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CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates -2 @ Butler Bulldogs @ 4 ET - Butler wants revenge for a 25 point loss at Seton Hall 3 weeks ago. However, the Pirates are off a beatdown at home at the hands of Marquette. After losing that one by 21 points, it is certainly noteworthy that Seton Hall is a PERFECT 4-0 this season when off a loss by a margin of 14 points or more. By the way, all 4 of the Pirates wins in this situation have come by more than 21 points! This included a blowout win over the Bulldogs. Yes, Butler is at home and they have been known for being tough at home traditionally. However, that was then and this is now. The Bulldogs have lost 3 straight games overall and have lost 8 of 11 - all in Big East action. They have 3 home losses this season - all in Big East action - and all by a margin of at least 20 points. Considering all of the above and the fact this line is only a -2, this is a great spot for the Pirates! 10* SETON HALL

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes +3 @ Michigan State Spartans @ 7 ET - Uh oh...the odds makers did it again and made a massive "mistake" here, right? After all this line opened up at nearly a pick'em even though Michigan State is 8-2 at home this season and the Hawkeyes are 3-5 in games played away from their home in Iowa. Wow...what a "gift" from the odds makers, right? Long-time followers know the respect I have for the odds makers and the fact is this game was priced this way for a reason. Now that we are able to get as much as +3 on this one with the Hawkeyes, it is absolutely "go time" for me. Iowa could get Patrick McCaffery back tonight. Already he is back with the team and this is providing an emotional boost for him and for the team. They are going to rally around this even if he is not on the floor tonight. A big key here is the play of Kris Murray and he could do what his brother Keegan did against Michigan State last season as he dominated in the 26 point win for the Hawkeyes. The fact is Kris Murray is "in the zone" right now and I love the fact Iowa enters this game off a loss in which Ohio State simply shot "lights out" against them. The Buckeyes won the game on ridiculously hot shooting but the Spartans have not been playing like that very often at all this season. Michigan State has lost 3 of 4 while the Hawkeyes had won 4 straight before the loss to the Buckeyes. By the way, the Spartans only win last 4 games was against Rutgers by 13 points but it was a game in which they outscored the Scarlet Knights by 30 points from three point land. Statistical anomaly for sure as it was a classic case of hot versus not for one game on the floor. That is not happening here against the Hawkeyes. 10* IOWA +3

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Missouri Tigers +1.5 @ Ole Miss Rebels @ 7 ET - Home court is so important in college basketball. Wait a second, if that is the case why am I am playing the road team here in a game that is nearly a pick'em? Well ladies and gentlemen, that is because sometimes the value of home court is so strongly baked into the lines and baked into the minds of the betting masses that it creates value for strong road teams. That is the case here. Let's not forget that Missouri is a respectable 3-4 in SEC action and also 3-3 in games against ranked teams this season. The Tigers have won 14 of their 19 games overall this season! Conversely, Ole Miss is the only team (other than SC) in the SEC with an overall losing record on the season plus they are 1-6 in SEC action plus they have gone 0-4 this season against ranked teams! The Rebels have lost 10 of 13 since they started the season 6-0. There is simply a talent gap between these teams that has not been properly factored here and we will take advantage. Yes, the Tigers can (and will) win on the road here. Grab the +1.5 and look for an upset. 10* MISSOURI +1.5

CBB Monday 10* Top Play Nevada Wolf Pack -2.5 vs New Mexico Lobos @ 9 ET - So the Lobos have only 2 losses this season but they are the underdog here? Well, a few keys here. One is that Nevada is at home and very strong there and they are coming off a loss. Nevada, on the season, is 4-0 / 100% PERFECT SU and the average margin of victory in those 4 games was 9 points so the spread should not be a problem here. Lay the small number with the Wolf Pack as they bounce back off a loss. They are catching the Lobos at the perfect time for a big win. New Mexico is off a hard-fought win in OT over Boise State over the weekend. The Lobos would like revenge here as the Wolf Pack knocked them out of the MWC tourney but this is not the right spot for it. Nevada won both meetings with New Mexico last season and they are angry off a loss here. In about two weeks the Lobos get them on their court and that could be different but here on the road it is a too big of an ask. Keep in mind, the two teams New Mexico lost to are a combined 4-10 now in MWC action and I feel they are susceptible to an ugly road result here. 10* NEVADA -2.5

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play Wichita State Shockers +2 @ SMU Mustangs @ 3 ET - SMU is off a win in OT but they were fortunate Tulsa had such a poor shooting night from distance on their home court. Now the Mustangs are back home but there is a reason this line is so low. The Shockers are the better team. Southern Methodist had lost 4 straight and 11 of 16 prior to knocking off the Golden Hurricane. Coming off a rare win, and on the road and in OT no loss, SMU is in trouble here against a hungry Wichita State team. The Shockers are off a loss but Memphis had a hot shooting night from downtown against them. They bounce back here and keep in mind the win the Mustangs just had was against the worst team in the conference. As for Wichita State, this will prove to be a much tougher test. The Shockers are 5-2 SU when coming off a non-OT loss this season. By the way, one of those 2 losses was to a Cincinnati team that is one of the best teams in the conference. 10* WICHITA STATE +2

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Texas Longhorns +1.5 @ West Virginia Mountaineers @ 6 ET - Great set-up here. The Longhorns are off a loss by 11 points but they led the game at half and the difference in the game was UT was horrible from 3-point land and outscored by 15 points from there by Iowa State. After the road loss to the Cyclones, look for the Horns to bounce back big here. They have responded well under interim head coach Rodney Terry and UT did win at West Virginia last season too. The Mountaineers are not what they use to be and are scuffling a bit this season. A big key to the value here is West Virginia is off a big home win over a ranked TCU team. Lets not forget that this victory followed 5 straight Big 12 losses for the Mountaineers and the win has the Longhorns attention so they will come in and take care of business here. 10* TEXAS +1.5

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames +5 vs Northern Iowa Panthers @ 2 ET - As long-time followers know, I follow UIC closely and we have had good success in their games though we came up short earlier this week. I really like the Flames in this spot. Illinois-Chicago is tough at home and they catch UNI off a tight 2-point win over the Redbirds. That was at home and now the Panthers are on the road where they lost most recent game and also their most recent win away from home was also by just 2 points. Value with points here with a hungry home dog. The Flames have won 3 of last 5 home games but the last two were very tight losses including one in OT. That said, it is worth noting the two teams that UIC lost to at home so closely are each now 14-6 on the season while Panthers are barely a .500 team on the season. Value here. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO +5

NCAAB Friday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes -9 vs Ball State Cardinals @ 6:30 ET - At first glance this line might seem too high on Kent State. Key words...first glance. The factors at play here are that when the Golden Flashes come to a game in which their opponent has their full attention, they have been fantastic this season. Overall, Kent State is 15-3 on the season and arguably it is two of the losses that are their most impressive performances of the season. They played at Gonzaga and let the game late before the Bulldogs closed the game on an 11-0 run. The Golden Flashes also played at Houston and led the game late before the Cougars closed the game on a 6-0 run.  Houston is the #1 team in the country and Gonzaga is ranked #6 now and BOTH those games were road games for Kent State. These guys can play! This Golden Flashes team has the right mix to win the MAC this season and they are already 5-0 in conference play. One of the possible threats, at least based on early performance, is Ball State as the Cardinals sit just behind them in the standings at 4-1. That said, the Cards have the full attention of the Golden Flashes. Unlike Houston and Gonzaga, Ball State is no powerhouse and this is not a road game for the Flashes either. The result? I am forecasting a huge double digit margin home blowout here. 10* KENT STATE -9

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Maryland Terrapins -2 vs Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - The Terrapins are out for big time revenge here. You can not just always play revenge as it certainly is never an automatic. But certain situations, like this one, certainly command attention. The Terps did not just lose at Ann Arbor at the turn of the new year, they were absolutely destroyed by Michigan. However, the game was a bit of a statistical anomaly because the Terrapins actually had a dozen more shots from the field than the Wolverines did in that game yet they lost by 35 points! The Wolverines simply could not miss while the Terps simply could not hit! Overall, Michigan has won some games this season simply on the strength of shooting. Perfect example of that was against Northwestern in most recent game. But now, on the road and facing an angry Terrapins team that you know is going to want to "D up" in this game, the points will be much tougher to come by for Michigan. Also, Maryland has played well at home this season and they are the better defensive team. When you look at the standings in the Big Ten, the Terps are down near the bottom and the Wolverines are up near the top. Don't be fooled, the Terrapins are favored here for a reason and they fully realize the importance of this game and will take advantage of home court and a relentless effort on the floor as they are hell-bent on getting payback here. 10* MARYLAND -2

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates +5.5 vs Connecticut Huskies @ 6:30 ET - The Pirates lost to the Huskies in the Big East Tournament last spring in the quarterfinals. Not only that, Seton Hall comes into this game hot plus they are on their home floor and they are catching the Huskies in a slump. Connecticut has lost 4 of 5 after starting the season 14-0. The Huskies are a bit of a fragile team now and will struggle to close out games like this, particularly on the road. The key here too is UConn may not even end up being the team looking to close out this game! The Huskies are likely going to be in a battle just to win it! Seton Hall has won 7 of 9 home games and Connecticut has lost 3 of 5 in their true road games this season. One of the Pirates home losses this season was by just 4 points also and I love the home dog value here with the revenge-minded host in this one. 10* SETON HALL +5.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames +3 @ Valparaiso Beacons @ 7 ET - Valparaiso off their first MVC win of the season but it was against last place Evansville who also had not won an MVC game and, with the loss, dropped to 0-8 in MVC action this season. The Beacons were fortunate to even win the game as the Purple Aces shot a ridiculously poor 18 of 36 from the free throw line! Now we catch a Valparaiso team off a rare win and hosting a Flames team very hungry for a road win. UIC matches up well with the Beacons. Illinois-Chicago is off a loss at Murray State but they shot poorly in that game. The Flames will take advantage of facing a weak Beacons defense in this one! For comparison purposes, both of these teams hosted Belmont this season and UIC lost by just 6 while Valpo lost by 15. Also, both teams faced Indiana State and the results were nearly identical but the Beacons hosted the Sycamores while the Flames were on the road for their meeting with ISU. The point is that we have the better team here catching points and we have situational factors in our favor too. I know this is a match-up of two teams having tough stretches but the road dog is the play here in a game they should win outright. I have been following the Flames closely as long-time followers know and this is a great spot for them to get an outright win. We'll grab the points as added, but likely unneeded, insurance. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO +3

