Sports Picks & Predictions

4 Unit Play. #779 Take Buffalo over Canisius (8 pm) The line on this game should tell you something since Buffalo is 1-4 on the season and Canisius is 2-0 and playing at home. Yet the Golden Griffins are just around a field goal favorite. That does not make any sense except that Buffalo has more talent than their cross town rival. We fell for this trap two years ago when Buffalo went into Koessler Athletic Center and won by 17 points. Last year Buffalo beat Canisius by a score of 94-59 and these players just believe that it is their birthright to win this Battle of Buffalo. The Bulls are 5-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games against MAAC teams. Canisius is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against MAC teams.

4 Unit Play. #732 Take Under in Marquette vs. Mississippi State (2:30 pm ESPN 2) The Bulldogs are in major rebuilding mode evident by the fact that they could only muster 49 points against a North Carolina team that does not play much defense. Marquette is nowhere near as explosive on offense as is North Carolina but they do play much better defense and this morning local start time sets up perfectly for a strong play with the under. Mississippi State has gone under the posted total in 4 of their last 5 neutral site games. I expect Marquette to be up by a sizable margin and thus there will not be much fouling at the end of this game keeping the score under the posted total.

4 Unit Play. #527 Take New Mexico -2 over Connecticut (10 pm CBS Sports Network) We are going to fade both Quinnipiac and Connecticut tonight, as I do not believe that they have much left in the tank after playing a double overtime game last night. New Mexico has yet to play well this season despite being 3-0 on the season. New Mexico is 23-9 ATS in their last 32 games overall. Connecticut is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games. New Mexico wins the Paradise Jam and we collect big in the process as well.

4 Unit Play. #516 Arkansas Little Rock +4 over Milwaukee (8 pm) The Panthers are coming off an emotional victory at home last Saturday against Davidson and I feel that they shot their wad in that game and were very fortunate to come away victorious. Now they are on the road laying points against a solid mid-major program and they are still without Paris Gulley. The officials are going to favor the home team since this is a non-conference mid-major battle and it is only a matter of time before Will Neighbour gets going. He is the best player on the floor and will allow the home team to emerge victorious. The Trojans are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss by 20 or more points in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. #525 Take George Mason -3.5 over Quinnipiac (7:30 pm CBS Sports Network) We are going to fade both Quinnipiac and Connecticut tonight, as I do not believe that they have much left in the tank after playing a double overtime game last night. Throw in the fact that George Mason is pissed off after blowing a 5 point lead to New Mexico with just over 10 seconds left in the game and you will have a route tonight in the Virgin Islands. George Mason is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a loss in their previous game. Stamina allows the Patriots to emerge victorious.

4 Unit Play. #548 Duquesne -6 over James Madison (7 pm) This is a battle of Dukes, but we will side with the Duquesne Dukes since this games is being played on their home court. Duquesne is hosting this tournament and thus has a major advantage that will allow them to emerge victorious on Monday. This is the home debut of new coach Jim Ferry and he will want to make a strong first impression for the fans. James Madison is 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games played on Monday. Duquesne is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games played on Monday.
Best of Luck

4 Unit Play. #532 Take Over 142.5 in Mississippi State vs. North Carolina (6 pm ESPN 2) Game two of the Maui Invitational features two teams from the southeast portion of the country. Anytime you get a Carolina total this low (around 140) you have to consider playing the over since they like to go up and down for 40 minutes. Carolina is averaging 78 points per game this season but they held back in most of those games late since they were all blowouts. Mississippi State is in major rebuilding model having to replace most of their talent from last season but that talent was not very good anyway so this could be a good thing. Mississippi State has gone over the posted total in 4 of their last 5 games against ACC teams.

10 Unit Play. #734 Take Penn State over Akron (1:30 pm ESPN U) No team from the MAC should be favored against a Big Ten team especially since the Nittany Lions have the best player on the floor in Tim Frazier. As far as the all-time series is concerned, the Nittany Lions have taken four straight from Akron and win number 5 will come this afternoon in Puerto Rico. I expect the Nittany Lions to control the tempo of this game and keep the scoring down and take this game right down to the wire. Getting this many points in a game that will likely be played in the low sixties is too good to pass up. The Zips have some size, but that only bodes well in the MAC and not against the size of Big Ten players. The Big Ten is the best conference in the country this season and the bottom half flexes their muscles on Sunday and we collect big in the process as well.

Best of Luck

3 Unit Play. #553 Take Florida State over St Joes (9:30 pm Tru TV) This game was not on the radar until late last night and I just do not believe that the Hawks will have much left in the tank after an emotional victory in overtime last night against fellow Catholic Notre Dame. The Hawks came back from 8 points late in that game to beat the Irish and now are back on the court tonight against a solid Seminole team that had no issues against BYU in the earlier game last night at the Barclay

4 Unit Play. #584 Take Milwaukee over Davidson (8 pm) Both teams are 1-1 on the season losing on the road in their last outings against quality teams. That being said, the Horizon is a better conference than the Southern and getting this many points at the Cell is too good to pass up on Saturday night. Milwaukee returns three starters from last year

1-Unit Play. #734 Take Oregon over Vanderbilt (11 p.m., Friday, November 16) Vanderbilt may be the defending SEC champions, but let's face it: this year's team is not the 2011 version. And that might be the understatement of the year. For head coach Kevin Stallings, the cupboard is completely bare. The Commodores graduated its top seven players, including three who now ply their trade in the NBA. Only two players on the roster aren't freshmen or sophomores and the returning top scorer averaged just three points last year. That's a pretty good sell, huh? Now the Ducks, a team that has a lot of potential in my eyes. Seniors E.J. Singler and Carlos Emory lead the way with a group that could sneak up on a lot of people. Immediate impact freshmen Dominic Artis and Devon Branch are capable of being All-Conference players in some form while former Wake Forest big man Tony Woods holds down the fort in the paint with his 6'11' frame. Head coach Dana Altman will get the most of this group. They've opened the season 2-0 and at home they make it three straight. Take Oregon minus the number and look for a double digit victory from Eugene's Quack Attack.

1 Unit Play. Take #518 Arizona over UTEP (10:00 p.m., Thursday, November 15 FSN) The Arizona Wildcats continue the home stand tonight as the UTEP Miners come to Tucson. Arizona is completely loaded this year and if the Wildcats run early and UTEP struggles to score this game could get ugly quickly in the 2nd half. Arizona is a very deep team and in their last game they had 5-players score in double-figures and tonight their bench play will be the key to an easy double-digit victory. Tucson Arizona is a tough place to steal a road game and UTEP will have major problems tonight as Arizona wins big. The UTEP Miners are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 PAC-12 games and Arizona is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games on Thursday night.

1 Unit Play Take #731 Toledo +14 over Northern Iowa (8:00pm est): Nothing better early in a CBB season than finding a decent team who is in a early hole to start their season. This squad usually comes out fighting for a win in its next game. We see a great example of that here in this one with Toledo. The Rockets come in off a big breakthrough 19 win season last year but have started out 0-2 so far this year. One of those was a very ugly loss to a team I feel is going to have a huge season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Toledo also started out these first two games being on the road.

Northern Iowa is a very strong and steady program but they come into this season not only missing a starter from last year but are also without their leading scorer from last season who is suspended to start the season for the Panthers. UNI is also missing Johnny Moran, a guy who started more games than any player in school history for them.

Too many points here for what is a solid Toledo team. Take Toledo plus the points in this one.

