Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the WOFFORD TERRIERS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Wofford is coming off an uneven season where it went 17-16 including an 8-10 record in the SoCon but it was a tough year where its coach resigned in January and yet the Terriers plugged along. They lost three starters but have a core group back with a lot of size and athleticism and played No. 7 Tennessee tough for a majority of the game before losing by 21 as a 31-point underdog. Facing a tough defense, they for forced into 10 steals and while facing another power program, they should not be getting this number here. Virginia Tech is 2-1 to start the season with wins over Coppin St. and Campbell, the latter by 16 points with its one loss coming against South Carolina, a team pegged to finish last in the SEC. The Hokies have three starters back but this team is nothing special as they are picked as a bottom half ACC team and are laying close to the same number it did against Campbell which they did not cover. The story here is head coach Mike Young was at Wofford for 17 years before coming to Blacksburg so there will be no running it up against the school that got him to the ACC 10* (671)Wofford Terriers

This is a play on the BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Harvard is in a big letdown spot following an overtime win yesterday against Massachusetts to improve to 4-0. Harvard was fortunate that the Minutemen could not make a free throw as they went 10-25 from the charity stripe. While it is 4-0, it is not a very impressive 4-0 against three Division 1 teams predicted to finish in the bottom half of their conference and a win against UMass-Boston. The Crimson finished second to last in the Ivy League last season and that is where they are picked again. After losing four seniors, this is a young team with three freshman starters still coming off a Friday high and the back-to-back will be too much to overcome including the preparation standpoint. Boston College is 3-0 with a solid win over Richmond and this is its final home game tune up before playing in the Hall of Fame Classic starting Wednesday. The Eagles are another Harvard opponent picked to finish in the second half of the conference but this is a team from a major conference with a lot of experience. Boston College has gone from 4 to 13 to 16 wins the last three years and brings back three starters all in their third season in the program under head coach Earl Grant. 10* (622) Boston College Eagles

This is a play on the MONMOUTH HAWKS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Princeton was one of many Cinderella stories last season as it made it to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed after defeating Arizona and Missouri before eventually losing to Creighton. The Tigers are expected to be a top half team in the Ivy League again but they lost a ton as they have to replace three key seniors in Tosan Evbuomwan, Ryan Langborg and Keeyshawn Kellman which contributed a combined 36 ppg last season. They are off to a 3-0 start, both straight up and against the number and that is affecting this number. Monmouth was a very young team last season and it showed early on as it went 1-12 during the non-conference season and started slow in the CAA but played well late and won a game in the CAA Tournament. The Hawks have four starters back and are expected to make a big move in the conference and they already own a win over West Virginia by eight points as a 14.5-point underdog. The biggest impact should be an already has been graduate transfer Xander Rice, the son of coach King Rice, who was an impactful point guard for Bucknell in the Patriot League. He scored 30 points in the upset of West Virginia. 10* (608) Monmouth Hawks

This is a play on the EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Eastern Washington put together an incredible season although it did not end the way it wanted. The Eagles put together an 18-game winning streak that included wins in their first 16 Big sky Conference games but then they dropped their final two regular season games, which were meaningless as they already clinched the regular season championship. That lost momentum carried over into the conference tournament where they lost in the first round and were relegated to the NIT. They lost two starters but still have a veteran group led by all-conference forward Etan Price and they bring in the newcomer of the year in transfer Jake Kyman. Eastern Washington is 0-3 but faced three elite teams and are now catching another big number similar to the last two ones that they covered. Stanford is a middle of the pack team in the Pac 12 after a 14-19 overall season that includes a 7-13 conference record. The Cardinal lost two starters and did not get a ton of transfer help and is off to a 2-1 start against three inferior teams yet they still cannot defend. They were one of the worst teams defensively in the conference and in the country and have allowed 75 ppg. 10* (825) Eastern Washington Eagles

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. There have been rough times at Butler of late as it not reached 20 wins in four years after going 14-18 last season including 6-14 in the Big East to finish ahead of only lowly DePaul and Georgetown. The Bulldogs are starting over once again and are picked to move down in the conference to last place as they lost four starters. 10 new players arrive consisting of six transfers and four freshman that need to replace 91 percent of their scoring and minutes. Butler has started 3-0 with three blowout wins all at home against a bunch of nobody's and now comes the test in its first road game. Michigan St. is off to a 1-2 start but there is no time to panic. The Spartans lost to James Madison to open the season but bounced back against Southern Indiana even though they did not cover. They then lost to Duke on Tuesday and they are off to a 0-3 ATS start and coupled with the Butler 3-0 ATS start, the value is on their side. This is still a top five team with this game and Alcorn St. on deck to get right before facing another daunting test against Arizona on Thanksgiving next week. 10* (778) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the ST. JOHNS RED STORM for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. We had plays on both St. Johns and Dayton yesterday which ended up splitting with the former blowing a big lead and only winning by one point. We covered with Dayton but the Flyers looked unimpressive against an inferior LSU team. Rick Pitino took over the St. Johns program and brought in in three players from his old school as well as numerous big name transfers that were all conference players so this roaster is loaded with talent, it just needs to gel. Now a few games in, they are coming together with the exception of the late lapse yesterday and the Red Storm are now 0-3 against the number with no one betting on them today. The Flyers should have destroyed LSU which is in complete rebuild mode and they actually had to rally to pull off the win. They shot just 39 percent from the floor while the defense allowed 52 percent shooting for the Tigers and overall Dayton is now No. 250 in opponents shooting. While expected to win the A-10, it is a weak conference. The line is telling as Dayton was favored by just one point over the Tigers and is now a pickem in most spots against a much better roster. 10* (839) St. Johns Red Storm

This is a play on the WRIGHT ST. RAIDERS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Indiana is off to a 2-0 start but the wins have come against Florida Gulf Coast and Army and both were a lot closer than expected. The Hoosiers had a solid season last year where they advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round but they have to replace four starters including First Team All American Trayce Jackson-Davis and this could take some time. Even head coach Mike Woodson stated early that there is a lot of work to do. McKenzie Mgbako was supposed to be a big piece to the puzzle as he was ranked in the top ten freshmen coming into the season but has scored only six points. Indiana has Connecticut on deck. Wright St. is 0-2 as it got shellacked at Colorado St. before losing a tough game by one point against Toledo, a preseason MAC contender. 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. This line is based on name and not about roster talent. 10* (717) Wright St. Raiders.

This is a play on the DAYTON FLYERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. LSU looked like a contender last season heading into SEC action as it opened the season 12-1 before things went south in a hurry. The Tigers lost their next 14 games before a win against Vanderbilt but had only one more win before the season ended in the SEC Tournament against that same Vanderbilt team. It looks to be a complete rebuild and it was intended to be highlighted by the return of Jalen Cook who was here as a freshman before going to Tulane where he became a two-time First Team All-AAC point guard but he was not granted a waiver and he is ineligible this season. The Tigers beat Mississippi Valley St. but then lost to Nichols St. at home as a 19.5-point favorite. Dayton also opened the season with a convincing win over SUI-Edwardsville but lost its second game at Northwestern but at least it has been road tested. Despite 22 wins, the Flyers did not make it to a postseason tournament as they passed on the NIT because there were too many injuries which hampered them all season. They took a summer trip to Europe to get some early chemistry and they bring back DaRon Holmes II who is averaging 18 ppg and was named the Preseason Player of the Year in the A-10 and Dayton is the favorite to win the conference. 10* (743) Dayton Flyers

This is a play on the ST. JOHNS RED STORM for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. St. Johns defeated Stony Brook in its opener before getting blown out by Michigan by 16 points as a three-point favorite. The big news obviously was the hiring of head coach Rick Pitino who came over after a successful stint at Iona. He cleaned house as nine players transferred as he wanted to build his own regime and is doing so through the transfer portal. He brought in three players from his old school as well as numerous big name transfers that were all conference players so this roaster is loaded with talent, it just needs to gel and it is in a great bounce back spot here. North Texas is coming off its best season ever as it won a school record 31 games while winning the NIT behind one of the best defenses in the country. The Mean Green are expected to take a fall and while they are 2-0, those wins were against Northern Iowa and Nebraska-Omaha, both at home and both fairly competitive from an opponent standpoint. They not only have a new head coach as Grant McCasland left for Texas Tech but they have to replace four starters from last season and are now away from home for the first time. One of the best defenses in the country last year has been a shell of that so far. 10* (741) St. Johns Red Storm

This is a play on the CHARLOTTE 49ERS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Utah Valley has a special season a year ago as it won the WAC regular season title with a 15-3 record and it went 28-9 overall to advance to the NIT where it rolled to three wins against New Mexico, Colorado and Cincinnati. Now the Wolverines have to start from scratch as all five starters are gone and only two players from the roster are back, Additionally, there is a new coach in charge after Mark Madsen left for California so this team could take a while to come together. They are off to a 2-0 start including a win over Sam Houston St. in their first Division 1 game but the Bearkats are in rebuild mode as well. Charlotte is a much more experienced team as it has three starters back from a team that went deep into the postseason by winning the CBI Tournament. The 49ers also have a new head coach but they promoted a top assistant and he was able to retain they key players that were expected to transfer out and he brought in a great recruiting class. Charlotte is coming off a loss to Liberty, a team that is favored to win Conference USA and the 49ers are back home to bounce back from that loss. 10* (690) Charlotte 49ers

This is a play on the WEBER ST. WILDCATS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Weber St. had a solid season a year ago in the Big Sky Conference going 12-6 but was up against Eastern Washington and Montana St. which both had the two most experienced teams in the conference and now that mantra goes to the Wildcats. They return all five starters including Dillon Jones who is the Preseason Player of the Year in the conference and one of the underrated players in the country after dabbling going into the NBA draft following accolades in the G League. St. Mary's is off to a 2-0 start following a 27-8 season a year ago where it made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual National Champion Connecticut. The Gaels won the WCC with the 14-2 record and will be in contention again but lost two key starters and are overvalued here. They beat New Mexico in their last game but the Lobos were shorthanded and it was a revenge spot for the Gaels which are also in a lookahead with San Diego St. on deck. 10* (723) Weber St. Wildcats

This is a play on the ILLINOIS ST REDBIRDS for our CBB Saturday Ultimate Underdog. St. Louis has been a great program for years as it has won 21 or more games four of the last five years including last season when it went 21-12 including 12-6 in the A-10 but did not get a single postseason invitation and that is telling about where it sits yet still it is an overvalued team. The Billikens lost four starters from last season as well as six of its top seven scorers and while it is not considered a complete rebuild, they are not in a place to compete with experienced competition and even less so when laying a number like this. They rolled some school called Lincoln but prior to that they beat Southern Indiana by shooting 36.4 percent. Illinois St. had a miserable season last year as it went 11-21 including 6-14 in the MVC and that can actually be considered not bad considering the Redbirds had only one starter back with a brand new coach. Now there is experience as three starters are back along with two other players that combined for 24 starts. Additional transfers makes this one of the most experienced teams in their conference. Live dog. 10* (645) Illinois St. Redbirds

