Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE for our CBB Signature Enforcer. William & Mary is coming off a loss at home against Stony Brook by four points which was its second straight home loss and just its second home loss of the season. The first came against 5-0 Drexel and this is a great spot for a bounce back and get back over .500 in the Coastal Athletic Association as the Tribe are 2-2. They are 6-2 on their home floor compared to 1-8 away from Williamsburg and this has turned into a big spot with the next three games taking place on the road. Campbell is in its first season in the CAA after coming over from the Big South Conference and it is off to an identical 2-2 start while going 8-9 overall. The Camels opened conference action with a 14-point loss at North Carolina A&T and then defeated Hampton on the road with those two teams pegged for the bottom of the CAA. They are coming off a home upset over Hofstra as nine-point underdogs to notch their first home conference win and that sets up the letdown. Campbell owns three wins against non-Division 1 teams and overall it has played a schedule ranked No. 359 out of 362 teams in the country. 10* (754) William & Mary Tribe

This is a play on the GEORGIA SOUTHERN PANTHERS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. Georgia Southern has gotten off to an awful start as it is 2-15 on the season but two of those wins have been in the Sun Belt Conference where it is 2-3 and finally has a week where it can stay put. This is the first of back-to-back home games which is the first time this has occurred this season as 14 of the Eagles 17 games have come away from home and they are coming off four straight road games. While they are 1-2 here, the one victory was an upset over defending Sun Belt Conference Champion and preseason favorite Southern Mississippi while the two losses were by seven points combined including one against CAA favorite UNC Wilmington. Coastal Carolina is off to a similar 2-3 start in the conference following a win at home against Old Dominion. The Chanticleers have played an opposite schedule than that of the Eagles as they have played only three true road games, going 1-2 with the one win coming against 1-4 Texas St. Coastal Carolina has a revenge game on deck against Appalachian St. which it lost to by 25 points just a week ago so this is a tough sandwich spot. 10* (762) Georgia Southern Eagles

This is a play on the LIBERTY FLAMES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Liberty is in its first season in Conference USA after coming off a 27-win season in its last in the Atlantic Sun Conference and came into this year as the preseason favorite with a ton of returning experience. The Flames have not lived up to that thus far as they have started 0-3 with two of those losses coming down to the final seconds. They are back home where they are 6-2 including a conference loss against Jacksonville St. and a close loss against 16-1 Grand Canyon. Liberty is laying a big price here but it is for good reason and while the season is not on the line, the Flames need a statement win to get that confidence back. Florida International is off to a 2-1 start in the conference following a pair of home wins over New Mexico St. and UTEP. The Panthers are now back on the road where they are 1-5 in true road games and 1-8 overall away from home with the only road victory coming against Houston Christian which is ranked No. 347 in Adjusted Efficiency Margin. This is the first of three straight road games and the trek begins at the wrong place at the wrong time. 10* (768) Liberty Flames

This is a play on the NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS for our Big 10 Game of the Month. Northwestern was 3-1 in the Big Ten Conference before heading to then undefeated Wisconsin and lost by eight points on Saturday and the Wildcats return home after two straight games on the road. Northwestern is 9-1 at home with the lone loss coming against Chicago St. by a bucket as that was a game they just did not show up for and that was a lesson learned. The Wildcats have won both of their Big Ten home games which were both upsets as home underdogs against Purdue and Michigan St. and their 12-4 overall record is even more impressive considering having played the No. 84 ranked schedule in the nation. Maryland has won two straight games to move to 3-3 in the conference including an upset win at Illinois on Sunday which was just its second road win on the season after a 1-3 start. Not only is there the letdown effect but the Terrapins have a game at home against Michigan St. up next. The price here does not fit as they are getting nearly six points less than they were getting against the Illini which has the same record as Northwestern both in the conference and overall. 10* (726) Northwestern Wildcats

This is a play on the SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Southern Illinois is 4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference as it has four wins sandwiched in-between its two losses as it opened with a 29-point loss at Indiana St. and most recently, an 18-point loss at home against Drake with those two teams a combined 11-2 in the conference. That loss to the Bulldogs was just the Salukis second home loss of the season with the first coming against Austin Peay by two points. After a six-game winning streak against the number, they have lost their last two at the window and are now catching points based on the opponent. Bradley opened 0-2 in the conference with losses against Murray St. and Indiana St. but has reeled off four straight wins, part of a six-game winning streak. That followed a five-game losing streak which came after a 6-0 start to the season so it has been a streaky opening and this starts a brutal stretch where the Braves go the other way. The four-game MVC winning streak has come against teams a combined 5-20 with those four teams occupying the bottom four spots in the conference so this is a false favorite number. 10* (708) Southern Illinois Salukis

This is a play on the ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. St. Bonaventure opened Atlantic Ten play with a win over VCU, part of an 8-1 run, but it has dropped its last two games at 4-0 Richmond and most recently at home against Fordham on Saturday. With a pair of tough road games on deck, this has turned into a big game for the Bonnies which are now 5-2 at home, the only other loss coming against Canisius by three points. They are a slower paced team as they are No. 306 in Adjusted Tempo but they make up for it as they are an excellent shooting team including No. 41 in the country in three-point shooting and more importantly, they are No. 6 in the nation in free throw shooting. Rhode Island is off to a surprising 3-0 start in the conference with all three of those victories coming as an underdog. Overall, the Rams have won and covered four straight games which came right after a 0-5 run, both straight up and against the number. They hit the road where they are 1-2 with the lone win coming at Davidson which is mired in a 0-3 skid, and the two losses were at Providence and Charleston by 15 points each. The Rams are a great shooting team as well but are second to last in the country in free throw shooting. 10* (692) St. Bonaventure Bonnies

This is a play on the LSU TIGERS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Mississippi is one of only three one loss teams in the country but it is the lowest ranked of the three in Adjusted Efficiency Margin. The Rebels are ranked No. 70 with a lot of that due to the soft schedule they have played which is ranked No. 256. Their best win of the season came against No. 46 Memphis which is a very strong victory but it was only by three points on their home floor. Mississippi has played only three true road games which resulted in wins over Temple and UCF by a combined three points while its lone loss of the season was at Tennessee by 26 points. The Rebels have won two straight games since then but those were against Florida and Vanderbilt, two of the worst teams in the conference. LSU opened SEC play with a pair of wins at Texas A&M and at home against Vanderbilt but got rolled at Auburn on Saturday by 15 points so it is in bounce back mode to remain in the top third of the conference. The Tigers are back home where they are 7-2 that includes a horrible loss against Nichols St. which was just their second game of the season and the other against red hot Kansas St. by three points. 10* (694) LSU Tigers

This is a play on the VIRGINIA CAVALIERS for our CBB Star Attraction. Neither Virginia Tech nor Virginia are in good position for the NCAA Tournament and this is part of a big stretch for the Cavaliers. They are 2-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and it has been all about the venue. They are 2-0 at home, part of a 9-0 overall home record, with the two conference wins coming by 22 and 24 points while dropping all three ACC road games by 22, 16 and 19 points and those differentials are signs of a team that is not very good. Despite that, we are backing them here at home in a get right game against a rival after two road losses with four more potential wins on deck before the tough portion of the conference schedule starts to kick in. Virginia Tech is also 2-3 in the conference following a home loss to Miami on Saturday. The loss was the Hokies first at home this season after opening with eight straight wins in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech hits the road for a pair of games this week where it is 0-3 including two losses against Auburn and Wake Forest by 17 and 23 points respectively. The Hokies has been solid offensively but face their biggest test against a Virginia team that is No. 20 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. 10* (702) Virginia Cavaliers

This is a play on the PENN ST. NITTANY LIONS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Penn St. is coming off a 17-point loss at Purdue on Saturday which comes as no surprise after the Boilermakers were embarrassed at Nebraska in their previous game and the Nittany Lions are now 2-4 in the Big Ten Conference. This includes a 0-3 record on the road with another loss at Michigan St. and the third coming at Maryland in overtime. Penn St. is 7-2 at home with the lone conference loss coming against Northwestern by four points and the one conference win at the Bryce Jordan Center came against 12-4 Ohio St. where they erased an 18-point deficit. The defense leads the way at home and getting points in a low scoring game is a big edge for the underdog. Wisconsin remains the lone undefeated team in the conference as it improved to 5-0 following a victory over northwestern on Saturday. The Badgers have won six straight games overall and have covered their last five and as good as they are playing, this is not sustainable and are in a tough spot with the unbeaten start and a big revenge game at home against Indiana on deck. Wisconsin is 2-2 on the road with the two losses at Arizona and Providence and while Penn St. is not on that level, the line is factoring that in this overlay. 10* (646) Penn St. Nittany Lions

This is a play on the ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. Texas A&M picked up its first conference win with an overtime victory at home over Kentucky following a pair of double-digit losses to open SEC action. The Aggies hit the road where they are 2-2, the two wins coming in their first three games of the season as they have dropped their last two against Virginia and Auburn by 12 and 11 points respectively. The win over the Wildcats snapped a four-game skid against the number and they head to Fayetteville in an awful spot with a game on deck at LSU which is an early season revenge game against the Tigers following an 11-point home loss less than two weeks ago. Arkansas came into the season ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll and opened 3-0 before suffering a bad home loss against UNC Greensboro which started a 1-3 slide. The Razorbacks responded with a big home win against Duke which opened a 5-1 run but conference action has not gone their way as they are 0-3. Arkansas got blown out at home against 14-2 Auburn by 32 points and it dropped its subsequent two games against Georgia and Florida by double digits as well but those were on the road and this is the get right game back on its home floor as it is in need of a quality win in addition to a conference win. 10* (650) Arkansas Razorbacks

This is a play on the RICE OWLS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Charlotte opened American Athletic Conference play with a loss at SMU but it has won its last three games with the first being a big upset against Florida Atlantic. Two of the wins have come at home where the 49ers are 7-1 and while they are coming off a road win on Saturday, it was against UTSA which was coming off consecutive overtime games and they remain on the road where they lost their first four games of the season. Three of those games were as underdogs while the one game when favored resulted in a bad loss at Stetson. This is a tough trip with a home game on deck against 3-0 North Texas. Rice fell to 0-3 in the conference and overall, it has lost four straight games, failing to cover any of those. Two of the three AAC losses were on the road with the lone home loss coming against aforementioned UTSA in one of those overtime games. The Owls are 5-3 at home and coming off two straight defeats here following a four-game winning streak. This is the first season in the American Athletic Conference after coming over from C-USA for Rice and it is still seeking its first victory in the conference and this is the best spot it has been in to grab that initial win before heading back out on the road in its next game. 10* (634) Rice Owls

This is a play on the DUQUESNE DUKES for our A-10 Game of the Month. Richmond is on a roll with six straight wins including a 3-0 start in the Atlantic Ten Conference. The Spiders are off a win over George Mason on Saturday at home following a victory at Loyola-Chicago by just two points which is their only road win this season after starting 0-3, losses at Northern Iowa, Wichita St. and Boston College, failing to cover in any of those defeats. Richmond is already up to 11 wins after winning 15 games all of last season and the start is surprising after a big roster turnover that included just one returning starter and a preseason prediction of a No. 11 finish in the 15-team conference and fall into a bad spot on Tuesday. This has turned into a big game for the Dukes. Duquesne is coming off a 20-win season and the Dukes were expected to keep it rolling but they are 9-7 that includes some very impressive mid-major wins but also includes a 0-3 record in the conference coming in as a top four team. Two of those losses were on the road with the latest defeat at home on Friday against conference favorite Dayton and they remain home where they are 5-2, the other loss coming against 13-1 Princeton. Duquesne has failed to cover its last six lined games which not only provides value but the contrarian play on angle as well. 10* (612) Duquesne Dukes

