided some much needed momentum heading to Nashville. Arkansas ended the season just the opposite way as it had a four-game winning streak heading into the regular season finale but got crushed at home against South Carolina. Two of those wins came on the road but it is hard to ignore the fact that the Razorbacks went just 3-11 away from home this season. The Gators will have to face Texas A&M on Friday, which is the No. 1 seed, so going 2-0 could be enough to vault them up barring any sort of major upsets here or in other tournament championships. 10* (750) Florida Gators

Oregon St. is sitting right on the bubble for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament as right now it is the first team out despite a 6-3 record over its last nine games. A 9-9 record within the conference could have something to do with it but a .500 record in the conference this season is not that bad considering how strong it has been. One thing in their favor is that the Beavers possess three wins against top 25 teams which is tied for the most with three other teams including Oregon and Utah. Additionally, Oregon St. has not forgotten the 18-point loss at Arizona St. earlier this season so despite a 5-13 Pac 12 record, it will not be taking the Sun Devils lightly. Arizona St. opened the season 10-3 after non-conference action but it was all downhill after that as it lost six of its first seven games in the Pac 12 and it could never recover. The Sun Devils only won once away from home in the conference and that was a victory at 1-17 Washington St. so asking them to win on a neutral floor is a tall task. Going back, the Beavers are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Sun Devils are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (546) Oregon St. Beavers

The Pac 12 is stronger than it has been in years and it can send as many as seven teams to the NCAA Tournament. One of those takes place in this matchup as USC takes on rival UCLA in the first round of the Pac 12 Tournament. This is essentially a must win game for the Trojans as they are one of the last few teams in and with all of the upsets taking place in other tournaments, teams like Valparaiso and Monmouth could slide in front of USC should the Trojans lose in the first round. They have defeated the Bruins twice this season and while defeating a team three times is tough, they have a solid matchup advantage here. UCLA comes in riding a four-game losing skid as the season has completely unraveled. Only half of their six conference wins have come against teams that will be playing in the NCAA Tournament so wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga early in the season mean little now. Bryce Alford is listed as questionable due to a jaw injury but if he goes, he will not be at 100 percent. UCLA is just 8-16 ATS this season against teams with a winning record while USC has won 17 of 22 games this season as a favorite. UCLA will not back down but the Trojans have too much on the line to let this slip away. 10* (544) USC Trojans

It is pretty safe to say that Minnesota has tossed in the towel this season. After a pair of wins over Maryland and Rutgers at home, the Golden Gophers suspended three players for the rest of the season including leading scorer Nate Mason and they have dropped their last three games by 13, 13 and 23 points. The last one came at Rutgers which gave the Scarlet Knights their first conference win of the season and that is nearly impossible to recover from. Now Minnesota heads into the Big Ten Tournament where it has won just one game away from home which happened to come against Missouri St. all the way back in November. It has been a disappointing season for Illinois which record just five conference wins but the Illini had a lot of close calls. Two losses came in overtime while two others came by just a bucket so they were a lot closer to a .500 record than many may think. Additionally, Illinois has had solid wins over Yale, UAB and Purdue and a pair of close nonconference losses against Notre Dame and Providence. The Illini took care of Minnesota in both meetings this season and in this spot, a third should not be an issue. The Golden Gophers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record while the Illini are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (554) Illinois Fighting Illini

The Summit League Championship is a rematch of the title game from last season and South Dakota St. will be out for some revenge. The Jackrabbits nearly did not make it here tonight however as they snuck out a one-point win over Denver in what was nearly an epic letdown. South Dakota St. was up by eight at halftime but the Pioneers started the second half on a 23-2 run with the two points that the Jackrabbits scored coming from the free throw line. They then survived a missed free throw with no time left to advance and will be out to avenge a one-point defeat to North Dakota St. in this same arena nearly one year ago. The Bison pulled off the upset last night against IUPU - Ft. Wayne as they came back from a 15-point halftime deficit thanks to converting a layup with four seconds remaining to them their only lead of the game. South Dakota St. has won five straight games and two huge factors have been its rebounding dominance and the fact it has hit 84.9 percent from the free throw line over that stretch. Despite the win last night, the Bison are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Jackrabbits are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss. 10* (736) South Dakota St. Jackrabbits