1-Unit Play. #536 Take USC over Long Beach State (9:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 13) For Long Beach State, losing four starters (over 50 ppg) is too much for any team to handle. Graduating the trio of Casper Ware, Larry Anderson and T.J. Robinson, a trio of players that had made this 49ers team for the past three or four years, is a fool's errand to expect to replace. For USC, they start the season healthy and that says so much. The Trojans had three starters in 2011 have season-ending injuries. Chief among them, guard Jio Fontan is ready to star with fellow backcourt member Maurice Jones. Elsewhere transfers J.T. Terrell and Ari Stewart (Wake Forest), Renaldo Woolridge (Tennessee) and Eric Wise (UC Irvine) have Southern Cal built to compete in the Pac 12 right away. I just see this match-up of two teams on complete ends of the spectrum. USC is poised and ready to make up for lost time the past couple of seasons. Long Beach has been a fixture and quality mid-major in recent seasons, but this year they simply don't have the talent. This is one match-up where the 49ers' lack of skill will be exploited. Lay the number with USC, as it's a double digit win for the L.A.-based program in this intrastate meeting.

1-Unit Play. #738 Take Cleveland State over Bowling Green (6 p.m., Monday, November 12) It's Horizon league over the MAC as two intra-state schools clash to begin the week. Vikings head coach Gary Walters is set to continue his team's momentum from last season's 22-win campaign. Several faces are gone but new ones are here to step up. Lone returning starter Tim Kamczyc should do well to be over double digits in points, while sophomores Anton Grady and Marlin Mason will have emerging roles for CSU. We're confident the better team from the better conference cashes here minus the small number, and that's Cleveland State.

1-Unit Play. Take 'Under' Syracuse at San Diego State (4 p.m.) Last year's carrier game between Michigan State and North Carolina totaled just 122 points and that featured the all-offense, no-defense Tar Heels. The teams combined to shoot just 6-for-32 from 3-point range in that game and it shouldn't be better this year between SU and SDSU. There are reports that wind is going to be a significant issue and that should limit both teams' effectiveness from deep. The Aztecs are a fierce defensive team with depth, experience and length. The Orange will pack in their patented 2-3 zone, which is mammoth across the back line this year, and they will dare SDSU to shoot over it. Syracuse is the more high-scoring offense in this game, but they still have a lot of kinks to work out after losing several crucial pieces from last year's team. I like this one to be played in the 50's and 60's and I don't see either team cracking 70, which is essentially what we would need for this game to go 'over'.

3-Unit Play. #728 Take George Washington over Youngstown State (4 p.m., Saturday, November 10) Here is an example of a middle of the road A-10 team that may not be anything special but still good enough that will get lost in the depth of the conference. The Colonials have four starters back as well as Villanova transfer Isaiah Armwood to add another scorer for GW. Also, add in Parade freshman All-American Joe McDonald and there are some solid players to mesh together. I think that is more than the Penguins have, and certainly the depth doesn't compare. George Washington is the play in this one.

3-Unit Play. #559 Take Toledo over Loyola-Chicago (8 p.m., Friday, November 8) I know it's the first day of the season, but this is a spread oddsmakers flat out got wrong. Toledo should be favored by two or three points. One of the three or four best MAC teams this season, the Rockets bring back all five starters from a team that won 19 games. Loyola was a disaster in 2011 at 7-23. Maybe if Toledo had some turnover and wasn't the same capable squad, I might think otherwise. But this one really is a simple pick for me. MAC over Horizon in this midwest clash.

10 Unit Play. #614 Take Kentucky over Kansas (9:20 pm CBS) It ends tonight! A rematch of coaches from the 2008 Title Game will take place tonight in New Orleans. While the 2008 match-up featured similar teams that will not be the case tonight, as Kentucky has many more bullets than does Kansas. A young Kentucky team defeated Kansas by double digits earlier this season and that is how I see this game going as well. Kentucky will not be effected by the length of Kansas inside the paint and the guard position is a major edge for Kentucky. Tyshawn Taylor cannot make a three point shot if his life depended on it and Kansas will not be able to keep pace with the scoring of Kentucky. That is where the difference in this game lies, as both teams are solid on defense, but Kentucky is way better on offense. Kansas has dominated teams in the second half of most of their NCAA Tournament games, but Kentucky will be so far ahead in this game that a late run by the Jayhawks will only cut the final deficit to 10 points. Anthony Davis is a beast inside and will shut down Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey. Unlike Jared Sullinger, Davis will not be effected with the length of the Jayhawks and just be able to shoot over top of his defenders. Kansas is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS victory. Kentucky is 3-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 games against Big XII teams. Kentucky gives Coach Calipari his first national championship and we collect big in the process as well!

4 Unit Play. #819 Take Ohio State over Kansas (8:40 pm CBS) The Jayhawks luck will run out on Saturday, as they have played an easy schedule this far and lucked out a great deal along the way. The Tar Heels could have easily beaten them on Sunday, but they went cold in the second half and could not generate enough offense without Kendall Marshall running the point. Ohio State will not have any issues with that, as they are healthy and playing at a high level. Aaron Craft will be the difference in this game, as he can beat you in a variety of ways and not just with his scoring. Kansas beat Ohio State earlier this season, but we all know that Jerrod Sullinger did not play in that game. Kansas is just 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games against Big Ten teams. Ohio State has covered 6 of their last 8 games.

Best of Luck

5 Unit Play. #818 Take Kentucky over Louisville (6 pm CBS) As you saw last night with our selection, you can get backdoor with numbers this big; however, I see the Wildcats making a major statement in this game and not letting up against an inferior team in Louisville. Kentucky dominated the first game between these two schools and won by 7 points. That is misleading since they were up by 15 late in the second half before some fade away three and poor officiating allowed Louisville to score the last six points of the game with five seconds left. The Cardinals are not a great shooting team this year and that does not bode well when facing the best defensive team in the country. Kentucky has great balance on offense and this clearly is the best team Coach Calipari has had at Kentucky. Kentucky has covered 6 of their last 8 NCAA Tournament Games.

This is the third and final game of the best-of-three CBI Championship series and we think the better team takes care of this one on its own court. The Panthers have seemed to let the Cougars hang around a little too long in this series, mainly because of a Game 1 one-point win at Washington State. First of all, the Cougars have been a pretty good ATS team this season but that has been more because of their play at home then on the road. They are only 8-12 ATS away from home. While the Panthers have not been great ATS at home, they have played a much tougher schedule and they have faced some tough home lines. But we think this team will be very motivated to put an exclamation point on what has otherwise been a pretty disappointing season and this Panthers team is the better team both offensively and defensively and we expect them to play their most complete game of this series in getting rid of these pesky Cougars once and for all.

The Finals of the NIT takes place Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York. We expect Stanford to cut down the nets in this one. Not only are the Gophers the lower seed in this tournament, but they are pretty banged up right now and although some players have stepped up to get them to this Championship Game we just don

The first game of this three-game CBI Finals series takes place in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Game 1 on Monday saw a total of 133 points scored and we think there is a great chance this number goes higher than that. Pittsburgh went through a couple extended cold streaks during Game 1 and they even went seven minutes without a field goal in the second half and this one still came in over the posted number. Since these teams are more familiar with each other we think the scoring will be more fluid. Washington showed they can drain the long ball as they were 9 of 15 from three-point range in Game 1 and they shot very well overall and we see no reason there won

10 Unit Play. #778 Take Washington over Minnesota (Tuesday 9:30 pm ESPN) This match-up features two teams that struggled through parts of the season but have put it together during tournament play to earn a trip to New York City. Washington is much more healthy than is Minnesota and the Gophers will have trouble scoring points against the athletic and young Huskies. Washington belonged in the NCAA Tournament, but the bottom three teams in the PAC-12 (USC, Utah, and Arizona State) did everybody in by keeping the rpi ridiculously low. Thus for the first team in a very long time the outright winner of a BCS Conference did not make the NCAA Tournament. Washington has played a much more difficult schedule to reach New York, beating fringe tournament teams in Oregon and Northwestern. Minnesota two of three victories have come against teams from smaller conferences (LaSalle and MTSU). Washington has already played at the Garden this season and that experience on the floor will be a major edge for them in this game. Minnesota finished just 6-12 in the Big Ten, an overrated conference all season long. Washington is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Tuesday games. Minnesota is 2-10 ATS in their last 12 Tuesday games.

