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I'm going to fade Radford. The Highlanders have lost and failed to cover in their last five games. They are averaging just 58.6 points in regulation during their last three games.

High Point averages five more points per game on the season than Radford. The Panthers have won and covered their past three home games. This includes an upset win against Winthrop during their last game.

The spread certainly is low enough to back the better team at home.

Rutgers is very tough at home as evidenced by a 10-1 record. The Scarlet Knights haven't been nearly as good on the road at 1-6. However, that lone victory occurred against Maryland, 70-59, 10 days ago.

Now the Scarlet Knights host Maryland drawing the Terrapins fat and happy after they upset 17th-ranked Illinois four days ago. The Illini, though, were short-handed minus superstar big man Kofi Cockburn.

Maryland is 5-16 ATS the last 21 times following a point spread cover.

Rutgers should be fired up after losing, 68-65, to Minnesota on the road three days ago. The Gophers shot 54.2 percent from the field. Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell ripped his team following that loss as the Gophers were missing three of their top four scorers. So I'm expecting an all-out effort from Rutgers.

Never mind Kansas revenge. The Jayhawks are laying too many points against a tough Texas Tech team after enduring a very hard struggle against in-state rival Kansas State just two days ago.

The Jayhawks came from 17 points down in the second half to nip the Wildcats, 78-75.

Texas Tech is 15-4 and now has a healthy Terrence Shannon, its leading scorer. The Red Raiders are 7-1 ATS versus opponents with a winning record. Kansas has failed to cover four of the last five times it has been favored.

Xavier is playing well. But Marquette is playing great, is home and has revenge. So I'm going to grab the Golden Eagles as a home 'dog.

Marquette has won five in a row - and they haven't come against cupcakes with three of the victories occurring versus ranked opponents. The Golden Eagles are outscoring their foes by an average of 15 points during this span.

The Golden Eagles have revenge for an 80-71 road loss to Xavier last month.

Louisville has been anything but reliable, but I believe the Cardinals win this game. They got on the right path with a 67-54 home win against Boston College this past Wednesday that ended a three-game losing streak.

Notre Dame is playing well going 7-1 in its last eight games, but the Irish have struggled against Louisville. The Cardinals have defeated the Irish six straight times, including 69-57, last February. Notre Dame has lost during its last four visits to Louisville.

Notre Dame is heavily reliant on its long-range shooting. It's going to be tough for the Irish to get hot on the road dealing with the Cardinals' end line-to-end line pressure and tough home crowd. The Cardinals have the depth to fully pressure Notre Dame the entire game and take advantage of the Irish's inside weaknesses.

Texas Tech is in a sandwich spot having just scored an impressive revenge victory against Iowa State this past Tuesday and with a monster road game at Kansas looming on Monday. 

It would be a mistake for the Red Raiders to overlook West Virginia. 

The Mountaineers fell to fifth-ranked Baylor this past Tuesday, 77-68. The Mountaineers had their chances, though, missing multiple layups. Baylor also hit 12 of 27 3-pointers. 

West Virginia forces the 11th-most turnovers in the country. Texas Tech is vulnerable to that. The Mountaineers also are 4-1 in their last five games against Texas Tech, including winning, 82-71, last February in Lubbock. West Virginia accomplished that without Taz Sherman, who was out with a groin injury. Sherman leads the Mountaineers in scoring at 18.8 points, but is just rounding into shape after dealing with a bout of COVID-19. 

These are two of the top 14 teams in the nation, according to the latest The Associated Press rankings. But we're getting a buy-low spot on Michigan State since the Spartans were upset by Northwestern at home in their last game this past Saturday, while the Badgers just defeated Northwestern, 82-76, three days ago.

Michigan State had won nine in a row prior to losing to the Wildcats. Wisconsin is riding a seven-game win streak.

The Badgers are playing extremely well. But the Spartans should never be underestimated. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games against Wisconsin. The Badgers nipped the Spartans, 64-63, at home last season. Michigan State is 7-3-1 ATS versus foes that have a winning percentage above .600.

Both teams give up less than 66 points a game. The Spartans rank 30th in defensive field goal percentage, though, while Wisconsin is 217th.

