Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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12-23-19 | Packers v. Vikings -4.5 | Top | 23-10 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 58 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA Barring the Packers losing both this week and next week, the Vikings are going to be a Wild Card team in the NFC. Seeing as Green Bay plays at Detroit next week (Lions have lost eight in a row), it's highly unlikely that they lose out. But Minnesota can accomplish half the task at hand simply by winning tonight as they host the Packers. Green Bay hasn't won in this stadium since it opened and despite their 11-3 record this season, there's a lot of reason to be suspicious of this team. Only four of their 11 wins have been by more than one score. Statistically, they rank in the bottom half of the league in rushing offense, passing offense, rushing defense and passing defense. The Vikings are 6-0 at home, winning those games by an average of nearly two touchdowns per game. It's not just Minnesota where GB has struggled either. They are 0-5 SU and ATS their last five dome games. The Vikings offense is averaging 29.4 points its last 10 games despite receiver Adam Thielen missing much of that time. So don't expect them to skip a beat with RB Cook sitting this week. The Vikings did lose at Lambeau Field back in Week 2, 21-16, but actually dominated that game statistically. This is their chance at revenge. Play on MINNESOTA AAA | |||||||
12-23-19 | Wizards v. Knicks -3 | Top | 121-115 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 36 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NEW YORK The Knicks being favored AND getting a ringing endorsement like this from us is a pretty rare occurrence. But the Wizards are in pretty rough shape here as they have numerous players injured and have lost 12 of their last 15 games. Defensively, Washington is as bad as they come. They've allowed 122.8 points/game those last 15 games as opponents are shooting better than 50% overall and 38% from three-point range. Yes, the Knicks have been blown out two straight games, but those were against Miami and Milwaukee. The Wizards are a team they should beat at home. NY has won its last three games vs. teams that are below .500 including a 143-120 triumph over Atlanta here at Madison Square Garden last week. They'd actually covered four straight games before running into the Heat and Bucks. The Wizards are 4-13 on the road. Play on NEW YORK AAA | |||||||
12-22-19 | Hornets v. Celtics -13 | Top | 93-119 | Win | 100 | 17 h 29 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON Often you'll find that in the NBA, oddsmakers fail to properly account for the massive discrepancy between the league's best and worst teams. Such is the case in this one. You may be hesitant to call Charlotte one of the league's worst, but the Hornets certainly have "the point differential to prove it" as they're getting outscored by an even six points per contest. That's sixth worst in the entire NBA. The Hornets lost by seven last night at home to Utah. Being in a back to back isn't ideal when traveling to Boston to face the Celtics, who are near the top of the league in point differential. The Celtics are 11-1 at home and did cover the only other time they were asked to lay this many points. That was against Cleveland two weeks ago. It was yet another blowout win at home Friday when the Celtics beat the Pistons 114-93 as a nine-point favorite. That was despite Kemba Walker scoring only two points on 0 of 6 shooting. Expect Walker to shoot a lot better against his former team on Sunday and this should be a blowout for one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Play on BOSTON AAA | |||||||
12-22-19 | Lions +7 v. Broncos | Top | 17-27 | Loss | -109 | 88 h 17 m | Show |
This is an 8* on DETROIT Detroit has definitely fallen on hard times. Seven straight losses (NFL's longest losing streak) amidst a myriad of injuries is tough. The team has actually lost 10 of its last 11 games since a 2-0-1 start. While we would be slightly surprised if the Lions were to win this week, we're also not about to lay a touchdown with a Denver team starting a rookie QB that is 5-9 and just lost 23-3. While the Broncos did win Drew Lock's first two starts, they did not look good last week. Yes, that was against the Chiefs. But here's the issue. This team is not accustomed to laying points. They've been an underdog eight straight weeks. They've been favored in only three games all year. Two of those three times resulted in losses. Not just ATS losses, but SU losses. Half of the Broncos games this year have been decided by seven points or fewer. Five of the seven that weren't were losses. So that's just two wins by more than a touchdown all year. We realize Detroit is struggling. But they can stay close here as they're facing a team that doesn't often blow teams out. The Broncos are 5-13 ATS the last 18 times they've been favored. Play on DETROIT AAA | |||||||
12-22-19 | Davidson +3 v. Loyola-Chicago | Top | 59-56 | Win | 102 | 14 h 24 m | Show |
This is a 10* on DAVIDSON Most are quite familiar with these two mid-major programs. Davidson's most famous alum is former NBA MVP Steph Curry, who led the school on a magical run to the Elite Eight his senior year here. Loyola Chicago, backed by #1 fan Sister Jean, made it one step further - all the way to the Final Four - a few years ago. This year's editions aren't as good as those past teams, but they meet Sunday in Chicago. We feel Davidson is the better team. Yes, the Wildcats have lost five times, but most of those came to really good opponents. Loyola has won five in a row, but their "best" win was either Old Dominion or Ball State. Also, Davidson has been off for exams since December 10th, so they'll come in well rested. Loyola has played twice in the last week, including a neutral site win over Vanderbilt. This is the Ramblers longest win streak since the Final Four team. Davidson won 88-52 in its last game, so they can score. Play on DAVIDSON AAA | |||||||
12-22-19 | Ravens v. Browns +11.5 | Top | 31-15 | Loss | -135 | 85 h 12 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CLEVELAND Even for Baltimore, this is too many points to lay to a Cleveland team that has been favored each of its last seven games. Now the Browns haven't done all that well as chalk - at least when they were the road team. Last week they lost at Arizona, their fifth straight road loss. But they've won four straight games here at home. They've also already beaten Baltimore this year - on the road. That was the Ravens last loss - it was all the way back in Week 4 - and probably the Browns best played game of the year. It was 40-25 game where the Browns were a seven-point road dogs. Now they are 10-point home dogs. Not saying there shouldn't be some shifting by the oddsmakers for this rematch. After all, the Ravens are playing for homefield advantage in the playoffs while the Browns postseason hopes are on life support. But unless Cleveland is prepared to quit on coach Freddie Kitchens - and we don't think that's the case - this is too many points for the Browns to be getting at home. Play on CLEVELAND AAA | |||||||
12-21-19 | Rams +7 v. 49ers | Top | 31-34 | Win | 100 | 68 h 27 m | Show |
This is a 10* on LA RAMS You have to feel a bit for the Rams. They've got the same exact point differential as Seattle (+26) yet are three games back in the NFC West, even though they split two games with the Seahawks. Things appeared to be trending up in LA after they beat Seattle 28-12 two weeks ago, on a Sunday night. But then came last week's result. In what was our 10* NFL Game of the Year, Dallas destroyed the Rams 44-21, all but ending the Rams hopes of making the playoffs. In taking the Cowboys, even we did not think it would be that easy as it would end up being. Two of the Rams touchdowns came in the final three minutes when the game was out of reach. But San Francisco lost last week too and that was far more surprising. The 49ers were at home and double digit favorites against a bad Atlanta team. This was the Niners third loss in the last six weeks after an 8-0 start. Seven starters missed last week's game due to injuries. CB's Sherman and Williams are both set to return this week, but we don't like the Niners laying this many points to a desperate Rams team. This is the first time since Week 4 of the 2017 season that a Rams team not resting starters has gotten at least six points. They won that last time outright. Play on LA RAMS AAA | |||||||
12-21-19 | Washington -3.5 v. Boise State | Top | 38-7 | Win | 100 | 93 h 28 m | Show |
This is an 8* on WASHINGTON The only Saturday bowl game with any sort of "national appeal" goes down in Las Vegas with Washington taking on #19 Boise State. There is a tremendous storyline for this game as Chris Petersen, who built the Boise State program to national prominance, will be coaching his final game at Washington. While Boise is the ranked team, we agree with the oddsmakers that Washington is better. Yes, it was a disappointing 7-5 season for Petersen in Seattle. But four of those five losses came by six points or less and two of them were blown leads against Oregon and Utah. As a favorite, the Huskies are 7-3 straight up and against the spread. Boise State has the better record (12-1) but that was against a much weaker schedule than what Washington faced. The Mountain West was pretty down this year. The Broncos may be a little disappointed from getting left out of a "New Year's Six" bowl. We also question how much they'll want to beat their former coach in his final game! Washington has lost its last three bowls, so their motivation will be through the roof in Petersen's final game. The defensive numbers of these two teams are pretty similar, but remember Washington faced a much tougher slate of offenses. Play on WASHINGTON AAA | |||||||
12-21-19 | Northern Kentucky v. NC-Greensboro -7 | Top | 50-67 | Win | 100 | 7 h 18 m | Show |
This is a 10* on UNC Greensboro As a five-point underdog, UNC Greensboro just recorded a nice 55-54 win up in Vermont. As you can tell from that score, the Spartans did an excellent job defensively, holding the Catamounts to 21.4% from three-point land. It wasn't exactly a banner shooting night for UNC Greensboro themselves, but they'll take the quality road win. Tonight the return home to face a Northern Kentucky team that comes in on a bit of a roll. The Norse have won three in a row and covered four straight. They have some road wins to their credit, but they haven't scored much in those games and the defensive effort we saw from UNC Greensboro against Vermont was definitely not a "one-time thing." They are allowing just 56.8 points per game for the season. That's top 10 in the country. The Spartans have also won 37 of their last 42 home games. Play on UNC Greensboro AAA | |||||||
12-21-19 | Liberty +5 v. Georgia Southern | Top | 23-16 | Win | 100 | 88 h 29 m | Show |
This is a 10* on LIBERTY The Cure Bowl in Orlando pits 7-5 Liberty against 7-5 Georgia Southern. Liberty is an independent (no conference affiliation) and it's pretty impressive they got to a bowl in just their second season at the FBS level. The Flames don't exactly have the most impressive resume as they were just 1-4 against bowl teams, but we like Hugh Freeze's team getting points here. Georgia Southern also got here by mostly beating up the weaklings on their schedule. They were 5-3 in the Sun Belt. Without question, their most impressive win came on a Thursday night at Appalachian State. The Eagles were the only team to beat the Mountaineers in the regular season. Outside of that signature win though, there doesn't seem to be much difference between GSU and Liberty. The Eagles do have the nation's eighth ranked rushing offense and are 2-0 all-time in bowls. But they are averaging only 23.3 points/game on the road, making them a shaky favorite. Look for Liberty to stay inside the number. Play on LIBERTY AAA | |||||||
12-20-19 | James Madison v. Fordham -3 | Top | 75-69 | Loss | -109 | 11 h 37 m | Show |
This is a 10* on FORDHAM Fordham is currently on a streak the likes of which you rarely see. The Rams have lost their last three games, all at home and all as favorites. Those losses were to Manhattan, Bryant and Tennessee State. The good news, if there is one, is that every game was close. All three losses were by eight points or less and by a total of 14 points. One was an overtime game. Two saw them blow halftime leads. So it's not as if the Rams are being blown out. Tonight they try again as home favorites, this time against James Madison. The Dukes won big on Monday, beating Charleston Southern by 21. But that was at home. Three of their four road games have resulted in double digit losses while the one win (over Old Dominion) was by two points as an 11-point underdog. Can't see Fordham losing a fourth straight game as a home favorite and with the number being so small, we'll lay it. Play on Fordham AAA | |||||||
