Sports Picks & Predictions

3 Unit Play. Take #888 North Dakota over North Dakota State (8:30p.m., Friday, January 15 ESPN3) Both of these teams are expected to be in the top of the Summit standings come March and thus we will grab the points with the home team. The Bison are 4-0, but those wins have come against the bottom teams in the league. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings. The underdog is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games between NDSU and North Dakota.

Toronto has had a tough start to the season. But they have had a really difficult schedule, and we think they have bottomed out. We know this team can play a lot better, and we think we will start to see some more positive results from this squad. They lost by a point each in their last two games. They have covered two of their last three, however, and this team has shown flashes lately. They have been playing better defense for sure, and we think that will continue tonight against a Hornets team that lacks offensive punch. They scored 93 last time out in a loss to Dallas, and we think we could see another real poor offensive effort tonight.

Just think this spread is an overreaction to a few things. First, the Rockets are in a state of disarray after the Harden trade and his comments blasting the team after losing twice to the Lakers. And those two losses to the World Champs hurt bettors confidence in this team. There hasn’t been much positive news out of this club all season. But we think this line is inflated. This is the most points the Spurs have laid all season. They are 0-2 ATS as a favorite of more than 3 points this season. This is not a good team, either. And we think the Rockets players will come out and play hard after Harden said they basically suck on his way out of town.

7 Unit Play. Take #717 Stanford over Utah (5p.m., Thursday, January 14 ESPN2) Utah is always a tough out at home but I just believe Stanford is a much more talented team in this game. The Utes have a lame duck coach that will likely be replaced soon, and this is one of his least talented teams. They have yet to record a quality win on the season and playing the top teams in the league has taken its toll on them. The Cardinal is coming off 3 straight double digit wins and the have great size in this game and will take advantage of that in a big way. Utah is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games as a home underdog. Stanford is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.

4 Unit Play. Take #692 Texas over Texas Tech (9p.m., Wednesday, January 13 ESPN2) Texas has run the gauntlet this far currently sitting at 4-0 in the Big 12. They are at home and have more talent than does Texas Tech and thus I am a little surprised the number is this low. The Red Raiders have gotten back on track against two bad teams in the Big 12, Iowa State and Kansas State. Texas Tech is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall. Texas is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played on Wednesday.

6 Unit Play. Take #638 Kentucky over Alabama (9p.m., Tuesday, January 12 ESPN) Do not believe it matters who Kentucky is playing, it just matters how Kentucky is playing. The Wildcats are getting back on tracking having won 3 straight games, the last one in blowout fashion against Florida. Alabama is also perfect on the season, but this will be their 3rd road game in their last 4 games. The favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games between Kentucky and Alabama. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between Kentucky and Alabama.

These teams played Sunday and the Lakers won in a blowout. Houston has been very inconsistent this season, but we doubt they will play so lousy in two games in a row in their home court to the world champs. If there were any game where the Rockets would bring extra effort, we think this is it. Before that Lakers loss the Rockets blew out Orlando, a pretty decent team, and we think they have the ability to keep this one competitive tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #615 Wisconsin over Michigan (7p.m., Tuesday, January 12 ESPN) The Badgers went into Ann Arbor and won last season and I feel that they will be able to take this game down to the wire as well. Michigan is 5-0 in the conference, but they have yet to play a team as experienced and deep as Wisconsin. The underdog is 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games between Wisconsin and Michigan. Wisconsin is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.

These teams played Thursday and the Cavs won outright. Now they are at home and we think they have a good chance to win again. This would normally be a revenge spot for the losing team, but both squads played a game since then, so that eliminates the revenge aspect in our eyes. Cleveland has been playing strong team basketball and are overachieving here early in the season, and this is a very winnable game for them.

Washington could be without Beal and Westbrook tonight, and they were underachieving even with their two stars on the court. Now they face one of the best teams in the NBA since the restart earlier this year, and we like that the Suns are under the key number of 7 here at our deadline. Without their key guys the Wizards are a very inexperienced team that could fall flat tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #865 Connecticut over DePaul (6p.m., Monday, January 11 FS1) Both teams have had Covid issues this season, but UCONN is in much better shape than DePaul is. The Huskies will enter this game having won 3 straight including a 21-point victory against this same DePaul team. This game will be closer tonight, but I still see UCONN winning by close to double digits. The favorite is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings between Connecticut and DePaul.

4 Unit Play. Take #834 Nebraska over Indiana (6p.m., Sunday, January 10 BTN) The Hoosiers may come into this game flat, after they lost a double overtime game to Wisconsin this week. Now they must have a second straight road game against a team that has some talent. Nebraska has not played well this season, but this will be their weakest conference opponent they have faced this season. I just feel that they can take this game down to the wire and we will grab the points.

We always like to back the Clippers after a loss. This team has a penchant for bouncing back from losses that stretches back to last season. They have covered after every loss this season, usually with a strong performance. This team has a clean injury sheet, and we think they will step up the defensive intensity here against a shorthanded Bulls team that has played six of their last seven on the road and is probably ready to get back home. This looks like a blowout to us.

Love the Hawks in this spot after the Ball Game in New Orleans last night. Some overhyped players played a big game and this is a letdown spot for Hornets. Atlanta has been inconsistent but this ia a very solid team, and we had this line at 7, so very nice value on Saturday.