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm +14.5 @ Connecticut Huskies @ Noon ET - Yes the Red Storm just snapped a 5-game losing streak with the win over Butler Tuesday but they were competitive in the majority of those losses and the Big East is ultra-competitive. Of course the Huskies know this all too well as they have lost 3 of 4 after they had an overall 14-0 start to the season. UConn has quickly come back down to earth and Connecticut should win this game but I expect the points to prove to be too much. Look for this one to be decided by a single digit margin. The Red Storm could also get a boost to the rotation with the return of Montez Mathis (toe) but, either way, I like the big dog here. This team has gained confidence with the big win over Butler and they are a gritty, hard-working team that is hard to blowout. 10* ST JOHN'S +14.5

#682 CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Murray State Racers vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 4 ET - This is a fantastic set-up. From January 5th to January 22nd this is the only home game for Murray State. The Racers are entering this game off B2B road losses. Though their overall record is similar to that of UIC, note that the Racers are 4-3 in conference action while the Flames are 1-6 in conference action. Illinois-Chicago has found the move to the MVC to be tough while the Racers are proving they belong in this conference! This is simply a great spot for the Racers to race right past the Flames as UIC is off an OT loss at home where they do play much more competitive. On the road, Illinois-Chicago often gets throttled. More of the same expected here. The Flames have 5 losses in true road games (not neutral site) and the average margin has been 24 points per game. 10* MURRAY STATE -9

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers -15 vs Nebraska Cornhuskers @ 7 ET - The Boilermakers have a big game with Michigan State on deck Monday. However, there is no way they are looking past the Huskers here. The Cornhuskers took Purdue to OT when these teams met last month in Nebraska. You can bet the Boilers come to play tonight at home after what happened in that one. Also, the Cornhuskers lost Juwan Gary as he re-aggravated his shoulder injury in most recent game and will be unavailable here. Additionally, the Huskers loss to the Boilers is their only close this season! All of their other defeats have been by a double digit margin. In fact, the average margin of those 7 defeats is 17 ppg! Last year when these teams met here in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers won by 27 points. Purdue has a knack for dominating teams here at home and, after what happened in Lincoln, the Boilermakers will get a huge lead in this game and they will not take their foot off the gas either. Boilers by 20+ is the likely final here. 10* PURDUE -15

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Creighton Bluejays +3.5 @ Xavier Musketeers @ 7 ET - Something is very off with this line and that is why, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the line move here. This one opened up at around a -2 and is now up to a 3.5 as everyone grabbing Xavier. After all, the Musketeers are ranked #12 in the country, they have won 9 games in a row and they are on their home floor facing a Bluejays team that has struggled on the road. When you consider all these factors, how could Xavier be such a short home favorite? Precisely! That is just it! The odds makers were on to something here with this one and the fact is that this season's Creighton team matches up well with Xavier and this one has the makings of an upset. The Bluejays have been solid defensively and will get the job done here. Don't be fooled by this line. The Jays had won 3 straight by an average margin of 20 points per game before losing to a strong Huskies team at UConn this past weekend. 10* CREIGHTON +3.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames +10.5 vs Drake Bulldogs @ 8 ET - The key here is the home/road dichotomy in addition to revenge in addition to the value of big points being offered. Happy to take a home dog getting double digits given all the key variables here. Drake is off a big home win over Murray State plus has some key games on deck with teams currently ahead of them in the MVC standings. This is a dangerous spot for the Bulldogs as a result. Also, Drake already won at home versus the Flames in early December. UIC wants revenge here and will take advantage of home court too. Illinois-Chicago lost by 13 at Drake last month but the Flames are 5-3 at home this season and only 1 of the 3 losses was by more than 7 points! The Bulldogs are 0-5 on the road this season. Drake is a good team and has won some neutral site games but, still without a win in a true road game this season, the Bulldogs will be challenged just to win this game let alone cover the huge number. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO +10.5

CBB Sunday 10* Top Play Rutgers Scarlet Knights -6.5 vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ Noon ET - This is a great spot for the Knights. The Hawkeyes rose up big in their first game without McCaffery but they were at home and able to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit. The Scarlet Knights have revenge from losing in the Big Ten tourney to Iowa last season. The Hawkeyes are not as strong as last season and Rutgers is much stronger than last season and so the set-up here is perfect for a convincing home win. Note that the Scarlet Knights have won 5 straight and Iowa had lost 3 straight before sneaking by Indiana. The Hawkeyes are allowing 72.5 ppg this season while the Knights are allowing only 54.9 ppg this season. This sets up as a home rout. 10* RUTGERS -6.5

CBB Friday 10* Wright State Raiders -3 or -3.5 vs Detroit Mercy Titans @ 7 ET - The Raiders are a little better than people realize. Detroit is on the road here and does not shoot as well as Wright State does so the home/road edge is more of a factor here. Both teams known more for scoring prowess rather than defensive ability. However, the Raiders have shown the ability to step up on the defensive end at times and I look for a very strong effort from Wright State here at home. They are known through the years for being a tough team at the Nutter Center. The Titans continue to lose close games and I feel that will take a toll on their psyche now after dropping another tight one at Milwaukee. The Raiders come in fresh off a win at IUPUI but they are well aware that there is work to be done here as Detroit is 2-2 in the Horizon League so far while they are just 1-3. The Raiders are hungry for the league win here and to build momentum as they play their first home game in 3 weeks! They will make the most of it! 10* WRIGHT STATE -3 or -3.5

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Maryland Terrapins +6 @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 6:30 ET - Rutgers just knocked off the #1 ranked team in the country when they beat Purdue in a big upset a few days ago. That has led to them being over-valued here in what is a definite flat spot. Keep in mind they did the same thing last season in terms of knocking off the Boilermakers when Purdue was ranked #1 at the time also. What followed was a 14 point loss for the Scarlet Knights in their next game. Now, I am not saying that is what happens here exactly but I am saying this is a tricky spot for Rutgers and they are likely to end up in a dogfight just to win this game let alone cover the spread. The Terrapins just got hammered at Michigan so the set-up could not be much better than this! Yes the Terps also lost big to a ranked UCLA team but they did beat a ranked Illinois team and only lost by 3 to a #7 ranked Tennessee team. So the Terps can play when motivated and ready and they are catching the Scarlet Knights at the perfect time for an upset. We'll grab the points as added insurance here. 10* MARYLAND +6

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Belmont Bruins -4 or -4.5 @ Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 8 ET - The Bruins just lost to a solid Southern Illinois team but, prior to that, had won 8 of 10 games and one of those two losses was in overtime! Belmont is vastly superior to this Flames team. Illinois-Chicago has an identical 9-6 record but that is where the similarities stop! UIC has had almost all their victories come against very bad teams and/or weak foes. The Flames have been blasted in recent losses to Bradley and Northwestern. In fact, each of their last 5 losses have been my MORE than a DOZEN points and, on the season, their average margin of defeat in their 6 losses is 20 points per game. Look for another blowout here! 10* BELMONT -4 or -4.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Texas Tech Red Raiders +2.5 vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 9 ET - Home court means a lot in this match-up. Texas Tech beat the Jayhawks in Lubbock last season but then lost the regular season match-up and Big Tournament match-up in Kansas. That means double revenge on order here for the Red Raiders and they are a dangerous home dog in this spot. Texas Tech is coming off a loss here and should respond and there is a reason that a highly-ranked one-loss Kansas team is laying such a short number here. Don't let the line fool you here. The home dog is the play. The Red Raiders are 8-0 SU at home this season and I look for another win here as they bounce back off a loss and are catching the Jayhawks off a tight 2-point hard-fought win versus Oklahoma State. 10* TEXAS TECH +2.5

CBB Monday 10* Top Play West Virginia Mountaineers +3 @ Oklahoma State Cowboys @ 7 ET - Yes, Oklahoma State is at home for this game but if you look at this one closely you have to ask yourself why are they even favored here. You can not find a win over a truly impressive opponent when you look at their 8-5 record on the season. Yes, both teams off losses but I like the fact this ranked West Virginia team is off an OT loss and they are 10-3 this season and ready to respond here after letting one slip away in overtime. The Mountaineers are the better team yet we are getting line value here because they are on the road. Catching points with the better team when both teams are off losses is a situation that always has me take a deeper look and I like what I am seeing here. The Cowboys do not have a signature win yet this season and this does not look like the spot to get it either. 10* WEST VIRGINIA +3

CBB Saturday 10* Top Play Kansas State Wildcats Pick'em vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 7 ET - The home team opened up as the favorite here but the ranked road team getting plenty of attention as I expected. That said, this game was priced this way for a reason and I love the Wildcats at home here. The home team won both games in regular season last year and then the kicker is what happened in the Big 12 tourney as that is where the Mountaineers eliminated the Cats. So I love the revenge factor here plus the line and market reaction. The home team gets it done big time in this one and gets their payback. 10* KANSAS STATE WILDCATS Pick'em

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Washington Huskies +2 vs USC Trojans @ 10 ET - This is a fantastic spot for the Huskies. They just got rocked in a loss to Auburn by more than 20 points and will be ready to respond here. They have not lost B2B games this season! They also have struggled against USC in recent years including getting knocked out of the Pac-12 Tourney by the Trojans last season. So that makes this a revenge spot as payback is on order here for the Huskies and neither meeting with Southern Cal last season was in Washington but this one is at American Airlines Arena in Seattle! USC has been red hot but why do you think a team on a 6-game winning streak that has owned the other team resulted in an opening line in the pick'em range for this one? Exactly! Don't be fooled by the opening number. Grab the value now too as Huskies are a small dog in this one and I see them getting revenge! 10* WASHINGTON +2

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Providence Friars +2.5 @ Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - This line jumped off the page at me because Butler is known for being strong at home yet this line is down near a pick'em. So, how to interpret this? Do not let the line fool you! Yes the Bulldogs have a great history at home but they are not as strong this season and, so far this season, the Friars are the better rebounding team and higher-scoring team. Providence enters having won 5 straight and Butler enters having lost two straight including one at home. Granted, the one home loss was to a red hot Connecticut team but note the Bulldogs lost that one by 22 and this followed up by again losing by 22 at Creighton. So things are not going well for Butler right now and confidence is running high for Providence. Remember the Friars were 3-0 against the Bulldogs last season and also were a Sweet 16 team in the tourney. Butler was just 14-19 last season including 6-14 in Big East action and the Bulldogs are already 0-2 in Big East action this season as well. 10* PROVIDENCE +2.5