I see Michigan State winning this game so getting this many points is a nice bonus.

This is a good spot for San Diego to hang close to BYU. The Toreros have won three in a row and are 6-2 in their last eight games. They have hopes to make a run for an NCAA Tournament berth. So they should be giving an all-out effort here.

BYU, on the other hand, is in letdown mode having just faced the three top teams in the West Coast Conference - Gonzaga, St. Mary's and San Francisco.

The Toreros have the necessary 3-point defense to keep BYU from blowing them out. San Diego ranks 21st in 3-point defense.

You can look at this SEC battle two ways:

The first way is that Kentucky is the sixth-highest scoring team in the country after burying Tennessee, 107-79, this past Saturday at home. The Wildcats shot a season-best 67.9 percent from the floor and made 20 of 21 free throws.

Then there's the second way you can approach this game, which is to realize Texas A&M gives up 62.9 points a game, which ranks 40th in the country. Kentucky also ranks in the top 50 in scoring defense and defensive field goal percentage. The Wildcats have held 14 of their last 16 foes to 69 or fewer points.

I'm going with the second way especially with this game at Texas A&M. The Aggies have won eight in a row. They held their last two opponents - Mississippi and Missouri - to a combined average of 57.5 points.

I find this total inflated due to the Wildcats putting up 107 points on the Volunteers.

Can we just say it: Georgia Tech isn't very good this season. The Yellow Jackets have a losing record and are 1-5 in the ACC. They just were blown out by North Carolina on the road this past Saturday. 

Utah State has gone Under in four of its last five games. Now the Aggies take on Fresno State, which gives up the fifth-fewest points in the nation at 56.6. The Bulldogs also rank 39th in defensive field goal percentage. The Aggies remain without Brock Miller, their fourth-leading scorer. 

Fresno State, though, ranks 286th in scoring. Utah State is a strong defensive rebounding team and a top-100 team in defensive efficiency. The tempo should be slow here. The Under has cashed in six of Fresno State's last eight home contests.

The Rebels under first-year head coach Kevin Kruger aren't strong enough to lay this mid-range number on the road against a San Jose State that is better than perceived.

The Spartans are much improved at 7-7 than they were last season when they went 5-16, including 2-12 in the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels are a middle-of-the-road Mountain West Conference team hoping to get an NIT berth. 

San Jose State is 8-5 ATS in its lined games. The Spartans have played their best ball at home going 5-2 ATS. 

The Rebels are an unimpressive 5-10 ATS. They have been inconsistent all season and are 0-2 SU and ATS in their two true road games losing to SMU and San Francisco by an average of 20 points. This is UNLV's first away game since Dec. 4. 

It's a limited Sunday slate of college basketball games. But there is one play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference that merits an investment.

Manhattan is better on both sides of the ball against Canisius. The Golden Griffins could be the worst team in the MAAC. They are 5-10 overall and have lost seven straight road games. The Golden Griffins are 0-7 away from home this season with an average loss of 12.2 points. The closest they've come on the road is seven points. 

The Jaspers are 8-4. They have the better offensive and defensive statistics. I look for them to cover a number that I believe opened too short. 

As the Big Ten season winds into mid-January defenses start getting more intense. Teams make that extra pass. Play slows down. That's the vision I have in this marquee Big Ten battle between 13th-ranked Wisconsin and 16th-ranked Ohio State. I don't see either team reaching 70 points. Therefore I believe this total has been set too high. 

Ohio State beat the Badgers, 73-55, at home on Dec. 11. That game fell six points below the closing total of 134. Since then, Wisconsin has put together its best basketball winning five in a row. 

The Badgers have momentum and revenge. That's a tough combination. Wisconsin won't have a minus 21 rebounding line against the Buckeyes this time around either. Ohio State managed only 51 points against Indiana in its last road game a week ago. 

But Wisconsin's offense can't be trusted. Aside from Johnny Davis, the Badgers don't have many reliable scorers. The Badgers have major offensive inconsistencies. They are at their best scoring inside. Ohio State, though, protects the rim well. The Buckeyes average 5.2 blocks. The Badgers are a terrible 3-point shooting team ranking 322nd making fewer than 30 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. 