10 Unit Play. Take #751 USC over Arizona State (7p.m., Saturday, January 9 PAC12N) The Sun Devils were missing 4 players on Thursday from their overtime loss to UCLA. Not going to try and speculate who will be playing this afternoon, but I just do not believe they can bounce back in less than 48 hours against a more talented USC team. The Trojans dominated the second half against the Wildcats on Thursday in route to their 14 point victory. They have great size that should be able to take advantage of the Sun Devils inside the paint. The Sun Devils got up for their game Thursday, but the second game back after missing key players is usually a lot tougher to maintain and that will be the case tonight. This ASU team already had chemistry issues before Thursday, and 3 of their 4 losses have come by 9 points or more. USC is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games. The Trojans are also 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games played on Saturday. ASU is 0-8 ATS in their last 8 home games.

4 Unit Play. #616 Rutgers over Ohio State (12p.m., Saturday, January 9 BTN) Rutgers needs a win to get back on track, as they have dropped 3 of their last 4 games. But this team has more talent than does Ohio State and playing at home will put them over the top, winning by 7-9 points. These teams have actually met once this season and the final score of 80-68 is very misleading. Rutgers led by 16 points in the second half before Ohio State made a late run to pull away down the stretch. Both teams have injury issues, but Rutgers should have the same team that played at Michigan State on Tuesday. But Ohio State should be without point guard C.J. Walker. Ohio State is 8-22 ATS (1 push) in their last 31 road games against teams with a winning record at home. Rutgers is 15-5 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 22 home games. The favorite is 5-1 in the last 6 games between the Buckeyes and the Scarlet Knights. The home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 games between Ohio State and Rutgers.

Looks like Russell Westbrook will be good to go after a dislocated finger and we think this will be a close game. The Wizards haven’t had much success in the W/L department, but they have been covering half of their lines, and this team is undervalued by the oddsmakers right now. This game is sandwiched between two games with Miami for Boston, so there could be a letdown here tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #860 Michigan State over Purdue (7p.m., Friday, January 8 FS1) We used Michigan State earlier in the week against Rutgers and easily won and will ride them again. Purdue is not as strong as Rutgers and they usually struggle to win games away from West Lafayette. The home team is 4-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 meetings between Purdue and Michigan State. The Boilermakers are 3-10 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 16 games as an underdog.

5 Unit Play. Take #758 Northwestern over Illinois (9p.m., Thursday, January 7 BTN) Northwestern came back down to reality after losing two straight games. But losing on the road to Iowa and Michigan is not something to be concerned about, as they sit atop the standing in Big 10 play. Now they return home to face Illinois, another top team in the conference. The Wildcats have already beaten Michigan State and Ohio State in Evanston this season and I feel that they will be able to take this game down to the wire. Northwestern is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Durant is out here but we think the Nets are a solid team without him and they have a great chance for the win here against a Sixers team that is on a back-to-back tonight. The Sixers have been hot to start off the season, but this team has had a manageable schedule and on this B2B we think they will be in a bad spot and likely lose to a Nets team that is still quality without their star.

4 Unit Play. Take #732 Wisconsin over Indiana (7p.m., Thursday, January 7 FS1) The Badgers are the most experienced team in the conference, and they should be able to challenge for a championship come March. The Hoosiers are coming off two close wins against inferior teams and I feel they will drop this game by double digits. Wisconsin is 3-1 in Big 10 play and needs to keep winning games to keep pace with Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa. Wisconsin is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games played on Thursday. The home team has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games between Indiana and Wisconsin.

The Bulls are coming in on a back-to-back and they had a big win over Portland on the road where they were down big but came back to win. They expended a lot of energy in that game, and we don’t think they will have a lot left in the tank to be competitive here tonight. The Kings started off the season with a 3-1 record but have lost three straight. The last game was against the Warriors, where they were embarrassed in a blowout loss. This seems like a get right game for them against a fatigued opponent, and we think there’s a great chance for a double-digit win by the home team tonight.

The Rockets are 2-3 ATS on the season while the Pacers are 5-2 ATS. Indiana is quietly getting the job done while the Rockets are kind of a mess right now. Sacramento is the only team Houston has beaten this season. This line just seems like a very public line and the Rockets are the Name team here, and we had this line handicapped at 5, so we think there is very nice value with the short favorite.

4 Unit Play. Take #664 Louisville over Virginia Tech (6:30p.m., Wednesday, January 6 ACCN) Whenever you see an unranked team favored over a ranked team it is usually a strong angle that hits more often than not. The Cardinals have gotten healthy despite some issues in December and they are always a tough team to beat at home. Virginia Tech is 7-17 ATS in their last 24 games. Louisville is 6-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 home games.

This isn’t your father’s Spurs team. This team has been getting worse every year for the last few years, and we think this might be a bottom out season where they don’t even sniff a playoff spot. This team is really struggling right now with four straight losses. They are in tough tonight against a Clippers team that might be the most motivated in the NBA here at the start of the season. They look like the second of third best team in the NBA this season and look even better than last year’s squad that flamed out in The Bubble. We think there’s a great chance for a double digit win here.