NCAAB Sunday 10* Top Play Utah State Aggies -3.5 vs Washington State Cougars @ 6:30 ET - The Aggies are off a loss but that was just their 2nd defeat of the season. Both losses by just a 3 point margin. Of their 10 wins this season, all were by a margin of at least 5 points expect for one of them. As for the Cougars, they certainly have an interesting pattern going. Washington State is off a loss and so far this season they have not had a single stand alone loss. Indeed, the Cougars have three 2-game losing streaks already. Look for this to make it four 2-game losing streaks and drop Washington State to 5-8 on the season. The Cougars are not the confident and hot-shooting team that Utah State is. The Aggies are averaging 85 points per game this season while Washington State is averaging only 68 ppg on the season and just 62 ppg in regulation time of their last 7 games. 10* UTAH STATE -3.5

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm +5.5 @ Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - The Wildcats enter this game on a winning streak but they still are not the same team they use to be under coach Jay Wright. That is a big reason they are only 6-5 this season. As for St John's, they are now in 4th season under coach Mike Anderson and the improvement year over year continues. He is building this program the way he has wanted it and they are now 11-1 this season. With this line moving higher on Villanova, we get extra line value here. Blocks, steals, rebounds, field goal percentage on offense, etc. all these factors go in favor of the underdog here. Grab the Red Storm as they continue to develop strongly under Anderson. This is their chance after blowing a 17 point lead in the Big East tournament last season versus Nova and losing the game by a single point. 10* ST JOHN'S +5.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Northwestern Wildcats -14 vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 9 ET - Normally I do not lay big points but this line has ticked down from a higher opener and I see Northwestern, with their stifling defense, winning this one by 20+ points against a Flames team that does not have the level of defensive play to hang around in this game on the road. Northwestern allowed 87 points in a loss to Pittsburgh but, in the other 9 games they have allowed only 52 points per game. The Flames have allowed 68 points per game last 11 games. UIC has won 3 straight but they have played a weak schedule this season and so their 8-4 record is not as impressive as you would think. UIC is a huge dog here for a reason and they have allowed 73 ppg in their 4 losses this season. Northwestern has allowed 54 points or less in 7 of 10 games this season. I am looking for a 75 to 50 type game in this one. 10* NORTHWESTERN -14

CBB Monday 10* Top Play UT Arlington Mavericks +15.5 @ San Francisco Dons @ 10 ET - When universities are on Christmas break for the holidays how much does home court even matter? Exactly! That said, this is just too many points. San Francisco is off a tight win at UNLV plus they are hosting Arizona State, a Pac-12 foe, on Wednesday! That said, the Dons might look right past UT Arlington and that could prove ot be dangerous. The Mavericks have lost 3 straight but all 3 games by 6 or less points! In 11 games this season the Mavs only have 2 losses by more than 14 points. San Francisco's only wins by a bigger margin than this are 3 out of 12 games this season and 2 of those were against Merced College and Merrimack! Considering that the Mavericks play solid defense in most games and are competitive in most games and the fact the Dons have a huge game on deck, this one is a great value. 10* UT ARLINGTON +15.5

NCAAB Saturday 10* Top Play Tennessee Volunteers +4 @ Arizona Wildcats @ 10:30 ET - This line opened up around a 2 and now is up in the 4 range as of mid-day Saturday. This is a lot of value to give a solid team like the Vols. I know everyone will be looking at the Cats since this game is in Arizona but I love grabbing the road dogs in games like this. The Volunteers are allowing only 51.4 ppg this season. The Wildcats are allowing 75.7 ppg. Look for Tennessee to do a good job in controlling the tempo here and the Vols will frustrate Arizona. A pair of 9-1 teams and value with the underdog as I am fully expecting the solid defensive play of the Volunteers to win this game in crunch time. 10* TENNESSEE +4

#306581 CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Prairie View A & M Panthers +4.5 @ Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 8 ET - This line looks funny at first glance. A team, UIC, at home that most bettors are familiar with but they are laying only 4.5 points against a Prairie View team that is from one of the weakest conferences (SWAC) in the nation. However, the Panthers are better than people realize. They only have one loss by more than 10 points this season. They can compete and certainly that holds true against a Flames team that is not that strong so far this season. Note that Prairie View already defeated Washington State by a dozen points plus beat Arkansas State. Now take a look at the 6-4 Flames. The fact is that UIC has wins over only Trinity (Ill), Jacksonville State, Stonehill, Holy Cross, Green Bay, and now Western Michigan. The win over the Broncos would be their "signature win" so far this season but even they are just 3-7 this season and none of the teams the Flames have beaten have a winning record this season. Look for the Panthers to get the upset win here but we'll grab the points just in case they fall short as I would expect any defeat for the visitors to be by the slimmest of margins. 10* PRAIRIE VIEW A & M +4.5

NCAAB Sunday 10* Top Play Wisconsin Badgers +4.5 @ Iowa Hawkeyes @ 6:30 ET - Hawkeyes still without Kris Murray and he is their leading scorer and leading rebounder. Iowa did just beat rival Iowa State without him but it was in large part due to the Hawkeyes knocking down 12 of 23 three pointers while the Cyclones were just 3 of 22 from downtown. Iowa won the game by 19 but outscored Iowa State by 27 from three point land so that says a lot. It has been a tough recent slate of games and tough schedule for the Hawkeyes and coming off that huge win I could see them falling flat here and coming up short against the Badgers. If they hang on for a win here look for it be by just a single possession. Dog should be in this one all the way and I am expecting an upset. 10* WISCONSIN +4.5

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes -3.5 vs Iowa State Cyclones @ 8 ET - This is another game where I am fading line movement. The Hawkeyes opened up as a bigger favorite versus the Cyclones but Iowa State is a ranked 1-loss team and Iowa has lost 2 of 3. Of course this has Iowa State getting a lot of attention and the line is now down to as low as a 3.5 and I am happy to fade the line movement. The Cyclones one loss was ugly by 18 points to Connecticut. Also, their win over Villanova game in OT and is less impressive given the Wildcats are not the same team they were under coach Jay Wright and with key personnel now gone. Also, some will point to the Cyclones win over North Carolina but the struggling Tar Heels have now suffered a 4-game losing streak. I also like the fact that the Hawkeyes are off a loss by a double digit margin to Duke at MSG. Coming off a loss they will bounce back here and note that both their losses this season were on a neutral floor but they are a solid team when at home. There is a good reason the unranked team with the lesser record is the favorite here. 10* IOWA -3.5

NCAAB Saturday 10* Top Play Drake Bulldogs -16.5 vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 6 ET - The Flames just got hammered by Missouri State. The lost that game by 15 and face a much tougher test here. Not only that but when they lost to the Bears, they allowed 20 more shots from the field. In other words, the final margin could have easily been much more than 15 points. Today it will be as the Bulldogs are angry off their first loss of the season. Drake lost at Indiana State by 2 points but it was because they did not shoot well at all from downtown. The Bulldogs were outscored by 21 points from 3-point land. Now at home Drake will shoot much better and will also show no mercy against a Flames team whose last two losses have been by at least 14 points. UIC faces a Bulldogs team that had allowed only 63 points per game in first 6 games this season. Flames most recent road game was against a winless Green Bay team and they rolled but now they face a Bulldogs team that was undefeated prior to the loss to the Sycamores. 10* DRAKE -16.5

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Illinois Illini +2 @ Maryland @ 9 ET - Maryland is 7-0 at home and this line is practically a pick'em even though they are hosting a 1-loss Illinois team. Looks easy to take the undefeated home team. You know what it means usually when something looks too easy. It is NOT! The fact the Illini already have a loss this season actually helps them here in this match-up. They have tasted defeat and don't want to taste it again in this huge Big Ten match-up and their last game against the Terrapins was here in College Park, MD as well and they lost by 16 points. So the road team has payback on their minds here and I expect them to get it. 10* ILLINOIS +2

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Missouri State Bears -4.5 @ Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 8 ET - So here you have a 3-3 Bears team ON THE ROAD and facing a 5-2 Flames team and yet it is Missouri State that is favored! Big mistake, right? Not all. This Bears team has played a tougher early season schedule and was the better team last season and even though they lost a lot of starters they have a solid looking roster thanks to transfers of incoming talent. Missouri State is jelling now at the right time as conference action is getting underway in the Missouri Valley and this is the opener for these teams. Even though Illinois-Chicago has the better record, they have played the weaker schedule plus have allowed an average of 68.3 points per game last 6 games. The Bears are allowing 60.5 ppg this season and they faced tougher schedule including losing by just 2 points at BYU as a double digit underdog! Lay the points with the road team as UIC gets a rude awakening going from facing a struggling UWGB team to facing a Bears team that it is hitting its stride plus saw newcomer James Graham see his first significant action in most recent game and he played great and shot lights out. Confidence of this road team is high right now and they are well-coached and off a 23-win season. 10* MISSOURI STATE -4.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions +2 @ Clemson Tigers @ 7 ET - Clemson was in Florida for a tournament while Penn State was in their home state of Pennsylvania and facing Lafayette this past weekend. The situation here favors the Nittany Lions here even though they are on the road. I love taking small road dogs too as a lot of time people are so enticed to grab those home teams with a small line but oftentimes the line is just that...an enticement. When the situational factors are right, these road teams can be pure gold. Clemson is 5-2 this season but the 5 teams they have beaten have a combined record of 11-23. Penn State has only one loss this season and it was to a Hokies team that is now 7-1 on the season. Nittany Lions allowing only 62.5 points per game this season and I sense a road upset here but will grab the added insurance of having the points on our side in this one. 10* PENN STATE +2

CBB Monday 10* Top Play Sam Houston State Bearkats +2.5/+3/+3.5 @ Nevada Wolf Pack @ 10 PM ET - This one jumped off the page at me because, of course, most people are going to look and see the bigger school at home and laying a small number and think this is easy money. Not so fast my friend. This one should belong to the surprising Bearkats. They were already expected to be very good in the WAC this season but now are getting extra production from unexpected sources and it has made them even better. In a nutshell, this team is not only good, there are VERY good and deep! They are 6-0 SU on the season and 4-0 ATS in lined games. They play great defense and get a lot of steals and already have wins over Oklahoma and Utah! Those are two Power 5 conference teams and yes the wins were AT Norman, OK and AT Salt Lake City, UT. So going into Reno, NV to knock off Nevada is not asking too much. Now the fact is the Wolf Pack are a quality team and they have a great coach too in Steve Alford, but the Sam Houston State coach Jason Hooten has been with the Bearkats for 12 years and this is a great team he has assembled this season. These guys really believe in themselves and in each other and I do expect an outright win here but, at the very least, we should see a cover if it comes down to a tight finish. Nevada's leading scorer Lucas is struggling with his shooting percentage early this season and their 4th leading scorer Hymes has missed the last few games with back issues and may miss again. Either way, I like this hungry Bearkats team here. 10* SAM HOUSTON STATE +2.5/+3/+3.5

