Sports Picks & Predictions

*4 Star NCAA BB National TV Total CASH* The Utah Utes and the Washington Huskies met on January 25. That game went into overtime and it still finished at only 155 points. Utah isn't a team that pushes the tempo, and I don't see the Utes letting this one become a track meet. Both of these defenses have been pretty good this year. 

This high of a number is generally saved for games between two teams who love to run. Utah slowed the first game down, and I think they'll slow this one down as well. I had this one at 154 points. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Totals TKO* The Kansas State Wildcats and Baylor Bears played a double overtime game earlier this year. That game was well under this total in regulation and under this total after the first overtime as well. You can't assume overtime, and with that being the case I think this number is just too high.

Both of these teams prefer to play slowly if they can, and I see a slow tempo all the way in this game. Kansas State is known for playing good defense on their home floor. Baylor and Kansas State played two very low scoring games against each other last year. I had the projected totals line here at 135.5. Take the under. 

*4 Star NBA Play of Day* The Minnesota Timberwolves are a unique team in that they play much slower at home than they do on the road. Most teams in the NBA are the opposite. Minnesota averages about 3 possessions per game less on their home floor compared to on the road. Minnesota's defense isn't nearly as bad as it was last year. Toronto's defense is much better than a year ago.

The Raptors are 8-5-1 to the under as a road favorite this year. The Timberwolves are 9-6 to the under as a home underdog this year.

This is both teams last game before the NBA All Star Break. That's important because in the past ten years, the under is hitting at slightly over 57% in teams last games before the break. 

Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Los Angeles Clippers have been playing great basketball without Blake Griffin. What's the big reason for that? The Clippers have been much better defensively in the past few weeks.

While Boston is a team that runs, they also play some very good defense. Boston ranks second in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Los Angeles is now up to sixth in the NBA in that category. 

The three referees in this game are favorable to the under. 

This is both teams last game before the NBA All Star Break. That's important because in the past ten years, the under is hitting at slightly better than 57% in teams last games before the break. 

The under is 7-0 in the Clippers last 7 road games. The under is 6-0 in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home win percentage of 60% or higher. An 18-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star NBA Total PERFECTION* The Miami Heat play at the 29th ranked pace out of 30 teams in the NBA. The Spurs play at the 23rd ranked tempo. This game should be played at a very slow pace. 

The Spurs offense has been clicking of late, but Miami is a good defensive team. Miami is sixth in the league in defensive efficiency. The Spurs are first in the league in defensive efficiency, and they are first by a wide margin. 

The Spurs have been scoring a lot of points lately, which has pushed this total up quite a bit, and that creates value in what I think will be a defensive game.

The under is 4-0 in Miami's last 4 home games. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a winning percentage of 60% or higher. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 following a loss. The under is 7-0 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road win percentage of 60% or better. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 between these two. A 24-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The St. John's Red Storm have been playing extremely fast of late. St. John's has played each of their last 5 games at a tempo of at least 77 possessions. That would rank them among the top ten fastest paced team in the country. Georgetown has been playing to the pace of their opponent. The last meeting between these two teams was 93-73. The risk here is St. John's shooting a horrible percentage from the floor and costing us, but Georgetown probably puts up a huge number. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Furman Paladins have played 13 of their last 16 games under this posted total. Furman is the better team here and I'm counting on them to grab a lead and let their league leading defense do the job. UNC Greensboro has been up and down this year in offensive efficiency. The first game went to 133, and that's what I have this game at. Take the under here. 

*3 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The St. Louis Billikens have decided to push the pace in the past few weeks. That's a big change from how they started the season. St. Bonaventure has been the most efficient offense in the A 10 this year by a wide margin. The Bonnies have scored 88, 79, 76, 84, and 83 points in their last 5 games. They should put up another big number here. St. Louis doesn't shoot it very well, but they have shown they are able to push the pace and score a lot once behind. Take the over. 

*4 Star NBA Sunday Best Bet* The Orlando Magic have been good defensively on their home floor this year. Atlanta is surprisingly the fifth best defense in the NBA in terms of efficiency this year. Atlanta's offense is down several marks from last year, but their defense is better than it was last season. Neither of these teams are blazing fast in terms of tempo and this is a very early Sunday afternoon game where I typically like to look for unders. This is also on Super Bowl Sunday, and you know everyone (players included) want to go home and get ready for that game.

The under is 36-15 in the last 51 meetings between these teams. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Early Bird Special* The UConn Huskies defense has been better than any other defense in the country in the past month. East Carolina's offense has struggled on the road, and I don't see them playing well here. UConn has been good about getting a big lead and then slowing the tempo down. That is exactly what they have done in recent big wins over Tulane and UCF. I think they do the same thing here. I had this one at 131.

The under is 7-0 in UConn's last 7. The under is 4-0 in Uconn's last 4 following an ATS cover. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Wichita State Shockers have played quicker of late. Wichita State has been fouling like crazy and their offense is amazingly efficient of late. Illinois State is one of the few teams in the Missouri Valley Conference that likes to run. Last year the scores of the meetings between these two were all close to this total, and this year's rules are much more conducive to higher scoring. I had 135. Take the over here. 