12-20-19 | Buffalo -6.5 v. Charlotte | Top | 31-9 | Win | 100 | 67 h 25 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BUFFALO Two schools that have never even won a bowl game kick off the 2019-20 bowl season as Buffalo takes on Charlotte in the Bahamas Bowl. This is Charlotte's first ever bowl game. The 49ers have only been playing football since 2013 and got to the FBS level in 2015. This, their fifth season in Conference USA, proved to be their first winning campaign as they finished a surprising 7-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play. They are one of seven Conference USA teams in a bowl. Buffalo also brings a 7-5 record to the Bahamas. They were 5-3 in the MAC and one of seven teams from that conference to get into a bowl game. The Bulls are 0-3 SU all-time in bowls, the most recent loss coming last year in the Dollar General Bowl, 42-32, as a one-point favorite to Troy. We'll lean on UB's previous bowl experience as a motivating factor plus they have the better defense. The Bulls allow less than 300 yds/game and set a school record with 38 sacks. Charlotte's defense allows significantly more points and yards and is going to have to figure out a way to stop a Buffalo offense that reached 40 points in each of its last four wins. Play on BUFFALO AAA | |||||||
12-19-19 | Nets +3 v. Spurs | Top | 105-118 | Loss | -115 | 22 h 43 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BROOKLYN Brooklyn somehow escaped New Orleans with a win on Tuesday. By their own admission, they were "pretty bad offensively" against the Pelicans, but a strong defensive effort led them to a 108-101 win in overtime. Now beating a team that hadn't won a game in almost a month is no cause for celebration. But remember the Nets are shorthanded. Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert remain out with injuries and Kevin Durant is unlikely to play this year. Thankfully Spencer Dinwiddie has stepped up, averaging 24.3 points/game in Irving's absence. The Nets are 11-5 SU so far without Kyrie and are a solid seventh in the Eastern Conference. They are also playing great defense, holding the last five opponents to an 103-point average on 39% shooting. Despite the injuries, we still see them as the better team compared to San Antonio, who has been a disaster at the betting window all season with a league-worst 6-18 ATS record. After playing a league-record four consecutive overtime games, the Spurs blew a 25-point lead on Tuesday and lost in Houston. This is a team running on fumes and we'll take the points here. Play on BROOKLYN AAA | |||||||
12-19-19 | UTEP v. Houston -10 | Top | 57-77 | Win | 100 | 21 h 8 m | Show |
This is an 8* on HOUSTON Houston comes into this all-Texas matchup way undervalued as we had the spread several points higher. Some have already caught onto this as the Cougars have been bet up a bit this morning. But it's still not enough for UTEP to finish in the money Thursday. UTEP may be 8-1 straight up, but they haven't really played anybody (that's good) and they've left El Paso just one time. That one time just so happened to result in the Miners only defeat, which came at the hands of New Mexico State. It's a big step up in class tonight facing Houston, who is in an angry mood after losing to Oklahoma State on Sunday. The Cougars were seven-point favorites, but they went down 61-55 on a poor shooting night (31.1 FG%). Prior to that, their only two losses were to Oregon (top 10 team) and by 1 to BYU. We view this team as being a bit of a "sleeping giant" right now and UTEP is coming to town at the wrong time. At home, Houston is holding opponents to a 35.0 field goal percentage. Play on HOUSTON AAA | |||||||
12-18-19 | Heat +7.5 v. 76ers | Top | 108-104 | Win | 100 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MIAMI Philadelphia is getting a lot of respect here because they are undefeated at home. Their perfect 14-0 record at the Wells Fargo Center certainly should carry some weight as no other team in the NBA can claim to still be perfect at home. But Miami is a worth adversary and certainly capable of winning this game. It just so happens the 76ers are off their worst loss of the year. A severely depleted Brooklyn team beat them by 20 on Sunday. Now the Sixers didn't have Embiid, who should be returning tonight. But the Heat are a lot tougher than the Nets, even though they (Miami) just lost at Memphis two nights ago. Prior to that, the Heat hadn't lost to a team with a losing record all year. So they're in bounce back mode just like Philly is and taking the points seems to be the best option in this battle of top five Eastern Conference teams. The Heat are 3-1 ATS this year after giving up 115+ points in their last game. The Sixers didn't do well the only other time they were off a double digit loss, losing to Oklahoma City the next time out. Play on MIAMI AAA | |||||||
12-18-19 | Illinois-Chicago v. Illinois State -5.5 | Top | 66-67 | Loss | -105 | 10 h 14 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ILLINOIS STATE Each team is coming off a double-digit loss. UIC got beat by 21 at DePaul, snapping what had been a three-game ATS win streak. The Flames are now 4-7 and find themselves playing back to back true road games for the first time. It's not a long trip to face Illinois State, who is 4-6 after taking a 15-point loss down at Northern Kentucky on Sunday. What we are leaning on for this one is the home team's defense. The Redbirds give up only 63.2 points/game at home. UIC is giving up 79.4 points/game on the road. With this game taking place in Normal, we don't think Illinois State is favored by nearly enough. Certainly, they remember getting blown out by UIC 94-75 last season. Before that, it had been Illinois State winning the last seven matchups. This spread just seems too low for a game the home team should win pretty comfortably. Play on ILLINOIS STATE AAA | |||||||
12-18-19 | East Tennessee State +10.5 v. LSU | Top | 74-63 | Win | 100 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
This is an 8* on EAST TENNESSEE STATE East Tennessee State has lost just two times this year. One was to Kansas where they stayed inside 15-point spread. The other was an upset loss at North Dakota State 11 days ago. Having already successfully bounced back from that second defeat (easily beat Milligan College 97-41), the Buccaneers now set their sights on LSU, their first Power 5 opponent since the Kansas game. LSU has also lost just twice and both were by just two points. The Tigers have been rolling of late, winning and covering four straight. During that win streak, they've shot the ball ridiculously well as in over 54%! Don't look for that percentage to hold up tonight against the toughest team they've faced in awhile. East Tennessee State is a legit team and getting points for only the second time all year. They are 19-8 ATS in non-conference games while LSU is 10-25 ATS the last 35 times it has been a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points. Play on EAST TENNESSEE STATE AAA | |||||||
12-17-19 | Miami-FL v. Temple -1.5 | Top | 78-77 | Loss | -109 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TEMPLE This game is part of the Hall of Fame Invitational at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Miami enters on a two-game win streak, but there are some real underlying defensive issues with this Hurricanes team as it has given up an average of 76.2 points in last five games with the last four opponents combining to shoot better than 52% overall. That's bad news when getting set to face a Temple team that just hung 108 points on St. Joe's a week ago. The Owls are well rested as that St. Joe's game took place seven days ago. Miami played Saturday. While it was only a home game vs. Alabama A&M, they still gave up 74 points on 51.7% shooting. The Canes last two neutral site games both resulted in blowout losses, by a combined 45 points, to Florida and UConn. Temple's two losses this year were each a result of poor shooting nights, but that's not going to be the case here. They shot 62.7% against St. Joe's. Miami is 3-11 ATS its last 14 neutral site games. Play on TEMPLE AAA | |||||||
12-17-19 | Kings v. Hornets +4.5 | Top | 102-110 | Win | 100 | 10 h 16 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CHARLOTTE Sacramento rolled to a 100-79 victory over Golden State in its last game. Because it was such an easy win (we had the Under), the Kings now find themselves favored by more than they should be tonight in Charlotte. While its true the Kings have now won four of five, three of those wins were by a total of six points. This is actually their fourth straight game being favored, but before blowing out the Warriors, they'd failed the previous two times and were 0-3 ATS L3 as chalk. The Kings were seven-point favorites over the Hornets at home back on October 30th and lost that game straight up, 118-111. Surprisingly, the Kings are 3-0 ATS as road favorites this year, but this should be closer to a pick 'em as we're getting value on Charlotte due them suffering a blowout loss at Indiana on Sunday. Play on CHARLOTTE AAA | |||||||
12-16-19 | Loyola Marymount v. UC-Davis | Top | 65-67 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
This is an 8* on LOYOLA MARYMOUNT Loyola Marymount is looking to win for a third straight time tonight. To do so, they'll have to make the short trip over to UC Davis. The home team has covered five in a row, but all of those ATS wins came as underdogs of at least 3.5 points. They were getting at least six points in four of the games. Tonight the oddsmakers generosity isn't there for the Aggies, who did not fare well against Loyola Marymount last season when they lost to them by 18 on the road. They were eight-point underdogs for that matchup. Loyola Marymount has lost both of its road games so far, but this is a weaker opponent than either Nevada or Colorado. In home games where the spread is three points or less, UC Davis is 1-6 straight up and against the spread. LMU is shooting the basketball very well (51.5 FG%), which is more than we can say for UC Davis, who is at just 45.2%. Lions roar in this one. Play on LOYOLA MARYMOUNT AAA | |||||||
12-16-19 | Spurs v. Rockets -10 | Top | 107-109 | Loss | -109 | 11 h 60 m | Show |
This is a 10* on HOUSTON This is a very bad spot for San Antonio, who has played a NBA record four straight overtime games. Three of those have resulted in wins. One, a double OT affair, saw them beat tonight's opponent. But it was not without controversy. That was the game where referees mistakenly disallowed a James Harden dunk, leading to a wild sequence of events where the Spurs ended up erasing a 22-point deficit. While the Rockets protest of that game was not upheld, they'll get their revenge tonight. Adding fuel to the fire is that they are off an upset loss the other night to Detroit. They shot just 40% in the loss and scored the fewest number of points in a game (107) in nearly a month. The Spurs are a league-worst 5-18 against the spread this year and that includes 0-8 if they scored 115 or more points in their last game. They are coming off a 121-119 win over Phoenix, which was played in Mexico City. That detour "south of the border" is another disadvantage the Spurs are facing and it's really difficult to see them playing well tonight. Play on HOUSTON AAA | |||||||
12-15-19 | Samford v. Hawaii -6 | Top | 73-94 | Win | 100 | 13 h 48 m | Show |
This is a 10* on HAWAII Samford makes the long trip out to Honolulu Sunday night. The Bulldogs just won on the road, 112-90 at Houston Baptist last Saturday. But prior to that, they'd been 0-5 in road games with a couple of losses by more than 20 points. Samford can score, but not surprisingly they don't shoot nearly as well when they're the road team. That's a problem when you're giving up 83.3 points/game (on the road). Hawaii figures to be in a foul mood this evening as it is coming off a 25-point loss at Oregon. That was just the third loss overall for the Warriors, two of them on the road to P5 teams. They are 6-1 at home. This result likely boils down to who's senior guard performs better tonight - Josh Sharkey for Samford or Eddie Stansberry for Hawaii. In the end, we like how Hawaii has been shooting the three-ball recently (averaging 9.3 makes L3 games). For the year, they are second among Big West teams in three-pointers made. Play on HAWAII AAA | |||||||