4 Unit Play. Take #634 Michigan State over Rutgers (9p.m., Tuesday, January 5 ESPN2) Never thought I would see day where Michigan State is just a slight favorite at home against Rutgers. The Spartans are just 1-3 in conference play, but 3 of their first 4 games have been on the road. Losing to Wisconsin at home is nothing to worry about, as the Badgers have experience and may be the best team in the conference. Rutgers has played a brutal schedule as well and that will hurt them in this game. Rutgers is still a little banged up as well. Michigan State gets a much needed win at home and we collect in the process as well.

Curry is going to have to carry this team for awhile as was evidenced by their best game of the season last night as he set a career high for scoring. But on a back-to-back tonight we think he will cool off a bit and Sacramento is an underrated team They have some impressive wins to start the season, but they are coming off B2B losses vs. Houston and they will be motivated tonight. And they will be the more rested team and should coast to a comfortable win tonight.

Cleveland has been playing well to start the season, but they are facing a team tonight that doesn’t get a lot of respect from the oddsmakers, and this line is too low in our opinion. Orlando has an identical 4-2 record than that of the Cavs and are also 4-2 ATS. This team is a playoff contender though, and we can’t say that about Cleveland. After beating Atlanta SU last time, this looks like a letdown spot for a Cavs team that won’t be as motivated by their opponent. Orlando is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.

These teams played Friday, and Portland came out with a blowout victory. There are a lot of teams facing each other in consecutive games, and the team that lost the last time normally gives a better effort the next game. We think this one will be more competitive. The Blazers probably won’t come with as much intensity after the easy win, and the Warriors will probably come with much better effort and intensity.

During the Bubble restart of last NBA season, the Clippers were great at bouncing back after a loss or bad game, and that trend has followed here into this new season as they played well in the game after that Dallas loss. Now they come in off a loss again, and they face a Suns team that has been really good since the restart and the new season. But there’s a reason LA is favored here as they are the better team and probably much better when the teams are playing their A Games, which we think LA will bring tonight after a loss where they played well but the shots just didn’t drop.

4 Unit Play. Take #840 Minnesota over Ohio State (5:30p.m., Sunday, January 3 BTN) Expect the Golden Gophers to bounce back at home against Ohio State today. This has been a trend in the Big 10, where teams play outstanding one game, looked terrible the next. The home team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 games between Ohio State and Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have covered 4 straight home games.

The Celtics are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games in Detroit. One of those losses was last time out as the Celtics had an off game and lost to Detroit in a low-scoring game. The Celtics have been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA for years, and they are easy to trust. Especially coming off a loss in a rematch against one of the lesser teams in the NBA. We think this is a great chance for a double-digit win by the road team.

This is a rematch from the first game of the season, which was not long ago, so revenge could be a factor here. The Knicks are improved this season. They beat Milwaukee recently in a blowout win. They have won two of three and they held tough with Toronto last time out until the fourth quarter. This team need to be more consistent, but we think this is too many points tonight. The Knicks are playing with more confidence this season, and we think they will be a live dog when getting massive points in certain spots.

6 Unit Play. Take #612 Kansas over Texas (12p.m., Saturday, January 2 ESPN) Until Kansas starts losing some games in the Big 12, we will continue to ride them, especially when they are playing in Lawrence. Just do not trust Coach Smart to win these types of games on a consistent basis, as they are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games played on Saturday. Kansas is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record.

6 Unit Play. Take #612 Kansas over Texas (12p.m., Saturday, January 2 ESPN) Until Kansas starts losing some games in the Big 12, we will continue to ride them, especially when they are playing in Lawrence. Just do not trust Coach Smart to win these types of games on a consistent basis, as they are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games played on Saturday. Kansas is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record.

The Blazers haven’t been dominant to start the season, but this team is much improved from last year. And we can’t forget this team made the West Finals two years ago. They are hungry and we think they are the much better team here in this matchup. They have had a super tough schedule do far, and this is arguably their easiest game of the season so far. The Warriors have won two straight against inferior competition. But we think this team still has a lot to work on. We think they will get better later in the season, but for right now are a team to fade while they work out their kinks.  

It’s hard to justify when a team lost by so many points like they did to Dallas, but this Clippers team is playing as good of basketball as any team in the NBA. They have had one of the toughest schedules in the NBA to start off the season, but they have won their games very comfortably. They have covered all their games except of course that Dallas loss. Utah is on a back-to-back here and they didn’t play well against the Suns last night. This team has covered only one game so far, and the Jazz are notorious for their slow starts. LA is playing with a chip on their shoulders and they look to prove all the doubters wrong that criticized them after last season’s flameout. We think they take care of business again tonight.

The Raptors are winless on the season at 0-3. However, this is a championship contender team that has been one of the best ATS teams in the league the last couple years and this looks like a Get Right game for them. The Raptors have started off the season with games against three straight playoff contenders, and two of those games have been on the road, not in their new home base. The Knicks are a better team this year but this squad still has a long way to go, and they should face up against a very motivated Toronto team tonight. This very much has the look of a double-digit blowout game. The Knicks are 0-7 ATS in the last seven meetings away from the Garden and 2-8 ATS overall in the last 10 meetings.