This is a play on the CINCINNATI BEARCATS for our CBB Star Attraction. TCU bounced back from a brutally controversial loss at Kansas with a nine-point win over Oklahoma on Wednesday and then followed that up with a one point win over Houston on Saturday. The Horned Frogs improved to 9-0 at home and while they are 2-1 on the road, those two wins were against Georgetown, which was a very controversial win that offset that Kansas loss, and Hawaii with those two wins coming by a combined five points. While they proved they can compete on the road against quality opposition, this is a bad spot coming off those first three games and facing a desperate team. Cincinnati opened its first season in the Big 12 Conference with an upset win at BYU but it has lost two straight games since then with both that could have gone the other way. The Bearcats lost by a point at home against Texas in the final six seconds and then lost at Baylor on Saturday by three points as they missed their last five shots in the final minute of the game. They return home where they are 10-1 and while they have faced weak opposition with the exception of Texas, this is a great bounce back spot and the start of an important stretch with four of the next five games taking place at Fifth Third Arena. 10* (614) Cincinnati Bearcats

This is a play on the OHIO BOBCATS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Ohio is coming off a pair of tough road losses last week, falling to Bowling Green and Western Michigan by five and two points respectively to drop to 1-3 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats are back home where they are 1-1 in the conference with the loss coming against 4-0 Toledo and they are 5-3 overall with the other two losses coming by two possessions. Ohio has fallen two games under .500 at 7-9 with eight of those losses coming by no more than two possessions and this is an important two-game homestand with games at Akron and Kent St. on deck after this. Central Michigan is off to a surprising 3-1 start in the conference as it lost its MAC opener against Buffalo but has won its last three games, all outright as an underdog including a huge 15-point win over one of the conference favorites Kent St. as a 7.5-point home underdog. The recent run is overvaluing the Chippewas and also gives us a play against letdown situation as they hit the road again where they are 3-5, two conference wins over teams a combined 1-7 and the other against USF. The five road losses have come by 30, 27, 27, 35 and 38 points so either they have completely figured something out or have simply just been in good spots. It is the latter. 10* (626) Ohio Bobcats

This is a play on the PENN QUAKERS for our CBB Early Dominator. Penn opened Ivy League action with 29-point win over Dartmouth and hits the road as a significant underdog and it is too big. The victory snapped a two-game slide which were against two ranked teams and overall, it has played a tough schedule. Penn has struggled on the road as it is 1-5 but three of those losses were at Kentucky, Houston and Auburn with another loss coming in overtime and the fifth coming against a very solid St. Joseph's team. The Quakers are shooting 40 percent from long range which is tops among Ivy League teams and they have hit double figures in three-pointers made nine times this season including seven of the last nine and eight of the last 11 games. Cornell has gotten off to an 11-3 start including a win over Columbia in its first conference game. The Big Red have had their way with inferior competition and their best win according to Adjusted Efficiency was against No. 172 ranked Colgate and in comparison, the Quakers are ranked higher. Cornell is undefeated at home but has played only four home games and one of those was against non-Division 1 SUNY-Morrisville. 10* (865) Penn Quakers

This is a play on the GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. George Mason opened Atlantic Ten Conference action with a pair of double-digit wins against LaSalle and St. Louis but has dropped its last two that both came down to the final minute. The Patriots were hurt by poor perimeter shooting in those games as they went a combined 8-37 from long range which is an aberration considering they are a top 70 team in three-point shooting. George Mason lost at Richmond in its last game which was only its second road loss with the other one coming at top ten Tennessee. The Patriots have won 10 of their 12 games as favorites. George Washington finished 16-16 last season and has already won 13 games coming into Monday but the schedule has played a big part in that. The Revolutionaries has played a slate that is ranked No. 359 and have played against teams with an average ranking of No. 360 in Adjusted Efficiency Offense and George Mason comes in ranked No. 96. George Washington is 10-1 at home with the loss coming against Fordham and again, the schedule has led to that success as it has been favored in every home game and by at least 9.5 points in seven of its nine lined games. 10* (869) George Mason Patriots

This is a play on the UCLA BRUINS for our CBB Star Attraction. UCLA won the Pac 12 Conference last season with an 18-2 record and it won 31 games overall before falling in the Sweet 16 so a regression was expected but not to this extent. The Bruins are 6-10 overall including 1-4 in the conference and they quite possibly hot rock bottom in their last game. UCLA lost at Utah 90-44 which was its worst loss in 27 years and if there is any pride on this team and from its players, this is the bounce back spot. The Bruins have now lost four straight games, failing to reach 60 points in any of those games. Washington is coming off a 2-1 homestand which included handing Arizona St. its first conference loss and the Huskies are now 2-3 in the Pac 12 after they opened with a pair of losses at Colorado and Utah. We were on Washington against the Sun Devils but they are in a very tricky spot especially hitting the road where their only win was a one point victory at Seattle in overtime. They play at a fast pace as they are No. 61 in Adjusted Tempo and that is a welcomed sight for the Bruins offense to find their rhythm. While contending in the Pac 12 is likely out for UCLA, this game could dictate the rest of the season. 10* (846) UCLA Bruins

This is a play on the CLEVELAND ST. VIKINGS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Cleveland St. is coming off a loss on Friday afternoon to fall to 4-3 in the Horizon League and this is the start of a stretch to make a move with this road game followed by three straight games at home. The Vikings finished last season in a tie for second place and they have been picked to finish third but are not off to the start they wanted. The three losses all came on the road at Wright St., Milwaukee and Youngstown St. which are three of the other top five teams in the conference. Cleveland St. is on a 0-4 ATS run which makes it a play on situation. Green Bay is the early season surprise in the conference as the Phoenix have gotten off to a 5-2 start which is tied with two other teams for first place so it is very wide open. After winning three games all of last season including two in the Horizon, Green Bay was again expected to struggle and while things are looking good, this will not last. The Phoenix have won all three home games within the conference while two road wins were against IUPUI and Detroit, which are a combined 1-12. Green Bay is on a 5-0 ATS run which adds value the other way and makes it a play against. 10* (835) Cleveland St. Vikings

This is a play on the HAWAII WARRIORS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. Hawaii has lost two straight games and five of its last six and has fallen to 1-3 in the Big West Conference following a pair of 10-point losses against CSU Northridge and UC Irvin. The Warriors have now lost four straight games on their home floor and the confidence of bettors has been dwindling after a 2-8 run against the number including a 1-6 ATS stretch on the island but they are in a great bounce back spot before heading back out on the road for a pair of games next week. While it is a great rebound situation for Hawaii, it is an awful one for UC Riverside. The Highlanders snapped a two-game slide with a win at home over Cal Poly, the worst team in the conference, which was on Thursday and now they have a quick turnaround having to travel to Hawaii for a game two nights later. This has always been a tough edge for the opposition that has to play in Hawaii in the second leg of a Thursday-Saturday set and now Riverside catches the Warriors at the wrong time on top of it. 10* (802) Hawaii Warriors

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO TERREROS for our WCC Game of the Month. San Diego opened the season 2-0 before a six-point loss at rival UC San Diego, then won three straight games but went on a 1-3 stretch with the three losses coming against Hawaii, Stanford and Utah St., all away from home. The Terreros got it back together with a 4-1 run to close their nonconference schedule and West Coast Conference action hit them right out of the gate with games against the three best teams in the conference in St. Mary's, Gonzaga and San Francisco, the last loss coming by 20 point on Thursday. Now it finally catches a break. We won with Pepperdine on Thursday as it rolled past Pacific and it was in a similar spot to what San Diego is in tonight as it had to face Gonzaga and Santa Clara in its first two conference games and then the Waves caught a cupcake at home. Now they hit the road against a desperate and beaten down team in a bog need to a win. Pepperdine is 0-4 on the road with the last three losses coming by 26, 22 and 25 points. 10* (794) San Diego Terreros

This is a play on the ST. MARY'S GAELS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Santa Clara is coming off one of its biggest wins in recent memory after defeating Gonzaga by a point on Thursday on Steve Nash Night. The Broncos snapped a 26-game losing streak against the Bulldogs and they are undefeated in West Coast Conference play after three games for the first time since the 2003-04 season. This is the ultimate letdown spot and the time to go against Santa Clara after the notorious court storm as getting back up two days later will be a challenge no matter how big the opponent this time around. St. Mary's had a rough start to the season as it opened 3-5 including a 1-5 stretch but it was against a brutal nonconference portion of its schedule. The five losses came against Weber St., San Diego St., Xavier, Utah and Boise St. but since then, the Gaels have gone 9-1 which includes a 3-0 record in the conference. With the Thursday happenings in Santa Clara, they will be fully focused on the Broncos in a great spot with one of the best defenses in the country. 10* (749) St. Mary's Gaels

This is a play on the MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. It has been a tough start to the season for Middle Tennessee St. as it is 6-10 and has had to overcome the loss of All C-USA guard Camryn Weston who suffered a season-ending knee injury a game and a half into the season. The Blue Raiders lost their conference opener on Thursday against Louisiana Tech and they have now lost five straight games against Division 1 opponents. The loss of Weston hurts but this is still a good roster and this is the get right game especially with this number as we go contrarian against their current 1-10 ATS run. While this is a play on the Blue Raiders, it is also a play against Sam Houston St. The Bearkats are in their first season in C-USA after coming over from the WAC and they have gotten off to a perfect 2-0 start with wins against Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky but both of those were at home where they are 6-2. They now hit the road where they are 2-6 including four straight losses and playing their first road conference game. 10* (722) Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders

This is a play on the WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS for our C-USA Game of the Year. Jacksonville St. has won six straight games to improve to 10-7 overall which comes after winning 13 games overall last year in its final season in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The transition to Conference USA could not have started any better as the Gamecocks have checked both boxes as they won their first ever conference game last Saturday at home against Florida International and followed that up with their first conference road win with a huge upset at Liberty on Wednesday by 10 points as an 11-point underdog. Now comes the letdown. Western Kentucky was coming off another disappointing season so a change was made in the head coach with an overhaul of the entire roster and so far it is working. The Hilltoppers were riding an eight-game winning streak to improve to 12-3 but headed to Sam Houston St., another team in its first season in the conference, on Wednesday and had their winning streak snapped in a loss by four points. They return home where they are 7-0 and laying a great price. 10* (712) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

This is a play on the BYU COUGARS as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Welcome to the Big 12 BYU. The Cougars were one of the most dominating teams in the country early in the season as they made it as high as No. 4 in Adjusted Efficiency Margin while starting 12-1, the lone loss coming at Utah. Since then, they lost at home against Cincinnati, another conference newcomer, and then lost their first road conference game at Baylor which is currently No. 14 in Adjusted Efficiency Margin. BYU looks to shake off those losses as it faces another Big 12 new arrival and this is a great spot. We played against UCF last Saturday as it played its first conference game and it was on the road on top of it as it got hammered at Kansas St. by 25 points. The Knights could not have had a better bounce back as they returned home for their Big 12 home opener against Kansas and won outright by five points as a seven-point underdog. It was a court storm which sets up going up against UCF in an ultimate letdown situation and against a desperate team in search of a maiden conference win. 10* (681) BYU Cougars