NCAAB Saturday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames -5 @ Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix @ 7 ET - The Phoenix are not only 0-5 this season, they were in Jamaica for a tournament. So even though Wisconsin Green Bay is back home and now playing their home opener, this is not exactly an ideal spot for them after the tournament in Jamaica. They have played some tough teams this season but also UWGB has lost to teams like Queens and Utah Valley by a combined 39 points in last 2 games. Overall the Phoenix have been blown out in every game this season. Granted, UIC is no powerhouse but, unlike UWGB, they are at least scoring well this season. Illinois-Chicago is averaging 74 ppg this season and Green Bay averaging just 55 ppg this season. Look for the Flames to get the win here as they ride the momentum of B2B wins and with the downward line move here we have solid line value also. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO -5

CBB Friday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats -7 vs Portland Pilots @ 2:30 ET - This game being played in a tournament at Portland and so the location certainly favors the Pilots. However, they still could be without one of their starting guards for this one plus I expect them to fall flat after having a shot to upset #1 North Carolina yesterday but falling just short. I know Villanova is off an OT loss but the Wildcats have enough depth to be just fine here and this Wildcats team will have resolve in this one after falling just short by a single bucket in back to back games. Villanova lost by 2 to Michigan State and then by 2 in OT to Iowa State. In fact, the Cats are just 2-3 this season but the 3 losses by a combined total of only 8 points. Nova has also played a much tougher schedule than the Pilots. Prior to facing UNC last night, the Portland schedule had been quite soft and the stronger team from the stronger conference and off B2B losses gets a statement win here against a Pilots team that will be flat after last night's result. 10* VILLANOVA -7

NCAAB Thursday 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks +3.5 vs Connecticut Huskies @ 8 ET in Portland, OR - This is a neutral site game in the Phil Knight Invitational but certainly the location favors the Ducks. What I love about this play the most is this an early season situation that tends to work very well. You have a ranked team laying a small number and they are already 5-0 on the season and that small number is so enticing when you consider they are facing a 2-2 team. Now here's the early season key with this. Yes Connecticut is 5-0 but they have faced a very weak schedule so far. Now I know the Ducks did lose to Cal Irvine which is unacceptable but they were outscored by a margin of 24 points from the 3-point arc in the 13 point loss. Simply put, Oregon shot horribly and the Anteaters were solid from outside. That is not an excuse though it is just a fact that even good basketball teams have off-games at times, overlook teams they should not, etc. The Ducks other loss was to a highly ranked Houston team. I feel both these losses help them here. You can bet Oregon, definitely having played the tougher schedule, is also motivated to put the first blemish on the Huskies record this season. Look for them to do just that but we'll grab the points as added insurance too. 10* OREGON +3.5

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Marquette Golden Eagles -5.5 vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 6 ET - The Golden Eagles lost yesterday despite holding Mississippi State to 13 of 39 shooting from inside the arc. Marquette actually made 13 of 23 shots from inside the arc. The problem was, as you guessed it, the Golden Eagles took a lot of threes but did not knock them down at the same high rate as the Bulldogs. Now I know the Yellow Jackets forced a lot of turnovers yesterday and that kept them in the game as they lost a tight one to Utah. However, they will not be so successful here in that regard as I expect a focused Golden Eagles team to be much tougher to beat than Utah was yesterday. The Utes practically gave the game away yesterday but the Eagles come into this one hungry off a loss as they are 3-2 this season with two tight losses and 3 wins by double digit margins. Keep in mind, the Bulldogs team that Marquette just lost to is now 5-0 on the season. With Georgia Tech suffering their first loss of the season, they could be in for a letdown here and you are seeing the Golden Eagles favored by about a half-dozen here with good reason. Yellow Jackets went about 7 minutes without scoring a field goal after scoring one with 7:22 left in the game. That kind of offensive ineptitude in late-game situations can get in a team's head. Now they face a tough Golden Eagles team the very next day. Tough spot. 10* MARQUETTE -5.5

#306575 Tuesday 10* Top Play Penn Quakers -3/3.5/4 @ Lafayette Leopards @ 8:30 ET - I am aware of the Jordan Dingle injury as he missed the game at West Virginia after leaving the prior game with an injury. However, even if he does not play tonight, the Quakers are just too much for the Leopards and the situation is perfect. While Penn is off a bloodbath loss to the Mountaineers 92 to 58 and fully ready to respond here, Lafayette is off an ugly low-scoring win over Central Connecticut State. That was first win of the season for the Leopards and they could struggle here after an ugly tight win like that. Penn, on the other hand, is coming off the type of ugly defeat that is going to bring an inspired effort here. I don't see the Quakers being denied here even if Dingle ends up missing this game. However, there is a chance he will be back for this one but either way the depth of their roster has more talent than this Leopards team from the Patriot League. Not only is that one of the weakest conferences in the nation but also Lafayette is projected to be one of the worst teams in the Patriot League. Take advantage of the small number here and look for the Quakers to bounce back off the embarrassing loss. 10* PENN -3/3.5/4

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Furman Paladins +3 or +3.5 vs Penn State Nittany Lions @ 11:30 AM ET - This is the beauty of College Hoops. To Joe Public, everyone knows about Penn State as they have had a great football program through the years and are well-known in College sports. Conversely, few people know about Furman. But the Paladins are a solid College Hoops program. This line opened up nearly in a pick'em range but has shot up to as high as 3.5 on Penn State. I love fading line moves like this. Yes the Nittany Lions just beat Butler but the Bulldogs lost the game by 6 but were outscored by 15 points from deep. Poor 3-point shooting for Butler was the difference in the game. The Bulldogs had more shots from the field and more than twice as many free throw attempts yet the Nittany Lions got the win. Penn State was a little fortunate is my point. In this match-up the Paladins will find a way in their home state of South Carolina for this tournament in Charleston. Mike Bothwell continues to be a star for Furman and they just beat a solid Belmont team. Last year the Paladins looked like they were going to the Big Dance when they had a 2 point lead with under 4 seconds to go in the game but then lost on a desperation moon-shot 3-pointer miracle shot. Furman is on a mission this season. They have won both their games to start this season and are a very determined team. Penn State is solid but the Paladins are the better team in this match-up and so the fact we get a hungry underdog in their home state (yes they are 200 miles away but this is still their home state) is a value I will not pass up on. 10* FURMAN +3 or +3.5

CBB Tuesday 10* Top Play Appalachian State Mountaineers +6.5 @ Louisville Cardinals @ 6 ET - The Cardinals are 0-2 this season. Both losses were by a single point but Louisville was favored in each game by about the same amount they are for this one. I don't expect this one to end well for them either. They have a new coach this season and are a program that use to be so strong but now has won just 13 games each of the past two seasons. Like the Mountaineers, they lost a lot of starters from last season and had to reload the roster. The difference though is I really like the additions Appalachian State made in the transfer department entering this season. Also, the Mountaineers are already 2-0 this season and they just won a game in OT in which they had to hit a late 3 just to force OT. App St is feeling it right now as a result. Confidence is building. Granted they did not play tough teams, especially in their season opening blowout win but the Cards played two game they were supposed to win also and yet lost them both. Louisville will be in a dogfight just to win this game let alone cover the spread. 10* APPALACHIAN STATE +6.5

CBB Thursday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys -8 vs Southern Illinois Salukis @ 8 ET - Both teams off wins but OSU was rather unimpressive in theirs while S Ill rolled on the scoreboard in theirs. I love spots like this because it creates solid line value. The Salukis actually won by 31 points but had 9 less shot attempts from the field than Little Rock did. How is that possible? Well Southern Illinois shot lights out while struggled badly including 3 of 18 from 3 point land and 8 of 18 from the free throw line! Southern Illinois was great from the field in this game and also were able to dominate the glass against Little Rock. So the key here is that none of those things are likely to be repeated here. Now the Salukis are on the road and facing a Big 12 program and Stillwater is not an easy place to play. Look for the Cowboys, with a talented backcourt and strong team depth, to roll to a win by double digits at home in this one. OSU is off a disappointing campaign so they are hungry to make amends this season. The fact the Cowboys only won their opener by 11 against UT Arlington even though they were favored by 21 only strengthens this spot. Oklahoma State should shoot much better than 6 of 25 from 3-point land in this one! 10* OKLAHOMA STATE -8

CBB Wednesday 10* Top Play Davidson Wildcats -3.5 @ Wright State Raiders @ 7 ET - The Wildcats have the stronger backcourt in this match-up. That is important early in the season. I like the Raiders frontcourt but have some concerns about their guard play and feel they could struggle a bit early on this season. Yes Davidson has a new coach but he has been the assistant there for years under his father and he himself was a strong scorer for this program about two decades ago. The point is that he is experienced in the program and had been working with his Dad here for about two decades and I think Davidson is going to be rock solid yet again this season. Yes they lost some of their playing rotation from last season but so too did Wright State. The Wildcats are a fantastic program and remember that the Raiders did start off slow out of the gates last season in non-conference action too. Look for that to be the case again this season as they go through some early-season growing pains in the backcourt in particular. 10* DAVIDSON -3.5

CBB Monday 10* Top Play La Salle Explorers +15 @ Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - This is an intriguing match-up because it is an all-Philly game and, as always, the little brother wants to prove they can compete with the big brother. What has added to the intrigue here is La Salle has Fran Duphy (a 1970 Explorers graduate) and his 30 years of head coaching experience patrolling the sideline. At the same time, Villanova no longer has Jay Wright on the sideline and it will be strange to see the Wildcats without Wright patrolling the sideline. Kyle Neptune has only one year of head coaching experience. To his credit, Neptune has experience within the Wildcats program and helped recruit a lot of this current roster. Still I like the head coaching edge of Dunphy over Neptune and also note that guard play is so key early in the season in particular. It helps teams get comfortable in the early going of the season when teams are still trying to work out the kinks. That said, I like the depth of the Explorers in terms of their backcourt and will note that Villanova lost a lot from last year's backcourt. Of course Nova still the better team and should win this by a range of 7 to 9 points but I would not be surprised to see the Explorers, led by Dunphy, to hang around in this Philly battle much longer than many expect and it should not be a blowout as a result. 10* LA SALLE +15