Discounting their last game against Northwestern, the Buckeyes have held their last four Big Ten opponents to an average of 64.5 points. 

Georgia Tech is in stop-the-pain mode losers of seven of its last eight games. Scoring has been a problem for the Yellow Jackets, but their defense has been solid. Georgia Tech is giving up an average of 65.5 points in their last six games. No opponent has reached 70 points against the Yellow Jackets during this span. 

Boston College is a slow-paced, defensive-minded team under new coach Earl Grant. The Eagles have to win with defense, too, as they rank 288th in scoring and 267th in field goal shooting. 

I was impressed with Oklahoma State beating then ranked No. 14 Texas, 64-51, against Texas this past Saturday. I don't see a letdown. Instead I'm going to ride the Cowboys, who have momentum and are playing well now.

Oklahoma State is 9-3 ATS the past 12 times it has been a road 'dog.

West Virginia came back from a 40-27 halftime deficit to defeat Kansas State, 71-68, at home this past Saturday failing to cover as 8 1/2-point favorites. The Mountaineers had lost to Texas, 74-59, in their previous game.

Marquette isn't as bad as it looked early in the Big East Conference, but the Golden Eagles aren't as good as their recent performances - blowout victories against Georgetown and Providence - may indicate.

On the flip side, DePaul isn't as bad as its four-game losing streak may appear. The Blue Demons have lost their last two games to Villanova and St. John's. Certainly no shame in that.

Overall, DePaul is 9-5 while Marquette is 10-6.

So there's line value with DePaul. The Blue Demons also match up well to Marquette because of their height and superior rebounding. The Golden Eagles give up a lot of easy inside shots. The Blue Demons are the 17th-best offensive rebounding team in the nation.

The Golden Eagles can't get anything going in transition without controlling the boards.

Marquette hasn't been good as chalk either, failing to cover 13 of the last 18 times when favored.

Northern Iowa has looked good in its last two games, blowout victories against Evansville and Valparaiso.

The Panthers have the outside shooting, especially from 3-point range, to hang tight with high-scoring Missouri State, which has a below average 3-point defense.

Northern Iowa has dominated the series winning eight of the last 10 meetings, including six of the past seven.

The Panthers have the frontcourt size to win the rebounding battle, which would prove pivotal.

Nebraska is far from being a Big Ten power, but the Cornhuskers have been hanging in against elite Big Ten opponents. The Cornhuskers took Ohio State to overtime and they also covered against Michigan State this past Wednesday. 

Now the Cornhuskers drop down in class to face Rutgers - and they catch the Scarlet Knights in a letdown spot. Rutgers is coming off a 75-67 home win against Michigan. It was the first time the Scarlet Knights have defeated the Wolverines. 

Nebraska had no problem with Rutgers last season winning, 72-51. 

Texas is 11-2, but the Longhorns have been fortunate to face Big 12 opponents that have been dealing with COVID-19 problems. 

Oklahoma State is battle tested having just played Kansas and Houston. The Cowboys have the size, right tempo and talent to spring the upset. 

This has been an underdog series lately, too, with the 'dog covering four the last five times. 

Butler is being too undervalued here after looking bad during the second half of its, 71-56, home loss to Seton Hall this past Tuesday.

The 'dog has covered four of the past five times in this series.

Xavier has to deal with a rust factor having not played since Dec. 21. Butler is the 31st-ranked defensive team in the country.

This figures to be a low-possession type game where every point matters. That's evident by the low total. I can't see Xavier producing an ''A'' game, which will be needed to cover this mispriced point spread.

The dynamics are in place for Indiana to beat Ohio State in this marquee Big Ten matchup.

The Hooisers are home following a 61-58 road loss to Penn State this past Sunday. Indiana is 9-0 at Assembly Hall with seven of those victories occurring by double-digits.

Ohio State got past Nebraska, 87-79, in overtime this past Sunday. That was the Buckeyes' first game since Dec. 11 because of COVID-19 issues. Indiana is a bad matchup for Ohio State at this stage of the Buckeyes' season as they try to round back into shape.