*3 Star Play Over* Southern Utah gets their top two players back this game after they served a suspension last game. Eastern Washington put up 106 points last time they played against Southern Utah. These are two of the worst defenses in the nation. This one should be full of open looks for the shooters. I had this one at 160. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* Murray State's offense has gotten far better since they have been in conference play. Murray State should score at will against a terrible Austin Peay defense. Austin Peay pushes the pace and they should score inside with Chris Horton getting in the paint with ease. Take the over here. 

*4 Star Play Over* Rice has been consistently far above this number. They will push the tempo relentlessly in this one. The Owls foul a bunch as does Southern Miss. Both teams should make a living at the line and this total is several points too low. I had this at 144 points. Take the over in this contest. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Rhode Island Rams are expected to be without star Kuran Iverson (related to Allen Iverson). Jarvis Garrett is questionable. They are two of their three best players. LaSalle is stalling like crazy and their star player is playing through a finger injury. This should be an ugly game all the way. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Little Rock is a clear favorite here and South Bama is coming off an overtime game where they expended a lot of energy. Little Rock's defense should shut them down very well here. South Alabama is a team that plays to the pace of their opponent. I had this number at 128. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Long Beach State 49ers and the Cal State Northridge Matadors are shooting it quicker than anyone else in the Big West. When these two teams got together the first time they had a high scoring game that finished at 173 points. Long Beach State has been shooting lights out, and Northridge's defense is terrible. Both teams will get a lot of transition opportunities here. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* This is a very high total, but it is very high for a reason. The first meeting went to 183 between these two teams. Youngstown State's defense is horrible, and Detroit's isn't much better. Both of these teams rank in the top 25 in the country in pace. There will be a ton of possessions here. Look for a game that gets to 180. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* Yale has been lighting it up on offense in Ivy League play. That makes sense because Yale played a difficult non-conference schedule and now they are playing some very bad defenses. Cornell plays the fastest pace of any team in the Ivy League. Cornell should get beaten badly here, but the pace should be enough. I had this one at 148. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Arizona State Sun Devils and the Washington State Cougars have picked up the pace in a big way in Pac 12 play. Arizona State is the worst defense in the Pac 12 and Washington State is the second worst. It's hard to imagine this one not going over the total with the tempo that should be here. The only thing that could stop it is ugly shooting numbers. While both teams do shoot for a poor percentage at times, they are playing a bad defense here and I don't expect that to be an issue. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* I know this is a very high total, but it's very high for good reason. Belmont is one of the most efficient offenses in the country, and they are playing a team that plays virtually no defense. Eastern Kentucky and Belmont both push the tempo in a big way. I think Belmont could put up close to 100 here. Eastern Kentucky is great on the offensive end too, and I had this number at 178 points. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* Jacksonville State is without their best player today. Malcolm Drumwright has a shoulder injury and is expected to miss significant time. Jacksonville State is a bad offense to start with, and Drumwright is the guy that the offense runs through. Tennessee Tech has been around the average pace in the conference and the Golden Eagles should win easily and coast late in the game. I don't see Jacksonville State scoring enough to push this one over the total. I had 143. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* These two played a game that finished at 125 earlier this year. This number is a few points too high. Both of these teams prefer a very deliberate pace and I see the tempo of this one likely coming in even slower than the first game did (67 tempo in that one). These are the two best defenses in the SoCon. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The first meeting between these two featured some tremendous shooting and a total of 169 points. UNC Greensboro and E Tennessee State have both decided to pick up the tempo a bit lately. These are two offenses who are scoring 1.11 points per possession, which is great efficiency. I expect we'll see some good shooting numbers again here. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* I've found out the hard way that The Citadel likes to foul constantly when they are losing in the second half. It doesn't seem to matter what the margin is. They fouled the entire second half on every possession when losing by Chattanooga by 40 points recently. Mercer should easily win this game, and Mercer should make a living at the line in the second half. The first game went to 171. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Washington Huskies are a really quick team, but they also aren't very efficient on offense. Sean Miller has been getting after his team to play better on defense, and last game they were much better defensively. Arizona isn't going to want to play as quick as Washington, and Arizona is the better overall team. This is an extremely high number for two pretty good defenses. I had this number at 160. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The College of Charleston has been great for unders lately. They are without star player and leading scorer Canyon Berry for the rest of the year. Since losing him, the team has decided to stall even more than they previously had. They have had some really low scoring games. The first game between these teams was 115 points and I made this total 116. A very slow tempo. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Nevada Wolf Pack like to push the tempo whenever they can. Colorado State plays to the pace of their opponent. Colorado State's defense is terrible, but their offense is efficient and can pile up the points in a hurry. Nevada is aggressive and gets to the line a lot as does Colorado State. I see this one reaching at least the 160 point mark. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* Cal and Stanford have both been picking up the tempo of late and I see their meeting earlier this year at 77-71 as indicative of what this game should be like. This should get into the mid 140's. Too much value on the over to pass it up. Take the over. 