NCAA Game of the Month Saturday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats +4.5 vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 6:09 ET - It is no surprise that the masses are lining up on Kansas here. The Jayhawks coming off that colossal 2nd half performance against Miami and they are the highest ranked team left in the tournament. Also, Villanova is without 2nd leading scorer Justin Moore after he got hurt at the end of the Michigan game. Well, as long-time followers know, I love being a contrarian and I am on the Wildcats here and with good reason. One of the keys is Caleb Daniels is the guy taking Moore's place in the lineup. He is from Louisiana. This game is at the Superdome in New Orleans. Daniels is back home again. In fact his college career started at Tulane. He is a redshirt senior and 22 years old. He has a lot of experience and has been the 6th man for Nova this season but will embrace his new starting role and, though his shooting stats were not good, he did score 12 of Villanova's 50 points in the win over Houston in the Elite 8 round to help the Cats to get here! Also, the Wildcats are known for a certain style and pedigree in College Basketball just like Kansas is. Well, through the years even though the players change it is still noteworthy how these two powerhouses have fared when matched up against each other because their style of play is often similar year to year. Well, the Wildcats are 7-1 ATS in last 8 meetings with Kansas and the Jayhawks have won only 3 of those 8 meetings SU. Look for Collin Gillespie and Daniels to have huge games and look for Kansas to struggle just to win this game let alone cover the spread in this one! 10* VILLANOVA +4.5

CBB Situational Slaughter Friday 10* Top Play Coastal Carolina Chanticleers +3 vs Fresno State Bulldogs @ 6 ET - This game was supposed to be played Thursday but ended up being pushed back to Friday when the Bulldogs had charter flight issues trying to leave from home. Anything that breaks the routine or normalcy for a team is not a good thing. Certainly they have had time to adjust but the fact that Fresno State flew across country later than expected and allowed the Chanticleers to comfortably rest at home and have more preparation time is unlikely to help the visitors. I also like the fact that the Bulldogs are just a .500 team SU on the road this season and Coastal Carolina is a solid 13-6 SU at home. Considering that plus the fact the Chanticleers are getting 3 points here and score very well at home while the Bulldogs tend to struggle scoring away from home, I like the home dog a lot in this one! 10* COASTAL CAROLINA +3

CBB NIT Dominator Tuesday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers +2 vs St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 7 ET - The odds makers well aware that Musketeers 2nd leading scorer Paul Scruggs if out for season with torn ACL suffered in the win over Florida in this tournament. However, they still opened up the line on this one with Xavier as the small favorite. Sure enough, the line flipped and St Bonaventure is now the favorite. Historically I love fading line moves like this and there is certainly justification for fading this one. The Musketeers faced the tougher schedule this season. Also, their only loss last 5 games was in OT. Not including OT points, Xavier has scored an average of 77 points last 5 games. The Bonnies, on the other hand, have scored less than 57 points in 4 of last 7 games. Even without Scruggs, the Musketeers are the more talented and skilled team. The odds makers know that and so do we and, given the above scoring stats, don't be surprised if St Bonaventure can not keep up as this game goes on and the underdog pulls away in the latter stages for the outright win. Grab the point or two for added insurance but you should not need it. 10* XAVIER +2

NCAA Game of the Month Sunday 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks -5.5 vs Miami-Florida Hurricanes @ 2:20 ET - The Jayhawks were outshot by the Friars - in terms of FG attempts - in their Sweet 16 win on Friday. However, Kansas did win the rebounding battle and they had a huge edge in terms of getting to the free throw line. Had they not shot so poorly from three point land, the Jayhawks would have easily covered the game and won by double digits. The key here is that the same can not be said of the Hurricanes. Miami got a favorable match-up Friday in terms of facing an Iowa State team that, in the opinion of most, had over-achieved to even get to that stage. That said, the Hurricanes getting outshot 68 to 56 in terms of FG attempts plus having only 7 offensive boards comparted to allowing 16 to the Cyclones combines for some concern here as they now face one of the best teams in the nation. I feel strongly that the Hurricanes have reached the end of the line in their season and feel we are getting excellent line value. This spread is being held lower than it should be because of Friday's results. The Jayhawks make it 9 wins in a row and this one comes by double digits in my opinion. Keep in mind their last 6 wins in the 8-game winning streak have come by an average margin of 14 points. The Hurricanes get beaten on the boards and the Jayhawks also again get to the free throw line much more than their opponent. 10* KANSAS -5.5

NCAA Sweet 16 Game of the Year Friday 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks -7 vs Providence Friars @ 7:29 ET - Kansas just beat Creighton by 7 points to reach this game. The Bluejays are the same Big East team that knocked Providence out of the Big East tourney. Creighton beat the Friars by 27 points in that laugher. That does not mean this win will be so easy for the Jayhawks but I definitely do not see them being denied and I do expect a double digit win for Kansas. The Jayhawks have gotten hot at the right time and when this team is firing on all cylinders in terms of point production and offensive efficiency, look out! Kansas is on an 11-2 SU run and had one low-scoring win during this stretch but averaged scoring 79 points per game in the other 10 victories. Providence is 3-2 SU last 5 games and, prior to big win over Richmond, scored an average of 63 points over 3 prior games. The Friars averaged 66.5 points on the road this season while Kansas averaged 76.7 points on the road this season. Simply put, Providence just will not be able to keep up in this one and the Jayhawks eventually pull away for a win by a double digit margin. Lay it! 10* KANSAS -7

NCAA PA Dominator Thursday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats -4.5 vs Michigan Wolverines @ 7:29 ET - The Wolverines are off an upset win over Tennessee but a closer look at how that played out tells you all you need to know. Michigan actually had 13 LESS field goal attempts than the Volunteers but they managed to win the game handily because the Vols shot 2 of 18 from three point land! Also, Michigan had 15 turnovers compared to just 7 for Tennessee. Now we get line value here with one of the best teams in the country laying a short number, in part, due to the upset win for the Wolverines over Tennessee. On a neutral court, the Wildcats are much better than just a 5-point differential in comparison with Wolverines. Villanova enters this game having won 12 of 13 games and the Wildcats have seen 9 of those 12 victories come by a margin of at least 5 points. I am sure this one will too. 10* VILLANOVA -4.5

NCAA Earliest Cash Thursday 9* Top Play Arkansas Razorbacks +10 vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 7:09 ET - The Razorbacks played the tougher regular season schedule in comparison with Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are a great team of course and ranked #1 in the nation but this is a tough spot for them to win by double digits. They barely got by Memphis and remember they lost at St Mary's in final game of February. Arkansas enters this game having won 17 of 20 and 2 of those 3 losses were by just 4 or less points. Look for another tight game here and having the big points on your side is the way to go in this one. 9* ARKANSAS +10

CBB CBI Championship Winner Wednesday 10* Top Play Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders -4.5 vs UNC Wilmington Seahawks @ 5 ET - Middle Tennessee has some edges here and it makes me very comfortable in laying the 4.5 points in this one. The Seahawks are playing a 4th straight day in going for the CBI Championship today. Conversely, the Blue Raiders first game of this tournament was Saturday. The off day that Middle Tennessee had Sunday could pay major dividends here as they should have the fresher legs in pushing for the CBI Title! Also, the Blue Raiders have been the better shooting team on the season plus the better team in terms of defending including shutting down the 3-ball too. Those better numbers are a big reason that UNC Wilmington had just a 1-point win Monday while the Blue Raiders wins Monday and Tuesday were by a combined 46 points! Look for the favorite to pull away in the 2nd half for another big win here. 10* MIDDLE TENNESSEE

CBB NIT Tourney Smash Tuesday 10* Top Play Virginia Cavaliers -3 vs St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 7 ET - The Bonnies have surprisingly won back to back road games to reach this point in the NIT Tourney. However, entering this tournament, St Bonaventure had averaged scoring only 58 points in last 5 games away from home. Now the Bonnies are on the road taking on a Cavaliers team known for tough defense! Virginia will stifle St Bonaventure here and pull away in the latter stages. The Cavs last 8 wins have come by an average margin of 8 points. Lay the short number here for the big win. 10* VIRGINIA

CBI Tourney Smash Monday 10* Top Play Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders -4 vs Boston University Terriers @ 6 ET - The Terriers had to play yesterday and they were down by 7 at the half before rallying in the 2nd half for the 3 point win over UNC Greensboro. That said, Middle Tennessee has an advantage because they played Saturday so they have an extra day of rest. Also, the Blue Raiders are the better team defensively in comparison with the Terriers. I also like the fact that Middle Tennessee was the better team ATS in comparison with Boston University this season and feel they are again undervalued here. Lay the short number here with the better team and look for a win by a double digit margin as the more rested team pulls away as this game goes on. 10* MIDDLE TENNESSEE -4

NCAA 2nd Rd Game of the Year Sunday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers -3 vs Texas Longhorns @ 8:40 ET - Great line value here in my opinion. Purdue is off a blowout win over Yale. The Boilermakers have now won 12 of 18 games away from home this season and here we are only having to lay 3 points to have the much stronger team in this match-up. The Longhorns managed to get a win over Virginia Tech Friday but entered that game with only 5 wins in 13 games away from home prior to that! The Boilermakers are a much better shooting team in comparison with Texas. The Horns making only 43% from the field in road games this season and overall 33% of threes this season. Purdue is hitting overall 39% of threes this season and 49% from the field overall. Before beating the Hokies, the Longhorns had been held to 63 or less points in 3 straight games. The Boilermakers have averaged 73 points last 3 games. Texas will not be able to keep up in this one. 10* PURDUE -3

CBB Contrarian Crusher Saturday 10* Top Play Richmond Spiders +3 vs Providence Friars @ 6:10 ET - This line looks funny does it not? Providence only favored by 3 over Richmond? Look at the records...look at the rankings...look at the seedings. You get my point and these are the types of situations I love to look for. I am going to ride this Spiders team as they are red hot and full of confidence. Richmond is on a 15-6 SU run and 4 of those 6 losses by 3 or less points. This Spiders team plays very well defensively and the Friars are going to have their hands full in this one. Give me the points! That was a solid Iowa team playing very well and with a such a potent offense and Richmond got the upset win over the Hawkeyes. That said, they can certainly knock off this Providence team too. We'll grab the points with the Spiders as added insurance. 10* RICHMOND +3

NCAA Daytime Dominator Saturday 8* Creighton Bluejays +11.5 vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 2:40 ET - The Bluejays have only lost 3 games since early February and 2 of the 3 losses were by a half-dozen points or less. Now Creighton is catching a full dozen points against the Jayhawks and I feel it will prove to be too much. Kansas is on a 12-4 SU run but 5 of those wins by a single digit margin. That means only 7 of last 16 Jayhawks games have been wins by a double digit margin. The last time these teams met the Bluejays fell short by just a single point. This one will not be quite that close but strong odds that they stay within single digits here as they are playing with a lot of confidence here after their late rally led to an eventual OT win over San Diego State in first round action Thursday. 8* CREIGHTON +11.5