2 Unit Play. #749 Take Pittsburgh over Washington State (Monday 10 pm HD Net) We have used both of these teams a bunch during CBI play and we will attack game one of this best of three championship series. The Cougars are an extremely tough team to beat at home, but they will likely be with Brock Motum, their leading scorer and best player. That along with the loss of Faisal Aden will be too much to overcome against a solid team like Pittsburgh. Washington State somehow beat Oregon State without both of these guys last week, but they do not have enough firepower without Motum to win on a consistent basis. Pittsburgh knocked out Butler in overtime despite Ashton Gibbs failing to score a point. That will not happen tonight and expect a big bounce back game from the senior. Pittsburgh is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games.

3 Unit Play. #718 Take Over in Baylor vs. Kentucky (2:20 pm CBS) Kentucky appears to be the best team in the land by a wide margin, but they could not put away a so-so Indiana team on Friday and I believe that this Baylor team will be able to score points on the Wildcats as well. That will set up a strong play with the over and we will not worry if Kentucky can cover this number. Both teams average around 75 points per game and Baylor has the athletes that will not be intimidated by Kentucky. I also expect some fouling at the end of this game which will increase the total and put it in our favor. Baylor has gone over the posted total in four straight games when they are an underdog. Kentucky has gone over the posted total in four of their last five games.

4 Unit Play. #519 Take Ohio State over Syracuse (Saturday 7:05 pm CBS) Syracuse is coming off an emotional game with Wisconsin on Thursday and I just do not believe that they will have much left in the tank for this match-up with Ohio State on Saturday. Ohio State cruised past Cincinnati getting up early in that game then turned it on again in the second half once Cincinnati made a run at them. They have the bodies inside to match-up with Syracuse and they like Wisconsin are also a solid shooting team from beyond the arc. This is the game that they loss of Fab Melo will finally catch up with Syracuse. The Orange are just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Ohio State is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 neutral site games. The Buckeyes avenge last year with a trip to New Orleans in 2012.

5 Unit Play. #521 Take Florida over Louisville (Saturday 4:30 pm CBS) We went against the Gators on Thursday and took it on the chin, but will not make that same mistake again, as Florida looks to advance to the Final Four in a match-up of coaches that are very familiar with one another. Rick Pitino coaches Billy Donovan at Providence and Billy was an assistant for Rick at Kentucky before becoming a coaching success of his own by winning two national championships. They fact remains that Florida is the much more talented team with great balance and in the paint and from beyond the arc. Florida shot the three terrible on Thursday and still won that game by double digits and I expect them to shoot it much better on Saturday. Everybody is comparing this Louisville team to Connecticut from last year, but the fact remains that they do not have a superstar like UCONN did in Kemba Walker to get points when they are needed. Florida is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games in the NCAA Tournament when they are a favorite of 6.5 points or less. Louisville is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 neutral site games when they are an underdog.

4 Unit Play. #879 Take North Carolina State over Kansas (Friday 10:17 pm TBS) The Jayhawks have not been playing very well the last couple of weeks and thus they are not good enough to be laying this many points against a team that can score points in a variety of ways. NC State has already beaten two higher seeds in this tournament and those were not fluke wins, as the Wolfpack had control in the second half of both of those games. NC State has just two losses since February 22nd and they have not been blown out in any games during this stretch. This is a great scoring team with five players averaging in double figures. Kansas has the advantage of playing this game in St. Louis, but Carolina has two teams in this regional and expect fans of both teams to be pulling for NC State in this affair.

3 Unit Play. #874 Take Kentucky over Indiana (Friday 9:45 pm CBS) The Cats have a chance to get revenge on one of the two teams that beat them this season and expect them to accomplish that with a blowout win on Friday to advance onto the Elite Eight. Indiana was way up against Kentucky when these two teams met earlier this season in Bloomington. Kentucky fought back to take the lead before a three point shot at the buzzer did them in. Indiana is lucky to be in this position, as VCU led them throughout on Saturday before a late run by Indiana got it done with the help of a missed three point shot with just seconds left. That is the problem with Indiana in this game, they cannot defend. Kentucky is loaded with talent on both side of the basketball. Cody Zeller is the Hoosiers best player and he will be shutdown in this game by Anthony Davis allowing the Wildcats to cruise to a double digit victory.

10 Unit Play. #818 Take Marquette over Florida (Thursday 10:15 pm TBS) Sweet 16 Game of the Year. On paper this appears to be the most competitive game from the Sweet 16, as both teams are firing on all cylinders at the moment. For a No. 7 seed, the Gators have had a cakewalk to the Sweet 16, playing a team that cannot score (Virginia) and then playing one of the worst teams in the field in Norfolk State on Sunday. Both teams are guard oriented, but I like the Golden Eagles players better, as they have been more consistent throughout the season. Florida was expect to be a top -10 team this season, but they have not shown the consistency this season and have been blown out most times when they face good teams. The Gators have losses to Rutgers, Tennessee (2), and Georgia. Marquette will guard the 3 point line and make the Gators beat them with 20 foot jump shots and they will not be able to make enough to keep pace with the up and coming Golden Eagles. Marquette is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games when they are a favorite. Florida does not go to Patrick Young enough to really hurt Marquette inside the paint and thus this will become a small man

3 Unit Play. #813 Take Wisconsin over Syracuse (Thursday 7:15 pm CBS) This is not a good match-up for the Orange, as the Badgers are patient on offense and shot a lot of three point shots. If they are on, I expect them to win this game outright and getting points is just icing on the cake. As you all know, the Orange are without C Fab Melo and this will be the game where that finally catches up with them. Wisconsin is a great offensive rebounding team and that is a major weakness of Syracuse with their 2-3 zone. This is the year of the Big Ten, evident by the fact that 4 teams from this conference made the Sweet 16 and Syracuse is just treading water at the moment and Wisconsin will put them down on Thursday. Wisconsin is 16-5 ATS in their last 21 non-conference games. Syracuse is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall.

5 Unit Play. #799 Take Pittsburgh over Butler (8 pm HD Net) This looks like an NCAA Tournament Game instead of a CBI game but that will be the case tonight in Indianapolis. In fact, these two teams met last year in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament and Butler pulled the upset against the No. 1 seed Pittsburgh and do not believe for one second that this is on the minds of the Panthers tonight. They want this game bad, starting with Head Coach Jamie Dixon and star player Aston Gibbs. The fact remains that Pittsburgh has a major edge in talent in this game. This was supposed to be an NCAA Tournament team, but the Panthers could never get things on take until now, as Tray Woodall was in and out of the line-up all season long. Pittsburgh has blown out both CBI opponents thus far and will face a similar team in Butler tonight. The Bulldogs play hard and are extremely well coached; however, they just do not have the talent this season. Pittsburgh has covered 5 of their last 7 games. Butler is 6-14 ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games following a victory in their previous game. Pittsburgh gets revenge tonight and we collect big in the process.