*4 Star Big East Total* Providence and Villanova are both very good on the defensive end of the floor. Providence ranks 20th in the nation in defensive efficiency. Villanova is 5th in the country. The first meeting was 132 at the end of regulation, and I made this number 134 points. I think both defenses have the upper hand throughout in this one. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA TGIF Total DOMINATION* The New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies met in mid-January and the posted total was 187.5. Tonight we get a total of 197. This number is higher because Memphis is 9-1 to the over in the last 10 games, and I understand it being higher, but this much higher is too much in my opinion.

Both of these teams play at a very slow pace. In fact, both rank in the five slowest in terms of tempo in the NBA. Memphis' defense was really bad earlier this year, but they have been much better of late. Memphis has played a lot of high flying teams lately, and the Knicks are not that. 

The over is getting hit by the public, and yet the number stays steady. I'm taking the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the worst team in the Big Ten this year. Minnesota isn't good at all on offense, and defensively they aren't forcing turnovers like they have in the past. The Golden Gophers were beaten by 25 points at home against Northwestern earlier this year. Northwestern has always been a slow paced team, and they are moving even slower lately. Northwestern should grab a lead and keep the pace slow here. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Oregon Ducks and Colorado Buffaloes strike me as two teams who sometimes play to the pace of their opponent, but they prefer to run if they get the chances. They ran like crazy in the first meeting between the two of them, and I don't see any reason that changes this time around. Oregon's offense ranks eighth in the nation in efficiency. Both teams should get plenty of chances at the line. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have been much better in the last few weeks. Southern Miss' offense is far more efficient than they were early in the season. North Texas is an awful defense, and I see Southern Miss shooting better than their average percentage here. Both teams foul a lot and both teams are great at getting to the line. North Texas pushes the tempo. This total is too low for all the circumstances around this one. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are playing at the fastest pace of anyone in the conference. They have been far more efficient on offense on their home floor. Idaho State has found a star in Ethan Telfair, and the Bengals are playing much faster lately as well. Both teams will be glad to get out in transition here. 

The first meeting finished 84-76. I had this number at 151. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Cincinnati Bearcats play some tremendous defense and South Florida has one of the better defenses in the league as well. Cincinnati usually slows the game down once they have the lead, and they should have the lead throughout here. The first game between these two was 54-51. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* UTSA has a terrible team, but they continue to push the tempo and jack up shots as quick as possible. It's not what I would consider a good coaching move, but it continues to happen. UTSA fouls a bunch and Western Kentucky should get a lot of points at the line. Western Kentucky's offense has been much improved lately, and the Hilltoppers offense should look great here. This has the potential to a real foul fest late, which would be a big boost. Take the over. 

*5 Star NCAA BB TOP Play 100% Angle CRUSHER* The North Dakota State Bison are tremendous at slowing down the tempo of the game. This team is the best defensive team in the conference by a wide margin. The first game against Oral Roberts was 63-62. Oral Roberts prefers to run, but consistently in the last few years North Dakota State has shown they can slow them down.

North Dakota State is a clear favorite here, and that is important. The Bison are excellent at grabbing the lead and taking the air out of the ball, which is great for an under. I was prepared to take the under at a lower number. I had this one lined at 140.

The under is a perfect 11-0 in North Dakota State's last 11 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Take the under big. TOP RATED Play. 

*4 Star Play Over* The first time these two met the score finished 100-98. It might not get that high again, but I see a real chance this gets to 180 or higher. Youngstown State and Oakland can both really shoot it from long range, and Oakland is great at the free throw line. Oakland will be hungry for revenge after losing that first matchup at home as a big favorite. Neither defense is good. Look for a shootout. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The first meeting between these two teams was 40-37. Yes, you read that correctly. I don't know if there has been a lower scoring game in the country this year, but if there has, I haven't seen it. College of Charleston is without four key players including leading scorer Canyan Berry and they are stalling and struggling in a big way on offense. Both teams are solid on the defensive end. I think this one stays below 120. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Ohio State Buckeyes have been inefficient on offense all year. The Buckeyes typically play to the pace of their opponent. Their opponent in this one is Wisconsin, and there is no doubt that Wisconsin is all about stalling. The Badgers play the slowest pace in the Big Ten by a wide margin. The Badgers aren't very good on offense this year. They rely heavily on getting to the line, and Ohio State usually doesn't foul very much. I had this one at 124. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* Wisconsin Green Bay is shooting the ball quicker than any other team in the country right now. Green Bay is using up only 13 seconds of the shot clock on average. Northern Kentucky doesn't have a particularly strong defense, and Green Bay should put up a lot of points here. Northern Kentucky's offense has been good of late, especially when it comes to shooting from long range. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Temple Owls and Tulsa Golden Hurricane are similar teams. Both of these teams are much better on defense than they are on offense. Temple slows the tempo down and with them being the home team, I believe the pace will be relatively slow here. The good thing is that in this series lately even when the tempo is quicker, because of the poor shooting numbers, the games have been very low scoring. I had this at 131. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night BAILOUT* The UC Irvine Anteaters have the best defense in the Big West, and it isn't even close. UC Irvine was stunned on their home floor this past weekend against UCSB. UC Irvine looks to bounce back here against a Cal Poly team that is a bit short handed right now. 