This is a play on the NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. It has been a tough run for Northern Illinois as it has lost eight straight Division 1 games but it has been a brutal stretch of the schedule. Five of those losses have been on the road including two against Big Ten teams and the last two in the MAC at Ohio and Western Michigan. They are back home where they are 3-3 which includes three straight losses but those where against Indiana St., Northern Iowa and Akron and now they finally catch a break as they look to break their 0-8 ATS run as well. Bowling Green won 11 games last season and has already matched that win total but unlike the Huskies, the schedule has been in its favor. The Falcons have played a slate ranked No. 351 (out of 362 teams) with two of those wins against non-Division 1 teams and despite such a soft schedule, they have not been favored like a team should be despite playing only three away games. Bowling Green is 1-2 in those games with both losses coming by double digits and the win being by only two points over 5-13 Southern Indiana. 10* (684) Northern Illinois Huskies

This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Wyoming is 8-8 including a 1-2 record in the Mountain West Conference and has faced a tough schedule that is ranked No. 57. The Cowboys have lost their last two games by 17 and 24 points but those were both on the rod and they return home where they are 5-1. Wyoming added a big piece to its roster as Mason Walters became eligible six games ago and the NAIA National Player of the Year last season is already averaging 12.5 ppg. The Cowboys are on a 0-5 ATS run which adds value and makes this an auto play in this situation. Fresno St. has also dropped two straight games against two of the top teams in the conference including a 15-point loss at home against Nevada. The Bulldogs are coming off a 20-loss season with not a whole lot coming back and they have been better than anticipated at 7-7 overall but have struggled on the road. Fresno St. does own a minor upset at San Diego but its three road losses have been by 10, 20 and 27 points while two neutral court losses have been by 31 and 29 points. 10* (686) Wyoming Cowboys

This is a play on the LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Louisiana is off to a 1-3 start in the Sun Belt Conference following a six-point loss at 4-0 Troy on Wednesday. They are 8-8 overall and remain on the road where the Cajuns are 1-6 and are on a 0-4 ATS run so we are going against the grain here in a good bounce back opportunity as they need to get things right to avoid getting into a big whole coming into the season as one of the conference favorites. Overall, Louisiana has a positive Adjusted Efficiency Margin despite playing a tough schedule that is ranked No. 123. Arkansas St. has gotten off to an opposite start as it is 3-1 in the SBC following a 4-8 nonconference record that includes a pair of good wins against UAB and Louisville but the recent run has been aided by an easy conference schedule. The Red Wolves opened with a loss against Georgia St. but has won the last three games against Georgia Southern, Old Dominion and Texas St. which are a combined 12-36 including 2-11 in the conference and now id the biggest test. 10* (677) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

This is a play on the ILLINOIS-CHICAGO FLAMES for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Bradley opened Missouri Valley Conference play with a pair of losses which was the beginning of a 0-5 run which came after starting the season 6-0. The Braves have since won five straight games following that losing streak including the last three wins within the conference and they have not been close, winning those by 25, 26 and 36 points. Two of those came at home with the road win coming at Valparaiso which is by far the worse team in the conference. The blowout victories are now needing to make the markets overadjust going forward which is starting here. Illinois-Chicago has lost four of its last five games and is off to a 1-4 start in the conference, the lone victory coming against aforementioned Valparaiso. The last three losses have been on the road with the one home loss being a bad one against Incarnate Word and it returns home where it is 4-3. The markets are needing to do the opposite with the Flames which started the season 6-0 ATS but have now dropped their last five games against the number. 10* (646) Illinois-Chicago Flames

This is a play on the TEXAS A&M AGGIES for our CBB Star Attraction. Texas A&M opened the season 5-0 but has been in a tailspin since then, going 4-6 over its last 10 games including a pair of double-digit losses against LSU and Auburn to open 0-2 in the SEC. The Aggies are now in an early needed win spot to get another Quad 1 win as they have two strong wins over Ohio St. and Iowa St. but none since late November. Texas A&M has played a rugged schedule that is ranked No. 19 in the country and returns home where it is 5-2 and brings in a 0-4 run against the number which adds value. Kentucky is on a roll as it has won six straight games since suffering a bad home loss against UNC Wilmington albeit the Seahawks are a solid team but the Wildcats should not be losing at home against a mid-major. They have covered all six of these games during the run and most impressive is that they have covered four of those when laying double digits. This is a tough spot to walk into which was similar to last Saturday at Florida where they were fortunate to come away with a two-point win. 10* (658) Texas A&M Aggies

This is a play on the SIU EDWARDSVILLE COUGARS for our CBB Early Dominator. Morehead St. is off to a 4-0 start in the Ohio Valey Conference with all four wins coming by double digits including a 26-point win at Eastern Illinois on Thursday. The Eagles are now 13-4 overall and this start is not unexpected as they won the conference championship last season and are picked to win it again this season and so far they have not missed a beat despite missing reigning OVC Player of the Year Mark Freeman who is out for the season with a wrist injury. Morehead St. has the bullseye on its back and is a publicly backed team now considering they are on a perfect 9-0 ATS run. SIU Edwardsville survived a scare from Southern Indiana on Thursday as it won by just three points at home as a 7.5-point favorite to snap a two-game losing streak and the cougars may have been guilty looking ahead to this game despite looking to get back into the win column. They remain home where they are 7-1 and need to get it done here considering they are 0-7 on the road with a pair of road games coming up. 10* (616) SIU Edwardsville Cougars

This is a play on the IOWA HAWKEYES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Nebraska is another small surprise in the Big Ten Conference with the venue having dictated its success. The Huskers are coming off another massive home win as they defeated Purdue by 16 points which was their first win over a No. 1 ranked team since 1982 and it resulted in a stormed court which is auto fade next time out. That was the third impressive home win for Nebraska as the other two victories came against Michigan St. and Indiana and now it hits the road where it is 1-2 with both losses coming within the conference at Minnesota and Wisconsin by 11 and 16 points respectively. Iowa is off to a disappointing 9-6 start to the season that included three straight losses to open conference action, two of those on the road against the two best teams in the Big Ten at Purdue and Wisconsin and a bad home loss against Michigan. The Hawkeyes got into the win column in its last game against Rutgers at home by nine points. That improved them to 8-1 at home and this is where they need to continue to take care of business as they have struggled outside Iowa City, going 1-5 including 0-4 in true road games. 10* (892) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a play on the DUQUESNE DUKES for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Dayton was the preseason choice to win the Atlantic Ten Conference and it is playing up to that right now as the Flyers have won nine straight games including a pair of conference wins in their last two games. They are great offensively, ranked No. 11 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency but do play at a slow pace as they are No. 357 in Adjusted Tempo and that is a tough way to cover numbers as a favorite, especially on the road, as they are 10-0 when laying points but only 5-5 against the number. Duquesne is coming off a 20-win season which came after six victories in 2021-22 and the Dukes are expected to keep it rolling. They are 9-6 that includes some very impressive mid-major wins but Duquesne has opened 0-2 in the conference with work to be done coming in as a top four team. Both of those losses were on the road however and the Dukes head home where they are 5-1, the lone loss coming against 13-1 Princeton by three points in a game they were actually favored in and now the role is reversed. Duquesne is on a 0-5 ATS run which is adding additional value. 10* (874) Duquesne Dukes

This is a play on the INDIANA HOOSIERS for our CBB Star Attraction. The biggest surprise in the Big Ten Conference is a toss-up between 3-1 Northwestern and 3-1 Minnesota although the former is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance while the letter is coming off a dreadful season. Minnesota has already surpassed its win total from all of last season where it went 9-22 including 2-17 in the Big Ten but the schedule has played a big part into its 10-3 start. The Gophers have played the No. 343 ranked schedule (out of 362 teams) and have gone 12-1 ATS including nine straight wins against the number and this is just the third road game of the season, the first resulting in a 10-point loss at Ohio St. and the second being a win at a broken Michigan team. Indiana is 3-2 in the conference following a loss at Rutgers on Tuesday, its second loss in two three games with both of those coming on the road. The Hoosiers head home where they are 8-1, the lone loss coming against Kansas by four points in a game they led for the majority while blowing a 13-point lead with 15 minutes left. This is a great get right spot and a perfect fade for this Minnesota team that cannot sustain this success. 10* (868) Indiana Hoosiers

This is a play on the WASHINGTON HUSKIES for our CBB Star Attraction. Arizona St. is the early surprise in the Pac 12 Conference as it is off to a 4-0 start and even more impressive is the fact the sun devils have won all four games as underdogs. They opened with a pair of road wins over California and Stanford, neither of which are expected to do much this season, by a combined five points. They followed those up with home victories over Utah and Colorado which are both pretty solid and expected to finish in the top half of the conference, but neither travel well. Now comes their biggest road test where they are 2-1, the lone loss coming against No. 224 ranked San Diego. Washington opened the season 8-3 that included a win over Gonzaga and there was talk of the Huskies being the surprise team in the conference but then conference play got underway with a tough early stretch. They had to travel to Colorado and Utah, losing both but only by five points each. Washington returned home and blew a big lead over Oregon and went on to lose by a bucket before rebounding against Oregon St. on Saturday. 10* (842) Washington Huskies

This is a play on the PEPPERDINE WAVES for our CBB Late Powerhouse. Pepperdine is off to a 0-2 start in the West Coast Conference with the schedule doing it no favors as it opened against Gonzaga on the road which resulted in a 26-point loss and the Waves returned home and put up a great effort against 2-0 Santa Clara in a six-point loss. They remain home and get a break for a chance to win their first conference game against a bad team as the Waves look to improve upon their 7-3 home record with the other two losses coming against CSU Fullerton and UNLV. They match up well in the backcourt with Michael Ajayi and Houston Mallette which are averaging a combined 33.8 ppg. Pacific had a decent season a year ago as it went 7-9 in the conference which was buoyed by leading the conference in three-point shooting but the Tigers have regressed considerably in that category. They are also 0-2 in the conference as they suffered a tough overtime loss in the opener against San Francisco but could not recover in a 14-point loss at Portland two nights later. Pacific is 1-6 on the road that includes six straight losses, all by double digits. 10* (826) Pepperdine Waves

This is a play on the UL-MONROE WARHAWKS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Southern Mississippi is in an awful spot on the road. After losing at Georgia Southern in its conference opener by 21 points, against an Eagles team that came into that game 0-12, the Golden Eagles bounced back with a pair of home wins over Georgia St. and James Madison. The latter handed the Dukes their first loss of the season and it was the first win over a top 25 team in 13 years so hitting the road presents a letdown. On top of that, Southern Mississippi plays at 3-0 Troy on Saturday making this a bet against sandwich spot. UL-Monroe has dropped six straight games including its first three in the Sun Belt Conference. The last two were at home for the Warhawks as part of this four-game homestand and will be catching a low focused team in a game they will try and steal. UL-Monroe cannot score as it is No. 308 in scoring and No. 317 in shooting percentage while sitting No. 327 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency but it makes up for it with a solid defense and slow tempo so a low scoring game favors the significant underdog. 10* (794) UL-Monroe Warhawks

This is a play on the UT MARTIN SKYHAWKS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. UT Martin had its three-game winning streak snapped with a loss at home against surprising Eastern Illinois by seven points as a 9.5-point favorite. The Skyhawks fell to 2-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference following a pair of wins on the road at Tennessee St. and Tennessee Tech and that was also their first home loss of the season. The issue with the 5-0 home start is that four of those wins were against non-Division 1 teams with the other victory needing overtime against North Alabama which was by a bucket. UT Martin is a top contender in the conference and has a great bounce back opportunity here. Western Illinois is in its first season in the Ohio Valley Conference and things have gotten off to a great start as the Leathernecks are off to a 3-0 start which not many saw coming after being picked to finish No. 9 in the 11-team conference. The last two wins have come at home with the road win being a very good one against SIUE and overall, Western Illinois has won seven straight games to improve to 10-6 overall but now in a horrible spot. 10* (802) UT Martin Skyhawks