Of the eight teams that are playing in the first round of the MAC Tournament, Toledo is the best of the bunch so the fact it comes in as a small road favorite or a pickem should be no surprise. The Rockets finished the regular season with an 8-10 record no thanks to a 0-3 finish while also losing five of their last six games. Those final three defeats came by a total of just 12 points with the last one coming at home against Eastern Michigan on Friday which sets up an immediate revenge situation. The Eagles evened their record at 9-9 in the conference thanks to two straight wins to end the season and grab one of the first round home games. They defeated Toledo twice this season, both coming over their final five regular season games but both were close and defeating a team three times in a season is never an easy task. While Eastern Michigan is 13-3 at home, four of those wins came against non-Division I teams which definitely hurts its overall rankings and numbers. That leaves the Eagles just 13-14 against everyone else and Toledo is 7-1 ATS this season when playing against teams with a losing record. According to the power rankings, Toledo is the second best team in the MAC and it moves on to Cleveland. 10* (523) Toledo Rockets

Indiana captured the Big Ten Conference regular season title with its win at Iowa earlier this week so while the Hoosiers are playing their final home game, there is little on the line. The Hoosiers have won four straight games including that victory over the Hawkeyes and they head back home where they are undefeated yet overvalued here. Indiana has been favored in every Big Ten home game this season but this is its biggest test as the only other two home games against elite opposition were with Iowa and Purdue. Indiana is actually favored by more here against what is a much better team than those other two opponents. Maryland has played the second toughest schedule in the conference, compared to the second easiest for Indiana, and the Terrapins are an undervalued team at this point. In their six losses, they have either been favored or have been underdogs by fewer than what they are getting here. A No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament is also on the line and going in with a win is a big thing. The Terrapins are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 and the outright win is far from out of the question here. 10* (879) Maryland Terrapins

This is a play on DAYTON for our Saturday Star Attraction. Dayton has won 34 of its last 37 games at UD Arena, including 20 of 22 in Atlantic 10 action. This year Dayton is 13-3 and showcases victories over Top 100 programs George Washington, Davidson, Alabama and William & Mary. Those two home losses happened to come in their two most recent home games and going back, the Flyers have not lost three consecutive home games since January 2014. A win here gets them into at least a share of the regular season A-!0 Title and they are at full capacity which is key as they are 10-0 this season with their full roster. VCU can take the conference outright with a victory here but the Rams are just 5-3 over their last eight games and that includes a 1-2 record on the road with bad losses at Massachusetts and George Mason. Even though they lead the conference, they are just fourth in RPI ranking with Dayton leading the way and the strength of its home floor, especially coming off two losses and this being Senior Night, will show here. The Flyers have not covered a game since February 6th and that is giving us a good number with excellent value. 10* (626) Dayton Flyers

This is a play on USC for our Pac 12 Game of the Year. Oregon can wrap up the Pac 12 title with a win on Saturday but this is one of the toughest road tasks it will have encountered in conference play. The Ducks have won four straight games following a victory at UCLA on Wednesday which moved them up to 4-5 on the road for the season. We played against Oregon on Wednesday and UCLA failed to put up the expected fight and while the Ducks own a solid win over Arizona on the road, USC is 16-1 at home with the lone defeat coming against Utah which is also still fighting for the Pac 12 Championship. The Trojans have had a remarkable turnaround as many will forget that they went just 3-15 in the conference last season and are already six games better than that this year. USC is going to make the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens here or in the Pac 12 Tournament but the goal now is to enhance its seeding while winning its final home game on Senior Day. Going back, the Trojans are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 home games and a win here means another cover as well. 10* (572) USC Trojans

This is a play on DAVIDSON for our Saturday Enforcer. We have backed the Wildcats a few times on their home floor this season and it has proved once again to be a tough place for opponents to come into and win. Davidson is 14-1 at home with the lone defeat coming against VCU in January and now playing their final regular season home game will provide a great opportunity to roll into the postseason. The Wildcats are coming off a pair of losses but those were on the road and a win here gets them to 10-8 in the conference which will be good for either a No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the upcoming Atlantic Ten Tournament. George Washington is still fighting for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament as it is currently the seventh team out and a loss or a win here will not make a difference as it will need a big run in the A-10 Tournament. The Colonials have been a solid road team but have not been overly dominating and they only own one victory within the conference against a team with a winning record. The Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a loss. 10* (560) Davidson Wildcats