12-15-19 | Rams v. Cowboys +1.5 | Top | 21-44 | Win | 100 | 90 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on DALLAS The Cowboys have nosedived, losing three in a row for the second time this season. If they were in any other division, their playoff chances might be toast. But the NFC East is a different story. Dallas is still tied with Philadelphia atop the division despite both teams being just 6-7. Next week's game in Philly is likely to determine who makes the playoffs. But more pressing for the 'Boys is this week's home game vs. the Rams. Unlike their opponents, LA comes in with plenty of confidence. They just thwarted the Seahawks 28-12 on Sunday Night Football. But we're still willing to back the Cowboys in this one. The lookahead line had them laying four points. As a result of not only their loss last Thursday (to the Bears), but what the Rams did to Seattle, the line has moved considerably. A couple weeks ago, Dallas not being favored here would have been considered crazy. This is a team that's been an underdog just one time all season and that was at New England where they covered the spread. Remember it was only a few weeks ago when the Rams looked to have more questions than answers as they'd been held to just 35 points over a three-game stretch, which included a humiliating 45-6 home loss at the hands of Baltimore. The Cowboys probably played their worst game of the season last week in Chicago. They've had extra time to prepare here and were 2-0 ATS as a home dog last year, winning both games outright. They are healthy and lead the league in total offense. This is a classic "buy low" situation. Play on DALLAS AAA | |||||||
12-15-19 | Texans v. Titans -3 | Top | 24-21 | Loss | -110 | 50 h 40 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TENNESSEE Tennessee and Houston will play twice over the next three weeks and those two games figure to decide who wins the AFC South. The Titans have come back from the dead, led by Ryan Tannehill, to win six of their last seven games. Both teams are 8-5 on the year. Houston is off a very ugly loss to Denver last week, leaving real questions about where it stands right now. Though we're talking same records, the Titans have a much better point differential. They are +63 while the Texans are only +8. Which do you think is more indicative of a division winner? This first meeting is in Tennessee where the Titans have won four in a row. In Tannehill's seven starts, the Titans offense ranks #2 in the league in scoring. They have scored 31 or more points four straight games. Houston hasn't scored more than 31 points in its last seven games. The Titans have the better defense as well, which is even more true now that J.J. Watt is out for the Texans. Houston has failed to cover eight of the last nine times it has faced a team with a winning record in the second half of the season. Play on TENNESSEE AAA | |||||||
12-14-19 | Northern Arizona +7.5 v. Utah Valley | Top | 79-73 | Win | 100 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NORTHERN ARIZONA Northern Arizona has played what we'd call a "light schedule" so far. The Lumberjacks have taken the floor only six times, which is tied for the second fewest in the whole country. Only Iona (5) has played fewer games. Yet NAU still has the same number of wins (4) as their opponent for Saturday (Utah Valley St). The difference is UVSU has lost seven times, more than the total number of games played for NAU! We've got the teams rated pretty evenly, so the chance to grab this many points looks to be a steal. Utah Valley State has lost four in a row and six of seven. The only win came when they were an underdog. So laying points isn't a great option for the Wolverines. Wouldn't you know they are not only 0-4 ATS as favorites this year, every one of those games have resulted in a straight up defeat. Gotta take the points here. Play on NORTHERN ARIZONA AAA | |||||||
12-14-19 | Nets v. Raptors -7.5 | Top | 102-110 | Win | 100 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO Toronto is in its worst stretch of the season, having lost four of five games. They've gone 0-5 ATS and now face division foe Brooklyn, who is 8-2 ATS as an underdog. But with Kyrie Irving set to miss a 14th straight game, I don't see the Nets competing tonight. They just lost to Charlotte, as a 9.5-point favorite, Wednesday. That game saw them blow a 20-point lead. Caris LeVert has missed 15 straight games. Toronto is fully healthy, so the stretch of losing seems oddly timed. But also look at who they've lost to - Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and the Clippers. All of those are top teams. Brooklyn is below average and has lost eight straight times here in Toronto. After shooting poorly the last five games (below 40%), look for the Raptors to get it going offensively tonight. They average 116 points/game at home. Play on TORONTO AAA | |||||||
12-14-19 | Middle Tennessee +17 v. Ole Miss | Top | 64-82 | Loss | -108 | 5 h 3 m | Show |
This is an 8* on MIDDLE TENNESSEE Middle Tennessee probably isn't going to be able to get a win here, but they'll take a cover as they come into this game at 0-6 ATS. The Blue Raiders have played 10 games mind you, but four were not lined. As you might expect, those have been the Blue Raiders best performances. They haven't won any of the six lined contests, but tonight marks just the second time they'll be catching double digits. The first was against Villanova, who is a heck of a lot better than Ole Miss. Prior to last Saturday's 83-67 win over Cal State Bakersfield, the Rebels had looked downright dreadful in a pair of losses to Butler and Oklahoma State. They scored just 37 points vs. OSU and I don't see this being a game where the favorite is going to give a solid 40 minutes. Too many points for a team not rated in the Top 50 to be laying here. Play on MIDDLE TENNESSEE AAA | |||||||
12-13-19 | Colorado -5 v. Colorado State | Top | 56-48 | Win | 100 | 12 h 41 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO Colorado State losing by 22 at home to San Diego State last week sets the precedent for them not doing well tonight. The Rams looked badly outclassed in that game. That shouldn't have been too surprising considering SDSU is one of the five teams in the country still without a loss. That tidbit is relevant today because it wasn't all that long ago that Colorado was still undefeated. As in this time last week. We called for them to suffer their first defeat of the season last Saturday at Kansas, which they did, and just as we predicted they did not cover the spread either (lost 72-58). The Buffaloes then lost again Tuesday, to a good Northern Iowa team (10-1), a game which they were 9.5-point favorites. After failing to cover in six straight, this is where Colorado gets its mojo back. This is still a ranked team (#24). They were a 13.5-point favorite in this game last year when it was played in Boulder. They might be a better team in 2019. They've already won at Arizona State, so I'm not concerned with Colorado winning on the road. Play COLORADO AAA | |||||||
12-12-19 | Jets v. Ravens -15.5 | Top | 21-42 | Win | 100 | 21 h 22 m | Show |
This is an 10* on BALTIMORE After a couple of close calls with San Francisco and Buffalo, the Ravens should have little difficulty blowing past the Jets Thursday night. We say that knowing full well that QB Lamar Jackson has been bothered by a hamstring injury this week. But the MVP candidate still has more than enough support to get him through this game, against one of the league's worst teams. The Jets could barely get by the Dolphins last week. That's a team Baltimore defeated in Week 1 by a score of 59-10. It's been nine straight wins for the Ravens, five of those coming by 14 points or more. New York simply does not have the capability to hang with the league's highest scoring team. Yes, the Jets have had some big offensive games this year, but those were all against bad teams. This is a team that lost by 16 points to a winless Cincinnati team the last time it was on the road. They are 0-7 straight up and 2-5 against the spread as an underdog of 10 or more points. The Ravens are 1st in scoring and 2nd in total offense. The Jets are 29th and 31st. Total mismatch. Play on BALTIMORE AAA | |||||||
12-12-19 | Austin Peay v. West Virginia -16 | Top | 53-84 | Win | 100 | 10 h 44 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WEST VIRGINIA Look for West Virginia to bounce back from its first loss of the season. They are facing an overmatched Austin Peay team tonight in Morgantown. Saturday they went to St. John’s and lost 70-68 as a four-point favorite. They did the job defensively, holding the Red Storm to 32.7 percent shooting, including 2 of 17 from three-point range. But that effort was undermined by too many turnovers and getting outshot at the free throw line (were -15 in attempts). In a two-point game, that’ll cost you. Austin Peay is 0-4 on the road, losing by an average of 13.8 points per game. The teams the Governors have beaten this year are not anywhere near the same class as WVU. Even in a win over North Florida on Saturday, they struggled defensively by giving up 83 points. Look for the Mountaineers to be more careful with the basketball tonight and they’ll have the free throw edge at home. Play on WEST VIRGINIA AAA | |||||||
12-11-19 | Celtics v. Pacers +1 | Top | 117-122 | Win | 100 | 10 h 4 m | Show |
This is a 10* on INDIANA Winners of four straight, Boston has a 17-5 record. They've also covered the spread the last four games. But here's where we start adding caveats. The Celtics are 10-0 at home. That's where they've played the last three games. The road finds them at a less impressive 7-5. Tonight they're in Indiana to a face a Pacers team that's not to be taken lightly. Coming off a five-game road trip where every game was close (finished 3-2 SU/ATS), the Pacers returned home Monday to face the Clippers. They lost 110-99 as it was a poor shooting night. But the Pacers haven't lost two straight at home all year. They are 9-3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston is a shocking 11-0 ATS vs. teams with winning records this season. But a good number of those games were at home where they are undefeated. Before they won New York on December 1st, the Celtics had failed to cover three straight times as road favorites with two outright losses. Indiana will be taking this game quite seriously. Not that Boston won't. But the Pacers have a score to settle in the sense that they have lost seven in a row to the Celtics, including a four-game sweep in last year's playoffs. Time for some revenge! Play on INDIANA AAA | |||||||
12-11-19 | Yale v. Massachusetts +4.5 | Top | 83-80 | Win | 100 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
This is an 8* play on UMass Massachusetts season started well enough. The Minutemen were a perfect 5-0 going into the Hall of Fame Classic in Connecticut. They lost both games that weekend and haven't recovered since. It's now a five-game losing streak after getting blown out by Harvard this past weekend. They haven't covered in four games. But just one of those five losses was at home and that was by just four points to South Carolina. Poor shooting has doomed the Minutemen during this five-game losing streak and at the same time they've given up at least 80 points in three straight. Yale, who has won five in a row straight up and covered its last eight, comes to Amherst tonight. While this looks like two ships sailing in opposite directions, we're not about to discount the benefits of home court advantage. Yale is playing its third straight road game. This is the most points UMass has gotten for any home game yet. Take the points. Play on UMass AAA | |||||||
12-10-19 | Wisc-Milwaukee v. Kansas -26 | Top | 68-95 | Win | 100 | 11 h 22 m | Show |
This is an 8* on KANSAS Kansas' season started with a 68-66 loss to Duke. Since then, the Jayhawks have looked as good as any team in the country. They've won seven in a row, six of those wins coming by at least 12 points. We used them as our Game of the Week on Saturday as they ended Colorado's unbeaten run with a resounding 72-58 victory. Tonight promises to be among the Jayhawks easiest games to date as they'll be hosting Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While all four of their losses have been by six points or less, the Panthers haven't played anybody close to the caliber of Kansas. Their most recent game was a 56-53 loss at Drake, which took place exactly one week ago. Despite having a week off, the spot is still not great for the underdog here. Before Drake, which was their first real road game, they'd played three games in three days in the Bahamas. The offensive numbers in those last four games aren't very good, which is a concern facing a Kansas team that has held its opponents to 37.7% shooting. The Jayhawks are already winning by an average of 17.7 points/game and this should be their easiest game since facing Chaminade. Play on KANSAS AAA | |||||||