This is a play on the KENT ST. GOLDEN FLASHES for our CBB Saturday Enforcer. We lost with Kent St. on Thursday as the Golden Flashes fell in double overtime against James Madison and the Dukes have to be given credit for that as they overcame two late deficits and that was with them coming off that huge win over Michigan St. This is a great bounce back spot for Kent St. after a shaky first game and that recent loss. Four of the starters are juniors or seniors and the fifth starter is a top transfer from Central Michigan who was the MAC Freshman of the Year last season. The offense showed it can score and that was against a solid defense. Fresno St. is coming off a win in its season opener against Fresno Pacific but it was just an 11-point victory and this is not a great spot as this is the Bulldogs only real long travel spot of the season. The MWC is top heavy as usual and Fresno St. is predicted to not be anywhere close as it has been picked to finish either 10 or 11 of the 11-team conference. The Bulldogs return three starters but four of their top seven scorers left and scoring 77 points against a non-D1 shows they cannot keep up here. 10* (644) Kent St. Golden Flashes

This is a play on the BYU COUGARS as part of our CBB Friday Triple Play. San Diego St. made it all the way to the NCAA Championship before losing to Connecticut and it was certainly a season to remember. The Aztecs went 32-7 including 15-2 in the MWC and made the improbable run in the NCAA Tournament with a relentless defense but did have a couple fortunate breaks along the way. They lost three starters and projected starter Darrion Trammell missed the opener and is questionable with a shoulder injury. San Diego St. rolled over a below average Cal State Fullerton team as that defense was on display, allowing just 33 percent shooting but they take a big step up here and the line is telling. BYU is coming off a 19-15 season including a 7-9 record in their final year in the WCC and now it enters the Big 12 are have been projected to be a middle of the pack team. The Cougars have four starters back and got an early jump on the season with an overseas trip to Italy and Croatia and that extra time together is important. They rolled Houston Christian and now have a statement game in a revenge spot. 10* (864) BYU Cougars

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS as part of our CBB Friday Triple Play. Memphis has had a great run under head coach Penny Hardaway as it has won at least 20 games over the last five seasons. The Tigers made it to the NCAA Tournament last season but lost to eventual Final Four team FAU and while they are going to compete for the AAC title, there is work to do in the meantime. Memphis brings back only one player that saw playing time so it is going to take some time, especially when playing a quality team like the one they see tonight. Missouri also made it to the NCAA Tournament last year and was bounced by Princeton in the second round so it was a very successful season as well. The Tigers bring back two starters and brought in the No. 27 ranked recruiting class so there is plenty of talent. They are aggressive on defense and can cause a young Memphis team into mistakes and in its opener, Missouri rolled Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a 56 percent shooting performance and hung 101 points on the Golden Lions. 10* (870) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the WRIGHT ST. RAIDERS as part of our CBB Friday Triple Play. Wright St. opens its season tonight and have the edge in that regard with nothing for Colorado St. to go off. The Raiders went 10-10 last season in the Horizon League and have three starters back, led by First Team point guard Trey Calvin who is the Preseason Player of the Year and are the preseason pick to win the conference. They also have a key addition as the NCAA granted a waiver to Tanner Holden after he transferred from Ohio St. and graduated from Wright State in July. He averaged 20 ppg for the Raiders two years ago so this is a loaded lineup. Colorado St. won its opener over Louisiana Tech but it was not a pretty win as it won by eight points against a Bulldogs team noy expected to do much this season. The Rams outscored them 23-8 from the free throw line which was clearly the difference. They have three starters back from a team that went 15-18 and have a very tough matchup here against a team they do not know much about. 10* (873) Wright St. Raiders

This is a play on the HOFSTRA PRIDE for our CBB Friday Enforcer. Princeton was one of many Cinderella stories last season as it made it to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed after defeating Arizona and Missouri before eventually losing to Creighton. The Tigers are expected to be a top half team in the Ivy League again but they lost a ton as they have to replace three key seniors in Tosan Evbuomwan, Ryan Langborg and Keeyshawn Kellman which contributed a combined 36 ppg last season. It is a mini rebuild and Princeston opened the season with an upset win over Rutgers in Trenton but the Scarlet Knight are in complete rebuild mode so all that win is doing here is adding value the other way. Hofstra shared the CAA regular season title with a 16-2 record and made it to the NIT second round and the Pride will be contenders again. The lost two-time CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada but bring back three starters led by Tyler Thomas who scored 26 points in their opening win over St. Joes-Long Island. 10* (814) Hofstra Pride

This is a play on the KENT ST. GOLDEN FLASHES for our CBB Thursday Enforcer. James Madison is coming off the biggest opening night upset as it took out No. 4 Michigan St., the only top 25 team to lose its opening game. It was a three-point win that was aided by the Spartans going 1-20 from long range and the fact they went just 23-37 (62 percent) from the free throw line. The Dukes shot just 37 percent from the floor including 28 percent from behind the arc so it was certainly a fortunate win but credit has to be given. That being said, this is a big letdown spot especially going on the road again in another tough environment. Kent t. is coming off a 19-point win over Malone College which is not really an indication of how this team really is. After a rough first half, the Golden Flashes poured it on in the second half and overall shot 46 percent from the floor. Three starters are gone from the team that went 28-7 including 15-3 in the MAC so the slow first half start cannot be overly surprising but there is still a ton of experience. Four of the starters are juniors or seniors and the fifth starter is a top transfer from Central Michigan who was the MAC Freshman of the Year last season. 10* (650) Kent St. Golden Flashes

This is play on the AKRON ZIPS as part of our CBB Opening Night 3-Pack. Akron is the preseason pick to win the MAC and for good reason. The Zips finished 13-5 in the conference last season behind Toledo and Kent St. and have arguably the two best players in the MAC. Center Enrique Freeman is the Preseason Player of the Year after two straight seasons averaging a double-double and the Zips leading scorer from two years ago, Ali Ali, is back after going to Butler for a season. Overall, the Zips have six players that are playing in their fifth year so this is one of the most experienced teams in the country. They made a trip to Puerto Rico in August, an international trip allowed every four years, to gain even more early practice time together. South Dakota St. is no slouch as the Jackrabbits are the preseason pick in the Summit League but a lot of that is due to top teams from last season losing a ton. Three starters are back led by Zeke Mayo, who made the Preseason All Summit Team, but there are numerous newcomers coming in and they are at a big disadvantage down low. Overall, there are seven players back with experience but South Dakota St. has seven players that are either freshman or redshirt freshman and a sophomore transfer. 10* (869) Akron Zips

This is play on the FIU PANTHERS as part of our CBB Opening Night 3-Pack. The number here is telling us UCF is a quality and experience team but that is not the case and laying a double-digit price is questionable. UCF had a successful season in its last one in the AAC as it made it to the NIT despite a seventh place finish in the conference at 8-10. It was led by NBA draft pick Taylor Hendricks and now only one starter is back for the Knights while five of the top six scorers have departed and only four players from the roster return. This is not great news in their first year in the Big 12 and they are picked to finish last in the conference and while that is a ways away, the chemistry of this team remains in question. It was a tough season for Florida International as it finished 14-18 including an 8-12 record in Conference USA but things are on the rise. The Panthers were extremely young as they started four freshmen at certain times and they were small, often going with four guards which put them at the bottom of the conference in rebounding but the transfer portal has addressed that. They bring back a ton of experience highlighted by Conference USA Freshman of the Year Arturo Dean who comes in First Team Preseason who is the best player on the floor tonight. 10* (813) FIU Panthers

This is play on the MISSOURI ST. BEARS as part of our CBB Opening Night 3-Pack. West Virginia enters the season amid a chaotic offseason highlighted by the resignation of head coach Bob Huggins and a complete roster overhaul. Despite a 7-11 record in the Big 12, the Mountaineers secured an NCAA Tournament bid where they lost to Maryland by a bucket and now there are questions everywhere. West Virginia lost all five starters and trying to complete a roster was a challenge for new head coach Josh Eilert as there was still an open scholarship spot entering the fall. It is going to take a lot of time for this team to find its chemistry with so many new parts. It was a successful season for the Bears as they went 17-15 overall including 12-8 in the highly competitive MVC as head coach Dana Ford had to deal with adversity all season. Injuries crushed this team as there was not a single player that played in every game while every player on the 13-team roster made a start so pulling off a winning record was impressive. Three starters are back as well as six other players with starting experience led by Donovan Clay who is a sleeper for MVC Player of the Year and the big piece is the return of Matthew Lee who made only two starts before tearing his ACL. 10* (785) Missouri St. Bears

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our National Championship Enforcer. Connecticut comes in as the big favorite as it again rolled in the NCAA Tournament following a 13-point win over Miami and all five games have been won by at least that amount. That did put some early money on the Huskies as the number opened at -6 and has risen a point and a half as of Sunday night with 81 percent of the money coming in on Connecticut and that will not ease up. The Huskies have used incredible athleticism and length to blowout all five opponents but this is the worst of the two matchups that Connecticut could have gotten from the other semifinal matchup. One stat the no one will want to go against is the fact that Connecticut is 16-0 straight up and 15-1 ATS in nonconference games with the lone non-cover coming by just one point. San Diego St. has not been nearly as dominant in the tournament as it has won its last two games by just one point, the first team ever to win its Elite Eight and Final Four games by a single point. They make a tough matchup for the Huskies as they have the defense that is fully capable to ultimately keep this game close. The Aztecs possess the No. 4 ranked efficiency defense in the country and the last game against Florida Atlantic was the first time in the last nine games they have allowed an opponent to shoot better than 40 percent. San Diego St. is deep which makes opponents adjust and the Aztecs bench points are ranked No. 36 in the country and as long as they can control the pace for most of the game, this one stays close and they are more than capable of the outright victory. 10* (711) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our Final Four Dominator. Of the Final Four teams, Miami has had the toughest run as the four teams it defeated had a combined seeding of 19, while San Diego St.'s opponents had a combined seeding of 32 and the Connecticut and Florida Atlantic opponents had a combined seeding of 31. The Hurricanes have had to rally from big deficits along the way so while it can be argued that they very well should not even be here, the experience from their Elite Eight exit from last season has been pivotal. This offense has caused problems and have a good matchup here with the unit that is ranked No. 4 in offensive efficiency. Connecticut is the favorite to win the National Championship as it has looked the most dominant and it is currently -125 to bring it home. The Huskies became the seventh team to win all four games by 15 or more points in reaching the national semifinals and these lopsided results have forced them to lay the big number here, the most they have been favored by over the previous three games. Connecticut does have the edge on offense with its No. 9 ranked efficiency unit against an average Miami defense but the Hurricanes have stifled two solid offenses the last two games when it counted down the stretch. 10* (703) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS for our Final Four Enforcer. Florida Atlantic is the unlikeliest team to be in the Final Four based on seeding but this team is no joke with 35 wins on the season and has now won 34 of its last 36 games. The Owls rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit, relying on their inside-out game to defeat Kansas St. as the balance remains a strength with four starters scoring in double figures and this balance is key against a great defense. They have already solved one as in their Sweet 16 win over Tennessee who owned the No. 1 ranked efficiency defense, the Owls' scored an impressive 1.07 points per possession and it will not get easier here but it is again doable. The Aztecs also rallied from a seven-point deficit in defeating Creighton that ended on a controversial foul call and they too are playing excellent with eight straight wins. San Diego St. relies on its defense that is ranked No. 4 in efficiency and it will also get a test here as after facing Alabama and Creighton and their No. 41 and 34 offensive efficiency rankings respectively, the Aztecs now square off against the No. 15 ranked efficiency offense. The Owls defense cannot be understated as they are No. 20 in defensive efficiency which makes it tough for the Aztecs which are No. 119 in offensive efficiency. 10* (701) Florida Atlantic Owls