Texas Tech is the seventh team from the Big XII that is currently in line for an NCAA Tournament bid but a loss here will drastically hurt that. The Red Raiders have been the surprise of the conference and while their 8-9 record may not seem too solid, they own some quality wins. They own seven wins against top 100 teams including four against top 25 teams and they have pulled off an 18-11 overall record by playing the top ranked schedule in the nation according to the ESPN power index. Texas Tech has gotten the job done at home for the most part as it is 13-3 with the losses coming against Kansas, Baylor and West Virginia, the latter two coming by three and four points respectively. Kansas St. does not fall into the same class as the Wildcats are 5-12 in the Big XII and the spot here is a great one to go against them as they are coming off a 25-point win against TCU in their final home game of the regular season on Senior Night. They have won only two road games this season and have failed to cover their last five games following a win. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (558) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Xavier pulled off a home upset against Villanova two games back and talks of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament started but that quickly went away as four days later, the Musketeers lost at Seton Hall. A Big East Tournament Championship could get them that top seed still but this game means a lot for a couple reasons. Obviously it wants to go into the tournament with some momentum and the Musketeers have been seething since that loss to the Pirates as they have been off since then. Additionally, they will be out for payback following a 14-point loss at Creighton last month. The Bluejays have had a decent season as they are 18-12 overall including 9-8 in the conference but they have really struggled on the road. They are 4-7 but three of those wins have come against St. Johns, DePaul and Marquette, three of the four worst teams in the conference. Creighton has dropped four of its last five games away from home and while it is getting a big number, the Bluejays are 1-4 ATS when underdogs of five or more points. Meanwhile, the Musketeers are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (552) Xavier Musketeers

West Virginia and Baylor are part of seven teams from the conference that will be heading to the NCAA Tournament. The home floor has been huge in the Big XII this season as of those seven teams, only one has more than three losses at home. That team is Baylor which may seem that its home court is not the strongest but it only has four losses and all against quality opponents. West Virginia certainly fits that category but it has not fared well on the highway as it is 4-0 against the teams not going to the NCAA Tournament and 2-4 against those that are. The Mountaineers won the first meeting between these two teams at home back in early February which sets up a solid revenge situation for the Bears in their final home game of the season. The Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 20 points while the Bears are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss. The huge comeback they had against Oklahoma in their last games, despite it resulting in a two-point loss, will provide excellent momentum for this one. 10* (556) Baylor Bears

This is a play on TENNESSEE for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. It was a hugely disappointing season for Tennessee as it will miss the postseason once again unless it can run the table at the SEC Tournament. The Volunteers have lost three straight games to fall to 6-11 in the conference but two of those were on the road against NCAA Tournament bound teams. Despite the struggles, they have been pretty solid at home with a 12-3 record which includes quality wins against Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina and Florida. We won with Mississippi on Wednesday but the Rebels were at home in a revenge game against rival Mississippi St. and they have struggled on the road. Mississippi is 2-6 on the SEC highway with the wins coming against 5-12 Auburn and 3-14 Missouri. Granted Tennessee is not a lot better but as mentioned, playing at home is a different story. The Volunteers have covered four of their last five here and on the season, they are 6-3 ATS at home against teams with a winning record. While the SEC Tournament is important, this is arguably the biggest game for the Volunteers in a while. 10* (528) Tennessee Volunteers

A rare Big XII game takes place Friday with Texas travelling to Oklahoma St. to take on the Cowboys in the regular season finale for both sides. The Longhorns are coming off an embarrassing 30-point loss at home against Kansas so while there is no bye for any of the top six teams in the upcoming Big XII Tournament, they will be out to end the season with a win heading into the postseason. They have been excellent in this spot all season, going 8-2 in its 10 games following a loss. Oklahoma St. already knows its postseason schedule so winning or losing this game means little with the lone goal being trying to win its final home game of the season. The Cowboys are locked into the No. 9 seed in the Big XII Tournament and they will face Kansas St. in the first round on Wednesday. While Oklahoma St. is 11-5 against teams ranked outside the top 50, it is just 1-13 against top 50 teams which makes that one win over Kansas being more and more of a headscratcher as time goes on. The injury list is huge as the Cowboys played their last game without the services of four regular starters - Jawun Evans, Phil Forte, Jeffrey Carroll and Leyton Hammonds. Those four players combined for 120 career starts and 44.8 ppg this season. Evans and Forte are ruled out while Carroll and Hammonds are questionable. Going back, the Longhorns are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games following a double-digit loss at home while the Cowboys are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss. 10* (861) Texas Longhorns