This is a play on the UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. UT Arlington is back home after five straight losses on the road, three against Texas Tech, North Texas and Texas and the last two coming in the WAC where it has fallen to 1-3. The other conference loss came on the road against WAC favorite Grand Canyon with the one win coming at home against Abilene Christian. The Mavericks are 5-1 at home and in a great bounce back spot. One key player going forward for the Mavericks is guard Philip Russell who transferred from SE Missouri St. and finished second in the OVC in scoring. He became eligible in the second semester and immediately put up 28 points in his first game at home. Utah Valley won the WAC last season at 15-3 but was relegated to the NIT where it did make a great run. It is rebuilding time as the Wolverines lost all five starters and their head coach and they have been a little better than expected so far, going 8-7 overall including 3-1 in the WAC but all three wins have been at home where they are 6-1 and the lone loss was on the road where they are 1-5. 10* (784) UT Arlington Mavericks

This is a play on the FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL PANTHERS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Florida International lost on Saturday at Jacksonville St. for its second straight loss and that was a bad spot for the Panthers as Jacksonville St. was playing its first even Conference USA game and it was at home no less. Now the Panthers are back in Miami for it conference home opener and after an awful start to the season, they are starting to level out. Florida International opened 1-6 with six of those games taking place away from home and it has gone 4-2 in its six home games since with one of those losses coming by three points to Florida Gulf Coast. Give the Aggies credit after shutting down last season because of a sexual assault scandal. New Mexico St. is coming off a pair of wins last week but both of those were at home where the Aggies are 7-1. They snapped a three-game losing streak but they have been competitive as evidenced by their 5-0 ATS record over that stretch but in the three losses, the Aggies were significant underdogs. New Mexico St. now hits the road again where it is 0-6 in true road games and 0-8 counting neutral court games. 10* (756) Florida International Panthers

This is a play on the UNC WILMINGTON SEAHAWKS for our CAA Game of the Month. UNC Wilmington has lost three straight games including its first two in the Coastal Athletic Association but those three games were on the road and the Seahawks have played five straight road games and they have played only one game at home since November 14 and they will be laser focused here. They are 3-0 at home with all three wins against non-Division 1 teams but that is not a concern as this team is loaded and picked to win the regular season title. They have the best backcourt in the conference with three double digit scorers but they are led by forward Trazarien White who is averaging over 20 ppg and nearly 6 rpg. We won with Monmouth on Monday but we are fading the Hawks now as they hit the road at the wrong place and the wrong time. Monmouth rolled over Northeastern by 19 points while covering three straight games and going 10-2 ATS over its last 12 games and that is keeping the line in check. The Hawks are 1-5 on the road with the win over West Virginia which looked good at the time but not anymore. 10* (766) UNC Wilmington Seahawks

This is a play on the TCU HORNED FROGS for our CBB Star Attraction. TCU is coming off a very controversial loss against Kansas as it was hit with a suspect flagrant foul call in the final minute that erased a two-point lead and the Jayhawks won the game on a layup with four seconds left. It was a brutal ending for the Horned Frogs in a game that neither team led by more than six points and they return home looking to bounce back in a big revenge spot as well. TCU is 7-0 at home and while it has defeated no one, the situation sets up great for its first big win of the season. Oklahoma has gotten off to a great start as it is 13-1 following a victory at home over Iowa St. by eight points in its Big 12 Conference opener to make it three straight wins after suffering it lone loss of the season against North Carolina on a neutral floor in Charlotte. The Sooners do have solid win over Iowa, USC and Arkansas on neutral floors and this marks their first true road game of the season. While TCU has not been tested before the game against Kansas, the Sooners have been on a similar path to open the season with a schedule that is ranked No. 300 in the country. 10* (740) TCU Horned Frogs

This is a play on the SYRACUSE ORANGE for our ACC Game of the Month. Syracuse was riding a five-game winning streak and had momentum heading to Duke last week but gave the Blue Devils little resistance in a 20-point loss. The Orange fell to 10-4 overall including 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with the other loss coming at Virginia by 22 points so the road conference struggles that have hampered them the last few years continues. Syracuse is back home in a good bounce back spot where it is 7-0 and in addition to the two ACC losses, the other two defeats came against Gonzaga and Tennessee so it has been a tough schedule which is No. 26 in the country. Boston College shook off a home loss to Wake Forest with a win at Georgia Tech on Saturday as it overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half to win by eight points. The Eagles are also 1-2 in the ACC with the other loss coming against NC State, which was also at home and Boston College comes in a surprising 3-0 on the road, the only undefeated team in the conference in road games. This is not sustainable as the other two wins came against Vanderbilt and The Citadel, both of which are ranked well behind Syracuse. 10* (738) Syracuse Orange

This is a play on the DRAKE BULLDOGS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. We played against Drake on Sunday as it got throttled at Belmont, losing by 22 points in what was a sandwich game after coming off a 17-point win over Illinois St. and prematurely looking ahead to this game. The Bulldogs were 3-0 and tied with the Sycamores for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference at 3-0 but they are now a game back with three other teams so this is an early big game as to not fall back too soon. Drake is 8-0 at home with all but two of those wins coming by double digits and it is in position for this big test. Indiana St. shook off its 12-point loss at Michigan St. to easily win both of its conference games last week including an 11-point win at Northern Iowa on Sunday as a short favorite. The Sycamores four conference wins have all been by at least eight points, three coming by double digits and this is now their first set of back-to-back road games this season. They are 3-2 on the road with the other road loss coming at Alabama and those road defeats are the only overall ones on the season so they have won the other games it should but they go down again here. 10* (714) Drake Bulldogs

This is a play on the EAST TENNESSEE ST. BUCCANEERS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. Three of the top four teams predicted to finish at the top of the Southern Conference standings are already there at 2-0 with Western Carolina being one of those. The Catamounts have opened with a pair of wins over The Citadel and Wofford, the former coming on the road where they are an impressive 6-2, part of their 13-2 overall record. While that is an impressive start, it has come against a relatively tame schedule that is ranked No. 241 in the country and Western Carolina is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the Luck Ratings with five of its wins coming by four points or less. East Tennessee St. has split its first two conference games, with a double digit win at home against Mercer and a double digit loss on the road at UNC Greensboro, one of those aforementioned top four teams. That was the fourth of six road losses by double digits but those were all against teams with at least 10 wins with the other two coming by five points combined. The Buccaneers return to their home floor where they are a perfect 6-0 on the season which includes an impressive win against Davidson. 10* (680) East Tennessee St. Buccaneers

This is a play on the ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Robert Morris is coming off a win over IUPUI which snapped a three-game losing streak while recording its first Horizon League victory. The Colonials opened the season 0-4 in the conference but three of those were on the road where they are 1-7 with the lone victory coming against St. Francis. While it has been a tough stretch to start the season overall at 5-11, they have been competitive with some close losses, four of which have been by five points or fewer. This is the most favorable stretch of the season for Robert Morris as it is in the midst of a four-game conference homestand. Wright St. snapped a two-game losing streak with a 12-point win at home against Cleveland St. and backed that up with an upset win on the road at Purdue-Fort Wayne which was the first loss for the Mastodons and this leads to a letdown spot for the Raiders which opened the season with five straight road losses. They have another big game on deck at Youngstown St. which is the first of three straight revenge games. While it has looked good the last two games, Wright St. has been too inconsistent to be trusted in this spot. 10* (686) Robert Morris Colonials

This is a play on the WOFFORD TERRIERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Wofford got off to a rough 2-5 start that included a five-game losing streak but was able to get back on track with a 5-1 stretch that included a win, albeit a lackluster one against VMI by just a bucket in overtime, to open Southern Conference action but lost on Saturday at Western Carolina in what was a solid effort. The Terriers are back home in a good bounce back spot where they come in at 5-0 and while they have yet to win by margin, the line is factoring that in with Wofford being favored only three times all season. Mercer is also off to a 1-1 start in the conference as after losing at East Tennessee St. by 11 points, it came back with a convincing 22-point win at VMI and the two wins over the Keydets by these two teams is going to favor the road team based on those margin of victories. The Bears are now 2-4 on the road with the other win coming at Chicago St. and it needs to be noted that the two road victories have been against teams ranked No. 302 and No. 347. While 2-0 as road favorites, they are 0-4 when getting points, covering against Georgia by a bucket as a 13-point underdog. 10* (706) Wofford Terriers

This is a play on the SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. This is another big Mountain West Conference favorite that will be a big publicly bet on team. San Diego St. made that huge run in the NCAA Tournament last season and it has kept it rolling into this season as the Aztecs are 13-2 including a six-game winning streak. They are coming off a pair of conference wins at home against Fresno St. and UNLV which came after a big upset at Gonzaga so this is the letdown spot as they are back on the road. To make it tougher, San Diego St. has a game at 13-2 New Mexico on deck. San Jose St. is off to a 0-2 start in the conference following losses at Wyoming by two points and a nine-point home loss against Boise St. on Friday. The Spartans were getting 4.5 points against the Broncos and are now getting double digits with a lot of that based on public perception. The loss to the Cowboys dropped them to 0-5 on the road and prior to Boise St., the Spartans were 5-1 at home and they could not catch San Diego St. at a better time. This is a good shooting team with four double-digit scorers that can keep it close. 10* (664) San Jose St. Spartans

This is a play on the AIR FORCE FALCONS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Nevada opened Mountain West Conference action with a 15-point win at Fresno St. to improve to 14-1 overall and now its is laying a big number as it head back home. The Wolf Pack have covered six straight games but all of those were games where they were either underdogs or single digit favorites and now are being asked to win by a large margin. While it really is not a letdown spot, it is in a lookahead situation with a big game on deck against Boise St. looking to avenge a 15-point loss from last season. Air Force has lost four straight games while failing to cover any of those so it needs to get something going following a bad 28-point loss against Boise St. to open conference action. The Falcons have not played a very tough schedule but they are a team that can sneak up on teams not taking them serious. They possess three players averaging between 14.8 and 17.5 ppg so there are good scoring options and all three are lethal from long range. While this is a big test, Air Force is 3-1 on the road while five of six losses have been by single digits. 10* (659) Air Force Falcons

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA ST. COWBOYS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Texas Tech is off to a surprising 12-2 start as it came into the season with just one starter returning and picked to finish in the bottom third of the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders are coming off an 11-point win at Texas on Saturday as a 6.5-point underdog and while it was a big upset, the jury is still out on the Longhorns but in the mind of Texas Tech, it was huge and now it is feeling a little too good with an overinflated line. It is now seven straight wins for the Red Raiders and three straight covers in a very bad spot. Oklahoma St. was picked to finish right around Texas Tech in the conference and it has been a much slower start for the Cowboys which are 8-6. They are coming off a five-point loss at home against Baylor to open 0-1 in the conference which snapped a five-game winning streak so they did have some momentum going and can get that back here. The record could actually be a lot better as of those six losses, five have been by two or fewer possessions including their only road loss of the season by two points at Southern Illinois. 10* (639) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