Cal Poly had been a stall ball team for many years before pushing the tempo earlier this year. It should be noted though that gradually as the season has gone along, their tempo has been slowing down once again. 

UC Irvine's zone defense is so good that it forces the opposition to use a bunch of the shot clock on a regular basis. I projected this one at 132. 

The under is 33-13-1 in UC Irvine's last 47 Big West games. Take the under. 

*3 Star NCAA BB Totals TKO* The San Jose State Spartans have slowed down their pace of late. Fresno State has slowed down drastically in the past couple weeks. The first game between these two went over because of a massive fouling fest in the last few minutes of the game. If we can avoid that silliness (Fresno State shot 46 free throws in that game), then I like the chances for the under in this one. Both teams are better on defense than offense. I had this one at 139. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The loss on Wichita State/Evansville under 140 this past Sunday is what I consider my worst loss of the season so far. In a blowout in the second half we saw constant whistles. The teams shot 65 free throws and made 53 of them. There were 67 points scored in the final 12 minutes of a game that wasn't close. 

If the officials are calling the game anything like they did that one, this game will go over. Obviously since the refs aren't announced yet I don't know if we'll see any of the same guys, but I do know that both of these teams are among the leaders in the country in fouls committed. Both teams are also great at getting to the line. There should be a lot of trips to the stripe here. Wichita State is blasting opponents right now, and I expect a big number from them. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Loyola Chicago Ramblers are notorious for wanting to slow down the tempo. Loyola is much worse offensively this year than they have been in the past also. Loyola settles for a lot of jump shots and very rarely gets to the free throw line. Illinois State is their opponent and the Redbirds are a very good defensive team. Illinois State struggles with efficiency on the offensive end. The first game between these two went way under, and while this should be higher than that 54-52 game, I think there is value. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The George Washington Colonials play at a very slow tempo. Davidson certainly likes to run, but the Wildcats have been slowed down on a few occasions this year. Last year, these two met at George Washington and the score was 65-63. 

George Washington is using up 19 seconds of the shot clock on average, and I don't expect them to change their strategy here. To get a game to go over a posted total this high when one team is stalling, you have to get some very high shooting numbers. 

The under is 5-0 in GW's last 5 Wednesday games. The under is 7-1 in Davidson's last 8 road games vs. a team with a win percentage of 60% or higher. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Rutgers Scarlet Knights defense is atrocious. While Illinois has struggled to shoot a decent percentage against most teams this year, they should be ok against Rutgers. Rutgers is playing at the fastest overall tempo in the Big Ten. Illinois is using the least amount of clock before putting up a shot in league play. The tempo here should be quick. With pace not a problem and two bad defenses, I'll take the over. 

The over is 5-0 in Rutgers' last 5 following a loss by 20 points or more. The over is 5-0 in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a 40% or worse road record. The over is 5-0 in their last 5 home games. The over is 5-0 in their last 5 following an ATS loss. A 20-0 angle. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Bradley Braves shot a better percentage last game, but that was against a Drake defense that has been miserable of late. Bradley's offense still ranks dead last in the nation in offensive efficiency. I don't see any reason to think they'll shoot it well in this game. The first game against Missouri State was a 61-42 Missouri State win at Bradley. With the total being bet up to 125 points, I had to grab the under in this one. Take the under. 

*5 Star TOP Play Over* The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are pushing the tempo much more now with Coach Simon at the helm. They were slowed down by San Diego State a bit, but UNLV isn't going to be slowed down by New Mexico. In fact, New Mexico is playing at the single fastest pace of any team in the Mountain West Conference. 

The first meeting between these two finished at 86-74 despite the shooting numbers being relatively average. I see this as a game that should get into the mid 150's. I'm playing this one early because I expect this number to rise.

The over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between these two teams. Take the over big. TOP RATED Play. 

*4 Star Play Over* Toledo is one of the most efficient offenses in the MAC and Western Michigan is one of the worst defenses. Both of these teams make a living at the line, and both teams foul quite a bit. We should see good shooting percentages and a lot of trips to the charity stripe in this game. I made this game 157 points with my numbers. Take the over. 

*3 Star NCAA BB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Butler Bulldogs have significantly slowed down their pace of play in Big East action. Butler has also become far less efficient on the offensive end. The Bulldogs have played a lot of low scoring games in the past few weeks. Georgetown and Butler have a long history of low scoring games against each other. In their six meetings since 2009, not one of those games has gone past 137 points.