CBB Earliest Cash Saturday 8* North Carolina Tar Heels +5.5 vs Baylor Bears @ 12:10 ET - Bears are a great team of course but they are certainly not unbeatable. Before blasting an over-matched Norfolk State in the 1st round, Baylor was on an 8-4 SU run and 2 of those wins by 4 or less points. With how hot the Tar Heels are right now, look for the Bears to struggle just to win this game let alone cover the spread of nearly a half-dozen points. UNC has won 7 of 8 games and has had some very impressive efforts recently. More of the same here. 8* NORTH CAROLINA +5.5

NCAA 1st Round Game of the Year Friday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates (-) vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 9:57 ET - The Pirates lost to Connecticut in the Big East tourney but won 6 in a row before that defeat. Seton Hall certainly finished the season much hotter than TCU. The Horned Frogs enter this game having lost 8 of 13 games. The Pirates, had a mid-season lull but then got stronger later in the season and I like the way Seton Hall played down the stretch. TCU turned the ball over 15 times per game away from home this season while the Pirates turned it over 11 times per game away from home. I am grabbing the hotter team that takes better care of the ball and I look for the Pirates to pull away strongly in the 2nd half of this game as their winning ways continue while the Horned Frogs, a little beaten up from all the losing, again struggle to find a way to get back to winning as they came slips away from TCU in the second half. 10* SETON HALL

CBB Daytime Dominator Friday 8* Texas Longhorns (-) vs Virginia Tech Hokies @ 4:30 ET - The Hokies marched through the ACC Tourney and so they enter this match-up winners of 4 straight including upset of Duke in the Championship Game. Conversely, the Longhorns have lost 3 straight as they got knocked out of the Big 12 Tourney immediately when they were upset by TCU. However, the two losses before that were to rock solid teams - Kansas and Baylor. This set up is perfect for Texas to roll and we get a bargain on the line - right around a pick'em - because of the recent results heading into this game. Great value. We'll take it! 8* TEXAS

NCAA Tourney Blowout Thursday 10* Top Play Creighton Bluejays (+) vs San Diego State Aztecs @ 7:27 ET - Bluejays faced a tougher schedule and I also like the fact Creighton won both games against UConn and all 3 games against Marquette and also they did get a 20 point win versus Villanova this season. San Diego State, on the other hand, lost both games against Boise State this season and 2 of 3 against Colorado State. The point is we are looking at how these teams fared against some of the other tourney teams coming from the same conference they are in and you can see that the Bluejays were much better than the Aztecs. Couple that with the fact that Creighton had the tougher overall schedule and you can see why I like having them as a small underdog to San Diego State in this match-up. Having the 2.5 points (current line) could be a bigger value than you think too when you consider the very low posted total on this Bluejays/Aztecs battle. Believe it or not, 6 of San Diego State's last 14 games decided by 2 points or less! 10* CREIGHTON

NCAA TNT Annihilation Thursday 8* Connecticut Huskies (-) vs New Mexico State Aggies @ 6:50 ET - This is a case of two teams with very different strength of schedule factors and I feel the Huskies will roll big. There is a big difference between the Big East and the WAC! That said, getting this line right around a half-dozen points, we have excellent line value here! Look at it this way. Connectictut lost to Villanova by just 3 points in Big East action. New Mexico State beat Abilene Christian in WAC action. That is the most recent game for each of these teams. The Huskies were a very small dog to the Wildcats. Now imagine what the line would be if Villanova was playing Abilene Christian! You can see my point here and I think we have a ton of value in this game with UConn as they should win this by a double digit margin! 8* CONNECTICUT

NCAA Daytime Dominator Thursday 8* Boise State Broncos (+) vs Memphis Tigers @ 1:45 ET - The markets are favoring Memphis here as the line has climbed from -1.5 to -3 on the Tigers. I  fully realize that Memphis has played the tougher schedule this season but it is not like that schedule variance is huge. Also, this is also a revenge game for Boise State as the Broncos lost to the Tigers in tourney time last year! The Broncos enter this game on a 10-2 SU run and the two losses were each by just 3 points so I feel we have excellent line value here with having the points on our side. 8* BOISE STATE

NCAA Tourney Play-in Wednesday 10* Top Play Bryant Bulldogs +3.5 vs Wright State Raiders @ 6:40 ET - Most people have heard of Wright State from the Horizon League but very few know about Bryant University from the Northeast Conference. Of course this is an advantage come tournament time. I like taking underdogs like the Bulldogs in spots like this at this time of the year and will ride with Bryant in this play-in game. The Raiders have played the tougher schedule but only slightly and, keep in mind, confidence builds with wins and this Bryant team has won 18 of 20 games! Wright State has won 10 of 15 games and the Raiders have been playing well but again this Bulldogs team even hotter. Also, Bryant does have the better defensive numbers on the season. 10* BRYANT +3.5

NCAA Tourney Opener Tuesday 10* Top Play Texas Southern Tigers (-) vs Texas A & M Corpus Christi Islanders @ 6:40 ET - Both teams considered 16 seeds in this play-in game yet the team with the lesser record favored by 3.5 points. Head scratcher? Not really! The fact is the Tigers have been the hotter team in comparison with the Islanders for quite some time now. Texas Southern enters this game having gone 18-5 since starting the season 0-7. The Tigers also have won 13 of last 15 games and their last two wins each by 19 or more points in conference tourney action. Texas A & M Corpus Christi is just 8-7 since starting the season 15-4. For the Islanders, 6 of those 7 losses were by 6 or more points and I fully expect this one will be too! 10* TEXAS SOUTHERN

CBB Contrarian Crusher Sunday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes +2.5 @ Purdue Boilermakers @ 3:30 ET - The Hawkeyes lost both regular season meetings with Purdue this season. The Boilermakers also are the higher-ranked team. Consider all of that and yet this line opened up at a -1 and, of course, everyone is now fading Iowa and the line has jumped up to a 2.5 in this one. In typical contrarian fashion, I am fading the line move here and grabbing the points with Iowa. The Hawkeyes barely snuck by Indiana yesterday but will carry momentum from that last-second buzzer-beating half-court 3 winner that allowed them to avoid OT versus the Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes had been on an ATS hot streak before yesterday's non-covering win. The Boilermakers have continued an ATS losing streak. More of the same here! 10* IOWA

CBB Big Ten Game of the Year Friday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (-) vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 2 ET - This line is in the 6.5 range and Iowa's 23 wins have included 21 by a double digit margin this season! The Hawkeyes are rolling right now and they have revenge from an ugly 48-46 loss at Rutgers in the regular season. Iowa enters this game with wins in 9 of last 11 games and all 9 wins were by a double digit margin. Rutgers has lost 3 of 5 games and scored an average of 62 points last 4 games. The Hawkeyes have averaged 88.4 points per game last 10 games. Revenge will be sweet here and it will be in the form of a blowout. 10* IOWA

CBB Big East Beast Thursday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) vs St John's Red Storm @ 7 ET - The Red Storm are 0-6 this season when facing a ranked team. The average margin of those losses is 9 points and they lost twice to Villanova this season and the line on this game is the 5.5 to 6 point range. In the most recent game, Big East Player of the Year Collin Gillespie was dealing with an injury and scored ZERO points and yet the Wildcats still won that game by 6 points! The 5th year senior is averaging 16.3 ppg this season. You know he will be in line for a huge game here after being held scoreless in the most recent meeting. It is now tourney time and this rested Wildcats team taking on a St John's team that was in action yesterday. I like the Red Storm overall as they are scrappy team that can be difficult to play against. However, the numbers speak for themselves here and we get line value because this is essentially a home game for St John's so that keeps the line lower than it should be. Given the situation here this game should be a double digit blowout win for the Wildcats in this one as the Red Storm drop to 0-7 on the season in games against ranked teams. 10* VILLANOVA

CBB Big East Game of the Month Wednesday 10* Top Play Butler Bulldogs +6.5 vs Xavier Musketeers @ 4:30 ET - Xavier won both regular season meetings. The Musketeers, however, did the same thing last season too and then got beat by Butler in the Big East tourney. Not only that, the Bulldogs were down by 14 points at the half in that one and yet rallied for the win. This team still has that confidence and see the Big East tourney as a fresh start. I know Butler struggled late this season but so too did Xavier! In comparing the two teams what I like the most heading into this tourney is that the Bulldogs, not including OT, had allowed 66 or less points in 3 straight games before losing bad to Villanova in the season finale. The Musketeers, on the other hand, allowed 77.7 points (not including OT of course) over their final 6 games of the season and went 1-5 SU with their only win against a Georgetown team that lost 20 straight games after starting the season 6-4. Per the above, excellent line value with a scrappy underdog playing the better defense and that has tourney confidence facing this over-rated favorite that had a disappointing finish to the season as expectations were much higher at Xavier. 10* BUTLER +6.5

CBB Earliest Cash Sunday 8* Penn State Nittany Lions +6 @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Noon ET - The Scarlet Knights are seeking revenge here but they are also off a last second win at Indiana and I feel Rutgers could be emotionally spent here already. Penn State is a scrappy underdog and a tough team to blowout and, as a result, excellent line value with the half-dozen points here. The Nittany Lions are only 4-6 SU last 10 games but only 1 of the 10 was a blowout loss. The other 5 losses were by an average margin of just 4 points. The underdogs will be in this one all the way, have a shot at yet another SU win over the Knights and, as a result, excellent value here with the points. 8* PENN STATE +6

CBB Big 12 Game of the Year Saturday 10* Top Play Kansas Jayhawks -6.5 vs Texas Longhorns @ 4 ET - Triple revenge spot for the Jayhawks as they have lost 3 straight to the Longhorns including earlier this season at Austin. The fact Kansas is the host in this one is certainly a big edge. The Jayhawks are 15-1 at home this season while Texas is 5-6 in road games. Also, the Horns off a disappointing 7 point loss to Baylor and that was at home! The last 3 road losses for the Longhorns have come by an average margin of 13 points per loss! The Jayhawks last 5 home wins by an average margin of victory of 13 points! With this line around a half-dozen points coupled with the home court edge and the triple revenge factor, this one offering superb line value. 10* KANSAS -6.5

CBB MAC Game of the Year Friday 10* Top Play Western Michigan Broncos +3.5 vs Ball State Cardinals @ 6 ET - Love this spot for the Broncos. Western Michigan has lost 3 straight games to the Cardinals but they enter this game on a bit of a roll. Indeed the Broncos have won B2B games outright as underdogs and have won 4 of last 6 games overall and are on a 7-1 ATS run. That said, and playing their home finale with triple revenge, Western Michigan is in a great spot for another upset win. Ball State is actually in a tough stretch that has seen them lose 6 of 9 since defeating the Broncos. Also, the Cardinals just got blasted by 19 points at home versus Akron and that is the same Zips team that Western Michigan beat once this season and only lost to by a single point in the other game. The point is that the Broncos are the hotter team right now, playing better, have triple revenge here, and are on their home floor. It all adds up to a great spot to back the host as an underdog in this one. 10* WESTERN MICHIGAN +3.5