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our NIT Thursday Dominator. North Texas put itself into a pretty big hole in the first half but the price of the defense that has carried this team took over in the second half as the Mean Green clamped down and held Wisconsin to just 13 second half points and shut the Badgers out for the final nine minutes of the game. as mentioned in that analysis, North Texas is ranked in the top 25 in four major defensive categories as they are No. 24 in Adjusted Defense, No. 8 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, No. 8 in Opponents Two-Point Shooting and No. 20 in Opponents Three-Point Shooting. The Mean Green improved to 16-5 away from home and now the two teams will meet for a rare fourth time this season. UAB needed overtime to take out Utah Valley which was its closest game of the NIT so far and it should be another tight game and we have to give the edge to the underdog Mean Green that will be more inspired after UAB knocked them out of the C-USA Tournament and likely cost them an NCAA Tournament bid. That meeting was decided by free throws as the Blazers outscored North Texas 25-15 from the stripe. That outstanding Mean Green defense will be the difference again as they add to their program record win total. 10* (666) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our NIT Game of the Year. North Texas has been on a mission as it has rolled past Alcorn St. and Sam Houston St. and while both of those were at home, the Mean Green have seen solid away from Denton, going 15-5 following an outright at Oklahoma St. Wisconsin rolled past Bradley in the opener but snuck by Liberty and Oregon in the last two games and come in from has been proven to be a very weak Big Ten Conference. North Texas is ranked in the top 25 in four major defensive categories as they are No. 24 in Adjusted Defense, No. 8 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, No. 8 in Opponents Two-Point Shooting and No. 20 in Opponents Three-Point Shooting. Wisconsin is always known for its tough defense and while it has been solid this season, it is not on the same level as North Texas. On the other side, the Mean Green hold a sizable advantage as they are No. 37 in Adjusted Offense and No. 115 in Effective Field Goal Percentage while the Badgers are ranked No. 295 and No. 287 in those two categories respectively. Here, we play on teams after allowing 65 points or less in three straight games going up against an opponent after two straight wins by six points or less. This situation is 73-38 ATS (65.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (662) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the TEXAS LONGHORNS for our Elite 8 Game of the Year. The Hurricanes rolled over Houston as Miami was very efficient on offense which has been its strength all season as it shot 51.7 percent from the floor while committing just five turnovers. Texas is not as good defensively as Houston which looks like it might be a problem but the Longhorns bring in a different style of defense as they are long and athletic. The Hurricanes nearly let the Cougars back into the game as Houston cut the deficit two points midway into the second half but Miami went on a 19-4 run to pull away. Texas rolled in its Sweet 16 game as well as it took out a very good Xavier team by 12 points but led by double that midway through the second half so the game was not as close as that final score shows. Surprisingly, this is the first trip to the Elite 8 for the Longhorns since 2008 and they are doing it with an interim coach in Rodney Terry who has done a sensational job. Texas has now won seven straight games that also includes a pair of double-digit wins over Kansas so they are playing even better than that record shows. Forward Dylan Disu will be a question mark but Texas got it done without him Friday as he played only two minutes. 10* (656) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. Gonzaga had its game against UCLA in control late in the second half after overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit and nearly blew it against a depleted Bruins team as UCLA played without top defender Jaylen Clark and interior defender Adem Bona. Gonzaga had a commanding 50-26 rebounding edge and collected 16 offensive boards against the undersized Bruins and the Bulldogs will not have that luxury here against the No. 2 ranked total rebounding percentage rate team in the country. Drew Timme had a career game with 36 points and 13 rebounds and will not replicate that against the Huskies frontcourt. Going into the tournament, only five teams were ranked in the top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency with Connecticut being one of those and so far it has looked very dominant. The Huskies were No. 6 in offensive efficiency and has a solid edge there but their No. 22 defensive efficiency ranking could be the difference against the top offensive efficiency team in the nation. The Huskies dominated a very athletic Arkansas team as they held the Razorbacks to just 32 percent shooting from the floor and will be tenacious again on Saturday. 10* (653) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the HOUSTON COUGARS for our Sweet 16 Game of the Year. Miami is ranked No. 8 in offensive efficiency but now faces its biggest test. The Hurricanes defeated Drake which came in No. 17 in defensive efficiency but they easily could have lost that game as they used a 16-1 to end the game as the full court press was the difference and they cannot use that here. We won with Miami on Sunday as the offense had a big advantage facing the Hoosiers No. 102 ranked defensive efficiency as they tallied 85 points on nearly 50 percent shooting. They now face the No. 2 ranked team in defensive efficiency yet it is the other side of the ball where they will really have a big disadvantage. Houston toyed with Northern Kentucky before a late surge even though it dominated most categories but had only nine made free throws, the same as the Norse, and the Cougars were sloppy with the ball with 14 turnovers. Against Auburn, they again started slow, trailing by 10 points at halftime before outscoring the Tigers 50-23 in the second half. As mentioned, their defense will be strong against the Miami offense and it is their own offense, ranked No. 4 in efficiency, facing a Miami defense ranked No. 182 in efficiency. 10* (644) Houston Cougars

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. San Diego St. presents a big challenge for Alabama and it is catching a big number with the lowest total on the board of the Friday games with two of the best defenses in the country squaring off. The Aztecs needed some late free throws to cover against Charleston in its tournament opener and then had no issues with Furman on Saturday as their defense was outstanding, holding the Paladins to only 52 points on 32 percent shooting as Furman made only 16 field goals the entire game. They had a solid offensive performance which can bring some momentum into this game as they came in only No. 105 in efficiency, against the No. 4 ranked team in defensive efficiency. Alabama has rolled through its first two games of the tournament and the results against Maryland were outstanding as they held the Terrapins to only 51 points on 35 percent shooting so that will be a challenge again. While the Tide are good offensively, they are not great as they are No. 35 in efficiency and will be facing the No. 15 ranked team in defensive efficiency and an expected low scoring game in on the side of San Diego St. 10* (647) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our NCAA Tourney Annihilator. Eighteen of the past 20 champions entered the NCAA Tournament ranked in the top 40 in both offensive and defensive efficiency and going into the Sweet 16, seven teams remain that finished in both. Going into the tournament, only five teams were ranked in the top 25 in both categories and all of those teams are still alive with Connecticut being one of those and so far it has looked very dominant. The Huskies were No. 6 in offensive efficiency and has a solid edge there but their No. 22 defensive efficiency ranking is the big difference in this matchup. The Razorbacks fit the bill for a strong defense as well but were just in the top 30 in efficiency at No. 29. Arkansas opened the tournament with a 10-point win over Illinois but had a big defensive edge there against an Illini offense that was No. 117 in offensive efficiency. The Razorbacks then overcame a double-digit deficit against Kansas to pull off the upset by one point but that outcome likely would have been different has Bill Self been on the sideline for the Jayhawks. Now they have the big disadvantage on offense as they are No. 130 in efficiency. 10* (640) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the KANSAS ST. WILDCATS for our NCAA Tourney Dominator. Of the eight Big Ten teams to make the NCAA Tournament, Michigan St. is the only team to make the Sweet 16 and that shows two things, the conference was very weak as a whole and the one team that did make it has the best coach in the Big Ten despite what many considered a down year. The Spartans have looked impressive in wins over USC and Marquette as they turned close games into insurmountable margins in the second half and are favored over the No. 3 seed after being the underdog against the No. 2 seed. This game is similar for Kansas St. when it played Kentucky as it was an underdog on Sunday with a lot of that based on the name of the opponent and the Wildcats are getting that disrespect here as well. In the first round, Kansas St. led throughout against Montana St. and while it had just a three-possession lead with a few minutes left, it used a late 8-0 run to pull away and against Kentucky, the Wildcats used another 8-0 to pull way. Most impressive for Kansas St. is that All Big 12 forward and Newcomer of the Year Keyontae Johnson has not been in top form in the first two games and that makes then even more dangerous. 10* (638) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on the UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES for our NIT Wednesday Dominator. The public is all over Cincinnati here which is no surprise based on name alone but Utah Valley comes in with nearly the identical resume despite being from the smaller conference. The Wolverines are on a mission after losing in the WAC Semifinals as they have come into the NIT after winning the regular season championship with a 15-3 record and have gone on the road and won in two of the toughest environments at Colorado and New Mexico by 12 and 14 points respectively. They are five spots less in the NET rankings and seven spots less in the KenPom rankings so the Bearcats have no real edge except for home court where they are 16-3. Cincinnati took out Virginia Tech at home and Hofstra on the road to get here and while the higher seed from a bigger conference, this line is telling us something. The Bearcats have a similar offensive rating as Utah Valley but are well behind in defensive efficiency as they will be facing a wolverines team ranked No. 25 in that category. Here, we play on teams coming off two consecutive road wins by 10 points or more, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .800. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (627) Utah Valley Wolverines

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our NIT Tuesday Dominator. North Texas has been on a mission as it has rolled past Alcorn St. and Sam Houston St. and while both of those were at home, the Mean Green have seen solid away from Denton, going 14-5. The Cowboys snuck past Youngstown St. in the NIT opener and then defeated Eastern Washington by 11 points on Sunday so they are out to prove the critics wrong but they have a touch matchup here. North Texas is ranked in the top 25 in four major defensive categories as they are No. 24 in Adjusted Defense, No. 8 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, No. 8 in Opponents Two-Point Shooting and No. 20 in Opponents Three-Point Shooting. Oklahoma St. is also solid on defense as it is ranked in the top 25 in those first three aforementioned defensive categories so this matchup comes down to the opposing offenses which the Mean Green hold a sizable advantage as they are No. 37 in Adjusted Offense and No. 115 in Effective Field Goal Percentage while the Cowboys are ranked No. 140 and No. 244 in those two categories respectively. 10* (613) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS for our CBI Tournament Game of the Year. Radford is in a tough spot here playing an afternoon game coming off an overtime win on Sunday against Tarleton St. as a small underdog by two points. The Highlanders won their opening round game against Winthrop in the Big South Tournament before getting upset against Campbell as a favorite the next day and it was a solid effort yesterday coming off an over two-week layoff and now the conditioning could come into play after extra time as three starters logged at least 36 minutes. San Jose St. has the benefit of having an extra day off as it won on Saturday by 25 points over Southern Indiana so there was no sign of a letdown. That could have come after upsetting Nevada in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament before succumbing to eventual champion San Diego St. by 15 points. The Spartans were not expected to do much this season so winning 21 games up to this point is a huge accomplishment and this is the type of team that will cherish this extra time and coming off a blowout win shows they can go far in the CBI Tournament. 10* (606) San Jose St. Spartans