Stanford is on a decent roll right now as it has won four of its last five games to move to 8-8 in the Pac 12 which shows how much it struggled early in the season. The Cardinal have only two road wins in the conference however and on the season overall, the host has gone 18-7 in 25 games not counting neutral court games. They are coming off their final regular season home game where they defeated UCLA but they could very well be back there playing in one of the lesser postseason tournaments. Arizona St. has struggled under Bobby Hurley in his first season as it is now a game under .500 overall including just a 4-12 record in the conference. The Sun Devils have lost four straight games but the last three have come on the road and while they are not dominant at home, a 10-5 record is still pretty solid. The three recent road losses were all by double-digits but all came against teams that will be going to the NCAA Tournament. Arizona St. suffered a tough two-point loss at Stanford back in January which brings up the second instance this season playing a revenge home game following a rad defeat and the first resulted in a win over USC. The Sun Devils are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing road record while the Cardinal are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (552) Arizona St. Sun Devils

Rice had its four-game winning streak snapped at Louisiana Tech on Saturday and the Owls are doing their best to get back to .500 in the conference after a 1-6 start. They have gone 6-3 since then with two of those losses coming against the Bulldogs, which are 11-5 in the conference, and the other this Charlotte team on the road. That is important not for just the loss itself but it was a 29-point loss which is by far their biggest defeat of the season. Rice is 5-2 at home in C-USA with both losses coming against 11-5 teams. Charlotte is 8-8 which is a game ahead of the Owls following a pair of home wins last week against UTEP and UTSA. The 49ers are 4-7 on the road which is somewhat respectable but only two of those were C-USA victories, one coming against 5-11 Southern Mississippi. As mentioned, Charlotte destroyed Rice in the first meeting this season and while that can be a matter of big matchup advantages, it makes for a huge motivator going the other way. One big advantage for the Owls here is free throw shooting as they are shooting 77.8 percent at home while Charlotte is hitting just 59.7 percent on the road and that can be the difference with a line that is this minimal especially if there is the chance of a close game late. We should see a huge effort from Rice tonight. 10* (528) Rice Owls

We won with Georgia last Saturday as it used a 12-1 run late in the game to pull away from Mississippi to square its SEC record to 8-8 in the conference but it is too little, too late. The Bulldogs opened the season 7-3 but they have struggled within the conference closing out the better teams in the SEC and having success against the teams they should be beating. Georgia is 2-11 against RPI top 100 teams and 13-1 against teams below that which is not a body of work that gets any consideration for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. South Carolina has dropped out of the rankings as a 15-0 start has been followed up by an 8-6 run over its last 14 games. The Gamecocks have lost consecutive games only twice this season and the only occasion was a road loss in the second game following a home loss against Kentucky. That is the only loss at home for South Carolina and this game is its final home game of the season as four seniors will be honored. Revenge is in play following a 13-point loss at Georgia last month and the Gamecocks are 2-0 in revenge games this season, winning by 14 and 26 points. Going back, they are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning straight up record. The Gamecocks are projected as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament so they can ill afford to lose a game like this as it could hurt a great deal. 10* (516) South Carolina Gamecocks

It has been a very disappointing season for UCLA which is now just one game over .500 overall and 6-10 in the Pac 12. The Bruins have dropped two straight games, both coming on the road, and the one positive aspect this season has been their play on their home court where they are 11-4. They were beaten badly by USC here but the other two conference losses came by just a bucket apiece against Washington and Utah. On the flip side, they own impressive home wins against Kentucky and Arizona and while this will be another test, they are more than capable of pulling it off. Oregon has been the most consistent team in the conference with a 12-4 record but all four of those loses have been on the road where the Ducks are just 3-5 compared to 18-0 at home. The home team has won seven straight Oregon games with the last three coming during a three-game homestand. The Ducks do own very impressive road wins at Arizona and Utah but they are coming off their final home game of the season and catch a UCLA team out for revenge from a 14-point loss in Eugene. Despite the struggles, the Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss and they are a perfect 2-0 straight up and ATS as home underdogs this season. 10* (758) UCLA Bruins

Notre Dame is coming off a three-game roadtrip where it went a disappointing 1-2 to fall to 10-6 in the ACC which has it in a tie for fifth place and the goal is to move up into the fourth spot. That could very well happen with a sweep of its final two regular season games with both of those coming at home where it is 13-1 on the season. The lone loss came against Pittsburgh in their home conference opener and since then, have beaten the likes of North Carolina and Louisville since then. A nine-point loss at Miami last month should have them extra motivated here. Miami is coming off a pair of big home wins against Virginia and Louisville to move to 12-4 in the ACC. The Hurricanes close with two straight road games where they are just 3-4 in the conference with all three of those victories coming against losing teams. Three of the four losses came against teams with a winning record and all by at least eight points. They will again be without junior Ja'Quan Newton, one of four double-digit scorers, as he has been suspended for the final three regular season games. The Fighting Irish are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games following a ATS loss while the Hurricanes are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (728) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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