12-09-19 | Thunder +8 v. Jazz | Top | 104-90 | Win | 100 | 11 h 21 m | Show |
This is a 10* on OKC Oklahoma City is in a back to back but this is too many points for Utah to be laying. They lost two All-Stars in the offseason, but the Thunder are hanging tough and a pretty average team. That may not sound like any kind of ringing endorsement, but most were thinking this team was going to finish well below .500. Truthfully, Utah hasn't been a whole lot better than OKC this season. They have. Both teams have outscored the opposition by < than 1 pt per game. The Thunder have won 4 of 5 did go into Portland last night and come away with a 108-96 win as 3.5-point dogs. The Jazz beat Memphis Saturday night, but have lost five of seven overall and both wins were against Memphis. It's been awhile since Utah beat a decent team. Just because the Thunder played last night doesn't mean they should be the big of an underdog. Play on OKLAHOMA CITY AAA | |||||||
12-08-19 | Kings v. Mavs -7.5 | Top | 110-106 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 2 m | Show |
This is a 10* on DALLAS The oddmakers have essentially been "asleep at the wheel" when it comes to the Mavericks team, which just surpassed the Lakers for the best point differential in the Western Conference. Following Saturday's 130-84 beatdown of New Orleans, the Mavs are outscoring teams by 10.3 points per game this season. Thus the oddsmakers probably couldn't make this number high enough for a home date with Sacramento. Dallas is 10-1 straight up and against the spread its last 11 games. Three wins, including yesterday's, have come by more than 40 points! Barring some kind of mental letdown, they should win tonight's home game with ease. The Kings have lost three games in a row, all of them to teams with losing records. This will be a third straight road game for them as well. They are just 3-9 on the road so far. Sacramento actually has the same ATS record as Dallas for the season. Both are 13-8. But the difference is that the Mavericks have seven more straight up wins. The Kings actually swept last year's season series, winning all three matchups. This is a different year. The Kings may be without both De'Aron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. They are in trouble here. Play on DALLAS. AAA | |||||||
12-08-19 | Steelers -1 v. Cardinals | Top | 23-17 | Win | 100 | 51 h 52 m | Show |
This is an 8* on PITTSBURGH Because they are down to their third string quarterback, who is a rookie that came from a FCS school, the Steelers are not being taken all that seriously as playoff contenders. But compared to most teams, they are better suited to still make a run. They shouldn't have much trouble beating the 3-8-1 Cardinals this week. Pittsburgh's success starts with a defense that is allowing just 18.8 points/game. Only five teams allow fewer. Only four allow fewer than the 317.2 yards/game allowed. Now compare that to Arizona, who is last in the league at 426.3 yards/game allowed. Miami is the only team that has allowed more points. Devlin "Duck" Hodges won the Walter Payton Award last year at Samford. That award is given out annually to the top offensive player in the FCS. Moving forward, Hodges is a better option than Mason Rudolph for Mike Tomlin. The Cardinals have just three wins and they are by a combined 10 points. The last one came on October 20th. They aren't going to beat the Steelers. Play on PITTSBURGH AAA | |||||||
12-08-19 | Titans -2.5 v. Raiders | Top | 42-21 | Win | 100 | 51 h 51 m | Show |
analysis soon | |||||||
12-08-19 | 49ers +2.5 v. Saints | Top | 48-46 | Win | 100 | 47 h 27 m | Show |
This is a 10* on SAN FRANCISCO It doesn't happen often, but both teams are 10-2. This is only the fifth such matchup in the last 35 seasons and the first since 2005. San Francisco lost a tough one last week to Baltimore to drop to 10-2. New Orleans won on Thanksgiving, though they didn't make it easy on themselves when they allowed Atlanta to recover two onside kicks. While the records may be the same, other numbers say the 49ers have been the more dominant team. Their point differential is +166, best in the NFC. The Saints point differential is only +50. The Niners outgained the Ravens 6.4 to 4.6 yards per play, which is substantial. The Saints were outgained by the Falcons, had half as many first downs, but managed to force four turnovers. The 49ers defense, which is #1 against the pass, does far better when not facing a mobile QB like Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson or Lamar Jackson. Against all other offenses, they have allowed 221.1 yards (total) and 10.6 points/game. Look for them to have success pressuring Drew Brees, who is not mobile. The better team is getting points and that's a combination we like. After falling from the #1 seed in the NFC because of last week's loss, a win here would put San Francisco right back in the driver's seat. Play on SAN FRANCISCO AAA | |||||||
12-07-19 | Colorado v. Kansas -9.5 | Top | 58-72 | Win | 100 | 10 h 42 m | Show |
This is a 10* on KANSAS We're down to 16 teams that have yet to taste defeat this College Basketball season. One of them is involved here and surprisingly it is not Kansas. Colorado has begun 7-0, but of the 10 unbeatens in action today they are one of just two getting points (Arizona @ Baylor is the other). Certainly, it would appear as if this is the time for the Buffaloes to lose for the first time. The only question is: can Kansas cover the spread? We think so. The Jayhawks have been off since the night before Thanksgiving when they rallied to defeat Dayton in overtime to win the Maui Invitational. Returning to Lawrence - where they have not played since November 19th - should be a big boon. Colorado is just 7-19 SU, 7-18-1 ATS its last 26 road games and this figures to be among the most challenging of all of them. This is their first road game this year. The Buffaloes needed a late 15-1 run to beat back Loyola Marymount Wednesday. They seem ripe for the picking here. Play on KANSAS AAA | |||||||
12-07-19 | Miami-OH +7 v. Central Michigan | Top | 26-21 | Win | 100 | 62 h 19 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MIAMI Central Michigan's only win of 2018 was against Maine, an FCS team. But the Chippewas have gone from 1-11 to 8-4 and MAC Championship Game favorite in just a year's time. Collectively, the MAC was pretty weak this year. So the idea any team would be favored by a touchdown in a Championship Game scenario just doesn't seem right. This line surprised us. Miami finished 7-5 overall and won the MAC East with a 6-2 conference record. Because they wrapped the division up three weeks ago, it meant they had nothing to play for the last two games. They only beat Akron by three and then lost by 14 last week at Ball State. We played against them both times and won! There is no shame in the RedHawks three non-conference losses as they were to Iowa, Cincinnati and Ohio State. The RedHawks are 24-8 straight up their last 34 conference games. Last week saw them rest starters in the second half, which is how a 27-14 halftime lead turned into a 41-27 loss. QB Gabbert got hurt in the 1st half, but is ready to go this week. Both teams were much better at home than on the road in the regular season. But Central Michigan had some bad losses (Buffalo, Western Michigan) and was lucky to beat Ball State after a big comeback. Expect a close game here. Rumors of Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain going to Missouri may be a distraction. Play on MIAMI OHIO AAA | |||||||
12-06-19 | Clippers v. Bucks -3.5 | Top | 91-119 | Win | 100 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE No idea why this early season showdown isn't on ESPN. But we'll be watching as the Bucks bring a 13-game win streak into Friday. They lost just one time in November and that was in the second night of a back to back, by three points, at Utah. Ironically, that last defeat came one night after the Bucks beat the Clippers. It was 129-124 in LA as the Bucks were actually six-point road favorites. Paul George did not play in that game and neither did Kawhi Leonard. The presence of the two LA superstars is not something we feel is enough to stem the tide here in Milwaukee. The Clippers have been a dominant home team so far, going 13-1 straight up at Staples Center. But they are only 3-5 on the road (2-6 ATS). This will be among the toughest road games of the year, if not THE toughest. The Bucks are 9-1 at home. But they're not just winning, they are consistently blowing teams out. Their average margin of victory here in Milwaukee is 15.1 points/game! Look for them to sweep this season series. Play on MILWAUKEE AAA | |||||||
12-06-19 | Magic -3.5 v. Cavs | Top | 93-87 | Win | 100 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ORLANDO Cleveland has been the gift that keeps on giving for Orlando. The Magic are already 2-0 against the Cavs this season with those wins have come by 9 and 12 points. For this third meeting, the Magic come in on a three-game win streak. This is the second time Orlando has been on a three-game win streak. The first ended with a 113-97 loss to Toronto. But there's a big difference in facing the NBA Champs and the pitiful Cavs. Cleveland has lost 10 of 11 and was just beaten by 27 here at home Tuesday night. That 27-point loss was to a Pistons team that had not won consecutive games all season. The Cavs were never really in the game and trailed by as many as 35 points. While still under .500 for the year, the Magic have always done one thing well. That's play defense. The number of points they allow - 103.4 per game - is tops in the conference. More encouraging is the way they've increased their own scoring recently. The last two games have seen them post season-highs with 127 and 128 points. Orlando may not have a good road record, but neither does Detroit and they just blew out the Cavs. Look for the Magic to win a season-best fourth straight game. Play on ORLANDO AAA | |||||||
12-05-19 | Cowboys v. Bears +3 | Top | 24-31 | Win | 100 | 23 h 40 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CHICAGO The Bears, like the Cowboys, are 6-6. But they won on Thanksgiving. It was against a 3rd string QB mind you and by only four points, but a win is a win in this league. Dallas lost to Buffalo 26-15, which was their third setback in the last four games. They've lost six of the last nine games. We just aren't of the mindset to be laying points with this Dallas team on the road right now. Just to illustrate how overvalued this team has been, they've been favored in all but one game this year. They have six losses. This is the third straight week that the Cowboys are facing a top five scoring defense. Against New England and Buffalo, they managed just 9 and 15 points. The Bears have not allowed more than 22 points in any of their last six games. Chicago has only covered one of its last eight games, but what you may be surprised to learn is that this is only the third time they will be an underdog. Like Dallas, they've been an overvalued team much of the year. Not anymore. Trubisky has actually played better of late. He's thrown for 979 yards the last four games including a season-high 338 on Thanksgiving. Play on CHICAGO AAA | |||||||
12-05-19 | Rockets v. Raptors -2 | Top | 119-109 | Loss | -109 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO Toronto is a team that continues to be underrated by the oddsmakers. Only the Bucks and Lakers have a better point differential on a per possession basis. Because they lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, it was thought the NBA Champs would take a step back this year. That hasn't been the case at all. The Raptors just suffered their first loss at home. It saw them go to overtime with Miami on Tuesday. Given the game went to OT, the fact they lost by 11 points is misleading. They went 0 for 9 from the field in OT, eight of those misses coming from three-point land. Toronto is healthier than its been in awhile with both Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry back. Lowry actually returned for the Heat game. In his absence, the team played remarkably well. They'd won seven in a row prior to Tuesday. Houston is also coming off an overtime loss here. Theirs was a 2OT affair. They blew a 22-point lead, which makes things even more painful. There was a controversial call where a James Harden dunk was disallowed and obviously that was the difference in a 135-133 final. The Rockets had their own long win streak last month (eight in a row), but have actually lost four of six since. They are 5-5 on the road. Toronto deserves more respect at home. Play on TORONTO AAA | |||||||