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our NCAA 2nd Round Game of the Year. Of the eight Big Ten teams to make the NCAA Tournament, six have already been eliminated with the two remaining teams going Sunday to try to avoided getting shutout of the Sweet 16 and both should be eliminated after today. One of those is Indiana which comes in as the slight favorite following an 11-point win over Kent St. as the defense led the way by allowing the Golden Flashes to shoot just 31.9 percent from the floor but the challenge rises on Sunday. Trayce Jackson-Davis could not be stopped with 24 points and the Hoosiers outscored Kent St. 46-26 in the paint, another feat that will be difficult to replicate. Miami was on the ropes against Drake as very well should be gone but closed the game on a 16-1 run, eliminating an eight-point deficit to win by seven points to advance to the round of 32. The Hurricanes have one of the best offenses in the country as they are top 25 in both scoring and shooting and coming off a dismal 30-4 percent shooting performance against the Bulldogs, they are going to improve that substantially here. This line has remained steady despite the vast majority of money on Indiana. 10* (839) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the KANSAS ST. WILDCATS for our NCAA Tourney Dominator. Based on power rankings, Kansas St. should be the slight favorite here yet this line opened at Kentucky -1 and has been bet up to -3 with a lot of that based on the names on the front of the uniforms. The Wildcats survived against Providence as the Friars came in playing some of their worst basketball of the season and shot just 36.2 percent from the floor including going 5-24 from long range yet were still able to hang around, down by just four points with less than five minutes remaining. The Wildcats shot only 36.5 percent from the field including 31.3 percent from behind the arc. Kansas St. led throughout against Montana St. and while it had just a three-possession lead with a few minutes left, it used a late 8-0 run to pull away. The Wildcats are going to be a big challenge for Kentucky after shooting 58.2 percent from the floor including a monster 70 percent on their two-point shots. Keyontae Johnson led them with 18 points and is the best player on the floor in this matchup as he has averaged just above that over his last six games. 10* (848) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on the XAVIER MUSKETEERS for our NCAA Sun. Afternoon Dominator. Here we have two teams that won in totally different ways and despite being the favorite, Xavier is the contrarian play here based on those first round results. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 22-2 lead to start the game as Iowa St. missed its first 11 shots from the floor and ended up shooting 23.3 percent from the floor for the game. What is being overshadowed is that the Panthers did not play a good game either as they had more turnovers than field goals, 15-14 while they shot just 34.1 percent from the floor. Xavier needed every minute to pull away from Kennesaw St. as it won by five points after trailing for much of the game. The Musketeers were down by double digits for much of the second half and did not trail by single digits under just over eight minutes remaining in the game and used a late 15-0 run to eventually pull it out. It was arguably a game where Xavier was looking part the Owls and that was a big wake up call for a team that has a chance to make a serious run especially now that No. 1 seed Kansas has been eliminated. 10* (846) Xavier Musketeers

This is a play on the TEXAS LONGHORNS for our NCAA Tourney Dominator. Penn St. pulled off the upset against Texas A&M, the loudest team opposing their apparent unfair seeding, and it was not even close at the Nittany Lions ran away early with a 17-point victory. One thing is certain and that is Penn St. is not going to shoot 59 percent from long range again which included an incredible 8-10 performance from Andrew Funk. It has been a great run for Penn St. which was sitting on the outside of the bubble a month ago but has now won nine of its last 11 games with the two losses coming by a combined five points. Now comes another test. Texas let Colgate stick around for a while before pulling away for a 20-point win and the Longhorns are playing as good as anyone right now as it has won five straight games including a pair of double-digit wins against Kansas, the second one that captured the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship. You really cannot compare Colgate and Penn St. but only when it comes to shooting as the Longhorns held the top three-point shooting team in the country to just a 3-15 statline so there will be even more pressure on the Nittany Lions long range shooting. 10* (812) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our NCAA Tourney Annihilator. Tennessee snuck out an opening round win against Louisiana and did not look great in doing so. The Volunteers are 2-2 over their last four games which has coincided with the absence of guard Zakai Zeigler, the second leading scorer and leader in assists, and going back, they are 6-7 over their last 13 games. That does include impressive wins over Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn, all of which advanced on Thursday, but those were all at home where Tennessee went 14-2 and now face a test against a team coming into form at the right time. It took Duke a while to come together and find its chemistry and some of that had to do with injuries but the Blue Devils are fully healthy. Following the blowout win over Oral Roberts on Thursday, Duke improved to 19-1 this season when its five core players are on the court and the Blue Devils come in as the only favorite on Saturday as a lower seed. While Tennessee played great defensively against the Cajuns, Duke was better against the Eagles, holding them 33 points below their scoring average. That lockdown defense will again play a major role in getting to the Sweet 16. 10* (803) Duke Blue Devils

This is a play on the KENT ST. GOLDEN FLASHES for our NCAA 1st Round Game of the Year. Kent St. comes in on a roll as it has won six straight games entering the NCAA Tournament, and has won 10 of their last 11 games and has the defense to slow down one of the best duos in the country. The Golden Flashes have allowed 65.7 ppg which is ranked No. 56 in the country and their defensive efficiency ranking (38th) is among the best of mid-major programs that qualified for the tournament. The Golden Flashes may be 0-3 against Quad 1 teams this season, but two of those losses were against Gonzaga by seven points and Houston by five points. All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino lead the Hoosiers and they can definitely take a game over but if they get slowed down, there is not much offense past them as they are the only double-digit scorers on the team. Indiana was ousted in the Big Ten Tournament by upstart Penn St. and closed the season on just a 4-4 run with three of those losses coming on the road where the Hoosiers have been vulnerable. They are 15-2 at home but only 7-9 away from home. 10* (771) Kent St. Golden Flashes

This is a play on the DRAKE BULLDOGS for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. This line is telling us all we need to know as this is the lowest number of all of the No. 5/No. 12 matchups and for good reason. Miami won the regular season ACC championship but that really is not say much as this conference was the weakest it has been in recent years. Miami was unable to move up in the metrics due to a lack of blowout wins over inferior opponents and bad losses to Georgia Tech and Florida St. during the regular season and then survived a scare from Wake Forest in the ACC quarterfinals before getting rolled by Duke in the ACC semifinals. Drake has won 13 of its last 14 games, with the lone loss coming on the road to Bradley in the regular-season finale before rolling the Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference championship by 26 points. The Bulldogs are a veteran team that takes care of the ball which is a recipe for success against a team like Miami that benefits in taking away the ball to create easy baskets. Drake is averaging just 10.5 tpg and has had one of the most efficient offenses in the country down the stretch. 10* (769) Drake Bulldogs

This is a play on the CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS for our NCAA Tourney Annihilator. This has the makings of a complete mismatch as this is a Creighton team than can go far going up against an NC State team that arguably should not even be here. The Wolfpack have dropped three of their last four games including two losses against Clemson by 25 and 26 points, a team that did not even make the NCAA Tournament. After spending some time in the top-50 in defensive efficiency this season, NC State enters the NCAA Tournament No. 87 which is not horrible but not ideal against an offense like this. Creighton was the preseason favorite to win the Big East Conference Championship but injuries played a role in a 3-8 run but the Bluejays closed strong winning 12 of their final 7 games. Offensively, Creighton does not have a player that can take a game over but the key is its balance as all five of its starters average double figures in scoring. This veteran and balanced team does not only get it done on offense but those five starters helped the Bluejays finish first in defensive efficiency in Big East play this season. 10* (794) Creighton Bluejays

This is a play on the VERMONT CATAMOUNTS for our NCAA Tourney Ultimate Underdog. Based on this line, the Golden Eagles are the weakest No. 2 seed, and the weakest since 2015, in the field while Vermont is the strongest No. 15 seed. Marquette won the Big East Conference by two games over Xavier and then survived a pair of two points wins in the conference tournament before beating the Musketeers by 14 points in the championship game. The Golden Eagles are riding a nine-game winning streak but they have been far from dominant as of those nine wins, six were by six points or fewer including five by two points or less. The Catamounts are 23-10 this season after going 14-2 in the America East Conference to win the regular season title by three games. They won all three of their conference tournament games by double digits to reach the NCAA tournament for the second straight season and this veteran laden team is not going to be an easy out. Granted, they come from a smaller conference and we saw they nearly pulled off the upset against Arkansas in this spot last season. 10* (743) Vermont Catamounts

This is a play on the VCU RAMS for our NCAA Tournament Dominator. VCU is another lower-seeded underdog that is in a great matchup to win outright. VCU has rattled off nine straight wins, including a 68-56 victory over Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship and is catching fire at the right time. Seven of those nine wins have been by double digits. They have great guard play led by Ace Baldwin and it is the defense that really makes the difference as Baldwin was the best defensive player in the Atlantic 10, while Jayden Nunn and Nick Kern Jr. love to hassle opposing guards and that is a problem for the Gaels. St. Mary's has gone just 5-3 in its last eight games with a pair of bad losses coming against Gonzaga and those defeats can give the right script to take them down. The Gaels struggle with athleticism on both ends and they really struggle with pressure and their offense can become rather pedestrian when freshman point guard Aidan Mahaney is taken out of games. This is exactly what VCU excels at its 12-4 record away from home is an edge, especially with this game being played on the east coast. 10* (773) VCU Rams

This is a play on the UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS for our NCAA Friday Afternoon Dominator. Baylor has the experience and pedigree to make a run in the NCAA Tournament but the Bears do not have the defense and they floundered down the stretch. No team has ever made a big run, let alone win a National Championship, with a defensive efficiency rating outside the top 30 and the Bears are ranked No. 90. Baylor finished the season 2-4 with an impressive win against Texas but that was at home and the only win away from home was against non-NCAA Tournament team Oklahoma St. UC Santa Barbara closed the season on a seven-game winning streak in winning the Big West Conference Tournament and it is a dangerous team despite a very low seed. Facing a poor defense is an ideal matchup for the Gauchos as they shot 56.4 percent from two-point range and are led by Big West Player of the Year Ajay Mitchell. They also have Josh Pierre-Louis and Ajare Sanni on the perimeter to form a great guard trio that can actually matchup with the Bears which is typically a big edge for Baylor. 10* (795) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

This is a play on the UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS for our NCAA Tourney Ultimate Underdog. Injuries are going to play some key roles for some top teams and one of those is UCLA. The Bruins played without two starters in the Pac 12 Conference Tournament championship and while center Adem Bona should return, he will not be 100 percent and there is very little inside presence to make that up. Guard Jaylen Clark, who is second on the team in scoring and first in steals while winning the Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year, is done for the season after suffering a leg injury which hurts their backcourt considerably. In 17 games away from home, UCLA was 12-5 and only two of those wins were by more than what it is laying against the Bulldogs. UNC Asheville blew through the Big South Conference with a 16-2 record and won the conference tournament with a few closer than expected wins but this can be a dangerous team with a player than can be a mismatch for most teams. Drew Pember, who averages 21.2 ppg and 9.4 rpg, will be hard to contain and he can step out and shoot the long ball at a 38 percent clip. 10* (767) UNC Asheville Bulldogs

This is a play on the ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. Arkansas is one of the most athletic teams in the country and will be a dangerous team and has a great matchup against a very inconsistent Illinois team. A wildcard for the Razorbacks is Nick Smith, Jr. who was hurt early in the early and was in and out for a while but a top NBA prospect, he is fully healthy, has been on a tear and can carry this team along with Anthony Black who has come on strong. Despite a 20-13 record, Arkansas finished No. 21 in the NET and No. 20 in the KenPom rankings so it is a lower seed than what the numbers suggest. The Illini were all over the place this season and while they were outstanding at home at 15-2, they were just 5-10 outside of Champaign and going back, they are 5-0 at home and 0-6 away from home over their last 11 games. Their rankings are close to that of Arkansas as they are roughly 10 spots back and they finished 2-11 against Quad 1 teams which is the concern when stepping up in competition. They do play solid defensive with a No. 32 ranking in efficiency but the Razorbacks are twice as better at No. 16. 10* (760) Arkansas Razorbacks