CBB Earliest Cash Thursday 8* Penn State Nittany Lions +12.5 @ Illinois Illini @ 7 ET - The Nittany Lions just got waxed at home by Nebraska and I fully expect a response here. Prior to that disastrous result, Penn State was on a 4-4 SU run in which the 4 losses came by an average margin of 3.8 points and in which no defeat was by more than 6 points. That said, the Illini laying double digits here is just too much in my opinion. Illinois is off a win at Michigan but this was preceded by a 6-5 SU stretch and, overall, last dozen games have featured only 2 Illini wins by more than 8 points. 8* PENN STATE +12.5

CBB Earliest Cash Wednesday 8* Xavier Musketeers +1.5 @ St John's Red Storm @ 6:30 ET - The Musketeers got blasted by double digits at home by the Red Storm two weeks ago and now it is payback time. Off 4 straight losses, enough is enough for Xavier. There is a reason this line is right around a pick'em even though the Musketeers have lost 4 straight and St John's is at home and has won the last two meetings. In other words, don't let the line fool you. This one is going to feature a road win as Musketeers take advantage of a Red Storm team that has lost 5 of last 6 home games! 8* XAVIER

CBB Tourney Topper Tuesday 10* Top Play Illinois-Chicago Flames -2.5 @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers @ 8 ET - We are getting line value here because this game is at UW-Milw even though UIC had the better record in the Horizon League regular season. So the higher-rated Flames are being hosted by the Panthers and the result is a much lower line on the much better team in my opinion. Coming into this season big things were expected from the Panthers because of Bradley, Jr (considered an NBA prospect) and Vin Baker (Boston College transfer who had to sit out last season.). However, Bradley ended up injury prone and has been shut down for the season and Bradley just not materialize into the big contributor he was expected to be. Conversely, the Flames hopes were riding on a number of transfers and those hopes did materialize for them. Of course I am not saying UIC is a great team but they have exceeded expectations and are certainly a better team that the Panthers. Already 2-0 against them this season and UIC had big turnover edges in the match-ups this season plus a big rebounding edge in the 2nd meeting and overall had 28 more field goal attempts combined in the two games. Couple all that with only having to lay a small number here and you have solid value in my opinion. Look for Flames to advance to 2nd round of Horizon League tourney in convincing fashion. 10* ILLINOIS-CHICAGO -2.5

CBB Matinee Mauling Saturday 8* Xavier Musketeers -3.5 vs Seton Hall Pirates @ 3:30 ET - I lost with Xavier plus the points in a triple-OT thriller at Providence Wednesday. I have had my eyes on this next match-up for the Musketeers ever since. They are hosting a Pirates team that is 2-4 SU last 6 road games. Xavier lost its most recent home game but was 12-3 SU in their first 15 as a host this season. This is the perfect bounce back spot and, keep in mind, Seton Hall still without Bryce Aiken and he is certainly a player that makes the Pirates much better. As for the Musketeers they had not lost 3 straight games this entire season until the tough loss to the Friars Wednesday. The losing streak stops right here right now and note that Xavier's last 16 wins have featured 13 by at least a half-dozen points. This one will be too for the Pirates. 8* XAVIER -3.5

CBB Earliest Cash Friday 10* Top Play Akron Zips +8 @ Ohio University Bobcats @ 6 ET - The Zips Bryan Trimble Jr was recently placed on a leave of absence. Akron had just wrapped up a 3-game losing streak - all losses by 4 or less points - and the Zips have responded with back to back wins by an average margin of 16.5 points per victory. Granted, the wins were against weaker teams in the MAC but the point is that this team has banded together and is better off without Trimble. Team chemistry is so important and these guys are really working hard now for each other and working well together and playing solid defense and crashing the boards. I don't see them getting blown out here at Ohio. Yes the Bobcats are a very strong team and they did win the first meeting by 6 points at Akron. However, Ohio shot 50% from the field in that game while the Zips had a rare 9 for 17 shooting performance from the free throw line in that one. All that and yet Akron sill lost by only 6  points. This Zips team is starting to jell at the right time and I look for them to be very tough on the Bobcats in this one and it goes down to the wire. 10* AKRON

CBB Contrarian Crusher Thursday 10* Top Play Indiana Hoosiers -6 vs Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Hoosiers have lost 5 straight games and are off a crazy OT loss at Ohio State where they failed to cover as underdog. That was a nice break (seems rare but always do admit it) for me as the Buckeyes -6.5 were my play there. Now I come back with a fired up Indiana team off that tough loss from earlier this week. The Hoosiers have faced 4 ranked teams during this 5-game losing streak. In other words, they have simply faced a murderers row of opponents and have paid for that. Now they get a chance against a lesser team plus they are at home. I like the fact that Maryland is on a 2-game winning streak but faced a Penn State team that is below .500 on the season and a Nebraska team that is the worst in the Big Ten. Also, Fatts Russell had huge games against both the Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers but the Hoosiers held him to a rough performance when they faced the Terrapins earlier this season. As Russell goes, so go the Terps and because of that key factor and the situational edges here I am fully expecting a home blowout here. 10* INDIANA

CBB Big East Beast Wednesday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers +2.5 @ Providence Friars @ 7 ET - If you look up "trap line" in a "dictionary for bettors" and it gave you examples this one would be a perfect fit. The Friars are at home, they are a ranked team and they are hosting an unranked team they already beat on the road this season and have beaten 3 of last 4 times overall and also 6 of last 8 times when hosting. Consider all that and then consider the fact this line opened up at very nearly a pick'em even though the Musketeers come into this game having lost 4 of 5 games and Providence comes into this game winners of 9 of 10. This game has "trap" written all over it in my opinion and sure enough the betting markets are already falling for it! The line is up to a 2.5 and I would not be surprised if it climbs even higher. Either way though, I am pulling the trigger now early this morning and taking advantage of the added line value. This one all the way up to a 2.5 as of early morning Wednesday. Grab the points with the road dog but I am expecting an outright upset. 10* XAVIER +2.5

CBB Big East Beast Tuesday 8* Villanova Wildcats +2.5 @ Connecticut Huskies @ 8 ET - This is the classic situation I love as we get line value in a game simply because that team is on the road. In this case that team is Villanova and they are catching a few points at Connecticut. Yes, the Huskies are certainly a high quality team but the Wildcats are the better team and now come into this one as a dog. Villanova has performed better in the bigger games against the tougher competition in my opinion and the Wildcats have just 3 losses in Big East action this season while the Huskies have 5 defeats in conference action. Watch the road team prove to be the better team in crunch time of this game. By the way, Collin Gillespie continues to be listed as questionable for the Wildcats but he keeps playing through a nagging ankle injury and I expect him to be out there again tonight in this key match-up. 8* VILLANOVA +2.5

CBB Ivy League Game of the Year Tuesday 10* Top Play Yale Bulldogs -2.5 @ Dartmouth Big Green @ 6 ET - The Bulldogs laying a short number here on the road. I understand the low line as Dartmouth has the home court edge plus revenge factor in their favor here. However, the Big Green just 4-7 in conference games and has a poor overall record on the season. Yale, on the other hand, has a 9-2 record in Ivy League action plus a solid overall record on the season. What I especially like about this game is having the Bulldogs off a loss. Yale just lost to Princeton in what was a battle for first place. However, there will be no sulking and hanging of heads here for Yale. In fact, now it is more important than ever for the Bulldogs to win out and they have a pair of weaker foes on deck after this clash with Dartmouth. For an understanding of how much value we have here, note that Yale lost to Princeton by just 6 points plus had beaten them by 6 points earlier this season. Conversely, the Big Green lost at home to the Tigers by 4 and also got blasted at Princeton by 45 points. As noted above, the Bulldogs only have 2 conference losses this season. The other one was to Pennsylvania and the Quakers are another strong team that also beat Dartmouth by double digits. The points is that catching Yale off a loss is a great situation for laying a short price away from home as other results this season also show that the Bulldogs, comparatively with the Big Green, are the better team. 10* YALE -2.5

CBB Revenge Game of the Year Monday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes -6.5 vs Indiana Hoosiers @ 7 ET - The Buckeyes are off a loss Saturday versus Iowa. Also, Ohio State lost at Indiana by 16 points early last month. In other words, the set up here is perfect for a revenge win by a large margin. Adding to the value is the fact that the Buckeyes are a PERFECT 6-0 this SEASON when off a loss. When facing a Big Ten team and Ohio State is coming off a loss they have won all 4 games and by an average margin of 10 points! I am looking for a win here by a double digit margin as Indiana's slump continues. The Hoosiers have lost 4 straight both SU and ATS. Also, the home team is a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS in meetings between these teams. Going further back and looking at meetings in Columbus, the Buckeyes are a rock solid 13-6 both SU and ATS when hosting Indiana. Before their loss to Iowa Saturday, Ohio State was on a 6-1 ATS run. As for the Hoosiers, they are 2-6 ATS in road games this season. Look for these trends to continue here as the Buckeyes get big-time revenge payback. 10* OHIO STATE -6.5

CBB Earliest Cash Sunday 8* Wisconsin Badgers -2.5 vs Michigan Wolverines @ 1 ET - The Badgers are under-valued here simply because the Wolverines are absolutely over-valued in this spot. The betting markets have been impacted by the fact Michigan recently defeated Purdue and also is coming off a win at Iowa. The Wolverines also recently snuck out a 1 point road win at Penn State but before these rare B2B road wins, Michigan was 4-7 SU on the road this season. They are now facing a Wisconsin team that has revenge from losing both games against the Wolverines and that included a home game in which they blew a 12 point lead at the half. The Badgers lost their most recent home game but were 10-2 SU at home on the season prior to that defeat. I am taking advantage of the over-adjusted shading toward Michigan in this one and I expect a big home win. 8* WISCONSIN -2.5

CBB Daytime Dominator Saturday 8* Iowa Hawkeyes +5.5 @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ 2:30 ET - The set-up here is ideal for an upset in my opinion so I certainly like the fact we have the added cushion of about a half-dozen points in this one. Iowa is off a home loss to Michigan. The Hawkeyes are 4-1 SU the last 5 times when off a loss and the only loss in those 5 games was in double-OT by a 4 point margin. Here Iowa is catching the Buckeyes off a big win by a 25 point margin against Minnesota. Ohio State is just 2-4 SU the last 6 times they were off a win by a margin of 8 or more points. Yes the Buckeyes have home court edge here but note that last season the road team won both meetings SU and ATS! Overall Iowa has won 2 of the last 3 meetings between these teams and the only loss was by just 4 points. Also, before the loss to the Wolverines, the Hawkeyes had won 3 straight games and averaged 93 points per contest. Grab the points with confidence here. 8* IOWA +5.5