The under is 7-0 in Butler's last 7 games. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 following an ATS loss. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 Tuesday games. A 16-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Indiana State Sycamores play at the single fastest tempo of any team in the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake was stalling early in the season, but they have sped up of late. The Bulldogs also have the single worst defense in the MVC. Everyone is putting up nice shooting numbers against them.

Indiana State will have the tempo, but usually the question is whether they will shoot the ball well enough. Drake's recent history shows everyone shooting it well against them. The first meeting between these two hit 148 points. Take the over. 

*3 Star NBA Total DOMINATION* The Oklahoma City Thunder are without Andre Roberson right now, and he is one of their best defenders. To put it bluntly, Oklahoma City hasn't been guarding anyone of late. Oklahoma City has allowed 116, 122, 123, and 108 points in their last four games. 

As bad as the Oklahoma City defense has been of late, Washington's has been even worse. Washington has allowed 116 points or more in 4 of their last 7 games. 

Both of these teams are pushing the tempo as much as possible, and the pace here should be extremely fast. Look for Oklahoma City to put up a huge number and Washington to do enough.

The over is 10-2 in Washington's last 12 road games. The over is 5-0 in OKC's last 5. The over is 4-0 in their last 4 after an ATS loss. The over is 5-0 in their last 5 after scoring 100 points or more last game. A 23-2 angle. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Hidden GEM Total* The Citadel plays at the fastest tempo in the country. Why would I want to play an under with them? Well, the single biggest reason is this total is extremely high. A lot of things have to go perfect for the score to get past this number. The Citadel is actually playing just a bit slower in their last few games, and here they face an opponent who slows the tempo down a lot.

The first meeting between these two went under at only 162 points scored. Chattanooga has the second best defense in the Southern Conference, and the Mocs should win this game. I look for them to get a lead and then work to slow the game down in the second half. It won't be low scoring, but I think it stays under this high total. Take the under. 

*5 Star TOP Play Total CRUSHER* The Iona Gaels and St. Peter's Peacocks have a long history of games that stay under the posted total. The under is 17-4 in the last 21 games between these two teams. 

What has made their matchups so good for the under in the past? St. Peter's has a good coaching staff who understands that they simply cannot compete with Iona if they are running and gunning. They work very hard to stall the game out. It has made them very competitive recently against Iona. 

Iona has generally been a team that doesn't play any defense, but this year they are much better defensively. Iona is first in the conference in two point field goal defense. The Gaels also are pushing the tempo a little less this year because they aren't very deep. St. Peter's is a bad offensive team and a strong defense. 

The first meeting between these two was 64-58. I made this line 137 points. I really like this one. Take the under big. TOP RATED Play

*4 Star Play MVC Total* The Evansville Purple Aces prefer to play at a quick tempo, but they have been having a hard time forcing teams in the MVC to play quickly of late. The first meeting between these two teams was played to a slow tempo of 62 possessions and it was 67-64. Wichita State's defense is easily the best in the MVC, and Evansville's defense is second best in the league. In a game where I don't expect a fast tempo, it would take good shooting numbers to get past this total. I'm taking the under here. 

*4 Star NCAA BB National TV Total* The UCF Knights are much better on defense this year than they have been in the past. They have all sorts of length both in the frontcourt and in the backcourt. UConn has been a great under team inside the AAC for the past few years, and they are doing the same again this year. The under is 31-12 in their last 43 AAC games. UConn controls the tempo and slows the game down. UConn also has the best defense in the conference. The Huskies are playing very well of late. I see their defense coming up big here. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* Temple may be without Jaylen Bond in this one, and he is one of their best offensive players. Temple's defense is good, but their offense is inconsistent at best. South Florida isn't a good team, primarily because their offense is very weak. South Florida is actually much better this year on defense than they were a year ago. The final totals in last year's meetings between these two were 121 and 109 points. I had this one at 124.

The under is 4-0 in Temple's last 4 road games. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a win percentage of 40% or lower. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. A 16-1 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The consistency of low scores from North Dakota State is what I like about this under. North Dakota State and IUPUI have the first and third ranked defenses in the league. North Dakota State is great at dictating the pace of the game. The two games between these two last year finished well below this posted total. North Dakota State has played 5 of their last 7 games to a final total of 131 or less. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Idaho Vandals are without their two leading scorers for this game. Without those guys, their offense has been a mess the last few games. Portland State's offense isn't good either, and Idaho is one of the better defensive teams in the Big Sky Conference. This looks like a sloppy game where neither offense converts at a high rate. I had this one at 135 points. Take the under here. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night Totals CASH* These are two bitter rivals, and they have a long history of playing low scoring games against each other. Typically, rivalry games bring out the best in the defenses, and the tempo slows down a bit as well. Both of these teams have been playing at a slower tempo lately anyways, and I see this being a spot where the defenses have the edge over the offenses in a tight game. I had this one at 136 points. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are doing a lot more running under their new coach. With Dave Rice gone, the UNLV offense has been far quicker as well as more efficient. They are getting more movement in the halfcourt, which was lacking severely in the past. San Diego State plays great defense, but they don't handle the ball very well, and the Aztecs aren't likely to be able to keep this as a halfcourt game the whole way. 