12-04-19 | Ohio State v. North Carolina -4 | Top | 74-49 | Loss | -108 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
This is an 8* on UNC Don't look now but Ohio State is #6 in the country ... in basketball! But the unbeaten Buckeyes will face by far their toughest test of the season tonight when they visit #7 North Carolina. This is Ohio State's first road game. North Carolina finished third in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. Friday's 78-74 win over Oregon (a Top 25 team) ended what was an 0-5 ATS streak. The Tar Heels only loss this year was to Michigan in that same Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. There's no shame in that. Ohio State has covered five in a row. But they are 0-5 ATS all-time vs. UNC. Needless to say, we're going to learn just how good this team is tonight. Our view is that the Buckeyes could be at their "peak" right now and it's a good time to sell on them. This will be their biggest test defensively and while UNC has underperformed offensively (by its standard), they've still scored 75 points in every game besides the loss to Michigan. We can't see OSU going to Chapel Hill and winning. Play on NORTH CAROLINA AAA | |||||||
12-04-19 | Pacers v. Thunder | Top | 107-100 | Win | 100 | 11 h 22 m | Show |
This is a 10* on INDIANA The Pacers deserve to be favorites here and we anticipate they will be by tipoff. They've won six of their last seven games and shot at least 50% from the field in their last five victories. Oklahoma City has actually performed a whole lot better than we thought they would. There was a mass talent exodus in the offseason with Paul George leaving for LA and Russell Westbrook going to Houston. Yet the Thunder are a somewhat respectable 8-11 SU on the year. But they just swept a home and home from New Orleans, meaning they were 6-11. Both wins over the Pelicans were close as it was a five-point win in OKC and a three-point win in NO. Since starting 0-3, Indiana has gone 13-4 with two of the four losses coming by three points or less. The other two were to Houston and Milwaukee, two of the league's better teams. The big key here is that OKC is just 1-7 SU vs. teams that have winning records. Play on INDIANA AAA | |||||||
12-03-19 | UTEP v. New Mexico State -4.5 | Top | 56-59 | Loss | -109 | 13 h 40 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NEW MEXICO STATE This is actually an early season rematch. UTEP won the first game, 65-50 as 2.5-point underdogs. But that was in El Paso. Tonight's visit to Las Cruces marks the first time the Miners have to hit the road this season. UTEP is undefeated (5-0), but has hardly faced the stiffest competition. Three of their wins have come against non-board teams. They beat New Mexico by three. The win over NMSU, which was the second game of the season, was the most impressive so far. But it speaks volumes that they are still underdogs to a 4-4 team they've already beaten. New Mexico State should be plenty motivated tonight. Not just because they are taking the court with revenge, but also because they were upset by George Mason in their last game. As a 5.5-point favorite, they lost 68-64. That game took place out on the Cayman Islands and saw NMSU blow a 12-point halftime advantage. There are several reasons the Aggies lost that first game vs. UTEP. One was they missed 9 of 11 free throw attempts. It was an all-around bad shooting night at 36.8% from the floor. That shouldn't be the case tonight at home. This Aggies team could easily be 6-2 right now and should get its revenge. Play on NEW MEXICO STATE AAA | |||||||
12-01-19 | Celtics -8 v. Knicks | Top | 113-104 | Win | 100 | 7 h 42 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON Boston took a loss in Brooklyn Friday afternoon, a game in which they didn't even face former teammate Kyrie Irving. Maybe it was the early start, but the Celtics didn't come out sharp and fell behind by 14 points in the first quarter. They never really recovered. It should be a much easier time against New York's other team, the Knicks, who have lost five straight to fall to 4-15. In those five straight losses, NY has scored no more than 104 points. They couldn't even hold a 16-point lead against Philadelphia Friday, losing here at home 101-95. The Celtics remain one of the league's premier defensive teams as they are holding opponents to a 43.2 FG%. They have lost two games in a row just one time this season and those were road games vs. the Nuggets and Clippers. The only previous time they lost a game where they were favored to win, they came back and won the next one by 14 points. This is the third meeting already this season. The Knicks played the Celtics tough in Boston, losing by just two, but also lost at home to them by 23. This is a bottom five team with nothing going for it. Play accordingly. Play on BOSTON AAA | |||||||
12-01-19 | Redskins +11 v. Panthers | Top | 29-21 | Win | 100 | 15 h 34 m | Show |
This is an 8* on WASHINGTON We just don't see Carolina winning this game by double digits. Not after last week's tough 34-31 loss to New Orleans, their fourth loss in the past five weeks. Washington actually won last week, so there's at least some positivity for a 2-win team. The Panthers haven't been a double digit favorite in over three years. Believe it or not, they've been asked to lay this many only six previous times in franchise history! The only two times they were favored by more than a field goal this year came in home games against Atlanta and Tampa Bay. They lost both. There are two key injuries Carolina will have to deal with, both of them season enders. The bigger of the two is to DT Dontari Poe, who had been quite the disruptive presence. The other is along the offensive line with Greg Van Roten. The Redskins defense has actually done a somewhat admirable job recently. They've held four of their last six opponents below 20 points and only one scored more than 24. If they can do that again, then this should be an easy cover. Play on WASHINGTON AAA | |||||||
12-01-19 | Jets v. Bengals +3.5 | Top | 6-22 | Win | 100 | 15 h 34 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CINCINNATI The Bengals are 0-11 (have lost 13 in a row going back to last year), are turning back to Andy Dalton (seems desperate) and are 0-4 ATS this year when getting less than six points. But we're still going to go with them. That may sound suicidal. But consider what we're fading here. The Jets are road favorites just three weeks removed from a 1-7 start. They have won three in a row, scoring 34 in every game. But they are 0-2 ATS as a favorite this season and lost outright both times. Going back more, they are 1-5 SU and ATS their last six times as a favorite. Cincy hasn't won this year, but they've been close numerous times. Over half their defeats have seen them come within one score. In terms of trying to get a win, Dalton is probably better than the ineffective Ryan Finley. The coaching staff was right to see what they had in Finley, but it turns out it wasn't much. Remember that the Jets lost in Miami. Before that, it had been two years since they'd been a road favorite. They lost that time too, 23-0. They have not closed higher than -3 on the road since 2011. Play on CINCINNATI AAA | |||||||
12-01-19 | Army +3 v. Hawaii | Top | 31-52 | Loss | -115 | 26 h 16 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ARMY Army is 5-6 and needs a win to go bowling for a third consecutive season. Hawaii is 8-3 and has the Mountain West Championship Game (vs. Boise State) on deck. This seems like an excellent opportunity to take Army plus the points. Army is also coming off a bye as well as two easy opponents before that. Hawaii just won a hard fought game last week against San Diego State that came down to a missed field goal. The Warriors won 14-11 to clinch their division and thus move onto the Mt West's Championship Game next week. For the record, we were on Hawaii last week. They were our 10* Game of the Week, in fact! When getting set to face Army, an extra week of preparation is beneficial because of the triple option. Well, not only does Hawaii not have the extra week to prepare, they've got to be thinking about next week's game vs. Boise State. That one is more important to these players and coaching staff. As for Army, winning here is all that matters so that they can get to six wins. When coming off a bye, they've gone 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS. They've also covered 9 of 13 as underdogs with five outright wins. Hawaii is 3-6 SU, 2-6-1 ATS coming off back to back wins. Play on ARMY AAA | |||||||
11-30-19 | Youngstown State v. Central Michigan -6.5 | Top | 72-88 | Win | 100 | 7 h 15 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CENTRAL MICHIGAN As a double digit dog, Central Michigan was up 50-32 at halftime on undefeated DePaul Tuesday. Not only did the Chippewas end up not winning, they also failed to cover! A disastrous second half yielded a final score of 88-75. They were getting 11 from the oddsmakers. CMU will need to "dust itself off" as they are back home Saturday to take on Youngstown State. This is a team they defeated last year, on the road, 100-94. They were 8-point favorites, meaning that they didn't cover there either. But it also means we're getting some good value. Here, the Chippewas are favored by less at home than they were last year on the road. Unless there's been some substantial improvement with YSU that we're unaware of, then this line makes no sense. The Penguins have played only one team of any real note, that being Louisville. They lost by 33 points. They've also lost by 22 to Akron and 12 to Louisiana. Both of those were road games. Central Michigan's schedule hasn't been all that impressive either, but they are among the highest scoring teams in the country at 96.1 points/game. Coming off the disappointing loss, we're looking for them to win in blowout fashion here. Play on CENTRAL MICHIGAN AAA | |||||||
11-30-19 | Boston College +9.5 v. Pittsburgh | Top | 26-19 | Win | 100 | 17 h 17 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON COLLEGE Boston College has won exactly 7 games in five of Steve Adazzio's six seasons here in Chesnut Hill. The outlier season was 2015 when the Golden Eagles went 3-9. To get to 7 wins again this year, they are going to have to first win this week and then a bowl game. There won't be a bowl for B.C. if they lose this week at Pittsburgh. They enter in at 5-6 after losing 40-7 last week at Notre Dame. This will now be the third try for six wins. They also lost at home to Florida State three weeks ago. Fortunately for BC, Pitt doesn't have much to play for here. The Panthers have 7 wins, so they'll be in a bowl. But they were shutout last week, 28-0, by Virginia Tech. We question whether this Panthers team can even score enough to cover a spread this big. They only average 20.2 points/game. None of Pitt's seven wins have been by more than 10 points. With only one meeting as ACC rivals, there's some unfamiliarity here. Pitt has been outscored despite a 7-4 record - by 1.3 points/game. B.C. has a virtually identical scoring differential. So this is a line that should be closer to a field goal. Some real value on a underdog that will be more motivated than the favorite. Play on BOSTON COLLEGE AAA | |||||||
11-29-19 | Bucks -10 v. Cavs | Top | 119-110 | Loss | -115 | 18 h 17 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE The Cavs aren't a good team. They've lost eight of nine and just got beat here at home by Orlando by 12 points. That doesn't bode well as Milwaukee comes to town Friday night. The Bucks are 15-3 and have won nine in a row. They look every bit as strong as they did last year when they won 60 games. Not only have the Cavs lost eight of nine games, they've also gone 2-7 against the spread. They rank near the bottom of the league both offensively and defensively. Milwaukee beat Cleveland by 17 earlier in the year with seven players scoring in double figures. This is an elite team (maybe the best in the league?) matched up against one of the five worst. Should be easy pickings. Play on MILWAUKEE AAA | |||||||
11-29-19 | Arkansas State v. South Alabama +11 | Top | 30-34 | Win | 100 | 33 h 41 m | Show |