Indiana has a size advantage and should control the boards especially if Kyle Young, the Buckeyes' top defensive rebounder, can't play after missing the Nebraska game due to illness not related to COVID.

The season-long defensive statistics are bad for these two teams. But there is more than meets the eye. 

Eastern Michigan is averaging just 57.5 points in its last two games decided in regulation. The Eagles are playing at a much slower tempo than they were at the beginning of the season. 

Western Michigan is averaging only 57.6 points during its past six games. The Broncos' defensive numbers are artificially high because of the number of top offenses they have played, including Iowa, Michigan State and Notre Dame. A slow pace game here is fine by the Broncos. 

Cal State Northridge has gone Under in seven of its nine board games this season. It's not a fluke. The Matadors play at a very slow tempo and are inept on offense ranking 343th in scoring at 60.5 points a game and 345th in field goal percentage at 38.7. Much of this has to do with Trent Johnson, who is in his first season as the Matadors coach. 

San Diego is an above average defensive team. But the Tritons aren't anything great offensively averaging 72 points. They are well below average on the offensive glass. 

Note this game is being played in Spokane, Wash., so it's a neutral site game. That's a plus for the Under. So is the defense of these teams.

Boise State gives up the 29th fewest points in the country. Washington State ranks in the top 50 in defensive field goal percentage. Both teams are strong on the defensive glass.

The Broncos have gone Under in nine of their last 12 games, while the Under is 6-1 in Washington State's last seven games.

Keegan Murray is back to full strength scoring 35 points against Utah State in the Hawkeyes' last game this past Saturday. That's bad news for Southeastern Louisiana and good news for the Over. Murray had been slowed by an ankle injury, which hampered his performance in a loss to Iowa State. 

Strength of schedule is huge here. Charlotte's last three games have been against Arkansas, Valparaiso and Wake Forest.  Maryland Eastern Shore has played far easier opponents. So the 49ers are stepping way down in class. The 49ers are a far better shooting team than Maryland Eastern Shore both from the field and foul line.  

Wake Forest is a surprising 10-1. The Demon Deacons are strong favorites here. Wake Forest has been playing strong defense holding its last four opponents to an average of 62 points during regulation.

Charlotte is a great free throw shooting team. The 49ers, though, are a mediocre scoring team ranking 277th averaging 70 points.

This isn't a home game for Charlotte. The site is the Spectrum Center in Uptown, Charlotte. This is the home of the Charlotte Hornets. So neither team is familiar with the court, which is a plus for the Under.

Jackson State is one of the lowest-scoring basketball teams in Division I. Drake, though, averages nearly 76 points per game. Contrasts like this are tough for an oddsmaker to make a total on. I believe they've made this total too low.

The Bulldogs average 81.2 points in five home games. Their offense is much better than their defense. Drake ranks 310th in defensive field goal percentage.

The Over has cashed 68 percent of the time the past 57 times Drake has been a home favorite. I'm going to ride that strong trend.

Northwestern State certainly is going to take this in-state non-conference game more seriously than LSU. 

The Tigers are 9-0 and riding high. But they've been a little too sloppy with taking care of the ball to lay this huge of a number. 

The Demons are not good, but they should not be dominated on the boards. They also have better backcourt depth with Carvell Teasett back in the lineup. He played for the first time in the Demons' last game and scored nine points with five assists.

Note this game is being played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., a neutral court for both of these teams. This is a 1,200-mile trip for Miami and it's a very early start time. These are all pluses for the Under.

So is Fordham being one of the participants. The Rams are a terrible shooting team both from the floor and free throw line despite playing a number of bad defenses. The Rams are defensive-minded and play at a slow tempo.

Miami has been better on offense than defense, but the Hurricanes should be able to clamp down on this poor-shooting foe. The Hurricanes have held two of their last three foes to fewer than 60 points.

Michigan is good, but was overrated to begin the season.

Minnesota is just the opposite. The Gophers entered the season with no expectations, but are 7-1 winning their first seven games. They hung in against 19th-ranked Michigan State in its Big Ten opener, losing 75-67.