This number is just too low for me to pass up the over. I had this one at 131. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The St. Peter's Peacocks are going to stall here and try to keep this one close with their defense. Monmouth loves to play fast, but Monmouth is also a very good defensive team. I look to see Monmouth grab the lead here and then slow the game down when they have the game under control. I had this one at 138. Take the under. 

*5 Star TOP Play Totals CRUSHER* The College of Charleston Cougars have decided to stall in a major way since their leading scorer (Barry) went down for the season with an injury. They have had some extremely low scoring games of late, and this number is posted several points too high.

Though UNC Wilmington certainly plays fast, the Seahawks have been slowed down by a few teams in the CAA, and Charleston should be able to slow this one down. Charleston's defense is one of the best in the CAA. UNC Wilmington plays quickly, but their offense isn't very efficient.

Charleston likely doesn't have enough weapons to win this game with their leading scorer out, but they should stall enough to keep it under this inflated total. I had this one at 132 points. Take the under big. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Furman Paladins have consistently played games that finished far below this posted total. East Tennessee State plays a quicker tempo, but several teams have been able to slow them down. On their home floor, Furman should be the team that controls the tempo in this one. I had this one projected at 136 points. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Drake Bulldogs and the Bradley Braves both play extremely slowly. These two teams are averaging using 20 seconds of the shot clock, which means the possession count here will be very low. Bradley has the single worst offense in the nation. Bradley is scoring a ridiculously low 0.75 points per possession. Drake should get their first win here and I expect them to take the air out of the ball once they get the lead. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Early Bird Special* The Florida Gators and West Virginia Mountaineers are interesting teams because they both prefer to play fast, but they also both are very poor on offense. These two teams both struggle badly to score in the halfcourt. Florida has good guards that should do a decent job against the press here.

West Virginia and Florida have both had some very low scoring games for the pace they play. I expect a highly competitive game here. I had this one at 136 points. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA TGIF Play of Day* The Utah Jazz have both Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors in the lineup again now, and that makes them a totally different team. They excel on the defensive end when they have those shot blockers on the inside. Utah plays an even slower pace with those guys healthy also, since they look to pound it inside instead of using perimeter shooting.

Minnesota now ranks 19th out of 30 teams in the NBA in terms of pace. The Timberwolves have been slowing things down gradually as the season has moved along. 

The under is 10-5-1 in Utah's 16 games as a home favorite. The under is 16-7-1 in Utah's last 24 when playing on one day of rest. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Washington State Cougars have the worst defense in the Pac 12 by a large margin. USC plays at the fastest pace of any team in the league. We have a good setup here with USC coming off two straight losses for the first time this year. USC should be anxious to put up a big number and take out their frustration. The Trojans put up 90 points at Washington State, and it won't surprise me if they score more than that in this game. I had this one at 164. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night Totals CASH* The Portland Pilots and San Francisco Dons played a crazy 107-95 game in their first meeting this year. Portland had a 15 point lead in the second half at San Francisco before losing by 12. 

The two put up an NBA type total in that one as both shot lights out, but the tempo was also played at 78 possessions, which is extremely fast. Portland has played fast all year. San Francisco started slowly, but they have been running in a big way of late. The Dons should be happy to run the floor and play a high scoring game again here.

Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Southern Utah Thunderbirds have a horrific defense. Idaho State's defense is really bad as well. The thing I like most about this game is that both teams have been speeding up their pace of play lately. I think when they meet tonight we'll get a game played at a very quick tempo. Both teams foul a lot and a lot of free points at the charity stripe should help push this one over. I had 158 here. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Arkansas Little Rock Trojans are a great defensive team this year. They have a new coach who has instilled a new defensive-minded scheme and it has worked brilliantly. Georgia Southern isn't a good team, and they have been slowed down by the better defenses they have played. This is the best defense in the Sun Belt. Look for Little Rock to get the lead and then take the air out of the ball. I had this one at 132. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Southern Miss has the worst offense in the conference, and UTEP has the best defense in the conference. Southern Miss plays at an extremely slow pace. UTEP generally pushes it, but they also shoot the ball poorly and are great on defense. This looks like a sloppy close game to me where the winner is around 65 points. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Syracuse Orange defense forces the opposition to slow it down more than any other defense in the country. Syracuse is excellent on the defensive end, and that matchup zone can be very difficult to navigate.

While Notre Dame has a very good offense, they have struggled to get it going against Syracuse in their last couple years. Notre Dame is expected to be without their leading scorer, Jackson, in this one as well. 

Syracuse's offense has been inconsistent this year, and the Orange are playing much slower this year than they did last season.