This is an 8* on SOUTH ALABAMA South Alabama is finishing up a terrible season here (Jaguars come in at 1-10 SU), but we're banking on Arkansas State being a disinterested favorite Friday afternoon. Despite having very different records, these Sun Belt opponents may not be as far apart as you think. Arkansas State is 7-4. All they can do with a win here is improve their bowl position. The Red Wolves have won four in a row, but the last three have all been decided by seven points or less. Compare that to poor South Alabama who has generally been competitive, but can't quite get over the hump. Having a freshman QB hasn't helped the Jaguars cause, but at least there have been signs of improvement from Desmond Trotter. Key here is that Arkansas State has a terrible defense. The Red Wolves have allowed the second most yards in the Sun Belt. They allow 34.9 points/game overall and 41.6 points/game on the road. Despite a winning record, they have given up more points than they've scored this year. They've been outgained the last two weeks. South Alabama hasn't beaten a FBS opponent this year. Their only win came against Jacksonville State. But they are playing the final game at home, which should mean some motivation. The last three years have seen the Jaguars go 3-0 in SBC home finales. Arkansas State isn't likely to take this game too seriously. They'll be happy with just winning, but don't look for a blowout. Play on SOUTH ALABAMA AAA | |||||||
11-29-19 | West Virginia v. TCU -13.5 | Top | 20-17 | Loss | -109 | 19 h 51 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TCU TCU has to pick itself up here after a close loss to Oklahoma last Saturday night. Lucky for them is that they have the motivation of needing to win here to get to a bowl game. West Virginia should be happy to oblige. This has been a bad season in Morgantown. The Mountaineers have lost six out of their last seven games. Their hopes of going to a bowl ended last week when they lost at home to Oklahoma State by a score of 20-13. TCU has had its share of close defeats as well. Five of the six times they've lost this year, the final margin has been within a touchdown. But they were in this exact situation last year, needing to win the final regular season game. They did just that, beating Oklahoma State by a touchdown. It's a weaker opponent this time around, one that has nothing left to play for. The Horned Frogs also have some revenge on their minds after losing 47-10 last season in Morgantown. To us, it's not a question of whether or not TCU wins. They will. It's a question of "by how much?" With WVU having gone 5-10-2 its last 17 tries as an underdog, it doesn't look good for them Friday afternoon in Ft. Worth. The home team has won four straight in this rivalry. Play on TCU AAA | |||||||
11-29-19 | DePaul v. Minnesota -3 | Top | 73-68 | Loss | -113 | 14 h 42 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA DePaul pulled off a miracle on Tuesday. Trailing 50-32 at halftime vs. Central Michigan, they rallied not just to win, but to cover as 12-point favorites. The final score was 88-75. The Blue Demons are now 7-0, but are underdogs Friday to a 3-3 Minnesota team. For good reason. Not just is the game on the road, but one of their top rotation players (Devin Gage) is nursing an ankle injury. Only six players saw the floor for more than 10 minutes against Central Michigan. DePaul's defense was also very bad in the 1st half of that last game. They were slow to rotate, constantly falling for pump-fakes and had allowed 50 points by halftime. It was a complete turnaround in the 2nd half, but that's a game they were lucky to win, let alone cover. They were basically down for the first 30 minutes of the game. Minnesota has three losses, but two were on the road and the other to a pretty good Oklahoma team. The Golden Gophers beat Central Michigan in much more convincing fashion last week, winning by 25. All three times Minnesota has been favored, they have covered the spread. Play on MINNESOTA AAA | |||||||
11-29-19 | Miami-OH v. Ball State -3 | Top | 27-41 | Win | 100 | 28 h 42 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BALL STATE The first thing that caught our eye here was that a 4-7 team was favored over a 7-4 opponent. Our raw numbers are in agreement that Ball State is in fact the better team, so we'll be laying the points in this "unique situation." There have been four instances of a 4-7 team (or worse) being favored over a 7-4 team (or better). Sadly for our case, the chalk has never covered. But there are two factors that differentiate this game from all previous incarnations. One is that this is a conference game. Two is that the underdog has a more important game on deck. Miami is playing for the MAC Championship next week, which will be its first appearance in that game since 2007. They do not yet know their opponent. It'll be Central Michigan if the Chippewas beat Toledo, a game that takes place at the same time as this one. The MAC Championship is what is on the players and coaches minds. For Ball State, this is basically their "bowl game" as they've got nothing else to play for. The Cardinals deserve a better fate than staying home for the postseason. They've lost four in a row with three of those losses coming by a total of eight points. There's some revenge in the air in Muncie with Ball State having lost to Miami three years in a row. Note BSU is averaging 41.0 points/game at home. Miami averages just 15.8 points/game on the road. Play on BALL STATE AAA | |||||||
11-28-19 | Saints v. Falcons +7 | Top | 26-18 | Loss | -115 | 95 h 31 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ATLANTA Everyone will be expecting the Saints to exact revenge for their shocking loss to the Falcons three weeks ago. That game saw New Orleans come in as a 14-point favorite and lose 26-9. The 31-point difference between the spread and the final outcome was one of the largest we’ve seen this NFL season. Winning is one thing, but covering the spread is a different outcome. For the Saints, beating anyone by more than a touchdown has been a problem despite their 9-2 record. A 34-31 escape against Carolina last week was the Saints sixth win this year by seven points or fewer. Atlanta had a great follow up to the win over New Orleans. They beat Carolina 29-3. But then last week, they looked more like the team that started the season 1-7. They lost at home to Tampa 35-22. They still haven’t won a home game since Week 2! Getting back to New Orleans lack of domination, they have a point differential of only +42. That might sound alright, but nine teams are better and not all of them have as many wins. Last week easily could have been a loss, but Carolina missed a chip shot field goal. This spread is just too high. The Falcons had been playing so much better before running into a Bucs team that caught fire for one game. Eventually, a home game will be won. Their pass rush swallowed up Drew Brees in the first game and the Saints offensive line is now weaker due to injuries. Atlanta is capable of beating New Orleans twice. PLAY ON ATLANTA AAA | |||||||
11-28-19 | Ole Miss v. Mississippi State -2.5 | Top | 20-21 | Loss | -109 | 53 h 39 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MISS ST This line seems awfully strange given that Mississippi State needs the game to get bowl eligible. Rival Ole Miss is 4-7 SU, so you won't be seeing them in any bowl. Obviously, the Rebels will still come out motivated given who the opponent is. But it's not as if MSU won't feel the same way, if not more so, based on what a loss would mean to them. While its easy to say Miss State has regressed under Joe Moorhead, a lot of talent was lost from last year's team which had the #2 defense in all of the FBS. Especially along the defensive line. The Bulldogs have given up over 2x as many points this year compared to last. But looking at MSU's season, it's easy to see what the problem is. They just didn't fare well against good teams. As underdogs, their record is 0-4 straight up and against the spread. They lost those four games by an average of 26.5 points/game. But the Bulldogs are slight favorites here, as they should be, for a game they have to win. They'll be looking to reverse a trend that has seen the visitor win the last four Egg Bowls. Ole Miss has just two wins since Oct 5th. It was against New Mexico State. Their two SEC wins were against Arkansas and Vanderbilt, each of whom occupy last place in the respective divisions. The only other Rebels win was against a FCS school. As an underdog, they are 0 for 6 (SU) this year. Miss State is the better team and we will play accordingly. Play on MISSISSIPPI STATE AAA | |||||||
11-27-19 | Charlotte v. Georgia State -6 | Top | 78-81 | Loss | -105 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
This is an 8* on GEORGIA STATE Unlike many of the games on the Wednesday slate, this is not a Holiday Tournament. Georgia State welcomes Charlotte to Atlanta with both teams looking to get over .500 for the year. Georgia State is 3-3 while Charlotte is 2-2. Georgia State is a perfect 5-0 ATS, including a cover against Duke. The Panthers will be happy to be back home where they've only gotten to play once so far. That one time was the first game of the season where they blew out Brewton-Parker 104-35. Charlotte lost its last game, 64-55 to Appalachian State. That game took place last Thursday. The 49ers were coming off two straight upsets, one over Davidson and the other over Wake Forest. Both were at home. The last game was a reality check for Charlotte as they were held to 55 points on 36.7% shooting. Can't see them pulling off a third upset in four games here. Georgia State, who has scored 80 points in four of its six games, is going to be extra motivated upon this return home. Charlotte is 0-2 on the road. An afternoon start time is an advantage for the home side. Play on GEORGIA STATE AAA | |||||||
11-26-19 | Wizards +9.5 v. Nuggets | Top | 104-117 | Loss | -102 | 12 h 54 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WASHINGTON Denver is 12-3. They've won five games in a row and nine of their last 10. They were a double digit favorite in their last game and covered the spread (barely), beating a rising Suns team 116-104. Washington is a young team with a 5-9 record. But the Wizards can score. They are averaging 119.1 points/game. Only Milwaukee scores more than that. The Wizards aren't great defensively and they did just drop a home game to Sacramento on Sunday. But they were favorites in that loss and got held to 106 points. Hitting their scoring average here would likely mean a very easy ATS win, given how many points they are getting. Before they lost to the Kings, Washington had covered five straight times. They won three of the five games, including two as underdogs. Denver's defense definitely presents a challenge. But the Wizards are 8-1 ATS as underdogs so far and 6-1 ATS on the road. Because the Nuggets play at the second slowest pace in the league, they aren't likely to break away in this one. Play on WASHINGTON AAA | |||||||
11-26-19 | Mercer v. St Bonaventure -6 | Top | 51-56 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 47 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ST. BONAVENTURE What makes this an interesting matchup is that the underdog is off an upset win while the favorite lost in that same role its last game. We'll use this backdrop and take what the undervalued side on Tuesday, which is the chalk. St. Bonaventure is only 1-4 after losing at Canisius on Saturday. The Bonnies were five-point favorites there and lost 61-57. It was not a good shooting night nor did they do an effective job at rebounding. But before losing to Canisius, the Bonnies did win as underdogs over Rutgers at a neutral site. The problem for this team so far is that they have lost straight all three times they've been favored! The third time may not have been the charm agains Canisius, but we believe the fourth will tonight vs. Mercer. The underdog Bears had not covered the first two times they were underdogs this season, but then sprung a surprise on IL-Chicago Saturday, winning that game 72-68 as 4.5-point dogs. Mercer gives up a lot of points. An average of 80.2 per game to be exact. St. Bonaventure is allowing just 67.8. The favorite is hungry for a win at home where they are 0-2. Bonnies get the win and cover. Play on ST. BONAVENTURE AAA | |||||||