2-unit play. #668 Take Under in Oregon @ Washington (9 pm ESPN) A trip to New York is on the line tonight when the Ducks head north to face a familiar foe in the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, WA. Both team have been unpredictable all season long with solid wins and unimaginable losses and thus they were relegated to the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament. Both meetings this season between these two programs went way under tonight

4 Unit Play. #628 Take Washington State over Wyoming (10 pm) The Cougars are a completely different team when they are playing in Spokane, compared to when they are playing on the road. This veteran group will be able to take care of business tonight against Wyoming in the second round of CBI action. Washington State is coming off an impressive victory over San Francisco last week in the Bay Area and they have great balance up and down their starting line-up. This will eventually wear down the Cowboys, a team that really fell apart during the second portion of the college basketball season. They struggled to beat North Dakota State at home and will lose this game by double digits, as Brock Motum and company will be too much for them to handle. Wyoming is 1-5 ATS in their last 5 road games. Washington State is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.

10 Unit Play. #726 Take Florida State over Cincinnati (Sunday 9:40 pm TBS) The Bearcats nearly ran out of gas on Friday against Texas and now they face a much better team in Florida State. The Seminoles had their own struggles against a No. 14 seed, but they pounded a Big East team last year in the round of 32 and expect history to repeat itself on Sunday. Cincinnati no longer plays tough hard noise defense like when Bob Huggins was coaching them and I believe they are soft and really have trouble guarding people one on one. That is the strength of the Seminoles and if they made shots from the arc, this will be a double digit victory from the ACC. Had Texas not gone 4 of 25 shooting in the first half, they likely would have beaten the Cats, but given them credit for holding off an inferior team. That will not occur tonight. Cincinnati is 6-27 ATS in their last 33 games on Sunday. Florida State has covered 5 of their last 6 games.

3 Unit Play. #729 Take Norfolk State over Florida (Sunday 6:10 pm TNT) Granted everybody was looking forward to a Florida

4 Unit Play. #530 Take Louisville -1.5 over New Mexico (Saturday 9:40 pm TBS) By now we have seen that the MWC has not done very well in the NCAA Tournament losing three of four games and their only win coming against a mid-major program in Long Beach State. I really like this Cardinal team, as they have much better perimeter players than the lobos and they also have the size inside to match-up with Drew Gordon. Coach Rick Pitino, who is 39-15 during his career in the NCAA Tournament, moved to 13-3 in initial games thanks to a 69-62 triumph over Davidson in the second round on Thursday. Two years ago the Lobos were a similar seed in the Tournament and got bombed by an average Washington team that was a double digit seed. This is as far as they will go again tonight. Louisville is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Big East > Mountain West.

10 Unit Play. #526 Take Wisconsin over Vanderbilt (Saturday 6:10 pm TNT) This is a very intriguing match-up as it features two teams with dramatically different styles of offense. Wisconsin sure does garner a lot of respect from the odds makers, as Vanderbilt is the trendy team at the moment yet Bucky enters as a slight favorite. That is because their style of offense will slow down the Commodores and led to numerous wide open shots and back door lay-ups. Vanderbilt struggled to put away the 12th seeded Crimson on Thursday whereas the Badgers cruised to a victory over Montana. Wisconsin can guard people on the perimeter and they also have the bodies down low to contain Festus Ezeli inside the paint. The Badgers have been given a spark with the emergence of Rob Wilson who scored 30 points against Indiana last week in Indianapolis and he and Jordan Taylor will led this team to the Sweet 16 yet again! Wisconsin is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against SEC teams. The Commodores are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games.

4 Unit Play. #824 Take Duke over Lehigh (Friday 7:15 pm CBS) Everybody is down on Duke at the moment and many feel that they will be the first of the top 8 seeds to be knocked out of the NCAA Tournament. But it will not come in this game against Lehigh, the tournament champions of the Patriot League. Duke is 16th in the country in points per game and that will allow them to cover this number, as I expect they will score over 80 points in this contest. Duke is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games following a loss in their previous game.

10 Unit Play. #837 Take NC State over San Diego State (Friday 12:40 pm Tru TV) We have had a great feel for the Aztecs all season long, but the fact remains they are not close to as talented as they were last year. Had this game been in the west, they might have had a chance, but since it is being played in Columbus, I fully expect a rout by the Wolfpack. NC State is playing some of their best basketball of the season at the moment, as they have won four of their last five games and took UNC to the wire on Saturday before some questionable officiating did them in. I really like this team, as they have the ability to score points in a variety of ways and the Aztecs just will not be able to keep pace with them. NC State has five players averaging in double figures in scoring and San Diego State has just three players with double figure scoring. San Diego State did not perform very well against the top teams in the MWC this season losing two straight games to New Mexico and one game to UNLV. They also struggled to put away Boise State (won at the buzzer) and TCU (won in overtime) during the month of March. San Diego State is a strong defensive team, but they are not great shooters and really have to battle to score points on the offensive side of the floor. Also, I have never been a fan of Steve Fisher as a coach and feel he is not a big game coach especially during the NCAA Tournament. NC State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Aztecs get sent packing by and up and coming NC State that is determined to make a run in the 2012 NCAA Men

10 Unit Play. #842 Take Cincinnati over Texas (Friday 12:10 pm CBS) NCAA Tournament Game of the Year. We went against the Bearcats for our big play on Saturday against Louisville, but feel that they will have a much easier time scoring points in this game against a one man team in Texas. Louisville was determined to not let Cincinnati beat them from the three point line but Texas cannot do that with their very inexperienced team. Texas has very few good wins this season and none of them have come away from Austin. The Bearcats started the season off on a sour note but really turned the corner and bonded together after the brawl game with their in-city rival Xavier. The Bearcats have lost just three games since February and they have great balance with four players averaging over double figures per game. Texas is a one man team with J

3 Unit Play. #721 Take Connecticut over Iowa State (Thursday 9:20 pm TBS) Everybody will be on Connecticut this game and I fully believe that you will know early how this game will go. Connecticut has much more talent in the paint than do the Cyclones and they are a different team when Jim Calhoun is on the bench. The winner of this game will get Kentucky and it will be the Huskies. Connecticut has had great success in the first round of the NCAA Tournament only losing 1 time in round one going back to 1979 and that streak will continue in 2012 against a team that is just happy to be in the tournament. Connecticut has a great inside out game with size in the middle and great shooters in Napier and Lamb. UCONN is 22-7 ATS in their last 29 neutral site games. Iowa State is 3-9 ATS (1 push) in their last 13 neutral site games when they are an underdog.

3 Unit Play. #718 Take Gonzaga over West Virginia (Thursday 7:20 pm TNT) I am not a West Virginia fan at all this season and feel that they are one of the worst offensive teams in the country. Had this game not been played in Pittsburgh (close to West Virginia) I would rate this Gonzaga play much higher if this game was being played out West, but the fact is they have much more talent than WVU and have the size to match-up with them in the paint. The guard play strongly favors the Zags and their style of offense will eventually wear down the Mountaineers, as they will not be able to keep pace with the scoring of the Zags. West Virginia is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Gonzaga is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against Big East teams.