The under is 6-0 in Notre Dame's last 6 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 6-0 in Syracuse's last 6 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings. An 18-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Furman is the better team here and they should be able to dictate tempo in this game. Western Carolina has played relatively fast throughout the year, but they have also played some very slow low scoring games against teams that stall this year. W. Carolina seems to me to be a team that plays to the pace of their opponent, which would help this selection. I had this number at 133. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Mercer is the slowest paced team in the conference. VMI has been playing slower of late. VMI's offense is the worst in the conference by a huge margin. The Keydets should get drilled in this game, and I see Mercer slowing the game down and winning with a strong defensive effort here. I had this one at 128 points. Take the under. 

*5 Star NCAA BB Late Night TOP Play BAILOUT* The Utah Utes tried to push the tempo early in the season. The coaching staff decided after a while they weren't too happy with the results of the faster paced games from Utah, and now Utah has gone back to stalling. 

Here are some numbers to point out the massive difference in Utah's tempo of late. In the non-conference slate, Utah was taking about 17.6 seconds to take a shot on average. In conference play, they are taking 20 seconds on average to put up a shot. That's a very big difference when you consider the amount of possessions that reduces for the game as a whole. 

Cal is without star guard Tyrone Wallace right now, and the Golden Bears have played much slower without him in the lineup as well. The Golden Bears are number one in the nation in two point defensive field goal percentage. Utah is the number one ranked team in terms of defensive efficiency in Pac 12 play.

The first meeting between these two finished at 129 points. I think this one goes similarly. Take the under. TOP RATED selection. 

*3 Star NBA Total DOMINATION* The Cleveland Cavs really want to push the tempo more under new Coach Ty Lue. This is a great opportunity to do it against a Phoenix Suns team that loves to run, and can't play any defense.

Phoenix ranks 28th out of 30 NBA teams in defensive efficiency. I suspect the Cavs defensive efficiency will drop in the coming weeks while they work on this new style of play. Cleveland had a very high scoring game against Minnesota last time out, and Minnesota doesn't play nearly as fast as Phoenix. 

The total is pretty high here, but it is high for a reason. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total Value* The St. John's Red Storm are playing at the single fastest tempo of anyone in the Big East. Seton Hall is playing at the third fastest tempo. Seton Hall has recently shown they want to run with anyone who will run with them, and St. John's is going to run here.

St. John's has picked up their pace a lot since center and defensive star Yankuba Sima went down with an injury. Their games have been playing at a pace of 75 possessions lately. If we see that many possessions here, and I think we will, it will take some very bad shooting numbers to keep this one under the total.

The over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these two. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The Bowling Green Falcons offense has improved drastically in recent weeks. They have started shooting the ball much better from three-point range, and they are also getting a lot of trips to the free throw line.

Western Michigan is working to push the tempo more this season. Coach Hawkins has Thomas Wilder in the lineup as often as possible in effort to get the Broncos to get up and down the court and score in transition more often. Bowling Green has typically been allowing their opponent to dictate the tempo this year.

Both of these teams get to the line a lot and both do foul more than the average team in the MAC. In a game that should be close, free throws should be a key to leading to this one going over the posted total. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Indiana State Sycamores and the Evansville Purple Aces don't get many chances to play at the tempo they want to in the Missouri Valley Conference. These are the two fastest paced teams in the league, but most teams look to slow the game down in this league. When they meet, they get the chance to play in transition. The first meeting this year finished under the total because of some ridiculously bad shooting numbers. The pace there was very quick. With normalized shooting numbers, this one would be much higher. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The St. John's Red Storm have picked up the pace in a big way of late. Also, their best defensive player, center Yankuba Sima, is out with an injury. Marquette likes to play at a quick tempo. The first game between these two this year was at a pace of 78 possessions, which is extremely quick. The final there was 81-75. I see some value on the over here with two teams who are pushing the issue consistently. Take the over. 

*5 Star TOP Play Totals CRUSHER* The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Purdue Boilermakers are two excellent teams this year. Iowa went to West Lafayette and had a big come from behind victory earlier this year. Purdue will want to get revenge here. Purdue is raked 5th in the nation in defensive efficiency. Iowa is ranked 15th in the nation in defensive efficiency. 

This game means a lot to both teams and I think we'll see an average or slightly slower than average tempo. Purdue has drastically slowed their pace in their last few games, and the first meeting between these two played to just 66 possessions. With average shooting numbers and a similar tempo, that projects the score to about 137 or 138 points. 

The under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. Take the under. TOP RATED Selection.