11-25-19 | Tennessee State +19.5 v. San Diego State | Top | 49-62 | Win | 100 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TN STATE San Diego State is 4-0 against the spread in addition to being undefeated, so it's no wonder that they are such large favorites Monday night. But the Tennessee State team that are hosting just hung tough with #12 Texas Tech and won't be intimidated in the least. That game at Texas Tech saw Tennessee State lost by only 15 as a 24.5 point underdog. With that cover, the Tigers move to 20-6 ATS the last 26 times they have been a road underdog of 18.5 to 24.5 points. San Diego State's last game against Long Island was not lined. But the Aztecs won by 17. The only game that's been closer for them was the 76-71 upset at BYU where they were a 4-point underdog. Yet consistently winning by double digits is hard in this sport. Tennessee State's only loss besides the one to Texas Tech was by 2 points at UT-Chattanooga. They trailed Texas Tech by only five at halftime. Look for the underdog to stay within the number here. Play on TENNESSEE STATE AAA | |||||||
11-25-19 | Ravens v. Rams +3.5 | Top | 45-6 | Loss | -105 | 23 h 8 m | Show |
This is a 10* on LOS ANGELES Baltimore is really rolling. A six-game win streak has included victories over Seattle, New England and Houston. Granted, they’ve also inflated their point differential at the expense of some bad teams. But there is no denying the Ravens are the hottest team in the NFL right now. But that distinction can often come with a price. That price is catching attention from the betting public. The public has driven this number up as the Ravens are laying a field goal to the Rams in LA. The Rams haven’t been home dogs in quite awhile. The only time it’s happened under Sean McVay was a meaningless Week 17 game back in 2017. The Rams are 3-0 ATS in primetime this year. They beat Cleveland on the road, covered at Seattle and then last week beat Chicago. West Coast teams, because of the body clock issue, have the edge over Eastern counterparts in night games. Over the last four games, the Rams defense has allowed just 44 points. That’s the fewest points allowed by any team the last four weeks. The run by the defense has coincided with the Jalen Ramsey trade. On offense, they’ll be getting WR Cooks back from injury tonight. Baltimore is due for an off game. Our raw number suggest this line should be a pick ‘em. Play on LOS ANGELES AAA | |||||||
11-25-19 | Grizzlies v. Pacers -9.5 | Top | 114-126 | Win | 100 | 9 h 48 m | Show |
This is an 8* on INDIANA Memphis deserves some credit for keeping it close against the Lakers Saturday as they lost by only 1 points. But it was still a third straight loss at home. Playing at Indiana Monday looks to be a mismatch for a team with the third worst scoring differential in the league. Indiana has won two straight and six of eight. The only losses were to Houston and Milwaukee, who are two of the league's better teams. The Pacers seem to have settled in nicely as one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference, a place where we expected them to be coming into the season. Injuries haven't even really slowed the Pacers down. Victor Oladipo hasn't played at all this year. Malcolm Brogden is expected to return to the lineup tonight. Six Pacers were in double figures in the last game, a 111-106 win over Orlando. Memphis is giving up 117.8 points per game, which is a lot. Only three teams allow more. Indiana is allowing only 98.0 points over its last five games. Play on INDIANA AAA | |||||||
11-24-19 | Pelicans v. Clippers -12 | Top | 109-134 | Win | 100 | 11 h 18 m | Show |
This is a 10* on the CLIPPERS This is a terrible spot for New Orleans. They lost in Utah last night and gave up 128 points despite the Jazz not having Rudy Gobert. Defensive woes are nothing new for the Pelicans. They’ve allowed an average of 119.6 points in all games this season. That’s the second most in the league. Tonight they are up against the Clippers, who have been a dominant home team thus far. LA is 10-1 at Staples Center after beating Houston here on Friday. The Clippers were upset out in New Orleans 10 days ago and so they’ll be looking to exact some revenge tonight. They have gone 6-3-1 ATS their last 10 revenge games. A big spread does not scare us as the Clippers are already winning by more than 10 points/game at home. An opponent that one of the worst defensive teams and played last night should make for easy prey. The Pelicans have been playing short-handed and the Clippers have the highest scoring bench in the entire NBA. New Orleans was down by as much as 20 last night. Play on LA CLIPPERS AAA | |||||||
11-24-19 | Jaguars v. Titans -3.5 | Top | 20-42 | Win | 100 | 44 h 56 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TENNESSEE This is a revenge game for Tennessee. They lost to Jacksonville in Week 3, on a Thursday night, 20-7. They were actually a small road favorite there as the Jags were 0-2 at the time. Jacksonville has not swept the season series since 2005. The Titans have won the last four home meetings and the home team is on a 12-5 ATS run in this rivalry. We’re not convinced about the long-term viability of Ryan Tannehill as the Titans quarterback, but he is 3-1 as the starter. Jacksonville has now dropped both games Nick Foles has started. They didn’t look good last week in a 33-13 loss to the Colts. Foles is 4-10 ATS as a starter in his career in games not with the Eagles. Jacksonville’s defense ranks 29th vs. the run. Titans running back Henry should have a big game. Play on TENNESSEE AAA | |||||||
11-24-19 | Steelers v. Bengals +7 | Top | 16-10 | Win | 100 | 41 h 19 m | Show |
This is an 8* on CINCINNATI As long as Cincinnati is winless, you can count on them to try. Though it’s happened twice in the 21st century, no team wants to go winless. The Bengals are 0-10. Half of those losses have been by 7 points or less though. Pittsburgh is coming off the tumultuous game with Cleveland that ended with that ugly brawl. The Steelers also lost the game 21-7. There were players that took some blows that weren’t from Myles Garrett. Center Pouncey, RB Conner and WR Smith-Schuster will among those watching this one from the sidelines. The Steelers are averaging only 13.5 points/game on the road, making them an ugly favorite here. Cincinnati will stay motivated until they win, but this is a game they REALLY want. They’ve lost nine straight times to the Steelers. They’ve lost 12 games in a row period, but are 6-6 ATS in that time. The Bengals average 17.5 points at home. That’s more than the Steelers do on the road. Take the points. Play on CINCINNATI AAA | |||||||
11-23-19 | San Diego State v. Hawaii -3 | Top | 11-14 | Push | 0 | 28 h 49 m | Show |
This is a 10* on HAWAII There's certainly a lot on the line here. The winner of this late night affair wins the Mountain West Conference's West Division. Lucky for Hawaii that they get the game at home where they have a distinct advantage. San Diego State may be 5-0 on the road, but this is the toughest trip in the conference. Hawaii could only manage a 21-7 win over a bad UNLV team last week. But the Warriors apparently didn't take the Rebels very seriously. QB Cole McDonald, who has thrown for over 3000 yards this season, didn't even start. The coaching staff wanted to evaluate redshirt freshman QB Chevan Cordeiro and let him play the first quarter. We had the Under in that game and loved seeing Cordeiro throw two interceptions and fail to direct a single scoring drive. Once McDonald came in though, Hawaii quickly seized control of the game. This game likely comes down to Hawaii's offense vs. SDSU's defense. Hawaii is averaging 36.2 points and over 500 yards in home games. The Aztecs are giving up less than 14 points and 300 yards. Hawaii's defense isn't great, but it also allowed only seven points last week. San Diego State has only three games where they scored more than 25 points. If Hawaii gets going like normal, then the Aztecs simply won't be able to keep pace. Play on HAWAII AAA | |||||||
11-23-19 | Arkansas +43.5 v. LSU | Top | 20-56 | Win | 100 | 24 h 16 m | Show |
This is an 8* play on ARKANSAS Few will want to touch Arkansas as they are in midst of a lost season and facing the #1 team in the country Saturday night. But this is obviously a lot of points. LSU is good, but they've never had to lay more than 40 in SEC play. That tidbit caught our attention this week. While LSU appears on its way to the College Football Playoff, Arkansas has already fired its coach. Chad Morris didn't even make it two full seasons in Fayatteville. He was fired two weeks ago after the Razorbacks lost 45-19 at home to Western Kentucky. As abrupt as the firing was, it was not the least bit surprising. So now long-time assistant Barry Lunney Jr has been tapped as the interim. The Hogs had last week off, so Lunney and his staff have had two weeks to prepare for LSU. Two months wouldn't be enough for them win this game, but with no bowl game, this team is going to approach this game like it's the "Super Bowl." Expect an inspired effort by the underdog Saturday night. As for the other sideline, LSU coach Ed Orgeron has made it pretty clear that he's going to pull starters as early as possible. That will give Arkansas opportunities in the second half. While the Tigers offense is record-setting, the defense isn't that great. They gave up 614 yards in last week's 58-37 win against Mississippi. It was the fourth game this year that LSU allowed at least 450 yards and 37 points. Rutgers covered against Ohio State last week. Arkansas can do the same this week. Play on ARKANSAS AAA | |||||||
11-23-19 | California +2.5 v. Stanford | Top | 24-20 | Win | 100 | 24 h 10 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CAL It's been a decade since California has won "The Big Game." Nine straight losses to Stanford have come by an average of 19 points/game. But we feel this will be the year for the crew from Berkeley. In recent years, Cal has definitely closed the gap on their rivals from Palo Alto. For this, the 122nd meeting, the Bears actually come in with the better won-loss record. It's been a long time since that was the case. Now after a 4-0 start, the Bears have lost five of six. Like Stanford, they are incredibly banged up coming into this game. Both teams are starting backup quarterbacks. But on the defensive side of the ball, we like what Cal has to offer more. We played against Stanford last week. They lost 49-22 at Washington State and had just six yards rushing. We warned you about the Cardinal's offensive ineptitude after they could only score 13 points on a Colorado defense that is probably the Pac 12's worst. While Stanford needs to win here and next week to be bowl eligible, we don't think there's any doubt as to which side will be more motivated Saturday down on "The Farm." This nine-year losing streak has to be eating at the Cal players and the senior class doesn't want to go out 0-4. Cal is 4-2 ATS as an underdog this year (three outright wins) and 10-5 ATS its last 15 road games. Stanford is 3-7 ATS in all games this season. Play on CALIFORNIA AAA | |||||||
11-23-19 | Syracuse +9 v. Louisville | Top | 34-56 | Loss | -110 | 21 h 29 m | Show |
This is an 8* on SYRACUSE One of the more inexplicable results we've seen in College Football this year was Syracuse beating Duke last week. The Orange had gone nearly two months without a win over a FBS foe. They were 8.5-point underdog on the road. Yet they ran wild for 286 yards on the ground and won 49-6. Just because we did not see that result coming does not mean it is without merit. Syracuse is a proud program still trying to make a bowl game. Last year's 10-win season was capped by a bowl victory. You can bet Dino Babers' team would like to get back there. Louisville is already bowl eligible, a major achievement after winning just two games in 2018. First year head coach Scott Satterfield has done a nice job here. But the Cardinals as a favorite is something we want no part of quite yet. This game marks the first time under Satterfield that Louisville is laying more than four points to a conference opponent. The Cardinals were -4 last week at NC State and won 34-20. But they also lost the total yardage battle in that game. They won the turnover battle though (+3) and also pulled off a fake field goal for a touchdown. It also helped that their opponents played without their top five cornerbacks! What a difference a year makes. Last year, Syracuse won 10 games and was considered the rising program in the ACC. Now its Louisville in that same position. We just aren't convinced that the favorite belongs in this price range - yet. Play on SYRACUSE AAA | |||||||
11-23-19 | DePaul v. Boston College +2 | Top | 72-67 | Loss | -105 | 3 h 24 m | Show |