4 Unit Play. Take #726 Wisconsin over Minnesota (4:30p.m., Thursday, December 31 BTN) The Badgers are coming off a bad performance last time out against Maryland but expect them to bounce back today against Minnesota and win this game by double digits. Minnesota is coming off their best performance of the year dominating Michigan State from start to finish. Just do not believe they will be able to duplicate that performance on Thursday and against a team desperate to get back on track. Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. Wisconsin is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played on Thursday.

The Bucks got their revenge over the Heat last night in a complete and utter blowout by almost 50 points. But now it’s time for the Heat to get some revenge from that horrible loss. The Bucks jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter and were up by 30+ at halftime, and it was garbage time from there on out. But this NBA season is unique and we will see these types of back-to-backs often, and it is hard to beat a team two nights in a row, especially at their own place. The Heat have one of the NBA’s best coaches, and he should be able to make adjustments for his team to be more competitive. Milwaukee set an NBA record for made 3-pointers, and they isn’t going to happen two nights in a row. Miami is a proud team that was just in the NBA Finals, and we think they will bring their A Game here after that embarrassing result. The Bucks aren’t in midseason form right now as they just lost to the Knicks by 20. Jimmy Butler could conceivably be back here for Miami, so that would aid their chances for an outright win. The Bucks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 visits to Miami.

We like to back a good team coming off a bad loss, and that is the case here with the Clippers tonight. They suffered one of the worst losses in franchise history last time out against the Mavs. They just didn’t come to play and it had to be embarrassing for the players. This team will come out well prepared tonight. They have had probably the toughest schedule in the league to start off the season and are at 2-1 against it, and they won’t overlook the Wolves after that effort against Dallas.

Both teams have had a rough start, but the Warriors are the better team and Detroit is coming in on a back-to-back. The Warriors have had a much tougher schedule to start the season. We think they will take advantage of this weaker opponent on a B2B and take care of business tonight with a comfortable win. Only one of these teams is a legit playoff contender, and that’s not the Pistons.

6 Unit Play. Take #612 Rutgers over Purdue (7p.m., Tuesday, December 29 FS1) Just do not feel Purdue is the same team when playing on the road. Purdue has done most of their damage at home this season and they have yet to win a true road game this season (lost to Miami and Iowa). Rutgers is coming off their first loss of the season to Ohio State, and that final score of 80-68 did not reflect how competitive that game was. Rutgers has come injury issues but I believe they will bounce back playing at the RAC tonight. Purdue is 3-9 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 14 games as an underdog. Rutgers is 13-5 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 20 home games.

One of the best bets and the strongest trends in the NBA since we began handicapping almost 20 years ago is the Blazers ATS against the Lakers. They have covered 21 of the last 19 meetings in LA, and no matter the strength of the teams, they always bring their A Game when playing the Lakers. The Lakers are on a B2B, Anthony Davis is banged up, and this team is always overrated by the oddsmakers. We think the Blazers can win this one outright.

4 Unit Play. Take #837 Michigan State over Minnesota (8p.m., Monday, December 28 BTN) These are the type of games Michigan State always seems to win over the coaching tenure of Tom Izzo. The Spartans have yet to win a conference game this year and this is an important game for them. Minnesota is coming off a miraculous win over Iowa and I believe they will come back down from that reality tonight. The favorite is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 games between Michigan State and Minnesota.

The Nets are coming in on a back-to-back and are being punished too much for the fact by the oddsmakers. They lost to Charlotte last night, and we think this could be the best team in the NBA and they aren’t going to lose many games this season, so we think they will bounce back nicely here. This is early in the season, so B2B’s don’t really matter that much, and we expect Brooklyn to bring some nice energy in a potential double-digit win.

2-0 team against an 0-2 team, but this line is simply too big. Detroit will come to play tonight to give themselves the best chance to avoid going 0-3. This isn’t a good team. But we are not convinced that the Hawks are good, either, as they have beat up on two mediocre teams to start the season. We had this line handicapped at 7.5, so we think there is some nice value here as we expect the Pistons to put up a fight and keep this one within double digits.

4 Unit Play. Take #831 Maryland over Wisconsin (7p.m., Monday, December 28 FS1) Wisconsin is coming off an emotional win Thursday and Michigan State and it would not surprise me if a letdown occurred in this spot. They will win this game but if they are not shooting a high percentage from the arc, I do not see a double-digit blowout. Maryland is 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games played on Monday.

Another situation where these teams played the night before. And we think the better team (Suns), who lost last night, will play better and get the win. It’s telling that the odds have not changed much even though Sacramento won last night. It’s hard to beat a team twice in two nights, especially when that losing team is the better squad.

We are going to see some strange scheduling stuff in the NBA this season, and here we are. These teams played here yesterday. The Magic won, but we just don’t see that happening twice in a row on the Wizards home court. Washington is a team we are high on to start the season, and we don’t see them playing two bad games consecutively against the same team. And now we are getting points instead od laying them.

Morris is out. Kawhi has to be hurting after getting crushed in the head Christmas night by his own teammate, and he was laying in a bloody mess on the court. He had some stiches and will probably go here, but he can’t be feeling great. But mainly this is a revenge scenario from the playoffs. Dallas played a real lousy game last time out in a blowout loss to the Lakers, but and adding to the revenge against the Clips we think they come out and play with more motivation today.