3 Unit Play. #739 Take Long Beach State over New Mexico (Thursday 4:10 pm TBS) The 49ers are vastly underseeded and they will make a statement in this match-up against another team from the west in New Mexico. Long Beach State has the best player on the floor in Casper Ware, as he averages over 17 points per game on the season. Assuming Larry Anderson plays in this game, I expect a high scoring affair and getting this many points is too good to pass up. New Mexico had a great season winning the MWC Conference Tournament; however, they did not face a team as explosive as Long Beach State in that entire conference. The 49ers have been knocking on the NCAA Tournament door for the last couple of years and now that they finally made it, I expect them to make some noise in this tournament. The Lobos did not put forth a good performance in 2010 when they made the big dance. That year they were a No. 3 seed and struggled to put away Montana and then good blown out in the second round by Washington. The 49ers are 7-3 in their last 10 neutral site games. This will be an entertaining game that goes down to the wire and we will grab the money with whoever comes out on top.

2 Unit Play. #628 Take California over South Florida (9 pm Tru TV) I must admit that I am a little surprised that California got put in this game, as I feel that should have avoided the play-in game and just been a regular at large team. California is just as good of defensive team as the Bulls are and they are much better on the offensive side of the basketball. South Florida just beat up on the bottom feeder teams in the Big East and when they play talented teams, more often than not they come up short. The Bulls have losses to Penn State, Old Dominion, and Auburn this season and they really have trouble scoring 50 points per game. USF is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games. California is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games. The last time California has in the tournament they pounded Louisville in 2010 and expect them to pound another Big East team tonight in Dayton.

2 Unit Play. #560 Take Over in Wofford @ Pittsburgh (7 pm) I always like to play overs in third tier postseason tournament, since coaching are usually more lax in these games and they tend to develop up-tempo games with lots of running and gunning. The Panthers have talent on the offensive side of the floor and their strong defense from year

2 Unit Play. #625 Take Lamar over Vermont (6:30 pm Tru TV) Both teams are playing outstanding basketball at the moment and will enter this play-in game on a roll. Lamar has been a different teams since Pat Knight called his team out publicly in the media. The Cardinals have won six straight games and five of them have come by double digits and their closest game was a 7-point victory over Northwestern State. Vermont is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games when they are an underdog. The Cardinals are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.

3 Unit Play. #576 Take San Francisco over Washington State (10 pm) The Cougars are a completely different team on the road compared to when they play in Spokane and expect them to be a quick one and done tonight in the Bay Area. The Dons had an impressive season finishing fifth I a very competitive West Coast Conference that sent three teams into the NCAA Tournament. USF has gone 10-5 in their last 15 games and all five of those losses came against teams that were better than them in the standings. Washington State has road losses to Utah, Arizona State, and scored just 43 points against USC last weekend. The Cougars are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. The Dons are 20-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 28 games when they suffered a loss in a previous game.

2 Unit Play. #574 Take TCU over Milwaukee (8 pm) The Horned Frogs have shown great improvement this season and have been a tough team to beat at home especially during Mountain West play. TCU beat UNLV, New Mexico, and Colorado State at home this season and all three of them are NCAA Tournament teams in 2012. Most of Milwaukee

1 Unit Play. #893 Take Ohio State over Michigan State (3:30 pm CBS)The rubber match between these two teams takes place today in Indianapolis with the winner having a very outside chance to capture a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes are the more talented team, but to win today they will have to put forth the effort needed and that is not always the case. Ohio State is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games.

10 Unit Play. #545 Take Louisville over Cincinnati (9 pm ESPN) Conference Tournament Game of the Year. This may be history repeating itself, as we used Louisville as a selection last season for our Conference Tournament GOY and fell just short, but the Bearcats do not have a Kemba Walker type player on their roster. Cincinnati has played one less game than Louisville, but that is a little misleading since they have had to battle on their hands, whereas Louisville is coming off back-to-back blowout wins against Marquette and Notre Dame. The Bearcats had a double OT game against Georgetown on Thursday and had to fend off Syracuse for 40 minutes last night.

These two teams met earlier in the season and Cincinnati came away with a 4 point victory at home. The Bearcats has struggled all season long with their offense and despite a solid performance last night shooting 46% from the three point line, I just do not believe that they can repeat that performance tonight. Cincinnati has never won anything since joining the Big East and that will not change after tonight.

4 Unit Play. #836 Take Xavier over Dayton (8:55 pm CBS Sports Network Regional) The Musketeers have never recovered from the brawl with Cincinnati and have been one of the most disappointing teams this season in all of college basketball. Despite that they somehow still remain on the tournament bubble and have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament but cannot afford a loss to Dayton in this game. Dayton is always a strong home team, but they traditionally struggle away from home and that will again be the base tonight in Atlantic City. These teams split during the regular season with each team winning on their home floor, but Xavier has much better athletes and that will be the difference on Friday.

4 Unit Play. #870 Take Arizona over Oregon State (9:10 pm FSN) The Wildcats now have a path to the NCAA Tournament since Washington got knocked out and they get to play a very streaky Oregon State team on Friday with the winner advancing to the PAC-12 Finals tomorrow. Arizona has won 54 of the 74 meetings with the Beavers in this match-up and expect history to repeat itself again on Friday. Oregon State does not defend whatsoever and that will be their downfall in this encounter.

3 Unit Play. #858 Take Syracuse over Cincinnati (7 pm ESPN) Both teams have to come from behind against lower seeds for victories on Thursday, but the Bearcats went to double overtime to beat Georgetown and I just do not believe that they will have much left in the tank for tonight

3 Unit Play. #840 Take Wisconsin over Indiana (2:25 pm ESPN) The Hoosiers took care of business yesterday against the worst team in the league, but they suffered a key injury to Verdell Jones III and his status for this game is up in the air. Wisconsin comes into this game healthy and playing some of their best basketball of the season, as they have won three straight games including a victory at Ohio State. Wisconsin won the only meeting this season with Indiana by 7 points, holding the Hoosiers to just 50 points in that contest. Wisconsin has not performed well in the Big Ten Tournament of late, but this is the year they will put it together and advance to the semi-finals. The wrong team is favored and getting the better team as an underdog is too good to pass up.

3 Unit Play. #744 Take Mississippi State over Georgia (10 pm ESPN 3) The Bulldogs appear to have righted the ship with two straight wins to close out the regular season and that has kept them on the tournament bubble. Those two wins came against bottom feeder teams in the SEC and they will face another bad SEC team in Georgia tonight in New Orleans. Mississippi State lost at home to Georgia this season and that started their 5 game losing streak.

10 Unit Play. #728 Take Notre Dame over South Florida (9:30 pm ESPN) This may be a painful game to watch, as both teams like to slow down the tempo, but the Irish have many more offensive weapons and that will allow them to emerge victorious on Thursday and thus they will advance to semi-finals. To continue on, the Bulls will need to snap their six-game losing streak versus Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish topped USF, 60-49, when these teams last met in January. Notre Dame has won 8 of the 9 lifetime meetings with USF. Villanova had numerous opportunities to take control of the game last night with USF, but they could not make any free throws and eventually got wore down. This took a lot out of USF as well and we expect them to come out tired and not have much energy for this game.

4 Unit Play. #764 Take Colorado State over TCU (5:30 pm the Mtn) This is an important game for the Rams to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, as they are on the bubble and cannot afford a loss to TCU to close out their season. Both teams had surprising seasons, but the Rams have much more firepower and that will be the difference in this game. Neither team did much of the road this season, as both teams got just once conference road win and that came against Air Force. TCU gave away a game over the weekend to San Diego State giving up a three point late with 20 seconds left to tie the game and eventually they lost in overtime. I fully expect a carryover from that game leading into tonight

3 Unit Play. #730 Take Baylor over Kansas State (12:30 pm ESPN 2) I would rate this play higher if this tournament were not being held in Kansas City, but that being said, the Bears are a much better offensive team than the Wildcats. The teams split the season series this year with each team winning on the road. Baylor has been a strong road team all season long winning 8 of their 11 games. The Wildcats are a very physical team, but come tournament time, the refs will not give them all of the calls like they do when they play at home. Kansas State is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games.