This is a play on the DAVIDSON WILDCATS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Davidson was rolling along with seven straight wins but Dayton came to town last Thursday and came away with a 13-point win. That was the first Atlantic Ten Conference game for the Wildcats and they remain home with a chance to even the record and are laying a lower than expected number. Davidson was 7-0 at home prior to the game against the Flyers and there will be no lookahead with games on the road against George Washington and Fordham on deck so getting that game back is big. Rhode Island opened its conference season with an upset win at home against St. Joes to make it two straight victories following a five-game losing streak. The Rams are just 7-7 on the season and that upset over the Hawks was a bit of a surprise for a team expected to finish at the bottom of the conference. Rhode Island is back on the highway following four straight home games and this is the first road game in a month where it is 0-2 with 15-point losses to Charleston and Providence while also going 0-3 in neutral court games so they cannot win off their home court. 10* (624) Davidson Wildcats

This is a play on the IOWA ST. CYCLONES for our CBB Contrarian Closer. This line is going to put a lot of people on Houston which is No. 2 in the country with a 14-0 record and laying a very short number here but that is telling. The Cougars are coming off a 34-point win over West Virginia on Saturday at home which was their first ever Big 12 game and that was a pretty big moment. They are the No. 1 team in Adjusted Efficiency Margin but have not played the most difficult schedule and this just their second true rod game of the season which resulted in just a six-point win at Xavier. Iowa St. had its six-game winning streak snapped with an eight-point loss at Oklahoma on Saturday so it is already in a 0-1 hole in the conference. The Cyclones are back home where they are 9-0 and while this is easily their toughest test, they do own an impressive 25-point win over Iowa in Ames and this is always a tough environment for opponents. It has been a notable start considering they had only one starter back but brought in a solid transfer group and the No. 7 recruiting class and it is gelling with six players averaging between 9.6 and 14.7 ppg. 10* (634) Iowa St. Cyclones

This is a play on the GEORGETOWN HOYAS for our Big East Game of the Month. Georgetown certainly is not a Big East Conference contender yet but the Hoyas are a very improved team. They are 1-3 in the conference and 8-7 overall and those eight wins have already surpassed the win total from last season and this can be attributed to coaching. Ed Cooley came to D.C. from Providence and has brought his winning pedigree and Georgetown is in a good spot as it remains home following a win over DePaul and while it is 0-3 ATS in its last three games, this is the time to jump. Seton Hall is in big time letdown mode as it is coming off a pair of huge wins over Providence and Marquette as underdogs by six and five points respectively. The Pirates are now 3-1 in the conference and we have already seen a letdown spot as they defeated Connecticut at home and then went on the road and lost at Xavier by 20 points. The win at Providence was a great one but they are 1-2 on the road with the two losses coming by 13 and 18 points. And Seton Hall has Butler on deck adding to the tough situation and being in the public eye. 10* (604) Georgetown Hoyas

This is a play on the MONMOUTH HAWKS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Monmouth is coming off an upset win over Towson on Thursday in its Coastal Athletic Association opener to improve to 8-6 overall. The Hawks finished tied for last place in their first season in the conference last season at 5-13 and 7-26 overall but they came into this year expected to be much better and they have already surpassed their win total from last season. Monmouth is 5-1 at home with the lone loss coming in its home opener against 13-1 Princeton and has won its five games by nearly seven ppg while covering four of those. This is a pretty important early season game with the next three games on the road against the top three contenders in the conference. Northeastern has lost two straight, four of five and six of its last eight games and it now 5-9 on the season. The Huskies also opened conference play on Thursday and it resulted in a home loss to Stony Brook by nine points as a favorite and now hits the road where they are 2-6. Northeastern has been an underdog seven times and has won only one of those games. The Huskies are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog of six points or less. 10* (862) Monmouth Hawks

This is a play on the MARYLAND TERRAPINS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Maryland opened the season 1-3 with a pair of close losses against UAB and Davidson away from home and a blowout loss at Villanova but the Terrapins responded with wins in seven of their last eight games before getting thumped at home against No. 1 Purdue on Tuesday. They are now 1-2 in the Big Ten Conference with this one all of a sudden becoming a big game with a tough upcoming stretch. They have the best player on the floor in Jahmir Young who leads the team in scoring and assists and is a lock for All Big Ten honors. Minnesota is off to a surprising 11-3 start and has already surpassed its win total from last season where it went 9-22 including 2-17 in the Big Ten but the schedule has played a big part into its start. The Gophers have played the No. 352 ranked schedule (out of 362 teams) and have gone 13-1 ATS including eight straight wins against the number. They are coming off an upset win at Michigan and now their offense will be tested as they have faced teams with an Average Defensive Efficiency ranking of No. 362, last in the nation, and now face the No. 33 ranked team. 10* (851) Maryland Terrapins

This is a play on the CLEVELAND ST. VIKINGS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Northern Kentucky got off to a 7-5 start and it went to St. Mary's and while it lost that game by 36 points, it lost something bigger as potential All Horizon League guard Sam Vinson went down with a knee injury and that is a massive loss for this team. The Norse are 1-2 since then with the lone victory coming last time out against Youngstown St. by just three points at home. They hit the road where they are just 2-6 which includes a conference win over IUPUI which is ranked No. 361 out of 362 teams in the country. Cleveland St. had its four-game winning streak snapped as it lost at Wright St. by 12 points on Thursday. The Vikings are now 3-2 in the Horizon which puts them a game out of first place with them being a true contender. Both conference losses have been on the road and they head home where they are 8-0 and have won their last five games here by at least eight points. Cleveland St. is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country and face off against a bad perimeter defense with its best defender in Vinson gone for the season. 10* (848) Cleveland St. Vikings

This is a play on the BELMONT BRUINS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Belmont opened Missouri Valley Conference play by winning its first two games but is coming off a 10-point loss at Southern Illinois on Tuesday to drop a game under .500 on the road. The Bruins return home where they are 5-0 and this is the first game they have been underdogs on their home floor as the value has come their way with a 1-5 ATS run being a part of it. Belmont is ranked No. 32 in effective field goal percentage and No. 36 in overall field goal percentage and leads the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game. Drake comes in 12-2 overall including a 3-0 record in the conference which is tied for the early lead with Indiana St. who happens to be its next game on deck. The Bulldogs are contenders once again after missing out on first place by one game but won the MVC Tournament but they are in a tough and unfamiliar spot with what has been a very favorable schedule. Drake is 1-1 on the road, losing to a pretty bad rebuilding UAB team and winning against Valparaiso, the worst team in the conference and currently ranked No. 316 in the country. 10* (846) Belmont Bruins

This is a play on the INDIANA HOOSIERS for our CBB Star Attraction. Indiana opened the season with a pair of Big Ten Conference wins against Maryland and Michigan which were considered good when they happened at the start of December but have lost some luster since then. The Hoosiers were then blasted at Nebraska by 16 points which halted a three-game winning streak and they return home where they are 7-1, the lone loss coming against Kansas by four points. The other two losses have come against Auburn and Connecticut, both top ten teams in Adjusted Efficiency Margin. Ohio St. snuck past Rutgers on Wednesday by four points and the Buckeyes are also now 2-1 in the conference. They have won four straight games following the lone Big Ten loss which was at Penn St., a team predicted to finished 13th in the 14-team conference and that has been the only true road game of the season. The only other loss this season was against Texas A&M and while the Buckeyes do own a very quality win against Alabama, the schedule overall has been lackluster, ranking No. 189 in the country. 10* (768) Indiana Hoosiers

This is a play on the LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Louisiana has lost its first two games in the Sun Belt Conference, dropping a road game at Marshall and then losing at home to 13-0 James Madison on Thursday. That was the first loss at home for the Cajuns as they are now 4-1 and remain here in a great bounce back spot. They are 7-7 overall with all seven of those losses coming when they were underdogs and this is just the fourth time all season they have been favored not counting a pair of non-lined games. Overall, Louisiana has a positive Adjusted Efficiency Margin despite playing a tough schedule ranked No. 89. Coastal Carolina is coming off an upset at Texas St. to move to 1-1 in the conference and it has been a tough season. The Chanticleers are 4-9 overall despite playing the No. 327 ranked schedule and making it even worse is their -10.58 Adjusted Efficiency Margin which is pushing No. 300 in the country. The Texas St. win was just their second against a Division 1 team, the first coming in overtime by two points over South Carolina St., ranked No. 334. 10* (770) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

This is a play on the IDAHO ST. BENGALS for our CBB Contrarian Closer. After starting the season 0-6 on the road, Nebraska Omaha won its first road game of the season last weekend at South Dakota and followed that up with a 26-point home win over Northern Arizona on Wednesday in its first of two games in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. The Mavericks are now 8-8 on the season but half of those wins have been against non-Division 1 teams and have still struggled on offense despite facing teams with an average Adjusted Defensive Efficiency ranking of No. 305. It has been a rough start for Idaho St. as it is 4-10 on the season including a pair of losses to open Big Sky Conference action and following a loss to Denver on Wednesday in its first Big Sky-Summit Challenge game, it ran its losing streak to six games. The Bengals have failed to cover their last eight games and they are certainly overdue to cash and based on the power ratings, they are getting value here. Idaho St. is expect to contend in the conference and needs a get right win before Big Sky action resumes. 10* (782) Idaho St. Bengals

This is a play on the ILLINOIS ST. REDBIRDS for our MVC Game of the Year. Southern Illinois opened the season 4-1 with the one loss coming against 13-0 James Madison but then it went into Indiana St. in its Missouri Valley Conference opener and got pounded by 29 points. It was up and down after that for a few games but the Salukis have now won four straight games including the last two in conference action against Illinois-Chicago and Belmont with all four of those by double digits but all four have been at home where they are 9-1. They are 0-2 on the road with the other loss coming at Wichita St. Illinois St. is also off to a 2-1 start in the conference as it won two early games against Illinois-Chicago and Murray St. but it coming off a loss on Tuesday against Drake. That was the second straight loss for the Redbirds, the other against Kentucky, but both of those were on the road and like the Salukis, they struggle on the road where they are 1-3 but return home to improve their 6-1 record while getting excellent value in this number. 10* (756) Illinois St. Redbirds

This is a play on the KANSAS ST. WILDCATS as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Central Florida is back on the floor for its first ever game in the Big 12 Conference. The nonconference season went very well as the Knights went 9-3 but had one of the more favorable schedules of any major conference team in the country. The schedule is ranked No. 336 and they lost both of their strongest games against Mississippi and Miami with the latter being their only true road game of the season. Central Florida has not had to leave the state of Florida up until this game and it will get a test of the Big 12 road. Kansas St. finished with one more win in the nonconference position of the season with a 10-3 record. The Wildcats also lost to Miami with the other two losses coming against USC to open the season and against a surprisingly good Nebraska team which is their only home loss of the season. They have quality wins against Providence, Villanova and LSU so Kansas St. has played a much tougher schedule so the similar Adjusted Efficiency Margins are in reality not that similar. 10* (738) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on the TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS for our CBB Rivalry Rout. Mississippi is one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the country but it is the lowest ranked of the three in Adjusted Efficiency Margin and by a lot. The Rebels are ranked No. 82 with a lot of that due to the soft schedule they have played which is ranked No. 288. Their best win of the season came against No. 39 Memphis which is a very strong victory but it was only by three points on their home floor. Mississippi has played only two true road games which resulted in wins over Temple and UCF by a combined three points. Tennessee has won six straight games to improve to 10-3 and all three of those losses were consecutive right before this recent winning streak. None of those losses were bad ones as two came against Purdue and Kansas at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu and the third was a loss at North Carolina. The Volunteers own two exceptional victories over No. 8 Illinois at home and No. 13 Wisconsin in Madison and overall they have played a schedule ranked No. 22. 10* (740) Tennessee Volunteers