The Gophers split against Michigan last season.

This is a huge in-state rivalry game. Iowa State is competitive now thanks to T.J. Otzelberger. He's done a fantastic coaching job. Iowa State is 9-0 after being 2-22 last season before Otzeleberger took over.

The Cyclones have passed every test so far this season, including beating Creighton, 64-58, on the road this past Saturday. That halted a 25-game Iowa State road losing streak.

Iowa is good. No doubt. But the Hawkeyes aren't elite as Big Ten losses to Purdue and Illinois show. The Hawkeyes were outrebounded, 52-23, by the Illini. That's a potential red flag.

I like TCU's current form. The Horned Frogs are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation and have cut down on their turnovers committing 10 or fewer during their last two games.

TCU has held six of its seven opponents to fewer than 65 points.

Utah isn't playing well. The Utes have failed to cover in their last three games as they continue to tinker with their rotation. They are averaging 68.6 points during their past five games.

These are two excellent defenses. The total is this high because Texas Tech ranks 12th in the nation in scoring at 85.4. That is misleading, though, because the Red Raiders have played bad defenses, none of which ranked in the top 75 defensive-wise. Now they take on Tennessee, which allows just 62 points a game and ranks in the top five in defensive efficiency just like last season.

The Red Raiders rank in the top 20 in defensive efficiency, too. This game is part of the Jimmy V. Classic tournament held at Madison Square Garden, which is a notorious venue to college players for its tough scoring backdrop.

I don't think the oddsmaker quite realizes what an intense in-state rivalry this matchup is because this total is much higher than what I believe it should be.

Wisconsin has a long tradition of being a great defensive team. That's true again so far this season. The Badgers rank 11th defensively holding opponents to 56.7 points a game.

Shaka Smart is off to a great start in his first season as coach of Marquette. The Golden Eagles are 7-1. They've held their past two foes to an average of 60 points. The Badgers don't figure to score much from beyond the arc ranking 283rd in 3-point shooting at 30.1 percent. Marquette has struggled, too, with its long-range shooting ranking 218th in 3-point shooting.

These teams are going to have to work hard to get clean shots. I made this total 10 points lower than what the oddsmaker did. So I'm on the Under.

Rutgers has never won during its five all-time road games against Illinois. Don't expect that string to be broken here.

Illinois has won nine straight home contests, including going 4-0 this season. All of the Illini's home wins have come by at least nine points, including an impressive 10-point victory against Notre Dame in their last game this past Monday.

The Illini showed a lot of team cohesion in that victory. I don't believe Rutgers can stay within single digits of Illinois. The Scarlet Knights have a tough matchup dealing with Illini center Kofi Cockburn, who is in the argument for best player in the nation.

A battle of two mediocre Big Sky Conference teams isn't going to excite too many people. I rate Idaho State the better team plus the Bengals are home. So I find value in backing Idaho State at this short number. That makes this game worthwhile, at least, for me. 

Idaho State was picked to finish sixth in the Big Sky. Portland State was chosen to finish seven in conference by the coaches and eighth by the media. This helps reinforce my belief that Idaho State is the superior team. 

The Bengals went 8-6 in the Big Sky last season. Portland State went 6-8. Idaho State won the lone matchup last season beating the Vikings, 64-57, on the road. 
The Vikings are in transition with a new coach, Jase Coburn, and only one returning starter from last season. The Vikings are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country ranking 356h. 

Miami ranks 340th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage at 27.1 percent. The Hurricanes are going to have problems going against Penn State's physical defense especially if they can't hit from long range to loosen that pressure.

Penn State doesn't score that much - ranking 250th - because the Nittany Lions like to milk the clock. That's been a noticeable trademark of new coach Micah Shrewsberry. Only six teams play at a slower tempo than Penn State.

The Nittany Lions held LSU to 58 points in regulation during their last game. That was 23 points under the Tigers' season scoring average.

Mississippi should be able to take advantage of a bad Rider defense to post a big point total here. If you discount a 50-point performance against Boise State, the Rebels are averaging 78.8 points in their other five games. 