4 Unit Play. #656 Take Oklahoma over Texas A & M (7 pm ESPN 3) With the restructuring of the Big XI, we have feature two play-in games to get us down to the final 8 teams in the league. We will side with the Sooners tonight, as they have a proven winner in Lon Kruger as a head coach. These two teams played two close games during the regular season with each team winning on their home floor, but in all I feel that the Sooners are a more well-rounded team compared to the Aggies. Oklahoma beat Kansas State and that is the most impressive conference win between these two schools, as most of the nine combined conference wins came against Texas Tech. The Aggies are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.

3 Unit Play. #571 Take Villanova over Rutgers (9:25 pm ESPN U) On paper this appears to be an even match-up between two bad teams, but Rutgers just does not match-up well with Villanova and that will allow the Wildcats to defeat them for the second time this season. Villanova won at Rutgers on March 1st by six points in a game that was not as close as the score would indicate, as Villanova led by 19 points in that game. Villanova shot 50% from the floor in that game and expect another hot shooting tonight at the Garden. Rutgers is just 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Big East games.

4 Unit Play. #584 Take Valparaiso over Detroit (9 pm ESPN) The Crusaders won the Horizon League regular season championship and now they look to complete the double tonight with a victory against Detroit giving them the conference tournament championship as well. This team still does not get any respect from the odds makers, as they were an underdog against Butler and enter tonight as just a small favorite over a team that they have already beaten twice this season. Detroit has a more talented team that does Valpo; however, they are very undisciplined and expect them to turn it over numerous times giving Valpo easy buckets on the other end of the floor. The Crusaders have lost just once conference game since January 27th and they will have the home crowd ready on Tuesday, as this will be their first trip into the NCAA Tournament in quite some time. Detroit is 7-15 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 24 road games. Valpo is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record.

3 Unit Play. #563 Take Penn over Princeton (7:30 pm) The Crimson will be pulling for the Tigers tonight, as a win by Princeton will give Harvard the outright title in the Ivy League and send them to the NCAA Tournament. But if you follow Harvard over the last few years, you will realize that nothing comes easy for them and why would this game be any different. Harvard has suffered numerous heartbreaks including losing on a shot at the buzzer last season that kept them out of the NCAA Tournament. Penn already beat Princeton by 15 points this season and will enter this game having won 7 straight games. Most of the Ivy league games are low scoring and very competitive and it would not surprise me if the winner of this game won by three points or less, putting us in great shape for the cover with whoever comes out on top. Penn is 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games when they are a road underdog. Princeton is 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games played on Tuesday.

4 Unit Play. #526 Take Eastern Michigan over Northern Illinois (7 pm) This selection is more about going against the Huskies, the worst team in the MAC and close to the worst in all of college basketball with an RPI ranking of 336. The Eagles won the MAC West despite a 9-7 record but that included two victories over the Huskies during the regular season. The Eagles play strong defense and being good on one side of the floor will be enough to win this game by double-digits since the Huskies are not any good on defense or offense. Eastern Michigan has covered 10 of their last 14 MAC games. Northern Illinois is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win in their previous games.
Best of Luck

4 Unit Play. #821 Take Michigan over Penn State (1 pm ESPN) The Nittany Lions continue to garner too much respect from the odds makers and the fact is that Michigan is better than four of the five positions on the court. This is an important game for the Wolverines, as a win could get them the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Wolverines are ahead by a count of 26-11, thanks in part to a 71-53 win in the first meeting of the season back in late December at home. Michigan has won three in a row over the Nittany Lions. Michigan is 23-7 ATS in their last 30 Big Ten games. Penn State is 1-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 home games when they are an underdog.

Best of Luck

4 Unit Play. #589 Take San Diego State over TCU (7 pm the Mtn) We have rode the Aztecs a lot of late, cashing the last two times and we fully expect to complete the trifecta on Saturday against another bad MWC team. San Diego State is now healthy and they dominated Boise State on the road, as they Broncos never got the game below double digits in the second half. This SDSU team gets it done on the defensive side and when they make shots, this team is unbeatable against conference foes. Jamaal Franklin is back and continues to dominate and the Horned Frogs will have no answer for him. SDSU is 24-8 ATS (1 push) in their last 33 road games. TCU is 11-27 ATS in their last 38 road games.

4 Unit Play. #594 Take Duke over North Carolina (7 pm ESPN) It is not very often you find this low of a number with Duke playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium but that will be the case tonight in this winner take all battle for the ACC Championship. We all remember the first game when Duke rallied for double digits down to win at Chapel Hill with a three pointer at the buzzer. I expect Duke to play much better tonight and win this game going away. Carolina is not a great shooting team and Tyler Zeller will not be bailed out by the refs tonight shooting a large number of free throws. Duke has a lot to play for in this game, as a win here will give them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of their result in the ACC Tournament. They have better guards than North Carolina and playing at home will keep the refs from going off giving UNC calls inside the paint. UNC is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games played on Saturday.

10 Unit Play. #619 Take Washington State over USC (6 pm) Both teams got blown out on Thursday, as WSU fell to UCLA and USC fell to Washington. We have went against USC all season long and see no reason to stop now, as this team is depleted and terrible and cannot wait for this season to end. The Trojans are 1-16 in the PAC-12 this season and have won just one game since December 20th. Washington State has underachieved this season, but they do have talent and if Faisal Aden had not gotten hurt, this team would be close to the top of the PAC-12 standing. But they have adjusted to life without him and have been competitive in games against the best teams in the PAC-12. UCLA was an exception on Thursday, as the Bruins were mad about the Sports Illustrated article and determined to make a statement that they believe in Coach Ben Howland. UCLA shot 58% from the field and 69% from three point range on Thursday and when that happens you have no chance for a victory. I just cannot see USC coming anywhere close to those numbers, as they are a terrible offensive team, shooting just 40% on the season and rank 341 in the country in points per game. The Cougars made just two three pointers in their game on Thursday and expect a much better effort on Saturday against the worst team in the west. The odds makers have yet to catch up to how bad USC actually is, as the Trojans have covered just 3 of their last 16 conference games. That includes going 1-9 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a losing road record.

4 Unit Play. #557 Take Colorado State over Air Force (4 pm the Mtn) This is an important game for the Rams, as they earned a must win game against UNLV on Wednesday and now must follow that up with a victory at Air Force, as this will give them their first conference road win of the season. The Falcons are the perfect team to achieve this against, as they sit at the bottom of the MWC with just three total wins. Air Force has just beaten one conference opponent at home this season and that came against a depleted San Diego State team. Colorado State can make the NCAA tournament, but this is a must win game. CSU 14-3-1 ATS in their last 18 games vs. a team with a losing record. Air Force has covered just 2 of their last 7 home games.