This is a play on the COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON COUGARS for our NCAA Tournament Dominator. College of Charleston did not get a very good draw but the same can be said for San Diego St. as this is not a good matchup for the Aztecs as well. The Cougars won both the Southern Conference regular season and conference tournament championships and will be a tough out with their experience and balance on both ends of the floor. Charleston is ranked in the top 20 in the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and it has a balanced group of scorers that finished No. 10 in the country in three-pointers made. San Diego St. closed the season with four straight wins and backed up its MWC regular season title by winning the conference tournament championship. The Aztecs possess a great defense that is ranked No. 27 in the nation in efficiency so they can pose a problem for the Cougars offense but their own offense is a concern as San Diego St. was just No. 105 in the nation in efficiency. Both teams are relatively equal in rebounding which is where San Diego St. had an advantage in many of their games. 10* (737) College of Charleston Cougars

This is a play on the UTAH ST. AGGIES for our NCAA Tourney Annihilator. The Tigers went on a late five-game winning streak including an upset of Tennessee before losing to Alabama in the SEC Tournament and have a difficult matchup here despite being the higher seed. Missouri was a solid 18-0 in Quad 2, 3 and 4 games but it will not be facing a team in those groups despite facing a No. 10 seed. The Tigers were 6-9 against Quad 1 teams which is a reason they come in as a slight underdog here. The defense is a problem, finishing bottom third in the nation in most categories. Utah St. was a bubble team for most of the latter part of the season but went on a seven-game winning streak that included two wins over Boise St. and a win over Nevada before falling to San Diego St. by just five points in the MWC Championship. The Aggies were always a lock with a NET ranking of No. 19 and a KenPom ranking of No. 18 and have an exceptional backcourt that can give the Missouri defense fits. Missouri is on the cusp of a Quad 2 team on a neutral floor and the Aggies flourished in those games, going 9-1. 10* (761) Utah St. Aggies

This is a play on the WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS for our NCAA Thursday Afternoon Dominator. West Virginia is an experienced team with plenty of offensive firepower and this offense should be the difference as it is ranked No. 15 in the country in offensive efficiency. It starts five seniors, three of which joined the program via the transfer portal this past offseason and they have had all season to gel and find their chemistry. The Mountaineers closed the season well by winning four of five games before running into Kansas in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and losing by 17 points. They posses 12 Quad 1 and 2 wins which was tied for fifth most in the conference. Maryland comes in with losses in three of its last four games including a 10-point loss against Indiana as a short underdog in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Terrapins had a significant edge on their home floor where they went 16-1 but were just 5-11 away from home which includes five losses against teams not in the NCAA Tournament. They come in with lower NET and KenPom rankings and they were just 3-10 in Quad 1 games. 10* (747) West Virginia Mountaineers

This is a play on the UC IRVINE ANTEATERS for our NIT Wednesday Dominator. Oregon failed to make the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season and will be in the NIT against this year following an opening round win before losing at Texas A&M last season. The Ducks had some decent momentum going when they faced UCLA in the Semifinals of the Pac 12 Tournament as they had won four straight games but were no match for the Bruins in the 19-point loss. Being the No. 1 seed in the NIT can be considered an honor but there is no doubt disappointment. This is a rare revenge spot in the postseason as Oregon lost by 13 points at home against UC Irvine back in November and while it might be out to avenge that defeat, it also shows another possible bad matchup. UC Irvine shared the Big West Conference regular season championship with UC Santa Barbara but a loss to CSU Fullerton in the conference tournament knocked the Anteaters into the NIT and a rematch with the Ducks. They finished 23-11 overall and in addition to the game against Oregon, the other Quad 1 team they played was San Diego St. which resulted in a three-point loss. 10* (711) UC Irvine Anteaters

This is a play on the ALCORN ST. BRAVES for our NIT Ultimate Underdog. It was a great season for North Texas which won a program record 26 games but its reward was a trip to the NIT. The Mean Green were the top ranked team in the NET rankings, where they finished No. 35, to not earn an NCAA tournament berth so there is definitely disappointment. This team has the No. 1 scoring defense in the country so they play lockdown on that side of the floor but a lot of that comes with being motivated and they might not be at their best here and yet are being asked to lay a massive number. Alcorn St. also had a great season as the Braves won their second straight SWAC regular season title and were the top seed in the conference tournament before being upset in the first round by Texas Southern which eventually went on to win the SWAC Tournament. Coming from a lower-tier conference, the body of work is not great but the Braves do own a pair of solid wins against Wichita St. and Stephen F. Austin and while it was 0-3 in Quad 1 games, all three of those were against teams currently playing in the NCAA Tournament. 10* (707) Alcorn St. Braves

This is a play on the TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS for our NCAA Tourney Wednesday Play-In Annihilator. This is the third straight play-in game for the Tigers as they defeated Mount St. Mary's in 2020-21 and Texas A&M-CC last season so they know the situation and the environment they are playing in. This is a senior laden team that wants another crack at the big boys after losing the Michigan and Kansas the last two years and a look at the overall record of 14-20 is going to make people sky away from this side. The Tigers had eight losses of four points or less including four in overtime and they own a strong win over Arizona St. Fairleigh Dickinson lost to Merrimack in the Northeast Conference Championship but it got the bid because the Warriors were ineligible as they are still on probation from the Division I move. The Knights finished 17-14 on the season and they too had some close losses along the way but they came against some awful teams and the Tigers have the No. 362 SOS RPI ranking, out of 363 teams, and that is not a good resume coming into this game against a very veteran team that has already been here. 10* (671) Texas Southern Tigers

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI ST. BULLDOGS for our NCAA Tourney Tuesday Play-In Enforcer. Pittsburgh snuck into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed which is not a good look considering the Panthers tied for third place in the ACC which shows how bad that conference was this season. Pittsburgh struggled to get past Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament before getting blown out by Duke by 27 points and ended up No. 67 in the NET rankings. Mississippi St. comes in also sneaking in but has a much better resume as it is No. 48 in the NET rankings and played a much more difficult schedule. The Bulldogs have failed to cover four straight games which is adding value to this short number. This one comes down to the better defender and that is clearly Mississippi St. The Panthers give up 69.7 ppg which was 159th in the country and they allowed 75 points or more in eight of their last 10 games. Meanwhile, Mississippi St. allowed 75 or more points just twice this season and only Tennessee has eclipsed 80 points against the Bulldogs, which finished eighth in the country at 60.4 ppg. 10* (701) Mississippi St. Bulldogs

This is a play on the SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GOLDEN EAGLES for our NIT Tuesday Ultimate Underdog. UAB is another team where motivation is a concern for not making the NCAA Tournament and instead heading to the NIT. The Blazers played without all conference guard Jelly Walker for five games in late January and while they went 3-2, they clearly were not the same but since his return, they went 10-1 including eight straight wins, five of those by double-digits, before facing top seed Florida Atlantic in the C-USA Championship which resulted in a 22-point loss and completely shattered their momentum and confidence. Southern Mississippi won the Sun Belt Conference with a 14-4 record but could not make it out of the first round of the conference tournament and that is an edge since it was not a disheartening loss in the championship and they can build on the season which was the Golden Eagles first one in the Sun Belt. The Golden Eagles led the conference with three Quad 1 and 2 wins which is the same number for UAB so playing in a more difficult conference did not matter although this line is telling us so. 10* (687) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

This is a play on the TOLEDO ROCKETS for our NIT Tuesday Dominator. It was a disappointing season for Michigan that had eyes on the NCAA Tournament but it lost its final three games of the season including a 12-point loss against Rutgers in the opening round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Wolverines motivation has to be in question here as after losing to Rutgers, head coach Juwan Howard was pretty vague about whether or not the team would accept a potential invite to the NIT and while it was accepted, they will not be the more motivated team here. Toledo was rolling with 17 straight wins before it ran into Kent St. in the MAC Championship as it was unable to capture the championship as well as revenging a loss against the Golden Flashes which was the Rockets last defeat before their winning streak. It was definitely a disappointment buy coming from a smaller conference, this is an opportunity to prove what they can do against the power teams and this offense can keep them around with a big number as they come in No. 2 in the country in scoring and No. 5 in shooting. 10* (685) Toledo Rockets

This is a play on the MEMPHIS TIGERS for our C-USA Tourney Dominator. Memphis has had a very quiet great season at 23-8 and in all eight of those losses, it has never been out of a game with those defeats averaging just 4.0 ppg and none by more than eight points. This includes two losses against Houston which were by eight points on the road and two points at home to close the regular season. Guard play is big this time of the season and Kendric Davis is one of the best as he has scored 20 points or more in five straight games and leads the AAC in scoring with 21.5 ppg and he actually missed the first meeting in that eight-point defeat. We played against Houston yesterday and it ran away against Cincinnati to snap a four-game non-cover streak and pick up its 13th straight win but this one will not be easy as the Tigers have been their toughest opponent. The Cougars remain undefeated on the road at 15-0 but overall have struggled against the top teams, going 8-10 ATS against teams with a winning record. 10* (657) Memphis Tigers

This is a play on the UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS for our Big West Tourney Enforcer. UC Santa Barbara has won six straight games and the preseason favorite to win the Big West Conference and after splitting the regular season title with UC Irvine, the Gauchos are in a great position to take home the tournament and the automatic NCAA Tournament bid. They have covered five of those six games with the lone exception being a push against Cal Poly in their tournament opener and four of the six wins have come against teams in the top six in the conference. There is extra incentive here as the last defeat came at home against CSU Fullerton by 14 points as a seven-point favorite after beating the Titans by eight points on the road in the first meeting. CSU Fullerton has won its first two games of the Big West Conference Tournament as underdogs by a combined five points, one in overtime, so those could have gone either way. The Titans have won nine straight games with six of those coming by one or two possessions and find themselves in a tough spot here. 10* (636) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

This is a play on the TOLEDO ROCKETS for our MAC Tournament Dominator. Toledo has won 17 straight games with its last loss coming way back on January 10 against, you guessed it, Kent St. in the one meeting this season by 12 points. The difference in that game was on the glass as Kent St. outrebounded the Rockets 42-28 including 19-6 on the offensive end. This was a complete aberration as the as the Golden Flashes do not have a significant edge on the boards. These teams are evenly matched all around but we have to look at who has been more dominant coming in and that is clearly the Rockets as during the winning streak, only two wins were by fewer than six points and none of those were by one possession. Kent St. is riding high as well with five straight wins and victories in nine of its last 10 games so it has clearly not been as dominant and with the exception of home wins against Ball St. and Toledo in the game mentioned, the Golden Flashes struggled to put the top teams away by margin. This is a Quad 2 matchup and Kent St. is 1-4 against Quad 1 and 2 teams while Toledo is 3-2. 10* (606) Toledo Rockets

This is a play on the XAVIER MUSKETEERS for our Big East Tourney Annihilator. Marquette has won eight straight games and 18 of its last 20 games to come in as the favorite for the Big East Championship but 13 of those wins came against teams with no chance at the NCAA Tournament with very few making any postseason tournament. The Golden Eagles are 5-2 against NCAA Tournament teams with those five wins coming by 19 points while the two losses also coming by 19 points. The last three wins in this group were by just five points total including a home win against Xavier by one point. We will regurgitate the Xavier info as it is now 25-8 overall following a 22-point blowout win against Creighton Friday and they have been on the cusp of a very special season as one of those losses came by seven points against Duke on a neutral floor back in late November and a 17-point loss at Creighton. As for the other six losses, they have come by a total of 11 points, five of which were by one or two points. Xavier is once again undervalued. 10* (627) Xavier Musketeers