Rider ranks 235th in scoring defense and 239th in 3-point defense. The Broncs also are a very poor defensive rebounding team. 

The Broncs are a better offensive team than they showed, though, in their last game a 65-58 road loss to South Carolina. The Broncos made just 36.8 percent of their field goals in that game. They have three returning starters and four Division I transfers and are expected to contend in the MAAC.  

Davidson is a big scoring team. But I'm not sold that the Wildcats should be road favorites here against an in-state rival that has the capability to frustrate them.

This is Davidson's first true road game. The Wildcats win with offense. Their defense isn't that good. Charlotte plays at a slow pace and doesn't commit many turnovers. That's going to limit Davidson's opportunities.

I'm surprised at this low point spread. Detroit is 0-5 and one of the worst defensive teams in the country. Northeastern gives up 19 fewer points per game than Detroit.

The Huskies are 3-4. This is only their second home game of the season. Detroit is their easiest opponent so far.

The Titans lost, 98-84, to Hofstra in their last game this past Saturday. The Titans shot 51 percent from the floor and still lost by 14! That tells you how bad Detroit is.

I would feel confident laying double-digits with Northeastern against this foe. So this is a bargain price.

I didn't see enough out of Notre Dame in the Maui Invitational, which was held in Las Vegas this year, to believe the Irish can keep within this point spread at Illinois.

The Irish went 1-2 in the tournament beating Chaminade, but losing to St. Mary's and Texas A&M. Notre Dame had trouble with the Aggies' full court pressure in the second half. The Irish have only broken the 70-point barrier once in five games this season.

Illinois is getting outstanding play from its superstar 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn and from Alfonso Plummer. They'll be too much for Notre Dame.

This game is part of the Wooden Legacy Tournament being played in the Anaheim Convention Center, which is notorious for its difficult shooting background. There isn't much crowd support either. 

I went Under on both of the Thursday games and each did go Under. I'm going to follow through with another Under here. St. Joe's went Under by 25 points against USC last night. 

St. Joe's and Georgetown are East Coast teams, too, playing in a weird time zone for them at a very late hour. 

Oregon lost some of its major talent from last season's team that won the Pac-12 title and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. But the Ducks don't rebuild under Dana Altman. They reload. That's the case again this season. The Ducks look strong again thanks to recruiting and transfers to go with their existing talent. 
I have the Ducks power-rated much higher against Saint Mary's than the oddsmaker does. 

The situation here is good, too, for the Ducks. They had an easy win yesterday beating Chaminade, 73-49, while Saint Mary's had a close one with Notre Dame pulling out a 62-59 win. That was the Gaels' first real nonconference test. 

Oregon has something to prove after a loss to BYU last week. This is the Ducks' chance. Each team shares a common opponent, Texas Southern. St. Mary's beat the Tigers by nine points while Oregon defeated Texas Southern by 17 points. 

UC Riverside is underrated and dangerous. Riverside already has an upset road victory against Arizona State. The Highlanders are 6-2-1 ATS as a road 'dog.

If you go by KenPom rankings, Riverside is better than San Diego. I have the Highlanders power rated above the Toreros, too.

Matchup-wise, the Highlanders' strength is hitting their 3-point shots and defending from beyond the arc. San Diego's weakness is defending the 3-pointer.

So I'm going to take the better team in an underdog role.

Florida State fell out of the Top-25 rankings by losing, 71-55, to Florida this past Sunday.

Tulane is off a 73-70 loss to Southern this past Saturday.

Each team is capable of playing better - and scoring better. I believe that happens here.

The Seminoles are breaking in a bunch of new players. They've had a couple of games to get acquainted.

Jaylen Forbes, Tulane's top scorer from a year ago, is averaging fewer than 12 points a game. He's due for a big performance.

The Over is 15-7-1 in Florida State's last 23 home games.

Former Nebraska coach Tim Miles had a successful San Jose State debut as the Spartans opened its season with a 78-76 upset win at home against Cal State Fullerton. The Spartans were six-point underdogs. The Spartans built a 16-point lead and never trailed in that game. 