*4 Star NCAA BB Early Bird Special* The Mercer Bulldogs are tremendous at controlling the pace of the game. Mercer is playing at the sixth slowest pace in the country. Western Carolina has been a team that has played to the tempo of their opponent for the last few years. Last year, when these two teams got together, both games finished with a total of 112 points. With the new rules in place, this one should be a bit higher, but I see it staying in the 120's. A close game here with the pace keeping this low scoring. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The UTEP Miners do play fast, but they aren't good on offense and they have the best defense in the conference. FIU is looking to slow the pace down a lot. FIU struggles on offense on the road. UTEP should get the win here, and I think their defense will slow down FIU enough for this to stay under the posted total. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Montana is a really unique team in the Big Sky because they actually play some very good defense. The rest of the conference just runs and guns (outside of Weber State who is also good defensively). The Grizzlies do a great job making the opposition play their style of basketball. Eastern Washington plays much slower than they did a year ago. This total is four points higher than I projected it. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The Washington State Cougars have been pushing the tempo a bunch more in their recent games. Washington State is awful on defense. They are dead last in the Pac 12 in defensive efficiency by a wide margin. Colorado has shown in recent games that they are glad to run and gun when given the opportunity. Colorado should put up a lot of points here, and Washington State scores a lot at home. Based on the recent tempo increases from these two teams, I made this total 156. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* 

*3 Star Play Over* The Elon Phoenix do a great job dictating the tempo of the game. Elon is at home here and I think we'll see a fast paced game. The first meeting between these two finished at 152 at James Madison. The shooting numbers from 3 were ugly there. I think this one gets into the mig 150's. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Southern Utah Thunderbirds have an atrocious defense. In a Big Sky Conference where defense is terrible across the board, their defense is the second worst in the conference. North Dakota found their shooting stroke last game, and they should shoot it well here too. North Dakota plays very quickly and the tempo should be very fast throughout this game. I think this line is at least 4 points too low. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Louisiana Monroe Warhawks have been a very good under team in the past few years. Their offense isn't very good, and their defense is great. They slow the game down and make their opponent play at a pace they aren't comfortable. South Alabama's offense is really inefficient, and I see the Warhawks getting ahead and then using up the clock in the second half. I had this one at 128. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The College of Charleston has had to change their gameplan now that Canyon Berry their leading scorer is out for the rest of the year. They have decided to stall in a big way and try to win low scoring games. Last game against Towson the final score was 40-37. Yes, you read that correctly.

Delaware has been playing to the pace of their opponents of late, and that should mean C of C will dictate a very slow pace here. None of C of C's recent games have gotten close to this total. Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Citadel plays faster than any other team in the country. They have had a bunch of games higher than this total. East Tennessee State has shown they will play quick with very fast paced teams (103-90 against Green Bay earlier in the year). East Tennessee State shoots it very well, and the Citadel's defense is awful. I've never played this high of an over in college basketball, but this number is extremely high for a reason. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Florida State Seminoles are really pushing the tempo this year. Florida State has a great guard in Rathan-Mayes. Pittsburgh's defense is struggling badly in the conference, but the Panthers shoot the ball very well. Look for the shooting percentages here to be high enough to get this one past this posted total. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* These are two of the very worst defenses in the country. In fact, Northern Colorado rates 351st out of 351 teams in defensive efficiency. Just awful. Northern Arizona is 307th. The tempo should be quick with Northern Arizona pushing the issue. Northern Colorado shoots it well and that should keep them in the game. I had this one at 161. Take the over here. 

*3 Star NCAA BB Small School PROFITS* The Stony Brook Seawolves lost by a single point to Albany in the American East title game last year. Albany stormed back to win that game, and Stony Brook has to be anxious to get that taste of their mouth. Stony Brook is dominating with their great defense this year. The Seawolves are allowing opponents to score only 0.84 points per possession inside the conference, which is an amazing feat. 

Albany likes to stall as much as possible, and they know their best chance to win this game is to reduce the amount of possessions. These teams played three games last year. The final totals in those games were 111, 115, and 101 points. Take the under here. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The George Washington Colonials and Rhode Island Rams both prefer a slow tempo. George Washington ranks 307th out of 351 teams in the country in length of time taken before attempting a shot. Rhode Island ranks 346th out of 351 teams in that same statistic. There will need to be some high shooting percentages for this one to go over the total.

Rhode Island has slowed down their tempo by 3 possessions per game in conference play. This game is likely to be played at a 62 or 63 possessions pace, which makes this total a few points too high. 

This game is being played earlier than normal because of the impending snowstorm. In the long run, this kind of change generally helps the under.

The under is 5-2 in the last 7 games between these teams. Take the under. 

*5 Star NCAA BB TOP Play Totals CRUSHER* The Louisiana Monroe Warhawks are a really good under team. They slow the tempo down. They shoot it poorly on offense. They defend extremely well, and they do so without fouling.

In this one, they'll be playing against a Troy team that has played relatively fast throughout the year, but they have shown signs of being able to be slowed down. Troy played low scoring games against both Arkansas Little Rock (128 points) and Texas State (123 points). 

Last year's two meetings between these teams finished at 117 points and 103 points (in overtime on this one). 

Louisiana Monroe has played five Sun Belt games and none of them have topped 133 points (that game went into overtime). The under is 18-7-1 in LA Monroe's last 26 home games. Take the under. TOP RATED play.