This is a play on the JACKSONVILLE ST. GAMECOCKS as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Jacksonville St. is in its third conference in four years, formerly playing in the Atlantic Sun Conference for the last two years and the Ohio Valley Conference previous to that and Saturday marks its first ever game in Conference USA. The Gamecocks have been picked to finish in last place but is more because of the unknown rather than what is in place and the latter is looking pretty good. They are 8-7 which could be a lot better as four of those seven losses have been by a combined seven points with two of those at home by three points. They are riding momentum with a four-game winning streak. Florida International opened the season 1-6 but has started to right the ship by going 4-4 over its last four games. The Panthers are coming off a loss at Utah Tech and while they have backed up each of their previous four losses with win next time out, all of those follow up victories were at home. Florida International is 1-4 on the road, the only win coming against No. 356 Houston Christian. 10* (728) Jacksonville St. Gamecocks

This is a play on the DUQUESNE DUKES as part of our CBB Afternoon Three-Pack. Duquesne opened Atlantic Ten play with a bad loss at Massachusetts by 19 points to fall to 9-4 on the season. It was an unexpected defeat, especially by that margin, as the Dukes are expected to be contenders in the conference and this game will certainly now get their attention. They have failed to cover their last four lined games which is the point to make them a play on team and their record is stronger based on their schedule ranking of No. 102 that includes quality wins and quality losses. Loyola-Chicago has won three straight games following a win over what we now consider a bad St. Louis team to move to 9-5 on the season. The Ramblers are back home where they are 7-1 with the loss to Illinois-Chicago and while the other four losses have been away from home, they have been blowouts against quality teams. Loyola-Chicago is coming off a 10-win season and are just one win off that but the Ramblers have played a schedule ranked No. 301 with their best win coming against Boston College. 10* (691) Duquesne Dukes

This is a play on the HOFSTRA PRIDE for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Hofstra opened Coastal play with a 12-point loss against Charleston to make it three straight losses and it is now on a 1-5 run but the other four losses were away from home against St. Louis, Duke, UNLV and St. John's. The Pride are 7-7 which seems like a regression from their 25-10 record last season but they started 7-6 and then went on to win a share of the then Colonial Athletic Association regular season title at 16-2. This is a great bounce back spot for a team that has been tested with a schedule ranking of No. 66. Delaware took care of Hampton in its conference opener by 27 points but the Pirates are once again pegged to finish at the bottom of the Coastal. The Blue Hens have actually been better on the road than at home as they are 4-1 and while that does include an upset at Xavier, the other three wins came as being favorites so those were no surprise. Overall, they have played a schedule ranked No. 291. 10* (646) Hofstra Pride

This is a play on the CLEMSON TIGERS for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. North Carolina is coming off a win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday to improve to 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and that was the first true road game for the Tar Heels. That was a great matchup however as they faced a Panthers team that faced offenses with an average Adjusted Offensive Efficiency ranking of No. 197 and now they face a defense that has gone up against teams with an average ranking of No. 16 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency so this is a true test. North Carolina has won and covered three straight games which sends value the other way. Clemson suffered its second loss of the season as it got ambushed by Miami in the second half in a 13-point loss to drop to 1-1 in the conference. The only other loss was at Memphis and the Tigers return home where they are 6-0 and includes quality wins against South Carolina and Boise St. Clemson has played an overall difficult schedule as well that is ranked No. 33 and includes a game against No. 6 Alabama which the Tigers won by eight points on the road. 10* (612) Clemson Tigers

This is a play on the PURDUE BOILERMAKERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Purdue has won six straight games since suffering its only loss of the season at Northwestern which happened to also be on a Friday night and as crazy as that atmosphere was, expect even more so here. The Boilermakers have reclaimed the top spot in the AP Poll and are No. 2 in Adjusted Efficiency Margin and this has been against the No. 9 ranked schedule in the country. Purdue is 10-3-1 against the number this season which is definitely a surprise considering the Boilermakers are usually overpriced and a publicly backed team but they are actually not overpriced in this spot. Illinois has won four straight games to improve to 11-2 overall and has made its way into the AP Top Ten and now comes a real test. The Illini have been a big money maker of late as they have 8-0-1 ATS in their last nine games against the closing number and that is a streak many like to ride no matter the opposition or the situation. They hit the road for the third time this season where they are 1-1, winning at Rutgers but losing at Tennessee. This is the first true road game in close to a month and more importantly, their first without Terrence Shannon, Jr. who has been suspended indefinitely and this is where his absence will show. 10* (892) Purdue Boilermakers

This is a play on the MANHATTAN JASPERS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Niagara is coming off a win at lowly Buffalo which was its third straight road game and it remains on the highway for two more games this weekend. The Purple Eagles are 2-4 on the highway with the other win coming at St. Francis which is ranked No. 346 and this is a game to avoid a 0-3 start in the MAAC as they lost their first two games in the conference, both of which were at home. Niagara has covered it last four games so it has stayed within margin but that streak is being factored into this number that is lower than it should be and lowest underdog number it has been this season. Manhattan is only a half-game better overall at 4-7 as it has dropped four straight games heading into Friday with a bad defeat last time out at home against Wagner by 12 points so that alone will have the Jaspers focused. They have played seven of their 11 games on the road and while some of those losses were ugly, they have come against Kansas, Connecticut and Fordham which has hurt their Adjusted Efficiency Margin but has given them a much tougher schedule they have faced, 180 spots higher than that of Niagara. 10* (880) Manhattan Jaspers

This is a play on the BUTLER BULLDOGS for our CBB Star Attraction. Going against Connecticut is not easy, but this is a great spot for Butler in what has turned into a big game. The Bulldogs opened Big East action with a 10-point win over Georgetown in what was a bad spot with a pair of big road games on deck and they were caught on the road, losing at Providence and St. John's by 10 and 16 points respectively. Butler is now 1-2 in the Big East Conference and 10-4 overall and returns home where it is a perfect 8-0 against some suspect opposition but the Bulldogs have been tested overall as evidenced by their No. 73 ranked strength of schedule. The value is here as they are 0-5 ATS in their last five lined games. Connecticut is 12-2 following a pair of home wins over St. John's and DePaul to move to 2-1 in the conference. The lone loss was at Seton Hall by 15 points one of two true road losses in its two home games and it will not get any easier at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Huskies won the National Championship last season with an Adjusted Efficiency Margin of +29.86 and it is down somewhat this season to +25.71 and that is because of the defense. Connecticut was No. 3 in the country in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and its sits No. 24 this season and against a much easier schedule coming in at No. 184. 10* (878) Butler Bulldogs

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO TERREROS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. As is the case every year, St. Mary's is a contender in the West Coast Conference following a co-conference championship last season and another trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels are on a roll with six wins over their last seven games which includes a very impressive win over 13-1 Colorado St. on the road but that has been the only true road game of the season and now they are laying a massive number. It is basically the same number they laid at San Diego last season with the power rating margin much bigger than it is this season and a lot of this is based on name with the Gaels being a very public team. San Diego opened the season 2-0 before a six-point loss at rival UC San Diego. The Terreros then won three straight games but then went on a 1-3 stretch with the three losses coming against Hawaii, Stanford and Utah St., all away from home, and San Diego have gotten it back together since then, winning four of its last five games heading into conference action. The Terreros are 9-1 at home, the lone loss by four points to Fresno St. 10* (824) San Diego Terreros

This is a play on the WICHITA ST. SHOCKERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Wichita St. opened the season 7-1 and then the schedule caught up to the Shockers. They have lost four of their last five games but those four losses came against South Dakota St., the favorite in the Summit League, Missouri, Kansas St. and Kansas and all of those were away from home. Wichita St. has failed to cover each of the last five games and return home where they are 6-0 and have a ton of value based on that losing streak against the number to begin American Athletic Conference play. Only one of those wins came by less than what the Shockers are laying here. One of the slowest teams in the country last season, Wichita St. is No. 65 in Adjusted Tempo under new head coach Paul Mills. North Texas is 7-5 to start the season under a new head coach and clearly not the same team from last year when the Mean Green won a program record 31 games, tied the program record for conference wins with 16 and won the 2023 NIT championship. This is a step up from C-USA and they are picked as a middle of the pack AAC team. 10* (798) Wichita St. Shockers

This is a play on the MICHIGAN WOLVERINES for our CBB Rivalry Rout. Michigan went 7-5 last season before the calendar turned and it comes into 2024 with a 6-7 record so there is not much of a difference as it gets into the heart of the Big Ten schedule. The Wolverines have opened 1-1 with a home loss to Indiana and a road win at Iowa and overall, two losses have been in overtime and another two losses by three points so the record could be better but the big motivation here is that Michigan lost to McNeese St. at home in its last game by 11 points which matches an earlier loss against Long Beach St. as two brutal losses. The Wolverines are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games and laying a shorter than expected number in what is a good get right game. Minnesota has already surpassed its win total from all of last season where it went 9-22 including 2-17 in the Big Ten but the schedule has played a big part into its 10-3 start. The Gophers have played the No. 358 ranked schedule (out of 362 teams) and have gone 12-1 ATS including seven straight wins and this is just the second road game of the season. 10* (802) Michigan Wolverines

This is a play on the WASHINGTON HUSKIES for our CBB Star Attraction. Washington was rolling to an 8-3 start to the season which included wins over Xavier and Gonzaga and the Huskies were receiving votes in the AP Poll but then conference action got underway last week. They had a tough start with games in altitude and lost both against Colorado and Utah, two conference contenders, but the losses were by just four and five points respectively so despite getting defeated, they were both solid efforts. Washington returns to Seattle for its Pac 12 home opener and its only loss here in six games came against 13-1 Nevada and we expect a big effort against a perennial contender in the conference. The Huskies have played the No. 19 ranked schedule in the country. Oregon is 10-3 which is impressive with what it has gone through. The Ducks opened Pac 12 action with a pair of wins over USC and UCLA, which both are clearly having down years, but both of those were at home. They hit the road for just the second time this season, the first coming against Florida A&M and are still down their two top players. 10* (804) Washington Huskies

This is a play on the SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GOLDEN EAGLES for our SBC Game of the Month. Southern Mississippi should be one of the most focused teams on the entire Thursday card. The Golden Eagles opened Sun Belt Conference action with a loss at Georgia Southern which came into the game 0-12 on the season. That was the fourth straight road game and now they have their conference home opener as they look to defend their regular season title, coming in as the favorites again. Nine of their first 13 games have come on the road and they return home where they are 3-1 and will be laser focused. Southern Mississippi is just 2-8-1 in its nine lined games, including 0-4-1 in its last five, which is helping the number. Georgia St. finished last in the conference last season and is expected to move out of the basement but there is not much talent. The Panthers are 6-6 overall including a 1-0 start in the SBC after a nine-point win against Arkansas St. and of the six wins, two are against non-Division 1 teams and the other four have come as favorites. Georgia St. is 2-5 on the road and is in a bad spot here. 10* (770) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

This is a play on the WRIGHT ST. RAIDERS for our CBB Revenge Dominator. Wright St. is 6-8 including a 1-2 start in the Horizon with both losses coming on the road where it is 0-5 on the season. After winning 22 games two seasons ago, the Raiders won only 18 games last season including 10-10 in the Horizon, their worst conference record since 2016. They are the preseason favorite to win the conference as they have three starters back including two possible first team conference players highlighted by preseason Player of the Year Trey Calvin. The Raiders are 0-5 in their last five lined games and they are back home where they are 4-2 with one of those losses coming by a points against MAC contender Cleveland and have played a much tougher schedule coming into this one. Cleveland St. has won four straight games to improve to 10-5 including a 3-1 conference start including a pair of wins last weekend. The Vikings are 8-0 at home and just 2-5 on the road that includes a win over 5-10 IUPUI but did fail to cover which snapped a 5-0 ATS run. This is a double-revenge spot for the Raiders after getting swept last year. 10* (740) Wright St. Raiders