Houston is missing six players for this game and traveled with nine for this matchup, one more than the minimum number under Covid protocols. James Harden will play, but he is probably the most unhappy player in the NBA right now with trade demands and this team is just filled with drama and distractions right now. All that is built into this inflated line. But we think the Blazers are much improved this season. And they are coming off a really embarrassing loss to Utah, so they will be focused here tonight in a game they can easily win by double digits.

Both teams had unexpected results in their first game. The Spurs aren’t a playoff team, in our eyes. Toronto is a championship contender. We had this line handicapped at Raps -5, so we think there is nice value here. After a blowout loss in their first game, a team with the pedigree of Toronto will no doubt come to play here as they don’t want to open the season 0-2. This is a long season, but no team with championship aspirations wants a poor start like that.

We went big on the Wizards in their first game at Philly and they lost but covered. The game was a lot closer than the final score indicated, and Washington led much of the way. We think this team is underrated by the oddsmakers to start the season, so that result was great for us to keep the value on this team. Westbrook is the perfect fit here, and this team has underrated young talent. We think they are motivated for a strong start to the season, and we think they bring their A Game tonight.

3 Unit Play. Take #762 Louisville over Kentucky (1p.m., Saturday, December 26 ESPN) No bet against Kentucky is a bad beat this season. Louisville has gotten healthier and they always get up for playing Kentucky in this game. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings and the favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games.

The Clippers sure came out Game 1 of the season and looked like they had a chip on their shoulder. We think that will continue here against the team that knocked them out of the postseason. The Clippers can come up with any excuse they want, but we just don’t think the Bubble was the right place for them mentally last season. While the depth for this team suffered in the offseason, they are still one of the best teams in the NBA and better than the Nuggets despite last season’s series result. This game just seems more important for the Clippers and we think they come to play tonight.

LeBron is hobbled but said he would likely play here. With or without him, we like the Mavs here to keep this one close with a chance for the outright win. As if they wouldn’t take this game seriously anyways against the defending champs, they lost their first game so they don’t want to fall to 0-2. We don’t think that prospect is as important to the Lakers, one of the teams that didn’t want the new NBA season to start in December. This team probably won’t be the No. 1 seed this season and they probably don’t need it. We don’t see them getting real serious for about 6-8 weeks. They are normally overvalued by the oddsmakers anyways, but we see them as a team to fade for sure until we see them consistently kicking it up into the midseason gear.

Brooklyn looked like the NBA’s best team on Opening Night and we expect big things from them this season. They seem to want to get off to a fast start. And we think they will bring their A Game tonight against a Celtics team that will miss Kemba Walker. Boston is still plenty good with the team they will bring to the court, and they showed that against the Bucks. We just don’t see them winning two straight against two better EC teams, and the Nets should be very motivated for a big game here.

6 Unit Play. Take #752 Michigan State over Wisconsin (12:30p.m., Friday, December 25 FOX) Not sure why Wisconsin is favored in this game. The Badgers lost their only road game of the season to Marquette and they have not won at Michigan State since 2004. Wisconsin has not left the state thus far into the season and this is a game where they will not be the more talented team. The home team is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games between Wisconsin and Michigan State. The Spartans are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing road record.  

The Jazz are another team that starts slow almost every season. We don’t see why that won’t be the case again. Portland is a little under the radar this season. They made some nice offseason moves and are relatively healthy to enter the season. Remember, this is a team that reached the WCF two years ago, and they have one of their better teams in years this season. We had this line at Blazers -4, so we think there is some good value here. Utah is hard to trust early in the season until they show otherwise.

The Celtics open the season not in a great place after a disappointing season and now they lost Hayward in the offseason and Kemba Walker is injured. The Bucks flamed out in the postseason also, but they had an excuse with some off the court issues causing a big distraction. We think they are still one of the NBA title favorites and we think they will want to start off the season with a big win over a rival. They got better in the offseason and we just don’t see how the Celtics can match up tonight against what should be a very motivated Bucks team.

The Wizards are under the radar coming into this season. We think they are going to be pretty good and a solid ATS team to start the season. Russell Westbrook is a great addition to this team and he pairs with Beal extremely well. This team has some nice young talent, and Westbrook’s presence will help them develop and he will take a lot of pressure off Beal, who had a great season last year and should be even better with the pressure off him to carry the team this year. This team will be putting up some crazy numbers on offense and should be able to win a lot of shootouts. Watch out if they can play any defense. Philly got off to a slow start last season and we think that could be the case this season with a new coach and still a strange mix of players that has never figured the formula for success to match their talent.

Everyone is down on the Clippers. They did lose some depth but this team didn’t lose enough to warrant such a drop on confidence from the masses. This squad didn’t get to play together much during the season because of injuries and that lack of cohesion showed in the postseason, and the strange atmosphere of the Bubble didn’t help matters. In our minds the Clips are still the clear No. 2 squad in the west and a legit contender. The Lakers just finished their title run what seemed like yesterday and they will probably take some time to get into championship form. We expect a sluggish start from the champs this season. The Clippers seem to have more to prove here and more motivation tonight.

