Nick Parsons Premium Picks

This is a TOTAL BK on the UNDER Thunder/Jazz.

The Thunder are 15-1 and a huge road favorite here.

The Jazz have lost five of their last seven and have struggled with consistency on both ends of the floor.

I see OKC resting starters here. The Thunder are off a 113-99 win over Sacramento, and I see the Thunder dominating defensively once again.

This number is high in my opinion, so I'm on the UNDER.

Good luck, NP

This is a NON-CONF GOY on Loyola Chicago.

Northern Illinois is 2-3, including 0-3 on the road, while Loyola Chicago is 1-4 overall, including 1-2 at home.

The Ramblers have faced some decent teams, but are 0-5 against the spread. I think now thought that they're undervalued here facing the Huskies out of the MAC.

With a tough neutral-court game against currently 4-0 Northern Iowa, Loyola Chicago will look to keep the foot on the gas from start to finish tonight.

NIU has struggled with consistecy and is off the 70-57 loss at Northern Iowa, as the Huskies now face another difficult task against the deeper home side.

After a difficult start, LOYOLA CHICAGO has a great matchup here to work out some final "kinks" before getting into the "meat" of their regular-season schedule.

Lay the points with confidence.

Good luck, NP

This is a FREE PLAY on the UNDER Hurricanes/Jets.

Both of these teams have been playing several higher-scoring games of late, but for a few different situational reasons, I love the way this one sets up to be more of a lower-scoring goaltenders' battle, rather than a high-scoring goal-fest.

Winnipeg is 12-7 overall, including 6-3 at home, while Carolina is 13-5-2 overall, including 7-3-1 on the road.

The Jets are 3-1 in their last four after winning two in a row, most recently a 5-2 victory here over Columbus. Winnipeg enters having played to four straight OVERS, but now with the Hurricanes here in town, I'm expecting a  much more tightly checked contest throughout.

Carolina enters playing its most uneven hockey of the season to date, but note that this is the first matchup of the year between these clubs.

The Hurricanes have been trading wins and losses over their last six games, and they're coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at Minnesota.

Carolina comes in near the top of the league on both sides of the puck, averaging 3.6 goals per game, which is third, and conceding 2.9, which is 12th.

Winnipeg is averaging 3.2 goals per game, ranked 11th, and allowing only 2.8, which is eighth.

Pyotr Kochetkov is 4-0 with a tiny 1.69 goals against for the Hurricanes this year. But whoever gets the start in net for Carolina, I'm expecting a strong start.

And that's because they'll have to be, because Connor Hellebuyck has been great for the Jets once again early on as well between the pipes, and even better at home, going 8-6 with a 2.51 goals against overall.

I'm expecting a competitive battle between these conference heavyweights to be a lower-scoring defensive one.

I like the UNDER in this one.

Good luck, NP

This is an ACC GOM on NC State.

It doesn't get more dramatic that this contest here on Friday night. Neither of these ACC teams has lived up to expectations this season, but the victor will punch its ticket to a bowl, while the loser will still have one more chance to accomplish that.

So which team comes in more motivated? Which sides enjoys more significant situational advantages?

When taking into account several different criteria, I actually believe that NC State has a very legitimate shot at just winning this game outright.

But getting points here at home feels like a gift. The Wolfpack are 5-5 and the Seminoles are 5-5.

Florida State though is 0-3 straight up and against the spread on the road this season, while NC State is 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread at home this year.

In a situation like this, "home field advantage" really does matter.

The Seminoles will have one last chance after this if they come up short at currently 3-7 Florida, while the Wolfpack faces currently 4-6 North Carolina at home. If NC State comes up short this weekend, and North Carolina gets past Duke this weekend, then the Wolfpack will have a colossal end of season battle on their hands.

Clearly, both teams are equally as "motivated" here, so we can throw that situational factor out the window.

These teams haven't played since 2022, and in that game NC State won 19-17 at home as a 3-point favorite.

NC State's defense has been terrible, but Seminoles' QB Thomas Castellanos has been consistently inconsistent all year, and I don't trust him on the road.

Here's the perfect opportunity for this Wolfpack defense to get back on track.

The Noles have been stout against the pass, but struggled in stopping anyone on the ground.

In a contest that I see being decided by whichever team has its hands on the ball last, I'm grabbing the points.

It's a great situational play on NC STATE.

Good luck, NP