This is a play on the HOFSTRA PRIDE for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Hofstra enters Coastal play on a 1-4 run including two straight losses but the four losses were away from home against St. Louis, Duke, UNLV and St. John'. The Pride are 7-6 which seems like a regression from their 25-10 record last season but they also went 7-6 in nonconference action last season and then went on to win a share of the then Colonial Athletic Association regular season title at 16-2 with Charleston. That makes this is a big conference opener for both teams and Hofstra has the edge playing at home where it is 3-1. Charleston opened the season 1-3 but has won eight of its last nine games including five straight. Those last five games were all at home however where the Cougars are 6-0 so they are 3-4 away from which includes a 1-1 record in true road games when getting points, beating Kent St. and losing to Florida Atlantic. It has been a big turnaround at the betting window as Charleston opened 0-5 ATS but has now covered five of its last seven which is sending value the other way. 108 (758) Hofstra Pride

This is a play on the DETROIT TITANS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. It has been a tough start for Detroit but not to this extreme. The Titans are 0-15 to open the season and they certainly will not go winless based on what we have seen and this looks to be the spot to get off that losing streak. Detroit did itself no favors with the schedule which is ranked No. 98 in the country and of its 15 games, 12 of those have been true road games including three of four to open Horizon play. The home conference loss came against a solid Oakland team while the two nonconference losses came by a combined seven points against teams comparably ranked the same as the opponent tonight. Green Bay is coming off a 3-28 season including a 2-18 conference record and it has already surpassed both of those win totals as it is 8-7 including 3-1 in the conference. The Phoenix have played a much easier schedule however, ranked No. 229 and their 3-1 Horizon record includes three home wins and they are 2-5 on the road with the two road wins by a total of three points. 10* (762) Detroit Titans

This is a play on the UCLA BRUINS for our Pac 12 Game of the Month. Stanford is coming off a huge win over Arizona on Sunday by 18 points which was its second straight win at home over Arizona in as many years. The Cardinals snapped a two-game losing streak and a 2-5 run with the victory and this is now a big letdown spot as they hit the road for just the second time this season. The first road game resulted in a 14-point loss at San Diego St. and they will be tested here and will certainly be taken more serious after that big victory. This is a great shooting team but with only one road game mixed in, those numbers are skewed and they will be tested against one of the best defenses in the country. UCLA won the Pac 12 last season with an 18-2 record and went 31-6 overall on their Sweet 16 run but the Bruins have already surpassed that loss total as they are 6-7 following a loss at Oregon on Saturday. All of the losses have come down to the final minutes including losses to Marquette and Gonzaga by six combined points and in their seven games against top competition, UCLA has been favored only once showing how tough its schedule has been. The Bruins are 4-2 at home with the two losses coming in their two most recent games so they will be ready. 10* (722) UCLA Bruins

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our CBB Star Attraction. Clemson has moved up to No. 16 in the country since suffering its only loss of the season at Memphis by a bucket and it is now 11-1 on the season. This team is playing with a chip on its shoulder after getting snubbed for an NCAA Tournament spot last season but they might be feeling a little too god about things right now. Clemson does own a pair of good road wins at Alabama and Pittsburgh before the loss to Memphis and this is just the fourth true game of the season. The Tigers now have that bullseye on its back and hits the road again in what is a very difficult spot. Miami is 10-2 with a pair of blowout losses against Kentucky and Colorado but both of those were away from home. The Hurricanes followed up the loss to the Buffaloes with three wins at home where they are 8-0 on the season where they are outscoring opponents by over 26 ppg and going back to last season they are 23-1 in their last 24 home games, the only loss coming by a point against Florida St. This is an experienced team that went to the Final Four last season and this is a pretty big game considering their best win so far is against Kansas St. and that is not saying a lot. 10* (700) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the ST. LOUIS BILLIKENS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. The Billikens opened the season 4-0 which includes a solid win against Wyoming in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational but things have gone south since then. They lost the next two games in South Carolina to Vermont and Wichita St. by double digits and they have gone 3-6 overall since the perfect start including a loss at North Carolina St. in their most recent game two weeks ago. St. Louis is 6-1 at home overall with a five-point loss against a solid Utah St. team being the lone defeat. St. Louis shoots the long ball extremely well as it is ranked 33 in three-point shooting and faces a defense that cannot defend the three, ranked No. 306 in opponent three-point shooting. Loyola-Chicago has won two straight games to move to 8-5 but both of those games were at home where the Ramblers are 7-1. They have played only two road games and both resulted in losses at Tulsa and South Florida by 11 and 13 points respectively and they were slight favorites in those similar to where this line opened. Loyola-Chicago is coming off a 10-win season and are just two wins off that but the Ramblers have played a schedule ranked No. 307 compared to a Billikens schedule ranked No. 116. 10* (670) St. Louis Billikens

This is a play on the UNC GREENSBORO SPARTANS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Furman is off to a 6-7 start which is just one fewer loss than all of last season when the Paladins went 28-8 and won the Southern Conference but lost a pair of players to the NBA and is now down Marcus Foster who has been out since early December. Furman has some tough losses against some good teams but it is coming off a horrible loss as it was defeated at home against Anderson University, a Division 2 team by five points. That will have the Paladins motivated for a bounce back but this team does not look equipped to stay with these quality teams. UNC Greensboro is a quality team as it is off to a 9-4 start and expected to compete in the conference once again after a 20-win season including a 14-4 record in the SoCon. The Spartans will also be very motivated as they are coming off a 35-point loss at Texas which dropped them to 1-4 on the road. They head back home where they are 5-0 and they come in having failed to cover their last six lined games so they have the value based on that and their opponents name. They are led by Mikeal Brown-Jones and Keyshaun Langley, both of which are in the Player of the Year conversation. 10* (682) UNC Greensboro Spartans

This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. Colorado St. is 12-1 to open the season with a loss against St. Mary's being the only blemish and it remains home to start conference action. The Rams continue to be ranked in the polls matching their highest-ever ranking in the AP at No. 13. Colorado St. leads the Mountain West in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.10, assists per game at 21.2, effective field goal percentage at 60.8 percent, and field goal percentage at 53.2 percent with that also leading the country. The Rams opened MVC play last year with a 19-point loss at New Mexico so it will be out for a reversal of that heading into this season. After suffering a loss against St. Mary's to fall to 1-1, New Mexico has reeled off 11 straight wins but the schedule has been fairly easy and we have seen this before. The Lobos opened last season 14-0 but closed 7-10 down the stretch as the soft nonconference schedule caught up to them and we see it happening again. They are 1-1 on the road with the only win coming at New Mexico St. by one point as a 14.5-point favorite which happens to be their only cover loss in their last nine lined games which adds value to the Rams. 10* (652) Colorado St. Rams

This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. San Jose St. has been off for nearly two week following a win at home over Santa Clara which put a halt to a 1-4 stretch. The Spartans are 7-6 but have faced a schedule ranked No. 259 and they now open conference play on the road where it is 0-4. The Spartans have a big disadvantage down low as San Jose St. was the top rebounding team in the Mountain West Conference last season and was set to return their rebounding Robert Vaihola but he sustained a foot injury and is out indefinitely. Also on the shelf is forward Trey Anderson who has been out since early December and he is the current leader in rebounds. The Spartans are ranked No. 293 in rebounding rate. Wyoming is also 7-6 but has faced a much tougher schedule that is ranked No. 89. The Cowboys most recent loss came at BYU on Saturday by 26 points so they will be ready for an immediate bounce back at home where they are 4-1. The Cowboys lead the conference and rank No. 6 in the nation shooting 40.8 percent from behind the arc. Wyoming added a big piece to its roster as Mason Walters became eligible three games ago and the NAIA National Player of the Year last season is already averaging 13.3 ppg. 10* (638) Wyoming Cowboys

This is a play on the BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Wake Forest has won seven straight games including a 23-point win over Virginia Tech to open up ACC play. The Demon Deacons are now 9-3 but have faced a very favorable schedule that is ranked No. 251 in the country. Each of the seven wins over this stretch have been at home and they have played only one true road game all season which was way back on November 10 against Georgia that results in a loss. Wake Forest has been successful without the services of Damari Monsanto who has yet to play this season and it not expected back until later this month. Boston College is also off to a 9-3 start to the season as it has won four straight games since suffering a loss against NC State at the start of December in its ACC opener. The Eagles are 6-1 at home with the Wolf Pack loss being the lone blemish and the other two losses coming on a neutral floor in back-to-back games against Colorado St. and Loyola-Chicago. The Eagles have an adjusted offensive ranking of No. 69 so they can match up well with the efficient offense of Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games after covering the spread in three or more consecutive games. 10* (624) Boston College Eagles

This is a play on the CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. It has not been a great start for California as it is 4-8 following a 19-point loss to Arizona to open Pac 12 action but the four wins have already surpassed the win total from last season which ended up being the worst season in program history. New head coach Mark Madsen brought in a winning attitude and a winning pedigree after rebuilding Utah Tech from not much to the NIT Final Four last season. Of the eight losses, three have been by one possession, two others in overtime and another against 12-0 Mississippi so even the record is not as bad as it seems. The Golden Bears are now in a great bounce back spot. Arizona St. opened its conference schedule with a win at Stanford on Friday which snapped a three-game losing streak and a four-game non-cover streak. That was just their second true road game of the season with the first resulting in a loss at San Diego. The Sun Devils have a solid defense but the offense has struggled as they are in the 300s in all offensive categories including sitting No. 353 in free throw shooting. 10* (884) California Golden Bears

This is a play on the ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Oral Roberts is coming off an historic season where it posted 30 wins including an 18-0 record in the Summit League before a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles knew they has their work cut out for them heading into this season with Russell Springmann taking over as head coach after six years here as the main assistant while losing their top player along with two other starters. They are coming off their first conference loss in 21 months, a 17-point loss at Kansas City, to fall to 5-7 which is two more losses than all of last season. Oral Roberts has been tested though with four of those losses coming against Big 12 teams and its 0-7 road record is actually better that what it shows. Denver is coming off a 15-point win at Omaha to open Summit action which was its third straight win. The Pioneers are 9-5 but have faced a soft schedule with four wins coming against non-Division 1 teams, all at home part of their 5-0 home record, and the five other wins against teams ranked No. 299, No. 325, No. 305, No. 256 and No. 296. 10* (879) Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

This is a play on the CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS for our CBB Late Powerhouse. UC Irvine is coming off a seven-point win against UC Riverside to open Big West Conference action and it hits the road as an overpriced favorite with a lot of that based on name and past history after winning the regular season conference championship last season. The Anteaters hit the road where they are 1-5 compared to a 4-0 record at home and while they have played some above average competition, that record is not surprising are a team picked to finish middle of the pack this season. CSU Bakersfield is coming off a 12-point loss at UC San Diego, where it has gone 0-4, to start conference play and it heads back home where it is a perfect 6-0 on the season. Potential Big West Conference Player of the Year Kaleb Higgins is coming off his worst game of the season with six points on 3-11 shooting but is still averaging 17.1 ppg with five 20-point games to his credit. The Roadrunners like to keep it slow as they are No. 342 in adjusted tempo and that is ideal when getting a big number like this at home and has covered three of four lined games off a loss. 10* (702) CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners

This is a play on the OLD DOMINION MONARCHS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. The Monarchs are coming off a 1-2 trip to Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic and is back home for its Sun Belt Conference opener. Old Dominion had lost four straight games prior to its win over Temple before losing to Massachusetts in the final game. The Monarchs are coming off a solid 19-12 season despite going through numerous uphill battles mostly due to injury and so far, they remain healthy. SBC Player of the Year contender Chaunce Jenkins is off to a great start and this is where his season ramps up. South Alabama is coming off a blowout win over Alabama A&M, which is ranked No. 354 in the country, for its third consecutive victory that has helped pad its 7-5 record that also includes three wins over non-Division 1 teams. The Jaguars have played a schedule ranked No. 284 compared to a No. 70 ranked schedule for the Monarchs and only one of their wins have come in the role as underdogs which was against No. 263 Mercer. The only other road win came against 1-12 Buffalo in its second game of the season. 10* (690) Old Dominion Monarchs

This is a play on the TENNESSEE ST. TIGERS for our OVC Game of the Month. Little Rock remains on the road after a win over Tennessee Tech in its Ohio Valley Conference opener and the rod has been foreign of late as this is just the third road game in six weeks. The Trojans went 2-2 on their current homestand and hit the road for just the fifth time where they have started 1-3 straight up and against the number. The road win over the Golden Eagles was a rare one as Little Rock is 5-35 in its last 40 conference games and are catching another small number is what is an early letdown spot. Additionally, the Trojans have played a schedule ranked No. 338. Tennessee St. is also off to a 7-7 start to the season but it opened its conference schedule with a home loss to Tennessee Martin by 16 points which puts it in a good spot to bounce back. The Tigers were picked to finish second in the conference with a lot of this based on the health of Christian Brown and so far so good. He missed a chunk of last season and has a summer setback but the potential OVC Play of the Year is back on track and playing great. The Tigers have gone 0-6 ATS in their last six game. 10* (664) Tennessee St. Tigers

This is a play on the MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Sun Belt Conference action gets underway for Louisiana and Marshall and the latter looks to bounce back from a loss to a very strong UNC-Wilmington team in its last game. The Thundering Herd are now 5-8 but half of those losses have come down to the last minute including its two other home losses against Duquesne and Miami Ohio. Marshall had its three-game cover streak snapped in that game against the Seahawks and laying a short price in is conference opener is a great take. The Cajuns are coming off a win at Rice to snap a four-game road losing streak to start the season and they were able to cover over the Owls to make it four straight wins against the spread. Louisiana finished second in the conference last season but have lost their second straight potential conference Player of the Year, this time Jordan Brown who went to Memphis. They like to go fast which is a bad matchup here as they are No. 318 in opponent shooting percentage. 10* (646) Marshall Thundering Herd

This is a play on the RHODE ISLAND RAMS for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. Northeastern was coming off a tough home loss against Vermont and had 10 days off to get ready for Virginia and nearly pulled off a massive upset as it lost by a bucket on the road as a 16.5-point underdog. The Huskies hit the road again and bounced back with a win over Central Connecticut St. which is ranked No. 269 in the country in adjusted efficiency margin and they hit the road again for the third straight time, where they are 2-5, before CAA action gets underway. Northeastern is 4-1 ATS in its last five games and is overvalued here. Rhode Island is in the midst of a rough stretch as it has lost five straight games, failing to cover any of those. This has turned into a big game for the Rams which is in a get right nonconference spot before they begin Atlantic Ten play on Wednesday. After a 5-0 start at home, Rhode Island has dropped two straight here. The Rams opened the season 3-0 ATS but are 1-7 against the number since then which adds to the value to this short price. 10* (610) Rhode Island Rams

This is a play on the UTAH UTES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Utah is off to a 9-1 start with the only loss coming against No. 3 Houston in the Charleston Classic. The Utes are 6-0 on their home floor and while the schedule has not been overly difficult, they handed BYU its only loss this season here and have followed that up with a pair of blowout wins heading into conference action. Overall, Utah has played a schedule ranked No. 52 in the country which makes its overall No. 31 ranking in adjusted efficiency margin that much more impressive. Washington St. is off to an 9-2 start which includes a solid win over Boise St. last time out and now face a real test. The Cougars have split their four neutral site games, winning against Rhode Island and the Broncos while losing against Mississippi St. and Santa Clara are now head out for their first true road game of the season. The 9-2 record is nice but it has come against a schedule ranked No. 330 and they are pegged to finish tenth in the Pac 12. 10* (872) Utah Utes

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE PANTHERS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Milwaukee is off to a disappointing 5-7 start but is coming off a solid overtime win over Chattanooga as it heads back into Horizon League play. The Panthers opened conference action with a 12-point loss at rival Green Bay to begin the month and they remain home where they are 3-2 and laying a small number. Milwaukee is coming off a 22-win season, the most since 2006, and looks to get the offense going that goes fast, one that finished No. 7 in the country last season in pace. Robert Morris is coming off a home cover against Cornell nut it was still another loss to drop it to 4-9 with half of those wins coming against non-Division 1 teams. The Colonials were a solid team defensively last season but have struggled as they are No. 332 in opponents shooting and that is not good against this attacking offense. Robert Morris is 1-5 on the road with the lone win coming against St. Francis PA that is ranked No. 349 out of 362 Division 1 teams. 10* (856) Milwaukee Panthers

This is a play on the NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Northern Illinois is off to a 6-5 start but coming off a 13-point loss to Northern Iowa last time out. However, that was eight days ago and the Huskies are ready for a bounce back in a big time game. This is a team that had a .500 season in the MAC last year and s projected for a top five finish with plenty of experience. They got Keshawn Williams back in the last game with limited minutes and he is a big addition to what has been a balanced team with four double-digit scorers that has been very efficient. Iowa is coming off a 22-point win over UMBC in its last game to make it two straight wins to improve 7-5 and it is in a tough spot here. This is the last nonconference game of the season before Big 10 action gets back underway where the Hawkeyes are 0-2 and looking ahead to their game at Wisconsin on deck. This is nothing more than a middle of the pack Big 10 team that lost three huge part from last season and their fast paces offense has hurt defensively where Iowa is No. 178 in defensive efficiency. 10* (841) Northern Illinois Huskies

This is a play on the EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. The records show that Portland St. is the better team as the Vikings come in at 9-3 including a win at Fresno St. in their most recent game 10 days ago. While Fresno St. is a bigger name school, the Bulldogs are an awful team that is pegged to finish last in the Mountain West Conference so that win victory is not impressive. Three of their wins have come against non-Division 1 teams and their last two Division 1 win have come against two teams picked to finish last or second to last in their conference. Eastern Washington is off to a 4-7 start which is not horrible considering the Eagles have played the second hardest schedule in the country. Nine of their first 11 games have been on the road with seven of those coming against major conference teams and while this is first home game against a non-Division 1 team, the Eagles have been waiting for this one all year to back up their Big Sky Championship from last season. 10* (716) Eastern Washington Eagles

This is a play on the USC TROJANS for our CBB Star Attraction. Typically, backing Oregon on its home floor in its conference opener with a short price in a no-brainer but this line stinks with the public on 78 percent of the money and zero line movement. The Ducks are coming off another 20-win season with rather high expectations coming into this year with three starters back but two of those, N'Faly Dante and Nate Bittle are on the shelf with the latter out for the season. The former is the leading returning scorer and a preseason First Team All-Pac 12 center but is out until mid-January. The Ducks are 6-0 at home which is a big reason for the public action but this is not a good opening matchup. USC has been tested much more which equates to its 6-5 start. The Trojans have played a schedule ranked No. 45 in the country with games against Kansas St., Oklahoma, Gonzaga and Auburn. USC was the No. 2 team in the conference to challenge Arizona with the best backcourt in the Pac 12 behind Boogie Ellis and Isaiha Collier who are averaging close to 36 ppg. 10* (719) USC Trojans

This is a play on the TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Little Rock hits the road after four straight home games and for the first time in close to three weeks and just the second time in six weeks. The Trojans went just 2-2 on their current homestand and hit the road for just the fourth time where they have started 0-3 straight up and against the number. They open Ohio Valley Conference action on the road and that road start is no surprise as Little Rock is 4-35 in its last 39 conference games and ideally this is not a good way to start conference action. Additionally, the Trojans have played a schedule ranked No. 338. Tennessee Tech is off to a 5-8 start where it has struggled on the road as well with a 1-6 and it heads home following a 31-point loss at Evansville. The Golden Eagles are catching points at home based on an adjusted efficiency rating that is in the negative but has played a schedule twice as difficult as the Trojans. There are no injuries on either side and based on what is expected coming in, Little Rock has no business laying points on the road. 10* (706) Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

This is a play on the CHICAGO ST. COUGARS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Chicago St. has been tested early, playing the most games of any team in the country, which is a solid edge this time of year, especially coming off its second largest break in-between games this season. The Cougars are the only independent team in the country which means they have to truncate their schedule late in the season and get in as many games before all other teams begin their conference slates. They are 7-10 which is four wins shy from all of last season and this team has made strides, especially after win totals of 3, 4, 0 and 7 the previous four years. Chicago St. is now facing a familiar foe from its recent WAC days and it is playing with some confidence as it had four straight wins, including a victory over Northwestern, before losing at Wisconsin five days ago. The Cougars play at a slow pace which is an advantage when getting a double-digit number. Cal Baptist is 7-4 with two wins coming against non-Division 1 teams. The Lancers has performed decent given they brought back just one starter but they have had a favorable schedule as of their nine games, they have been favored seven times, going 1-6 ATS. This is a tough spot with WAC play starting on Saturday with three straight games on the road. 10* (306513) Chicago St. Cougars

This is a play on the HAWAII WARRIORS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. TCU opened the Diamond Head Classic with a 24-point win over Old Dominion which was without its coach and clearly not focused in allowing 111 points but the Horned Frogs were exposed in the second game against Nevada as the defense allowed 88 points after giving up 87 points in the opener. The jury is still out on this team after losing so much from last season and out of 362 teams in Division 1, TCU has played the No. 352 ranked schedule which includes a game against Clemson as well as the TCU game and those two games are the only tests thus far. The host Warriors rolled over Portland in the tournament opener before losing to Georgia Tech on Friday and they are in a good spot in this third place matchup. It was the second home loss of the season for Hawaii which also lost to Nevada a week ago by six points, the same team that just throttled the Horned Frogs. Dating back to the 2021-22 season, Hawaii is 13-2 coming off a regular season loss and catching a big number on its home floor is the added edge. 10* (646) Hawaii Warriors

This is a play on the SANTA CLARA BRONCOS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Santa Clara won for us last Saturday as it defeated Washington St. on a neutral floor in Phoenix to snap a three-game losing streak and that was its third win over a Pac 12 team. We played against the Broncos on Wednesday as it went to San Jose St. and lost to the Spartans as a 4.5-point favorite in what was a letdown spot. Now it is bounce back time for Santa Clara playing again on a neutral floor, this time in Las Vegas, and it has gone 1-4 over it last five games so this game is a big one prior to West Coast Conference getting underway. The Broncos are tested by having played the No. 94 ranked schedule in the country. Duquesne is off to a solid 8-2 start which is not unexpected as the Dukes are coming off a 20-win season following 15 wins in the previous two seasons combined but the schedule rather soft schedule has helped while three of those wins have come by four points or less. The Dukes had to replace 10 players on the roster from a year ago and they are still without one of their returning starters. This is a tough scheduling spot for Duquesne heading out west which is its furthest trip of the season and it comes in on a 2-5 ATS run, the lone covers against teams ranked No. 200 and No. 274. 10* (624) Santa Clara Broncos