5 Unit Play. Take #678 Kansas over West Virginia (9p.m., Tuesday, December 22 ESPN2) The Jayhawks are the king of the Big 12 and anytime you get this number with them in Lawrence it must be considered as a play. Kansas has the bodies to matchup inside with West Virginia and I do not expect a big foul discrepancy tonight as well. The home team is 14-5 ATS in the last 19 meetings between West Virginia and Kansas. West Virginia is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 road games.

4 Unit Play. Take #673 North Carolina over North Carolina State (7p.m., Tuesday, December 22 ACCN) North Carolina is winning games despite not being able to shoot it well from the arc. If they ever start making shots from the 3 point line they could reach the final four. NC State lost their only game this year against a decent opponent and they have just feasted on cupcakes thus far in 2020-2021. The road team is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings between UNC and NC State. The Wolfpack are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #782 Missouri State over Arkansas Little Rock (5p.m., Monday, December 21 ESPN3) The Bears have not been able to play many games in 2020, but playing at home tonight should allow them to emerge victorious. Little Rock is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. Missouri State is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

3 Unit Play. Take #707 Oklahoma State +6.5 over Texas (2p.m., Sunday, December 20 LHN) We lost an 8-unit play with Texas in this game last year and hope to learn from our mistake today. Oklahoma State has talent, and it is just around to predict what you will get from Texas on a game in, game out basis. The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 matchups between Oklahoma State and Texas.

3 Unit Play. Take #679 Cincinnati -2 over Georgia (8p.m., Saturday, December 19 SECN) The Bulldogs have not played anyone this season, and this will be their toughest slate of the conference season. Georgia is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played on Saturday. The Bearcats being favored on this true road games tells me they are the better team.

3 Unit Play. Take #682 Stanford -2.5 over Arizona (7p.m., Saturday, December 19 PAC12N) Would go higher if this were a true home game for Saturday, but instead they are playing this game in Santa Cruz. Arizona opened as the favorite, but the oddsmakers were not having it and now Stanford is favored. The Cardinal have more talent than do the Wildcats, and that might be the first time in over a decade that this has been the case. Arizona is 2-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 10 games as an underdog. Stanford is 14-5 ATS in their last 19 Saturday games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports.

4 Unit Play. Take #631 North Carolina -3 over Kentucky (2p.m., Saturday, December 19 CBS) If North Carolina can have any success in this game from the arc, they will win this game by double digits. Kentucky is a mess at the moment and will likely not make the NCAA Tournament come March. North Carolina is 5-2 ATS (1 push) int their last 8 games as a favorite. The favorite in this matchup has covered the spread in 3 of their last 5 matchups (1 push).

6 Unit Play. Take #608 Wisconsin -6.5 over Louisville (12p.m., Saturday, December 19 ESPN2) This is a late add game after Louisville could not play this game during the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. The Cardinals have been off since 12/1 and they have just played home game. They lost a ton of talent from last year and Wisconsin has everyone back. The Badgers are 7-0 ATS in their last 8 games played on Saturday.

3 Unit Play. Take #833 Chicago State over Northern Illinois (7p.m., Friday, December 18) Both these teams are terrible, and the total is just in the mid-130s and thus we will grab the points and Cougars are hang on to only lose by 17 points or less.

5 Unit Play. Take #838 Tennessee over Tennessee Tech (7p.m., Friday, December 18 SEC+) This will be a blowout, name your score type of game for the Volunteers. The Golden Eagles are 0-7 on the season and this is a buy game where they will collect a check and get blown out by 30+ points. Tennessee has covered the spread in 5 of their last 6 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #365 Kansas City Chiefs over New Orleans Saints (4:25p.m., Sunday, December 19 CBS) The Saints are coming off a devastating loss at Philadelphia last week and now will likely not earn the top seed in the NFC (only 1 team gets a bye this year). The Chiefs have been winning games but not covering the spread of late, but now they have a low number where they likely just need to win the game. QB Brees have been eyeing this date to return, but I do not think it will matter. Kansas City is an offensive machine, and New Orleans will have to score in the high twenties to have a chance to cover this spread. Kansas City is 11-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record. New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #674 Tulane over Memphis (9p.m., Wednesday, December 16 ESPN2) Memphis is overrated again this season and the Penny Hardaway experiment does not seem to be an improvement over Tubby Smith. Tulane has not played anyone this year, but they are 4-0 and I believe they can keep this game in single digits. The Tigers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. Tulane is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog.

4 Unit Play. Take #670 Purdue over Ohio State (7p.m., Wednesday, December 16 BTN) On paper this line is begging you to take Ohio State, but an unranked favorite over a ranked team is always a recipe for success in college basketball gambling. Throw in the fact that Ohio State will be without E.J. Liddell and Seth Towns and expect Purdue to win this game by double digits. The Boilers are just a different team at home and tonight will be no different. Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. Purdue is 38-14 ATS in their last 52 games played on Wednesday.

4 Unit Play. Take #663 Pittsburgh over Miami (6p.m., Wednesday, December 16 ACCN) The Hurricanes are banged up with a ton of injuries and they cannot shoot the ball at all from the arc. They are 4 for 36 from the three-point line over their last two games. The Panthers have a nice win at Northwestern and will win this game as well. The Hurricanes are 9-19 ATS in their last 28 games played on Wednesday.