CBB Earliest Cash 8* St John's Red Storm -7.5 vs Butler Bulldogs @ 5 ET - Butler is not healthy. Even if Bryce Nze and Bo Hodges both came back for this hard to say if either would be anywhere close to 100% and, again, that is if either guy plays here. They have another game Sunday hosting Providence so the Bulldogs may not rush these guys back either. As for St John's, they are on short rest here as they just played Wednesday. However, I looked into it and the Red Storm are PERFECT 4-0 SU this season when playing with just one day of rest between games. The average margin of victory in the 4 wins was 13 points! The Bulldogs have 13 losses this season and 8 of them were by a margin of 15 or more points. 4 of St John's last 5 wins have been by 13 or more points. This line was as high as 8.5 and has dropped to 7.5 and I love fading line moves for additional value. I feel the Red Storm will crush the Bulldogs here as they already won at Butler two weeks ago despite the Bulldogs shooting 10 of 28 threes compared to just 2 of 16 for St John's. Those crazy stats are not happening again here and the Red Storm dominate by double digits at home against a wounded Butler team that just can't seem to get healthy this season. 8* ST JOHN'S -7.5

Rickenbach CBB Afternoon Annihilation Thursday 9* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers +6.5 @ Penn State Nittany Lions @ 4 ET - Yes the Golden Gophers have been struggling but this spot sets up very well. The Nittany Lions are off a huge comeback win over Michigan State. Minnesota is off a game in which they got thoroughly embarrassed and scored just 45 points at Ohio State. Minny has struggled like I said but they did beat Penn State on Saturday. PSU also, prior to the win over the Spartans Tuesday, had lost 6 of last 7 games. The Nittany Lions are the much better rebounding team but the Golden Gophers the better team in terms of not turning the ball over. Grab the points here in a game with upset potential. 9* MINNESOTA +6.5

CBB CBSSN Blowout Monday 10* Top Play St Louis Billikens +2.5 @ St Bonaventure @ 5 ET - The Billikens are off a loss that followed a 6-game winning streak. St Louis is a perfect 4-0 SU the last 4 times they entered game off a loss. The Bonnies are off B2B wins but this followed losses in 6 of 10 games and St Bonaventure has not won 3 straight games since early December. The set up is perfect for a road win here especially when you consider this is a revenge game as the Bonnies won at St Louis Friday. Payback time here for the Billikens as they return the favor by winning at St Bonaventure. 10* ST LOUIS +2.5

CBB Contrarian Crusher Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado State Rams +2.5 @ Boise State Broncos @ 4 ET - The Rams are the better team offensively. Statistically these teams are nearly equal on the defensive end but the shooting edge of Colorado State is the key here. Boise State is favored but that is only because they are at home. I love taking short dogs in college hoops. The Rams are about a 3 point dog here but have the offensive firepower to pull off the upset here because they can get key buckets when they need. They are the type of team that can thrive on the road and yet we get line value here because of the home court factored in for the Broncos. The Rams are 7-2 SU on the road and Boise State does have a pair of road losses already this season. 10* COLORADO STATE +2.5

CBB Philly Insider Saturday 9* Top Play Temple Owls +4.5 @ Tulane Green Wave @ 2 ET - Even though Jake Forrester is likely to miss again, Jeremiah Williams and Damian Dunn are both expected to play in this one. Also, Temple is 8-0 SU at Tulane since the Green Wave joined the AAC beginning in 2014. We also get the Owls angry off a loss here as they lost at South Florida on a buzzer beater. Getting points with an angry road dog that should be healthier here is something I won't pass up on. Look for the Owls to make it 9 in a row SU in games played as a visitor against Tulane but we'll grab the points for added insurance here. 9* TEMPLE +4.5

CBB Big Ten Game of the Month Thursday 10* Top Play Maryland Terrapins +4.5 vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - The Terrapins go as Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala go. That said, with those guys struggling overall the last 3 games it comes as no surprise that Maryland enters this one on a 3-game losing streak. However, match-ups certainly matter in basketball. That said, Russell and Ayala both had solid games against the Hawkeyes in the first meetings this season and that was at Iowa and ended up a loss by only a 5-point margin. Now the Terrapins are getting nearly that same number at home and note that the Hawkeyes are 2-5 on the road this season. This one sets up well for an upset and I like the extra value of having a few points on our side as well should Maryland fall just short. Note that Maryland is allowing only 65.5 ppg at home while Iowa is allowing 74.4 ppg on the road. The better defense at home and off 3 straight losses and catching some points...I'll take it! 10* MARYLAND +4.5

CBB PA Insider Tuesday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm +4 vs Villanova Wildcats @ 8:30 ET - Villanova is a great team but St John's is very scrappy and this is particularly true at home. The Red Storm are seeking revenge for getting blown out at Nova earlier this season. In that game, though St John's lost by double digits they simply shot very poorly! Villanova was on fire from deep and the Red Storm had about the same number of 3-point attempts plus overall had 15 more FG attempts in the game but it was just an off-shooting game for them. The Wildcats also are likely to be without Gillespie in this one and he is arguably their best player and a team leader. This is a very tricky spot for the Cats and the home team has won each of the last 4 meetings between these teams. The safe play here is to grab the points but we likely will not need them! 10* ST JOHN'S +4

CAA Game of Year Monday 10* Top Play Hofstra Pride -6 vs NC Wilmington Seahawks @ 5 ET - This line has gone from an opener of 7.5 to as low as a 6 as of mid-morning game-day and it is now "go time" with this one. Yes the Seahawks have the much better record than the Pride but why do you think this game is priced this way? You think the odds makers made a mistake? They did not! Hofstra was installed as a 7.5 point home favorite with good reason in this one. The Pride have revenge from a loss at UNC-Wilmington a little over a week ago. They lost the game by 6 but were outscored by 21 points from 3-point land on a rare poor shooting night for Hofstra. Also, the Pride severely outrebounded the Seahawks by a 13-carom margin but were done in by a rare turnover-prone effort as they turned it over 17 times in the game. UNCW turned it over only 9 times in that game. Now with the Pride as the hosts watch all the flukiness of that first game result get flip-flopped here. Hofstra will not be denied here as they have also played the tougher schedule so far this season but are set up well here with an edge as they are playing 3rd straight home game while the Seahawks are on the road for a 3rd straight time! 10* HOFSTRA -6

Rickenbach CBB Daytime Dominator Saturday 10* Top Play Florida Gators -8.5 vs Ole Miss Rebels @ 3:30 ET - Though the Gators probably will not have Colin Castleton back just yet, he has started practicing again and this is giving the Florida team a mental boost as they know one of their best players has an imminent return. The big injury news about this match-up is that Ole Miss just lost freshman guard Daeshun Ruffin for the rest of the season to a knee injury suffered in the Rebels upset win at LSU early this week. Though a freshman, he had taken on a starters role for the last 10 games and he had thrived at the point guard position. In fact, he had 21 points in the upset win over these Gators at Ole Miss last month. His loss is huge and is particularly troublesome because guard Jarkel Joiner is still out. That means Austin Crowley likely will be at the point guard position again. Point guard is such an important position and now Ole Miss down to their third choice there. Also, the home team has won and covered each of the last 4 meetings between these teams. Look for the Gators to win in a home blowout by a double digit margin as they get their revenge. 10* FLORIDA -8.5

CBB Big East Game of the Year Friday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates -6 vs Creighton Bluejays @ 7 ET - I know Bryce Aiken might still be out here but I still like the Pirates a ton in this spot even if he does not play. The key is that if he does he is likely to be close to 100% because his only issue was being in concussion protocol. In my mind the bigger story here is the Bluejays being without center Ryan Kalkbrenner as he rolled his ankle quite badly in Tuesday's game. That is a tough injury so even if Kalkbrenner plays he is unlikely to be himself. From a situational standpoint, this is a great spot as Creighton is off an upset win at Connecticut as a double digit dog! The Bluejays had lost 3 straight road games heading into that one and the margin of the games was 23 points per defeat! Yes Seton Hall has been struggling to cover games lately but the Pirates are 8-3 at home this season and off B2B losses SU as a solid home favorite each of last two games in Newark, the Pirates are hungry. Look for the hosts to respond in a huge way here. Note that Creighton is only making 30.9% of threes this season and on the road they are allowing 37.5% threes! The Pirates stats, when at home, are nearly the identical reverse of that with hot shooting and strong defense. They pull away for the double digit win here in my opinion. 10* SETON HALL -6

CBB Big East Beast Thursday 9* Top Play St John's Red Storm -4.5 @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 6 ET - The Red Storm off B2B losses but faced a pair of ranked foes and they have not lost 3 straight games this entire season. Also, in their loss to Providence Tuesday, St John's actually had 16 more field goal attempts in the game but the Friars got to the line for 33 free throw attempts - 3 times as many as the 11 the Red Storm got! St John's is a little under-valued here off the unusual results the last two games and note that Georgetown has lost 9 straight games including a 19-point beatdown at St John's. Though the Hoyas are now at home for the rematch, they are simply not a very good basketball team and the Red Storm will be aggressive and bring extra hunger to this match-up as a result of B2B losses. Only one of Georgetown's defeats in the 9-game skid came by a margin of less than 7 points. Once again, look for the Hoyas to lose by 7 or more points as their losing streak reaches 10 games. 9* ST JOHN'S -4.5

CBB SEC Game of the Month Wednesday 10* Top Play Missouri Tigers +6 vs Florida Gators @ 3 ET - The Tigers have been struggling overall but this is a different team when on their home floor. Though Missouri is likely without Javon Pickett here lets not forget the Gators are still without leading scorer and leading rebounder Colin Castleton. That said, the value is with the home underdog here. Florida is off big win versus Oklahoma State but had lost 5 of 8 games heading into that one. Also, the Gators have lost 3 of last 4 road games. Missouri is just 2-2 SU last 4 home games but the two losses were each by 3 or less points! Now a line that opened at -5 is already up to a -6 and this is just two much for Florida to be laying on the road when you consider all of the above. Look at the defensive stats for these two teams in this spot too. Gators allow 69 points and 47% shooting on the road. Tigers allow 63 points and 39% shooting when at home. Grab the home dog! 10* MISSOURI +6