4 Unit Play. #538 Take Marquette over Georgetown (2 pm ESPN 3) This match-up features two of the best teams in the Big East Conference and the winner of this game will have a chance to earn the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Big East Tournament. It is a lock if Marquette wins this game, they are the No. 2 seed and we fully expect that to come to fruition. The Golden Eagles have not lost a home game all season long and dominated Georgetown for 36 minutes before falling apart at the end of the game and letting the Hoyas earn the victory by three points. That will not happen again, as Marquette was dominated on Wednesday by Cincinnati and you bet they are eager to get that taste out of their mouth. Georgetown is not a great shooting team and playing on the road, it is essential for teams to make shots from long range. The Hoyas are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Saturday games. The Golden Eagles are covered 41 of their last 62 Big East games (1 push).

4 Unit Play. #860 Take Loyola Marymount over San Francisco (9 pm ESPN U) The Lions finished three games better in the WCC Standing and beat the Dons twice this season yet they come into this game as an underdog. It seems too good to be true, but we will ride them tonight in Las Vegas, as the Dons are not as strong of a team when playing on the road. Seniors Anthony Ireland and Drew Viney were both elected to the All-WCC Team after leading the Lions throughout the season. This is the time of year that experience matters and the Dons are coming off a brutal stretch playing BYU, Gonzaga, and St. Mary

10 Unit Play. #721 Take Washington over USC (10:30 pm) This is an important game for the Huskies, as a win tonight will ensure them at least a share of the PAC-12 Conference regardless of the outcome with their game on Saturday. They should have no problem winning this game by double-digits, since USC is the worst team in the PAC-12 by a very wide margin. The Trojans have not had very many close games lately either, as only 5 of their 16 games would have covered the point spread of tonight

5 Unit Play. #591 Take San Diego State over Boise State (10 pm the MTN) The Aztecs are starting to get healthy with the return of Jamaal Franklin and expect them to knockout the Broncos for the second time this season. This was a much closer game than people expected in the first meeting with the Broncos leading for much of the game and had a shot to win it at the buzzer. Boise has just three wins during conference play this season and were blown out in their last two games and it would not surprise me if this game is a blowout as well. San Diego State needs to keep winning games against bottom feeder teams make sure up their case as an at-large selection should they not win the conference tournament next weekend. Franklin played much better in his second game back from injury last Saturday shooting over 50% from the field in route to a 31 point performance. The Aztecs are 23-8 ATS (1 push) in their last 32 road games. Boise State is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games.

5 Unit Play. #732 Take Vanderbilt over Florida (9 pm ESPN) The Commodores are playing outstanding basketball of late and need this victory against Florida to ensure that they will receive a first round bye for the upcoming SEC Tournament next weekend. Since February 5th, Vanderbilt has lost just two SEC games and both of them came against Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the country. Vanderbilt has great balance with John Jenkins on the perimeter and Festus Ezeli in the middle and Florida will not be able to stop both of them. Vanderbilt is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games that are played on Tuesday. Tonight we have an unranked team favored against a ranked opponent and that is always a sign for a strong selection.

4 Unit Play. #686 Take Oregon State over Oregon (7:30 pm FSN) The Civil War is renewed basketball style tonight in Corvallis, as the Beavers go for the season sweep of the Ducks. Both teams will not be making the NCAA tournament unless they win the conference tournament, but the Beavers have a much more balanced team and should be able to pound the Ducks inside the paint. Oregon State dominated the first meeting of the season and expect more of the same this Sunday. The Beavers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Sunday games including beating Oregon on a Sunday, January 29th.

4 Unit Play. #664 Take San Diego State over Colorado State (10 pm the Mtn) The Aztecs are reeling at the moment, but much of that was due to injuries and they should be much better tonight after getting back two key players on Wednesday night. Jamaal Franklin struggled in his first game back on Wednesday shooting just 3 for 10, but I expect a much better performance tonight in game No. 2 back from injury. The Aztecs have still won 12 of the last 13 regular-season matchups against Colorado State. The Rams are a completely different team on the road than they are when playing in Fort Collins, evident by the fact that they are just 2-8 in true road games.

Best of Luck

4 Unit Play. #657 Take Northwestern over Penn State (9 pm ESPN U) Let me know if you have heard this before, Northwestern faces a must win game tonight in Happy Valley. Despite playing terrible for most of the Big Ten season, the Wildcats are still on the bubble and should be able to knockdown the worst team in the Big Ten. Northwestern has much more balance than does Penn State and that will allow them to emerge victorious. Northwestern has covered 5 of their last 7 Big Ten Games. Penn State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games. Frazier cannot win this game by himself and that will become evident.

5 Unit Play. #631 Take Tulsa over Tulane (8 pm Cox Sports TV) The Golden Hurricanes won the first meeting of the season by 4 points, but in reality this game was not as close as they score would have indicated. Tulane has dropped four in a row and six of its last seven contests. This team cannot wait for this season to end and Tulsa would put them out of their misery this evening. Tulsa has won 4 straight games in this series.

10 Unit Play. #641 Take Washington over Washington State (8 pm ROOT Sports) The Apple Cup is renewed on the hardwood when the Huskies head east to Pullman to take on the Cougars. Washington currently sits atop the standing of the PAC-12 and needs this win in order to keep pace with the Golden Bears. The Huskies won the first meeting of the season by double digits in Seattle and I expect a tougher game early on here, but the talent of the Huskies will eventually wear down the home team. Washington State is without their best player in Faisal Aden and that does not bode well when face the speed and quickness that Washington has. Both teams have strong inside games, but again Washington is more talented. Washington State has lost to Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona at home this season and Washington is a better team than those three. Washington is 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 Saturday games. Talent prevails, as the Huskies record their 13th conference victory of the season and we collect big in the process as well!

4 Unit Play. #583 Take North Carolina over Virginia (4 pm ESPN) The Cavilers are not playing at a high level at the moment and are struggling to beat bottom feeder teams in the ACC. Carolina is a nice roll since their loss to Duke when they blew a late lead on double digits to lose on a 3-pointer at the buzzer. UNC already beat Virginia by 18 points just two weeks ago and the venue cannot overcome that much of a talent disparity. North Carolina is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Virginia has covered just 2 of their last 5 home games.

4 Unit Play. #530 Take DePaul over Providence (2 pm Big East Network) This is just a case of two equal teams but playing in Chicago will allow the Blue Demons to emerge victorious. The Friars have yet to win a Big East game on the road this season and like DePaul they have been getting hammered on the road. Cleveland Melvin is the best player on the floor and he plays for the home team. Providence is 7-16 ATS in their last 23 vs. Big East Conference teams. DePaul has bounced back nicely from getting blown out going 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. #614 Take West Virginia over Marquette (9 pm ESPN) This is a must win game for the Mountaineers and I believe that they will get it behind a dominating front line that the Golden Eagles will not have an answer for. The Mountaineers have a favorable schedule to close out the season and it they might need to go 3-0 to get off the tournament bubble. The Golden Eagles are 12-3 in conference play, but they have had a fairly easy schedule of late and expect them to be in for a tough physical battle on Friday. West Virginia is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. #809 Take Butler over Valparaiso (7 pm ESPN U) It is just very hard to beat Butler twice in one season and that is the task at hand for the Crusaders tonight in Valparaiso. Valpo has already clinched the regular season title and thus their killer instinct will be lost, as they know full well they may have to play Butler again in the winner take all conference tournament. Butler has won five straight games and will have revenge on their minds, since Valpo beat them earlier this season in Indianapolis. The Crusaders have now won back-to-back games against the Bulldogs after Butler won 10 straight. Butler leads the all-time series 67-34. Valpo is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.

4 Unit Play. #802 Take Yale over Columbia (7 pm Yes Network) Yale was the team that was expected to challenge Harvard for the top of the Ivy League this season. They will not reach them atop the standing but they are still a good team and we will lay the small wood with them tonight against Columbia. The Lions have lost three straight games and two of them were by two points or less and that has taken its toll on this squad. Columbia is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Friday games. Yale is 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games following an ATS loss.