4 Unit Play. Take #307073 Florida A&M over Austin Peary (8:30p.m., Tuesday, December 15) The Rattlers are 0-4 on the season but they have a bunch of ATS trends that work in their favor tonight. They are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight-up loss of more than 20 points. Austin Peay has not covered the spread much of late going 3-12 ATS (1 push) in their last 16 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #644 Wisconsin over Loyola (8p.m., Tuesday, December 15 BTN) The Ramblers have not played anyone this season, and this is a late add game after the original games got cancelled. The Ramblers have nowhere near the talent they had when they reached the final four a couple of years ago. Wisconsin has experience and they will pull at some point in this game and win it by double-digits. Loyola is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog.

5 Unit Play. Take #772 Western Michigan -3 over Milwaukee (2p.m., Sunday, December 13) We went against Broncos on Saturday but will take them on Sunday playing a worse Horizon League team. Milwaukee has played just one game in 2020-2021 and that was a loss to Kansas State, a terrible team that lost to a division two team earlier this season. Western Michigan played Detroit even for 35 minutes until falling apart down the stretch. Expect them to control this game from the start and earn a 7-9 point victory. The Panthers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games played on Sunday. WMU is 7-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 11 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #726 Alabama over Clemson (8p.m., Saturday, December 12 ACCNX) Coach Oats put a bullseye on his head and it will be interesting to see if he can back it up. Clemson is coming off their best performance of the year, dominating Maryland from start to finish but this will be the most talented team that they will face thus far in 2020. Alabama has bounced back from a loss to Stanford with two blowout victories and tonight will be no different as well.

4 Unit Play. Take #665 Syracuse over Boston College (1p.m., Saturday, December 12 ESPNU) The Orange need to start winning as once again their schedule is light on quality wins as conference play gets underway. They get Buddy Boeheim back for this game and that gives them a shooter that will be able to space out the floor. Boston College played well against Minnesota this week and lost in overtime but I believe that will take a lot out of them for this game.

6 Unit Play. Take #638 UCLA -4.5 over Marquette (9:30p.m., Friday, December 11 PAC12N) UCLA has bounced back after losing to San Diego State in their opener to win 4 straight games, all of them by at least 9 points. They face a Marquette team that will be playing their first true road game of the season and this is a very young team. UCLA is 12-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 16 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

10 Unit Play. Take #818 Iowa over North Carolina (7:30p.m., Tuesday, December 8 ESPN) Nonconference Game of the Year Just believe Iowa is the more experienced and better shooting team in this game. This follows the pattern of success that we have had in recent years in this game, fading a team that played in a Holiday tournament last week compared to a team that is resting at home. Granted, North Carolina got to play in Ashville, but a few things happened last week in their second-place finish. One is Garrison Brooks got hurt and he has not been cleared to practice as of late Monday. Second, the refs will not bail them out in the semifinals like they did last week. These will not be ACC centric refs tonight, as this is a true home game for the Hawkeyes. Not going to talk much about Iowa’s game thus far, as they have all been blowout wins against cupcake opponents. But a couple of keys to follow, one is the 3-point line. North Carolina again, does not have a good shooting team from the arc, averaging under 30% and that will not get it done tonight. North Carolina will have to pound the glass to win this game and Iowa just has too much experience for that to happen. Finally, Fran McCaffery teams usually follow a pattern of starting the season hot before failing toward the end of conference season and make a quick out in the NCAA Tournament. That is okay for us tonight and expect them to remain undefeated. Iowa is 15-5 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 22 games as a favorite.  

4 Unit Play. Take #792 Miami over Purdue (5p.m., Tuesday, December 8 ESPN2) Just not a fan of this Purdue squad this season. They struggled last year when not playing in West Lafayette and do not see things getting any better in 2020-2021. They are 3-1 but they only tough game this season they lost to Clemson by double-digits. They lost big man Matt Harms to BYU and I just do not believe they will be able to take advantage of Miami’s lack of size in this game. Miami had some covid issues earlier this season, but they are pretty healthy for this game and have more talent on the floor even if Chris Lykes does not go. They should be able to dominate this game at the guard position and they are being undervalued because they have played two cupcakes to open the season. Purdue is 3-9 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 14 road games. Miami is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. Everyone loves Matt Painter as a coach, but he tends to go into two-year funks, and this does not appear to be an NCAA Tournament team again this year. Miami wins this game.

4 Unit Play. Take #770 Middle Tennessee -2 over Chattanooga (7p.m., Monday, December 7) The Blue Raiders played their best game of the season last time out dominating Murray State and expect more of the same tonight at home. MTSU is 23-9 ATS in their last 221 home games against teams with a winning road record. A 1-2 teams favored against an 0-3 team tells us something about the talent on each side.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports. Our 8-unit NCAA Nonconference Game of the Year is set to go tomorrow and will be posted at 11:30 a.m. eastern.