The Spartans are better than perceived, while Stanford isn't as good as some people think at least during this early going.

The Cardinal lost, 88-72, on the road to Santa Clara this past Friday. Through two games, Stanford ranks 311th in defensive two-point field goal percentage. The Cardinal rank 242nd in turnover ratio, too. 

Right now Stanford is mainly relying on a pair of freshmen. The Cardinal have failed to cover the past five times when laying points. 

I think the oddsmaker is putting too much emphasis on how Oregon State finished last season. The Beavers shocked a lot of people by winning the Pac-12 Conference Tournament and then reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. But it's not so easy to recapture that magic so early in the season. The Beavers lost Ethan Thompson and Zach Reichle from that team. They've begun this season 1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS with a 60-50 road loss to Iowa State in their last game.  Now Oregon State is laying points at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane are 21-6 the past 27 times as a home 'dog.  Tulsa has a number of key transfers, including Jeriah Horne. He played well at Colorado last season and has looked good for Tulsa so far this season. The Golden Hurricane were limited to just 23 games last season and had a disappointing year. They won't lack motivation here and have the talent to win straight-up. Oregon State is trying to find the right combinations so the Beavers are far from peak form. This is what Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said, ''Expectations can be a tricky thing for team that overperform in March.'' 

Two bad teams get together here for a Sunday night game. I'm expecting a loose game with more scoring than the oddsmaker is projecting.

Seattle is giving up 76.3 points in its last 13 games going back to last season.

The Redhawks, though, have a good guard in Darrion Trammell.

I haven't been this excited about St. Bonaventure basketball since Bob Lanier played for the Bonnies. That was more than 50 years ago.

The Bonnies are ranked in the top 25 and the choice of many to capture the Atlantic 10 Conference. They displayed their tough defense in their opening game beating Siena, 75-47, this past Tuesday.

Next up for St. Bonaventure is long-time rival Canisius. This should be an intense matchup. The Golden Griffins are 0-2 with losses to Miami and East Carolina. The Under is 11-5-1 the past 17 times Canisius has been an underdog.

The teams last met two seasons ago and there were just 118 points scored in Canisius' 61-57 victory.

The oddsmaker opened with a wrong favorite. Florida State lost four players to the NBA, but is still loaded. The Seminoles have tremendous depth.

Florida needs Keyontae Johnson to beat Florida State. Unfortunately for the Gators, Johnson isn't playing yet.

The Gators never recovered against Florida State last year after Johnson unexpectedly collapsed during their game. The Seminoles went on to win, 83-71. It's the seventh straight time Florida State has defeated Florida.

San Diego earned some respect upsetting California on the road as a double-digit 'dog this past Tuesday. The Tritons have had ample time to rest and prepare for their opening home game.

George Washington, though, is making the long trip West. The Colonials are playing for the third time in five days so there is a fatigue factor.

The Colonials hung tough against 21st-ranked Maryland on Thursday, losing 71-64. They weren't so impressive in their opener, though, defeating St. Francis (PA), 75-72, as 6 1/2-point home favorites.

That dropped George Washington's point spread mark to 3-13 when favored. The Colonials also have failed to cover in seven of their last 10 road contests.

The Wildcats are a high scoring team that is showing signs under new coach Tommy Lloyd of playing even faster than last season. 

Rio Grande has a new coach, too, Matt Figgers. He's an offensive guru. Rio Grande doesn't play good defense. Rio Grande is going to play at Arizona's pace and try to match the Wildcats' scoring.

Fast tempo and two strong offensive teams make this total an overreaction to Arizona going Under in its first game against pathetic Northern Arizona after the total was steamed up. This is an overreaction by the oddsmaker opening this total too low. 

The two teams have opened their respective seasons each of the past two years playing each other. Arizona scored 96 and 91 points in those games. The combined totals were 149 and 143. I don't see why this matchup doesn't fall into that range either especially with Tommy Lloyd taking over from Sean Miller at Arizona.

The Wildcats are loaded again and Lloyd wants to play fast. Lloyd is used to high-scoring efforts having been a long-time assistant to Mark Few at Gonzaga.