This is a play on the CINCINNATI BEARCATS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Houston rolled to a win over East Carolina on Friday but it was a close game for a half as the Cougars were not able to pull away until midway through the second half and as great as they are, they are continuing to be overvalued. They have gone 0-4 ATS in their last four games and are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games and while Houston has the potential to win any game by 20 points, not in a matchup like this facing a team playing its best basketball of the season. Houston is the only team in the country to not have lost away from home as it is 14-0 but in six games against quality opponent, four of the victories were under this number they are laying here. Cincinnati has won four of five games and over the last two months, the five losses were by an average of 5.4 ppg. Of their 11 losses, only three have come by more than what they are getting here and the last defeat by more than seven points was way back on January 8 against the Cougars. 10* (619) Cincinnati Bearcats

This is a play on the VCU RAMS for our A10 Tourney Game of the Year. St. Louis and VCU both cruised in their opening round Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament games on Thursday and we will be rolling with the hotter team that does have a matchup edge. The Rams have won seven straight games and 15 of their last 17 games with the two losses coming by seven points combined against Dayton and St. Bonaventure and have dominated along the way. VCU is 10-4 away from home with only one of those coming in the conference at Duquesne which was one of its worst offensive performances. The Rams won both regular season meetings and while we say beating a team three times is difficult, the offense is simply more dominant as they outshot St. Louis 47.4 percent to 43.1 percent. The Billikens have been all over the place of late as they are 6-5 over their last 11 games with four of those losses coming by eight points or more. St. Louis is just 6-8 away from home including 1-4 over its last five games and the only significant road win on the season was against Providence by three points. 10* (608) VCU Rams

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS for our SEC Tourney Enforcer. Missouri is peaking at the right time as it has won five straight games including a pair of wins against future NCAA Tournament teams Tennessee and Mississippi St. and the win over the Volunteers on Friday improved the Tigers to 8-5 away from home and they are catching a bigger number today than what the Bulldogs got yesterday against Alabama despite being the much better team. Missouri has the second best Q score in the SEC and while they do have eight Quad 1 losses, a lot of those came early including a 21-point loss against Alabama at home and that is a circle game as that one came down to long range shooting where the tide went 10-35 from long range while Missouri was a dismal 3-28 from beyond the arc. Alabama finally had a big win on Friday as it rolled past Mississippi St. by 23 points after going 3-1 over its previous four games with the three wins coming by nine points combined. The Tide are still not right as the distractions will be present the rest of the season. 10* (611) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the ARIZONA ST. SUN DEVILS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. Arizona St. is coming off an upset over USC on Thursday and is once again making a move up the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Sun Devils were one of the last teams in following a last second upset at Arizona a couple weeks ago but losses at UCLA and USC knocked them back down but are now in better shape after the Trojans win as they are the last team out so a win here gets them back in as their five Quad 1 wins are third most in the Pac 12 Conference. Arizona St. is now 12-6 away from home and could be a live dog here despite the large number it is getting. The Wildcats took care of Stanford by 11 points yesterday but have gone just 4-3 over their last seven games. They are 11-4 away from home but four of those wins came against the four worst teams in the conference. Arizona was favored by 10 points against Stanford on Thursday and are now favored by just a bucket less against a team that finished four games better in the conference than the Cardinal. 10* (859) Arizona St. Sun Devils

This is a play on the VANDERBILT COMMODORES for our SEC Tournament Dominator. Vanderbilt has been rolling in the SEC on a 9-1 run following a 57-point loss at Alabama which clearly woke this team up and while it was a win over a horrible LSU team, the Commodores have snuck into the final eight teams out with five of those ahead of them already out of their conference tournaments. Vanderbilt finished 11-7 in the SEC but it was so far back in the analytical rankings that is it still on the outside of the NCAA Tournament despite having the same or better conference record than five other teams in the SEC that are already in the big dance. A win here and they make a massive jump and they have already proven they can beat the Wildcats. Kentucky has been playing well also with five wins in its last six games, the lone loss coming against Vanderbilt and while playing with revenge, the Wildcats are laying too big of a number here. Kentucky is just 7-6 away from home which is only one game better than Vanderbilt. 10* (835) Vanderbilt Commodores

This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE for our AAC Tournament Dominator. Tulane won its final two games of the regular season, albeit by three points combined, to secure the No. 3 seed in the American Athletic Conference to secure a first round bye. Tulane went on a 10-2 ATS run starting the first of January but has since dropped its last five games but one of those games was at Houston and the Green Wave were significant favorites in the other four games. They lost the second meeting by seven points at home which was part of that final five-game stretch and they are catching some value here as they look to keep their surprisingly great season alive. Wichita St. had no problems with Tulsa on Thursday as it won by 18 points and the Shockers continue to play well down the stretch as they have won five of their last seven games with the two losses coming against Houston and Memphis. They have covered four straight games and have been solid away from home, winning four of their last five but two of those were against Tulsa. 10* (828) Tulane Green Wave

This is a play on the XAVIER MUSKETEERS for our Big East Tourney Annihilator. The Musketeers are coming off a closer than expected win over DePaul on Thursday and they are 24-8 overall and they have been on the cusp of a very special season as one of those losses came by seven points against Duke on a neutral floor back in late November and a 17-point loss at Creighton, a game they have not forgotten. As for the other six losses, they have come by a total of 11 points, five of which were by one or two points. They are 12-7 in Quad 1 and 2 games compared to 9-10 for Creighton. Despite being the No. 2 seed, they are catching points here in what should be a pickem. Creighton rolled over Villanova on Thursday which was its third straight win and cover but the other two victories came against DePaul and Georgetown. The Bluejays are 8-9 away from home this season and of those eight wins, only one has come against an upcoming NCAA Tournament team with was a neutral floor win over Arkansas by three points. 10* (848) Xavier Musketeers

This is a play on the KANSAS JAYHAWKS for our Big 12 Tournament Enforcer. While Kansas has a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament locked up, the Jayhawks are going after the overall No. 1 seed which likely comes with placing them three hours from campus in Des Moines, Iowa, for the opening two rounds and then playing 45 minutes from campus in Kansas City for the Midwest Regionals. That is a significant advantage. Kansas is playing with heavy hearts with the absence of head coach Bill Self who is not on the sidelines for the Big 12 Tournament after undergoing a heart procedure and his lone term coaching outlook is still unknown. The Jayhawks took care of business on Thursday, rolling past a hot West Virginia team. Iowa St. put itself into a bad spot as it lost four straight games before posting a pair of wins over Baylor including a six-point win over the Bears on Thursday as it improved to 6-9 away from home. The Cyclones have been a thorn to Kansas as they lost by two points in Lawrence and won by 15 points at home so they have the full attention of Kansas on Friday. 10* (854) Kansas Jayhawks

This is a play on the NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS for our Big Ten Tourney Enforcer. Two Cinderella teams square off Friday in a strange year in the Big Ten Conference as Penn St. and Northwestern are both in the NCAA Tournament while Michigan and Wisconsin played their way out. The Nittany Lions upset Illinois on Thursday to move into the last four in group which was its sixth Quad 1 win of the season and that should be good enough to hold on even if it loses here. The Nittany Lions are playing their best at the right time as they have won six of their last seven games. Northwestern secured the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, a spot no one expected so while this is new territory, they have something to prove. They went through a small rough patch where they lost three straight games before closing the regular season with a confidence-building win at Rutgers by 12 points to end the regular season. This line is showing that the markets do not believe either but this has been no fluke as Northwestern is 7-5 in Quad 1 games, second most victories in the Big Ten. 10* (814) Northwestern Wildcats

This is a play on the UAB BLAZERS for our C-USA Tourney Enforcer. If neither of these teams wins the conference tournament, they are not going dancing which is a major drawback of the NCAA Tournament as both deserve bids. The Blazers played without all conference guard Jelly Walker for five games in late January and while they went 3-2, they clearly were not the same but since his return, they have gone 9-1 including seven straight wins, five of those by double-digits, and now they face the only C-USA team to sweep them this season. UAB locked down the No. 3 seed with the big finish and cruised past Rice by 27 points on Thursday to set up this big rematch. There is not a significant difference between these two teams as both possess great guard play which UAB gets the edge with Walker playing at his highest level. North Texas has also been red hot as it has won 11 of its last 12 games and the Mean Green have been dominant as well so this is no easy rematch for the Blazers which will be facing one of the best defenses in the country but the better offense prevails here. 10* (819) UAB Blazers

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. Michigan St. had a game postponed against Minnesota earlier in the season and while it probably would have resulted in a win, it worked out as the Spartans got the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament thanks to having the one fewer defeat in the lost column. They got a double bye looking to build off a two-game winning streak to close the season. Michigan St. finished just 7-9 away from home but a lot of those were Quad 1 losses and the Spartans were 13-2 on the season in games outside of Quad 1. Ohio St. has caught fire at the right time as it has won four of its last five games, the one loss coming against Michigan St., and has covered all five of those games. The Buckeyes were efficient against Iowa as they committed only five turnovers and were fortunate the Hawkeyes could hit nothing from long range as they were 4-17 from behind the arc. That was just their third Quad 1 win on the entire season as they are now 3-12 with those losses being the most of any team in the conference. 10* (812) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the UTAH ST. AGGIES for our MWC Tourney Enforcer. New Mexico was an early season fraud as it opened the season 14-0 and 18-2 but it has been downhill since as the Lobos have gone 4-8 over their last 12 games and while an overall 22-10 record looks good, it has trended the wrong way. They are coming off a win over Wyoming last night to open the Mountain West Conference Tournament as they faced the Cowboys that announced head coach Jeff Linder would not be on the sidelines as he was with his ill father so that made it difficult for Wyoming to put a game together in a very tough spot. Utah St. closed the regular season with five straight wins and covers and despite having a NET ranking of No. 21, second in the MWC, and a Q score that is also second in the conference, the aggies are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble as they are the last of the final four teams in so a loss here could potentially knock them out of consideration. Part of the issue is they only have one Quad 1 victory but that did come in their final game. 10* (780) Utah St. Aggies

This is a play on the NC STATE WOLFPACK for our ACC Tournament Dominator. NC State rolled past Virginia Tech on Wednesday by 20 points in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament which sets up a rematch that the Wolfpack were hoping for. Motivation in the tournaments is not a problem for teams but sometimes there is some extra juice added and that is the case here as NC State lost its final home game of the regular season to Clemson by 25 points which was by far its worst loss of the season and only its second home loss on the season. This came after losing the first meeting in Clemson by 14 points so this is a double circle. The Tigers were one of the hottest teams early in the season as they opened 18-4 including 7-0 and 10-1 starts in the conference and then they came back down to earth. Clemson went 4-5 over its last nine games and other than the NC State win, the other victories were against Florida St., Syracuse and Notre Dame whose seasons are all already done. The Tigers were awesome at home with a 15-1 record but just 7-8 away from home. 10* (725) NC State Wolfpack

This is a play on the VANDERBILT COMMODORES for our SEC Tournament Dominator. Vanderbilt has been rolling in the SEC but it is likely too little, too late for the Commodores which closed the season on an 8-1 run following a 57-point loss at Alabama which clearly woke this team up. Vanderbilt finished 11-7 in the SEC but it was so far back in the analytical rankings that is it still on the outside of the NCAA Tournament despite having the same or better conference record than five other teams in the SEC that are already in the big dance and with the way it is playing and the instability of this conference, a deep run is feasible. A little extra incentive is the fact the only loss during this recent run was a loss at LSU. That win over the Commodores was only the second one during the season for the Tigers which finished 2-16 in the SEC. They are coming off an impressive win over Georgia in the opening round of the SEC Tournament but LSU actually closed as a three-point favorite in that game as the Bulldogs were in a massive slump coming in and it is in no position for a run. 10* (764) Vanderbilt Commodores