4 Unit Play. Take #662 Kansas State -2 over UNLV (8p.m., Saturday, December 5 ESPN+) No bet against UNLV is a bad bet this season. They are 0-4 and they have been blown out in 3 of their 4 games they have played this season. This is the end of a long road trip and it is a true road game for them. The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #803 Toledo over Eastern Michigan (7p.m., Friday December 4 ESPN3) MAC play gets underway tonight, and we will side with the visitor. EMU is a bottom feeder team in the MAC whereas Toledo is expected to challenge for the top spot in the league. The Rockets have three players averaging at least 15 points per game and Marreon Jackson could challenge for player of the years. EMU is 1-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #805 Wisconsin over Marquette (7p.m., Friday December 4 FS1) The Badgers are legit and are better than Marquette at 4 of the 5 positions on the court. I expect this line to go up throughout the day but it will not matter since Wisconsin wins this game by double digits. The Golden Eagles lost to Oklahoma State last time out at home by 8 points in a game that was not as close as that final would reflect. They are in a complete rebuild and have no home court advantage in this game. Wisconsin is 7-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 11 games. Marquette is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a home underdog.

4 Unit Play. Take #752 USC over Connecticut (7p.m., Thursday, December 3 ESPN) Just feel Connecticut is overhyped again this season. Everyone wants them to return to form but they just do not have the talent yet. USC has been frustrating at times but they have looked really impressive thus far including a 26 point victory against BYU last time out. They have been in Connecticut and will be rested for this game with a day off yesterday. USC is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games. 73% of the money is coming in on USC.

4 Unit Play. Take #702 Nevada over USF (9p.m., Wednesday, December 2 themwc.com) This is a home and home with these two teams playing in Reno on Wednesday and San Francisco on Sunday. Expect Nevada to pull away in the second half tonight and earn their fourth victory of the season. USF beat Virginia but they lost by 13 points the next day to Rhode Island. The Dons are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight-up loss. The Wolf Pack is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite.

4 Unit Play. Take #705 Texas Arlington over Arkansas (9p.m., Wednesday, December 2 SECN) The Razorbacks are playing a super easy schedule yet again this year and this may be the toughest team they face to date. The Mavericks took Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech to the wire and I see them keeping this game around 10 points. Arkansas will try and run up the score if they can, I just do not see it happening tonight. Texas Arlington is 15-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games as an underdog.

4 Unit Play. Take #682 Iowa State over South Dakota State (7p.m., Wednesday, December 2 ESPN+) This fits a similar situation to our top play yesterday. Iowa State has been at home while South Dakota State played three games in three days last week at a neutral site in South Dakota. The Cyclones are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite.

4 Unit Play. Take #636 Alabama -10.5 over UNLV (9:30p.m., Tuesday, December 1 ESPN2) No bet against UNLV is a bad bet this season. They have lost by double digits in each of there two games. Alabama got shell shocked by Stanford yesterday, but they are playing a much easier opponent tonight in Ashville. UNLV is still in a major rebuild and it does not appear they will be coming out of it this season.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #624 Duke -3.5 over Michigan State (7:30p.m., Tuesday, December 1 ESPN) Michigan State just does not seem to win these types of games early in the season. This is a true home game for Duke, although they will not have the Cameron crazies in attendance. But playing in Durham is still no easy task and expect Duke to take care of business.

7 Unit Play. Take #612 Louisville -4 over Western Kentucky (6p.m., Tuesday, December 1 ACCN) WKU is legit this season but the travel will get them in this game. They played three games in South Dakota last week and expect them to have tired legs in this game. Louisville has been feasting on bad teams at home and they return a bunch of talent form last year. WKU has played three games against good competition and that will eventually catch up with you. Getting a key transfer in Carlik Jones will put Louisville over the top in this game. Louisville is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games played on Tuesday. WKU is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games played on Tuesday.

4 Unit Play. Take #631 North Carolina -3.5 over Stanford (4p.m., Tuesday, December 1 ESPN) The 2020 Maui Invitational was kept alive because of North Carolina and thus it is only fitting that they advance to the finals since this is being played in Ashville. Carolina struggled in their first game against Charleston but pulled away in the second half and have not looked back since. Now they face a former Roy Williams assistant in Jerod Haase, a team that returns 4 starters but lost their best player in Tyrell Terry from last season. North Carolina needs to win this tournament to make sure they get into the NCAA Tournament come March after falling apart last season mainly due to injuries.

4 Unit Play. Take #880 Nevada over Pacific (10p.m., Monday, November 30 MWC.com) The Wolf Pack are more tested this season having won a true road game at Nebraska over the weekend. They have had great success against Pacific of late and should be able to take them down at Lawlor Events Center tonight. The favorite has won 7 of the last 10 games between the Tigers and Wolf Pack. Nevada is 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games played on Monday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #858 Central Florida over Auburn (7p.m., Monday, November 30 ESPN+) Tough spot for the Tigers in this game having to play a true road game against UCF after getting blown out by Gonzaga on Friday. Auburn has a lame duck year, as they cannot go to the NCAA Tournament because of a pending investigation by the rule’s infraction committee. The Tigers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. UCF is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games played on Monday.

4 Unit Play. Take #851 Bowling Green over Appalachian State (6p.m., Monday, November 30) Bowling Green is terrible in football but they are expected to do damage in the MAC this year. The return Justin Turner and expect him to have a big night against App State tonight in North Carolina. Both teams blew out South Carolina State but the Falcons being favored on the road tells me something about who the better team in this game is. The Mountaineers are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 home games.