Northern Arizona has no choice, but to push tempo. It has the players to do that. The Lumberjacks won't be afraid to take 3-pointers either.

New coaches, new players. That's the situation with these two teams.

Utah's new coach Craig Smith built strong defensive programs at South Dakota and Utah State. He brought in eight new players along with a new coaching staff. The Utes lost four of their top five scorers. He wants to establish a strong defensive mindset right from the beginning.

Abilene Christian is tough defensively, too, and plays at a slow pace. The Wildcats held their last six foes to an average of 59.3 points.

I'm looking for Nebraska to be better than its 7-20 record last season. The Cornhuskers struggled in the rugged Big Ten going 3-16 in league play. But they've added several important players, including former Arizona State guard Alonzo Verge Jr.

Nebraska looked good in its preseason games, including beating Colorado, 82-67, at home this past Sunday.

Western Illinois last beat a Power 5 conference opponent back during the 2015-16 season. The Leathernecks finished seventh in the nine-team Summit League with a 5-9 conference mark last season.

I have Nebraska power-rated to win this game by more than 20 points.

Miami holds a huge backcourt edge here led by Isaiah Wong, who was named a first-team All-ACC player in the preseason poll. The Hurricanes are deep at guard. They have had problems in the ACC, but are stepping way down in class here.

Canisius only was able to play 13 games last season because of the pandemic going 7-6.

The Hurricanes have looked good in their preseason games. I have them power rated by more than 20 points in this matchup.

I see Providence dominating this matchup against a middling Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team.

The Friars could have the top center in the Big East, Nate Watson. The Friars tuned up for this matchup burying Stonehill, 95-71, in an exhibition game.

Playing Fairfield means a little something extra to Providence coach Ed Cooley. He coached the Stags for six years before coming to Providence.

Yes, I'm on the planet. I know Baylor and Gonzaga have great offenses. That's why the total is set so high. I can find more reasons, though, to go Under rather that count on both teams to hold up their high offensive standards.  Baylor's tremendous defense in the NCAA Tourney is getting overlooked. The Bears have held their five opponents to an average of 60 points.  Gonzaga has an above average perimeter defense. UCLA hit a blistering 58 percent from the floor against the Bulldogs in scoring 81 points during regulation. That was highly unusual. I don't see it happening again. The Bulldogs held their previous four NCAA Tourney foes to an average of 64.2 points.  This is a neutral court matchup with the game being played at spacious Lucas Oil Stadium, a converted football field with a difficult shooting background.  

Before Baylor had to pause its season for three weeks due to COVID-19 back in early February, the Bears were right up there with Gonzaga as the best team in the country. I wouldn't put Baylor back in that super elite class where only Gonzaga resides. But I would the Bears at their own Tier 2 level, a class above Houston. 

There's enough value for me now to take the Over. I understand Michigan is a strong defensive team and UCLA has stepped up defensively. But in analyzing this matchup there are certain elements that lead me to getting involved with the high side. 

It takes some luck to reach the Elite Eight. It's very difficult to produce an A game in every pressure-packed matchup. Arkansas got away with that against Oral Roberts in its last   game. I'm expecting the Razorbacks to play much better against Baylor, which hasn't been the dominant team it was earlier in the season before having to sit out games because of COVID-19 protocols. I consider Baylor closer to the rest of the remaining teams rather than sitting on the top perch alongside Gonzaga. 

USC reached this point by beating Drake and Kansas holding those two worthy opponents to a combined 29.2 percent shooting from the floor. It was a combination of outstanding Trojans defense and poor shooting by the Bulldogs and Jayhawks. 

It's no secret how Gonzaga is going to play. The Bulldogs are going to push pace - they have the second-shortest average length time of possession - and attack from everywhere on the court. They can do this with such awesome talent in Drew Timme, Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi and Jalen Suggs. 

I don't want to hear about a 15th-seed never making the Elite Eight. Nor do I want to hear about metrics, KenPom ratings and ESPN's Basketball Power Index. 

There's only one way to look at this game - and it's not backing the Mountain West Conference team, Boise State.