This is a play on the ST. JOSEPH'S HAWKS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. St. Joseph's has won its first two games in the Atlantic Ten Tournament and the Hawks are on a roll that could cause more problems. Prior to winning their regular season finale, they had dropped four straight games but three of those were on the road and the other came against top seeded VCU but before that, St. Joseph's won seven of nine games and now are getting a good number in a revenge game where they lost by 20 points back in early January. Dayton has watched from the sidelines during the first two rounds which is a good rest advantage but teams really do not need that right now unless they are looking at four in four or five in five and the momentum and confidence is clearly on the other side. The Flyers finished tied for second in the conference with St. Louis at 12-6 so they were not overly dominating and that early 20-point win came during a seven-game winning streak and they have gone just 8-6 since then and overall, are just 6-9 away from home. 10* (715) St. Joseph's Hawks

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our Big East Tourney Annihilator. Despite claiming the No. 4 seed in the Big East Tournament, Connecticut is the favorite to win the tournament at +210 as it gets to play in its home away from home and is playing the best basketball of any team in the conference. The Huskies have won five straight games and eight of their last nine with most of those being blowouts. Connecticut is No. 6 in the latest NET rankings but it still considered a projected No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament so they could use a run. Providence overachieved most of the season and we feel the Friars are more indicative of what it did down the stretch. They dropped their final two games of the season at home after a 15-0 start and while the Friars rolled over Connecticut by 12 points, that was when the Huskies were in the midst of a 1-5 run and the other two good wins came in overtime. Providence finished 4-5 down the stretch with two of those wins coming against Georgetown and one of those losses was at Connecticut by 18 points. 10* (730) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the BALL ST. CARDINALS for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. The top three teams in the MAC coming into the season all held their ground and the big surprise to most at the end of the season was Ball St. which finished 11-7 to finish No. 4 in the conference. The Cardinals came into the season projected right there so this is no surprise and they are still being undervalued. They dropped their last three games of the season, two against No. 1 Toledo and No. 3 Akron as well as a poor road loss at Eastern Michigan. They finished 8-9 away from home and despite better seed, better record and a better Q score, they come into the quarterfinals as an underdog. It was a good season for Ohio which ran off six straight wins in February before losing two of its final three games. The Bobcats ended up 10-8 in the MAC thank to a big home court edge where they went 14-1, which included a five-point win over Ball St., but they were just 4-12 away from home. 10* (706) Ball St. Cardinals

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI ST. BULLDOGS for our SEC Tourney Game of the Year. Mississippi St. opened the season 11-0 but then hit a stretch where it went 1-8 with the only victory coming against an awful Mississippi team but the Bulldogs have worked their way back up into NCAA Tournament consideration. Mississippi St. has won eight of its last 11 games with the three losses coming by 10 points combined where they were an overtime loss at Missouri, a loss at Vanderbilt and a three-point home loss against Kentucky. They are currently the first of the last four teams in so the Vanderbilt loss did not hurt but it needs a win here. Florida floundered at the end of the season as it lost six of seven games with the only win coming against Mississippi and while it won its final two games of the season, those were against 6-12 Georgia and 2-16 LSU. The Gators were 2-12 against Quad 1 teams and on a neutral floor, Mississippi St. qualifies and those two victories included a win at Mississippi St. by a bucket and the Bulldogs have not forgotten that which was one of only four home losses. 10* (757) Mississippi St. Bulldogs

This is a play on the RICE OWLS for our C-USA Tourney Enforcer. Rice was an early player in C-USA as it started off 6-2 that included an impressive win at 16-4 North Texas but the Owls could not sustain that as they lost their next four games and finished on a dismal 2-9 run. Rice ended up 8-12 in the conference which was good for a tie for sixth place with Western Kentucky and Florida International and was able to lock down the No. 6 seed with tiebreakers to get a good first round draw and a possible double-revenge rematch with UAB which it lost by 18 and 28 points in the first two meetings. One of the early wins came at UTSA but the Owls lost the second meeting at home as a double-digit favorite. The Roadrunners have been at bottom of the conference since the start as they opened 0-3 before a win against Middle Tennessee St. and then it was 11 straight losses before the win against Rice. UTSA did win their final two games of the regular season but should be no match here. 10* (688) Rice Owls

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA ST. COWBOYS for our Big 12 Tournament Annihilator. Oklahoma St. is another team that has played itself out of the NCAA Tournament and needs a conference tournament run to get back in. The Cowboys got into the mix with five straight wins that included a pair of road victories against Oklahoma and Iowa St. but they then lost their next five games as they slowly descended down the ranks but those losses were all against upcoming NCAA Tournament teams. They desperately needed a win to close out the season and they got it with a three-point win at Texas Tech which propped them up to the last team out heading into tournament week. Oklahoma has been the only team in the conference that has not been in the NCAA Tournament mix as it currently sits No. 65 in the NET rankings which is not horrible by any stretch and that is what is keeping this line down. The Sooners closed the season 3-3 that did include two solid wins against Kansas St. and TCU, both at home and a road win at slumping Iowa St. 10* (700) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

This is a play on the UTAH UTES for our Pac 12 Tournament Dominator. Utah was on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament bubble for much of the latter part of the season but the Utes closed with five straight losses in what was a brutal stretch to end the season. They lost all three road games at Arizona, Arizona St. and Colorado and had two tough home games against UCLA and USC and they failed to cover any of those five games. It will take nothing less than a Pac 12 Tournament Championship to get them to the big dance which is very unlikely but it is one game at a time with a date with Arizona on deck should it win this revenge game. Stanford played well down the stretch as it won two of its last three games while covering all of those and it went 5-2 ATS over its last seven games. The Cardinal finished 7-13 in the Pac 12 Conference after a 0-7 start as it put together a four-game conference winning streak sandwiched around a win over Chicago St. but four of those wins were at home. 10* (676) Utah Utes

This is a play on the BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES for our ACC Tournament Dominator. Boston College has played well down the stretch as following a win over Louisville on Tuesday, the Eagles have won four of their last five games. Boston College finished 9-11 in the ACC and its resume is not far off from that of North Carolina yet it is catching double digits in the second round because of the brand name. The Eagles finished 2-6 in Quad 1 games which is one more win than North Carolina had. The Tar Heels opened the season No. 1 in the country but now needs a big run to get into the NCAA Tournament. They won three straight games before losing the season finale at home against Duke and the talent is obviously here for a run but are laying double digits for the first time in a month and a half which came at home against Boston College and they failed to cover in the eight-point victory. They did cover the other three ACC games when laying 10 points but those were against Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Louisville, a combined 11-49. 10* (655) Boston College Eagles

This is a play on the WISCONSIN BADGERS for our Big Ten Tourney Game of the Year. There are a number of teams needing to win at least one conference tournament game to have a shot at an at large bid into the NCAA Tournament and Wisconsin is one of those. The Badgers have been on the bubble for a month after a brutal January where they closed on a 1-6 run. Wisconsin went 3-3 down the stretch with three of those losses coming by five points combined and the other two coming in overtime on the road at red hot Nebraska and another bubble team in Michigan. The Badgers are currently the second of the first four teams out so it will take a win here and a likely win against Iowa to go dancing. Ohio St. opened the season 10-3 that included a 2-0 start in the Big Ten Conference and then it was all downhill as the Buckeyes lost their next five games and 14 of 15 games before picking up a couple late wins against Illinois and Maryland at home before a season ending loss at Michigan St. and still comes in as a favorite. 10* (680) Wisconsin Badgers

This is a play on the ST. JOHN'S RED STORM for our Big East Tourney Annihilator. While this is considered a neutral court game, this is essentially a home game for the Red Storm at MSG and they have been excellent in non-true road games, going 14-6 and this is a revenge game after suffering a two-point loss at Butler last month. They struggled against the top half of the conference as most teams in the bottom half of the Big East did but St. John's is 15-1 in Quad 3 and 4 teams this season. They are 3-3 over their last six games with the three losses coming against NCAA Tournament bound teams. Butler finished 6-14 in the Big East Conference and outside of the win against St. John's and victories against DePaul and Georgetown, the only other conference wins were against Xavier and Villanova at home. 10-19 New Orleans and 3-28 California accounted for the only other road wins as well as a neutral floor win against BYU way back in November. 10* (666) St. John's Red Storm

This is a play on the DAVIDSON WILDCATS for our CBB Afternoon Dominator. It was a miserable stretch at the end of the season for St. Bonaventure as it lost six of its final seven games with the lone win coming on Senior Day at home against St. Joseph's. The Bonnies were in the top half of the Atlantic Ten Conference at 7-4 but the recent skid dropped them to 8-10 and a tie for eighth place with the Hawks and Wildcats which they lost to by 13 points on the road during the losing streak. St. Bonaventure was good at home at 11-4 but went 3-13 outside of Olean. Davidson opened 2-1 in the conference but then suffered through a 2-8 stretch with half of those losses coming by four points or less but the Wildcats closed strong by going 4-1 over their last five games that included a pair of victories away from home where they finished a solid 6-6 and 8-7 including neutral court games. Davidson is 7-3 ATS as favorites of fewer than five points while going 11-4 ATS away from home. 10* (644) Davidson Wildcats

This is a play on the MONTANA GRIZZLIES for our Big Sky Tourney Annihilator. This is not the semifinal matchup many expected as top seed Eastern Washington fell to Northern Arizona on Sunday and the Grizzlies are now a live play to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Montana suddenly has a good draw to finish off the Big Sky Tournament as the Grizzlies will avoid Eastern Washington which they lost to twice during the regular season by seven points both times as the Eagles were upset by the Lumberjacks. These were two close regular season games as each team won at home by a point so this line might seem high but the value lies with Montana. The Grizzlies finished 10-7 in the Big Sky during the regular season and come in on a solid run as they have won eight straight games and while seven of those were against losing teams, their opponent falls into that category also. Northern Arizona has won four of its last five games which has accounted for four of its overall five wins away from home all season but this is not a team that can sustain pulling off upsets. 10* (632) Montana Grizzlies

This is a play on the VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES for our ACC Tournament Dominator. It was a very disappointing season for Virginia Tech as it opened the season 11-1 before dropping seven straight games to open ACC action 1-7 and it was a hole it could not recover from. Five of those seven losses were by four points or less and that actually made them stronger down the stretch as they won seven of their last 12 games. Two of those final five losses were against first place Miami and another at Duke. Virginia Tech finished 12-3 in Quad 3 and 4 games while Notre Dame went just 9-9 against those opponents. The Irish had an even worse season as they finished just one game ahead of last place Louisville at 3-17 in the ACC with all three of those wins coming at home. Two of those were against 2-18 Louisville and 6-14 Georgia Tech and while the other one was against 14-6 Pittsburgh, that was their final home game and the final game for head coach Mike Brey. Notre Dame was 0-12 away from home and while there were some close calls against some good teams, it was a disaster overall. 10* (612) Virginia Tech Hokies