4 Unit Play. #736 Take Colorado over Stanford (10:30 pm FSN) The Buffaloes are a different team when they play in Boulder and this team still has an outside chance to make the NCAA tournament, but they must keep winning and tonight is a must. Colorado is 13-1 at the Coors Events Center and Stanford is just 4-5 on the road. Stanford is just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. Colorado is 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. Colorado pulls away late to win this game by double digits.

4 Unit Play. #732 Take Arizona State over UCLA (8:30 pm FSNAZ) It is time to jump back on the Arizona State bandwagon, as this team was embarrassed on Saturday and now they are back home and getting too many points to pass up against a so-so UCLA team. Neither team is that good on offense and thus I expect a game in the low sixties and this will allow the Devils to come the spread. Trent Lockett is back for the Sun Devils and that gives them a chance in this game, as I believe he will be the best player on the floor. Arizona State is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home underdog. UCLA is just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.

4 Unit Play. #712 Take Arkansas over Alabama (7 pm ESPN) The Crimson Tide is having a lot of in-house turmoil to close out the regular season and they will be without JaMychal Green tonight when they travel to Arkansas. The Hogs are always a tough team to beat at home and played Alabama tough when these teams met on January 28th in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog. Arkansas is 5-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 home games.

4 Unit Play. #570 Take Air Force over TCU (8 pm the MTN) I must admit that this Falcon team impressed me on Saturday when they played San Diego State and expect them to keep the momentum going on Wednesday against TCU. They should have a much easier time scoring points against the Horned Frogs, as TCU does not play the same kind of defense as do the Aztecs. The Falcons play a frustrating style of offense and is really effective on their home floor and they will enter this game having won two straight games. They will also have revenge on their minds, as they lost a tough battle to TCU earlier this season by three points. TCU is just 7-18 ATS in their last 25 games following an ATS win.

4 Unit Play. #530 Take Notre Dame over West Virginia (7 pm ESPN 2) I will be the first to admit that I do not believe that this Irish team is full of talent, but they know their roles and they are extremely well coached. They have not lost a game since January 16th and they are an impressive 14-1 at the Joyce Center this season. The Irish own a 26-12 edge over WVU thanks in part to a 55-51 win in Morgantown just two weeks ago. When it comes to games played in South Bend, Notre Dame has taken all but two of 18 encounters versus the Mountaineers. West Virginia has not been playing well of late losing 5 of their last 7 games and that includes three losses in Morgantown. Notre Dame is 30-12 ATS in their last 42 Big East Conference games.

4 Unit Play. #551 Take George Mason over Northeastern (7 pm ESPN3) This is a case of two teams heading in opposite directions and despite playing in Boston, the home court edge is not even to all the Huskies to stay in this game. George Mason leads the all-time series, 10-8. This marks the first meeting of the season between these two teams, with the Patriots taking both matchups last season to claim the series advantage. The Huskies have lost 5 of their last 6 games and that includes two losses at Matthews Arena (5 total losses at home this season). The Patriots have won five straight games and still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, but this must keep winning.

4 Unit Play. #740 Take Over in Virginia @ Virginia Tech (9 pm ESPN U) These two teams played a real yawner in their first meeting of the season, as Virginia went cold late in that game to lose to Virginia Tech in Charlottesville. The Hokies are coming off an overtime victory against Georgia Tech and that put forth a good offensive showing scoring 74 points for the first time this season during ACC play. Virginia is also coming off a nice offensive performance against Maryland when they scored 71 points in route to a blowout victory. Virginia Tech has gone over the posted total in 17 of their last 24 home games. The line is ready to attack since Virginia is consistently an under team and the odds now favor a string of overs for this team.

4 Unit Play. #718 Take Over in Georgetown @ Seton Hall (7 pm ESPN 3) This should be a very competitive game that goes down to the wire and we do expect some fouling to occur at the end to pad the points for both teams. The Pirates are on pace for an NCAA Tournament berth but will need to shot the ball better than what they did in their last outing at Cincinnati. Georgetown is averaging over 70 points per game and the Hall is not a great defense team so I expect them to easily hit that number tonight. The Hoyas have gone over the posted total in 5 of their last 7 games when they are a road favorite of 6.5 points or less. We will not worry about who wins this low odds game and just collect with the over.

4 Unit Play. #746 Take Greensboro over Wofford (7 pm) The Spartans have cleanup with this low lines recently and they have lost just two games since January 6th, 2912. The Terriers are in the midst of a brutal road schedule, as this will be their fifth road game in their last six games and I do not believe they will have much left in the tank on Tuesday. The Spartans do top the league in terms of individual scoring, as Trevis Simpson has been the most prolific scorer in the Southern Conference this season. Greensboro is 12-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 16 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. Wofford is 1-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 6 games overall.

2 Unit Play. #526 Take Texas over Baylor (9 pm ESPN) Both teams are have not performed well against the top teams in the conference, but Texas needs this game in a big way and expect them to take care of business at the Erwin Center tonight in Austin. Texas has a 157-80 record against Baylor and is 85-27 in contests placed in Austin. Texas is 14-2 at home this season and this is a young team that plays much better in front of their home crowd. Baylor is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games. Texas is 4-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 games against teams with a winning road record.
Best of Luck

4 Unit Play. #823 Take Michigan State over Purdue (1 pm CBS) We will bite on this number, as the Spartans are playing the best basketball of any team in the Big Ten and should be able to take care of a shorthanded Purdue on Sunday. The Boilers will be without Kelsey Barlow and D.J. Byrd after they were involved in an off-court incident. Those are major contributors and expect their losses to be greatly affected and allow Michigan State to take care of business and remain atop the standing with Ohio State. The Spartans have won 4 straight games and all of those victories have come by double digits. Michigan State is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a victory in their previous game. Purdue is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.

6 Unit Play. #610 Take Washington State over Arizona State (8 pm FSN) The Sun Devils are done and do not be misled by their performance on Thursday, as they hit a couple of late three

5 Unit Play. #545 Take San Diego State over Air Force (4 pm NBC Sports Network) After a hot start to the season they Aztecs have struggled a little of late and need a get well game and Air Force is the perfect opponent to accomplish that again. SDSU is not as good as their record would indicate, as they lost many of their stars from last season but they still do play outstanding defense and the Falcons will struggle to score points against them. SDSU already beat Air Force by 13 points earlier this season and that is about what we expect this game to finish at since Air Force does not have much of a home court advantage. Air Force has already lost 4 MWC home games this season and three of them came by double digits. SDSU is 23-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 31 road games. Air Force is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win in their previous game. Lay the wood with the better team on Saturday.

5 Unit Play. #540 Take Washington over Arizona (3 pm FSN) The key game in the PAC-12 Conference takes place in Seattle on Saturday when the Huskies look to stay atop the standing with a victory over third place Arizona. Playing at Alaska Airlines Arena is extremely difficult for the road team and expect the crowd to be ready for this affair. The Huskies have played outstanding basketball of late losing just one game since January 20th and they face a team that does not have good guard play in Arizona. The Wildcats have won five straight games, but that streak will end today, as they were lucky to escape Washington State with a victory and playing in less than 48 hours will doom them in on Saturday. Washington is the most athletic team in the conference and they already beat Arizona this season in Tucson. Washington is 19-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 27 games being played on Saturday. The Huskies pull away late and we collect big in the process as well.