This is a play on the UNC WILMINGTON SEAHAWKS for our CAA Tournament Dominator. UNC Wilmington came through with the outright upset last night against Hofstra in overtime and that momentum is big facing the overwhelming conference favorite. We are getting excellent line value with the Seahawks based on two different factors. College of Charleston was laying half this number last night against Towson which finished with the same conference record as UNC Wilmington and a lot of this can be due to the second factor which is head-to-head. The Cougars won the last meeting at home by 32 points and that is something everyone looks at and in that game, Charleston was laying 9.5 points and a shift to a neutral floor should bring that number down about three points and that is not the case. The Cougars rolled Stony Brook on Sunday but narrowly escaped the Tigers on Monday as they won by just five points and are now being asked to win by double that which is too much against a worthy opponent that is now a perfect 5-0 playing on a neutral court. 10* (627) UNC Wilmington Seahawks

This is a play on the ABILENE CHRISTAN WILDCATS for our WAC Tourney Enforcer. Abilene Christian closed the season with five straight losses to finish 7-11, although two of those wins were forfeits wins against New Mexico St., so while it does not look good heading into the postseason, the Wildcats played to their schedule. 10 of the 11 losses were against teams that finished .500 or better with four of those by four points or less including three by a bucket. Two of the five wins were against winning teams and another against a .500 team so not counting the New Mexico St. games, the Wildcats played 13 of 16 games against teams at 9-9 or better and it was one of the toughest schedules in the Western Athletic Conference. Abilene Christian won the lone meeting at California Baptist by 16 points which was one of its two covers against winning teams on the road. The Lancers lost three of their last four games and after a great early stretch of going on a 5-0 ATS run, they have covered only two of nine games and have had only two Division I wins since February 1st, both at home. 10* (613) Abilene Christian Wildcats

This is a play on the ST. JOSEPH'S HAWKS for our A-10 Tournament Annihilator. We talk about how beating a team three times in the same season in not easy since opposing adjustments tend to be made but sometimes there is a clear matchup edge and that is the case here with St. Joseph's. The Hawks won the two meetings this season by 31 points at home and 12 points on the road and it came down to a huger advantage at guard which is very important this time of year. They shot 43 percent from long range compared to 33 percent from the Ramblers with over double the three-pointers made. The guards have led the way for St. Joseph's as their three leading scorers are all on the perimeter whereas Loyola-Chicago has just once double-digit scorer up top and commit more turnovers. The Hawks closed the regular season with a big win against Richmond to snap a four-game skid to finish 8-10 in the A-10 and while the Ramblers also won their season finale, the 4-14 conference record is hard to look past and this is an easy one and done team in the tourney. 10* (604) St. Joseph's Hawks

This is a play on the WEBER ST. WILDCATS for our Big Sky Tourney Annihilator. This number is right where it should be based on the two regular season matchups and the power rankings and while we do not like backing teams trying to win all three meetings, the Wildcats come in with much better recent form. Weber St. won its season finale at Northern Arizona in overtime to make it two straight wins and four of its last five heading into the Big Sky Tournament with the only loss coming against top seed Eastern Washington. The Wildcats won the two regular season meetings by just five combined points but catch a Hornets teams that is playing its worst basketball of the season. Sacramento St. won its season finale at Portland St. by a bucket which snapped a two-game losing streak and put an end to a 1-8 stretch so there is very little momentum for the hornets coming in. They finished the season 7-11 and there were many close losses along the way but there were also some bad efforts especially away from home where they lost 12 of their final 15 games. Sacramento St. has covered its last four games and like it was stated in another game, this is a streak we love to go against. 10* (880) Weber St. Wildcats

This is a play on the CLEVELAND ST. VIKINGS for our Horizon Tournament Dominator. This is the third meeting of the season between Milwaukee and Cleveland St. with the Panthers winning the first two meetings, the first in overtime on the road and then by nine points at home in the regular season finale. Milwaukee easily took care of Wright St. in the quarterfinals at home which was its third straight win and now it hits the road for the first time since February 18th where it is 6-7 on the season and four of those wins came against losing teams and only one of those wins was by more than four points which was a 14-point win at 2-18 Green Bay. The Vikings had to survive overtime in their quarterfinal game against Robert Morris and they have won six of their last seven games. Cleveland St. is getting some value in this number as it was favored at Milwaukee in the season finale by two points so a shift to a neutral court should make the Vikings a five-point favorite and while that is just a bucket difference, in these tournament games, those two points are huge. The Vikings have failed to cover their last four games and that is a streak we will go against as avoiding the season sweep comes at the best time. 10* (871) Cleveland St. Vikings

This is a play on the CHATTANOOGA MOCS for our SoCon Tourney Game of the Year. Chattanooga lost its final two regular season games against Samford and Wofford and the Mocs extracted their revenge for both of those losses in the last two games as they snuck by Samford as underdogs and then rolled Wofford by 12 points yesterday. This is the fourth game in four days for Chattanooga but the first game of this stretch was a blowout win over VMI and the starters were not extended in that game. The Mocs have their third straight game playing with revenge, double revenge in this instance, as they look to get some payback from a pair of losses and non-covers. Furman has caught a break in the tournament as it was able to avoid the potential top two seeds it would have faced if the seeding went through as UNC Greensboro was upset against Wofford and then Samford lost to Chattanooga. That being said, it is out of their control who they play and the Paladins survived a scare yesterday against Western Carolina as it won in overtime by three points as a double-digit chalk. They were a covering machine by going 11-1 ATS over a 12-game stretch but have gone just 2-4 ATS over their last six games and we an throw out the regular season records in this matchup. 10* (867) Chattanooga Mocs

This is a play on the UNC-WILMINGTON SEAHAWKS for our CAA Tourney Enforcer. Hofstra is the hottest team in the Colonial Athletic Association as it has won 12 straight games, going 11-1 ATS in those games, and going back, the Pride are 15-1 straight up and against the number in their last 16 games. That is a tough streak to go against but with these streaks comes the market perception and inflated numbers and that is the case here. Over the last eight games, Hofstra has played only one team with a winning record and have been favored by at least eight points in all of those including six by double digits so basically they have faced no one. This is their first worthy opponent since facing Charleston and Towson back-to-back which resulted in two four-point wins. UNC-Wilmington came through yesterday as it overcame a 12-point deficit against Drexel in the five-point victory and it is getting a very betable number here. The Seahawks have gotten six or more points only three times since late November and have gone 2-1 in those games with the only loss coming in a true road game at Charleston. The two wins came on a neutral floor where they are now 4-0 on the season and are a live dog here tonight. 10* (861) UNC-Wilmington Seahawks

This is a play on the UL-LAFAYETTE RAGIN' CAJUNS for our SBC Tournament Dominator. After getting bounced as the No. 1 seed last season in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, Texas St. is out to prove something but this is the end of the line. We played against the Bobcats in the opening round as they defeated Old Dominion by 29 points as they held the Monarchs to 36 points. Texas St. followed that up with a three-point win against Marshall on Saturday as an eight-point underdog and it has now taken down two of the top five teams but takes on the current favorite in a poor spot. Texas St. improved to 12-8 away from home which is very solid but three third game in four days will be a challenge. Louisiana is now the favorite to win the conference tournament at +130 as it coasted past Georgia Southern on Saturday by 18 points as it nearly doubled the cover and has now won three straight games heading into the SBC Semifinals. The defense was the story as Georgia Southern's 49 points were the lowest by an opponent all season and that type of effort should be on display again facing one of the worst offenses in the country while the Ragin' Cajuns own offense will dissect this Bobcats defense as they have shot 48.7 percent over their last five games. 10* (806) UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

This is a play on the UNC WILMINGTON SEAHAWKS for our CAA Tournament Annihilator. UNC-Wilmington was in the mix for the regular season Colonial Athletic Association but a 1-3 run in January knocked the Seahawks down and they ended up tied for third at 12-6 following a Senior Night loss against Towson. Thye possessed a great home court but they had 11 wins on the road including a 3-0 neutral site record against teams a combined 61-30. UNC-Wilmington was favored by two points on the road in the first meeting in an overtime win and now the Seahawks are favored at a lower price on a neutral floor which presents great value. Drexel took care of Monmouth in the second round of the CAA as it won by 19 points as a nine-point chalk and now comes a opponent to test its five wins away from home this season. Drexel finished 10-8 during the regular season which was very solid but that includes an 8-1 record at home, part of its overall 12-3 home record, and this I where it becomes difficult. The Dragons are 5-11 on the road with wins coming against 5-13 Monmouth, 8-10 Delaware, 6-12 Northeastern and two nonconference wins against LaSalle and Texas Arlington which were 13-18 and 11-20 overall respectively. 10* (792) UNC Wilmington Seahawks

This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Tulane is currently in the No. 3 seed in the American Athletic Conference but a loss here and a win by Cincinnati over SMU will drop the Green Wave down to No. 5 and a rematch with Temple or a game with the Bearcats as opposed to likely facing Wichita St. They snapped a three-game losing streak with a win against East Carolina but they had to sweat that one out and have now failed to cover four straight games. Tulane is 11-3 at home and this is a get right game prior to the conference tournament and look to finish with their best season since 2012-13. Temple defeated Central Florida by a bucket to make it two wins in its last three games while covering all of those. This comes on the heels of a four-game losing streak and they hit the road where they are 5-5 and have lost three straight and while the Owls own that big upset at Houston in January, the other four wins could have gone either way with three of those coming against Tulsa, East Carolina and South Florida, which are a combined 14-38 in the AAC, by a combined 10 points and the other coming against 7-10 Central Florida in overtime. 10* (780) Tulane Green Wave

This is a play on the DRAKE BULLDOGS for our MVC Championship Dominator. It was a great season in the Valley as there were many teams that could have won this conference any other year but this year, Drake and Bradley came in as the two best teams and are going out that way. The teams split the regular season meetings with both victories surprisingly coming by double-digits on the respective home floors. The Bulldogs won the first meeting from start to finish as they built a 22-point halftime lead to coast to a 25-point win. The Braves got their revenge in a 12-point win but it was close for the majority of the game before they pulled away late. Through the first two games of the MVC Tournament, Drake has been the much better team with a pair of no sweat wins against Murray St. and Southern Illinois by 12 and 13 points respectively. Meanwhile, Bradley was taken down to the final minute by Northern Iowa in a six-point win and then on Saturday, escaped with a one-point win against Indiana St. On a neutral floor, we should see a closer game than the first two and the edge goes to Drake in matchup and line value. The Bulldogs look to remain undefeated on a neutral floor as they are 6-0. 10* (797) Drake Bulldogs

This is a play on the UTAH ST. AGGIES for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Utah St. is 23-7 including a 12-5 record in the Mountain West Conference yet is still not an at large bid into the NCAA Tournament despite four straight wins and victories in seven of their last nine. It does not make a ton of sense considering the Aggies are ranked No. 22 in the NET rankings but the only explanation is that they are 0-4 in Quad 1 games despite three of those being on the road. Basically, this is a must win as they are one of the first four teams out and a style win is important which covers this number. Boise St. is coming off a big win over San Diego St. in its final home game of the season as it avenged an earlier 20-point loss against the Aztecs and the Broncos are just a game out of first place with a chance to share the regular season Mountain West Conference championship with a win and a San Diego St. loss but the fact the Aztecs are facing Wyoming at home as 15-point favorites, the latter will not be happening. The Broncos finished 14-1 at home and hit the road where they are 5-5 and the results are not good with the four conference wins coming against teams with losing records. 10* (706) Utah St. Aggies