This is an 8* on BOSTON COLLEGE The list of unbeaten teams left in College Basketball has dwindled down to 53. Of those 53, only 22 have managed to get to 5-0. One of the bigger surprises on the list in DePaul. We believe the Blue Demons are set to experience their first loss. They lost to Boston College last year 65-62 as a 4.5-point home favorite. DePaul's most impressive win was their only previous road game, an upset of Iowa as 9.5 point underdogs. The Blue Demons shot an outrageous 61% that day. Really, they've been shooting the lights out all year. But eventually that's going to stop. Facing a B.C. team that has held its first five opponents to below 40% shooting seems like the logical time. Boston College also has an upset win on the road, theirs at the expense of South Florida where they were +6.5. The Eagles only loss was here at home to Belmont, 100-85, a game where they were actually a slight dog. They bounced back from that with a 72-68 win over Eastern Washington Wednesday night.While DePaul hasn't played in a week, they're bound to lose. The week off also may leave them rusty. They are 3-7 ATS the L10 times they've played with three or more days rest. B.C. already has beaten not just USF but also Wake Forest. Play on BOSTON COLLEGE AAA | |||||||
11-22-19 | Rockets +5 v. Clippers | Top | 119-122 | Win | 100 | 10 h 48 m | Show |
This is an 8* play on HOUSTON Houston saw it's eight-game win streak come to an end Wednesday night in Denver. Notable is that they'd also covered the spread in all eight games. But the Nuggets were able to hold them to a season low 95 points and James Harden to just 27. The Clippers now have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard playing together. The first game with both on the court was a 107-104 win over Boston. The game went to overtime as LA won for the second time this week by three points or less. The Rockets will not be an underdog many times this season. Considering they are the highest scoring team in the league, it's worth taking them when they are. As we just mentioned, the Clippers two wins this week have both been close (total of 5 points). These teams already went against each other once this year. Houston won 102-93 at home. That was nine days ago. The big difference here is tonight's game being in LA. The Clippers are 9-1 at home, but only 1-4 on the road. Still we don't think they should be this big of favorites. The Clippers are only shooting 43.9% from the field here at Staples Center. Play on HOUSTON AAA | |||||||
11-22-19 | Spurs +7.5 v. 76ers | Top | 104-115 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 39 m | Show |
This is an 8* on SAN ANTONIO San Antonio is a league worst 2-12-1 ATS. But at some point that record has to improve. With the team struggling, expect them to be an underdog on a pretty regular basis moving forward. That sounds pretty simplistic, but they've only been a dog four times so far. The Spurs are an underdog tonight in Philadelphia. The Sixers also haven't exactly been tearing it up for bettors as they are just 1-5 ATS their previous six games. Two nights ago, they beat the Knicks by only five points. They trailed in that game by as much as 17. Not only has San Antonio not been covering, they haven't been winning either. They bring a 7-game losing streak to the City of Brotherly Love. Most of the losses have been close though. This is the front end of a back to back for both teams. Philly is 1-5 ATS this year against teams that have losing records. San Antonio is more desperate and we should see the underdog role suit them well when it comes to ATS results. Play on SAN ANTONIO AAA | |||||||
11-22-19 | Heat -4.5 v. Bulls | Top | 116-108 | Win | 100 | 7 h 29 m | Show |
This is an 8* play on MIAMI Miami has quietly been one of the better teams in the league this year. They are 10-3 while outscoring teams by 8.5 points per game. The only teams with a better point differential this year are the Lakers and Bucks. Winners of four in a row, the Heat rank 3rd in defensive efficiency. Chicago can't measure up to any of those numbers, although they did just win a game by 20 points. But it was against the Pistons, who have really been struggling of late. Miami also recently beat Detroit as part of its four-game run. The Heat have shot better than every other team in the league thus far, making 48.2% from the field. Don't expect the Bulls to play the same kind of defense here that they did vs. the Pistons. That was only the second time they've held an opponent under 100 points. Miami has won 8 of its last 10 and all eight wins have come by at least nine points. They are 9-2 ATS overall this season and 6-0 as a favorite! Play on MIAMI AAA | |||||||
11-22-19 | Western Michigan +18.5 v. Oklahoma State | Top | 63-70 | Win | 100 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WESTERN MICHIGAN There are 53 College Basketball teams still without a loss. Of the 53, there are 45 at 4-0 or better. One of them is Oklahoma State, who is in action tonight and laying a big number against Western Michigan. This will be the biggest number the Cowboys have had to lay this season and they're facing a team that's lost only one time in five tries. OSU has had two close calls so far. They won by just five points against Oral Roberts and by only seven against Yale, the latter win coming earlier this week. The other two games were comfortable victories over Missouri-KC and College of Charleston, though it should be pointed out the final margins of victory (18 and 19 points) were pretty close to what they are laying tonight.Western Michigan didn't fare too well in its only other game against a Power Conference foe. They lost by 27 at Ole Miss, but count on them playing better here. The Broncos shot just 33.9 percent down in Oxford while missing 27 of 32 three-point attempts. They are better than that offensively. They've scored at least 75 in every other game.The fact OSU has not won a game by more than 19 points should automatically make you hesitant to lay this number. This is a team that finished last season at 12-20 and isn't going to score many points on a regular basis. We'll take the points. Play on WESTERN MICHIGAN AAA | |||||||
11-21-19 | Colts v. Texans -3.5 | Top | 17-20 | Loss | -104 | 28 h 31 m | Show |
This is a 10* on HOUSTON The Texans come into this game sporting the same 6-4 record as the Colts and a near identical point differential. Everything seemed to be going fine in Houston, that was until they ran into Baltimore last week and lost 41-7. That loss may leave a bad taste in a lot of bettors' mouths, but it is important to remember that it was just "one game." One game on the road, against a very good team. It was the first time in QB Deshaun Watson's pro or college career that he lost a game by double digits. It was also the first time this season that Houston failed to score in the first half. The Texans had won four of five before being blown out by the Ravens. That one loss was the Colts, so if Houston needed any more motivation coming into Thursday, they've got it. Remember the Texans were eliminated by the Colts in the playoffs last year as well. They've lost three straight times to them overall. Obviously, this is the biggest game of the year. While quarterback Jacoby Brissett returning for the Colts was a welcome sight last week, the real key in the team's 33-13 win over Jacksonville was having two 100+ yard rushers. One of them (Marlon Mack) injured his hand though and he'll miss this game. The defense of the Texans has been great at stopping the run anyway (before facing Baltimore). They allow just 87 yards rushing per game at home. The Colts won't run wild in this game. The Texans have not lost back to back games this season. They should rebound nicely on TNF. Play on HOUSTON AAA | |||||||
11-21-19 | NC State v. Georgia Tech -2 | Top | 26-28 | Push | 0 | 25 h 25 m | Show |
This is a 10* on GEORGIA TECH It seems as if ESPN and College Football have conceded Thursday night to the NFL this week as they present a rather unappealing matchup between NC State and Georgia Tech. But sometimes these kind of matchups produce the most value. We see value on the home side in Atlanta. Little was expected from Georgia Tech coming into the 2019 season. They have certainly delivered on those low expectations with a 2-8 record. The reason for those low expectations was the transition from the triple option to a pro-style offense. The Yellow Jackets had started to show signs of improvement, but then ran into a buzzsaw known as Virginia Tech last week. The less said about the 45-0 loss, the better. NC State isn't exactly tearing it up either. Four straight losses where they've allowed 178 points is an ugly stretch, no matter how you want to look at it. The Wolfpack are also allowing 456.3 yards per game during the same four-game span. This is a horrendous defensive output, one that should allow for Georgia Tech to have perhaps its best offensive game of the season. It's been five years since we've seen a NC State-Georgia Tech matchup. The Yellow Jackets are 12-3 the last 15 meetings and have gone 15-2 the last 17 games against the ACC's Atlantic Division. Georgia Tech was embarrassed last week. We can't see it happening for a second straight week at home. It's telling that they are the favorite here. NC State's defense is so bad right now that they simply can't be trusted to cover a game, even if they still have a chance to be bowl eligible. Play on GEORGIA TECH AAA | |||||||
11-20-19 | Portland v. Portland State -6 | Top | 82-75 | Loss | -109 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
This is a 10* on PORTLAND STATE This battle for Portland supremacy finds the home team undervalued. This is likely due to the visitor's 3-0 ATS record that includes two covers as an underdog. Host Portland State just played a couple of tough road games. They were underdogs at Indiana and Hawaii and lost both. But a return home should be what the doctor ordered. The Vikings have won this matchup two years in a row including 87-78 last year as a 6.5-point favorite. Portland's two previous road trips were to USC and San Jose State. They upset the latter. Saturday saw them beat Maine 71-62 as a 7.5-point favorite. Despite having superior defensive numbers compared to tonight's opponent, that is a bit misleading. It's owed to holding Wilmette College to 19.7% in the first game. Prior to the upset of San Jose State, the Pilots had lost 22 of 25 road games. Portland State is 21-9 straight up its last 30 home games including 5-0 when favored in the range of -6.5 to -9. Play on PORTLAND STATE AAA | |||||||
11-20-19 | Akron +31.5 v. Miami-OH | Top | 17-20 | Win | 100 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
This is an 8* on AKRON Let's hold our nose and try again with Akron, who is the only team in the country without win this year (0-10). The Zips are also the only team without a single ATS win (0-10 ATS). But this is a tremendous amount of points to be getting against a Miami team that has nothing to play for these next two weeks. Miami clinched the MAC East with a 44-3 beatdown of Bowling Green last Wednesday. They now are in the unique spot of just waiting for the MAC Title Game. At 6-4, they are already bowl eligible. It's just about staying healthy for the MAC Championship Game at this point. There have been two times in the last three seasons that the RedHawks have been favored by at least 31 points. They won both, obviously. But they didn't cover either time. Both games were against FCS teams. You'd have to go back a long way to find the last time Miami was favored by this many in conference play. Even though Akron is the worst team in the country, they're still "only" losing by 26 points/game. An "average" loss would have them inside the number tonight. This is the most points they've gotten in any game all season. Believe it or not, the Zips have never closed higher than +21.5. Last year marked the first time in seven tries that Miami beat Akron by more than a touchdown. They'll have no interest in covering this huge number tonight. Play on AKRON AAA | |||||||
11-19-19 | Suns v. Kings -2 | Top | 116-120 | Win | 100 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
This is a 10* on SACRAMENTO When these teams opened the season against one another, the Suns would prevail in one-sided fashion, 124-95 as a 1-point home favorite. That was the first of seven consecutive covers by Phoenix to start the year. But a lot has changed since then. The Suns are now just 2-3 SU and ATS since that 7-game ATS win streak. They lost last night at home to Boston, getting held to a season-low 85 points. At no point in the second half were they closer than nine points. Another thing that has changed from the first time around is Sacramento's play. They started 0-5 SU and ATS but have gone 5-2 SU and 7-0 ATS in November. They just beat Boston on Sunday, 100-99. They did so without De'Aaron Fox or Marvin Bagley Jr. The Celtics had won 10 in a row going into that game and are now obviously 11-1 their last 12 after being the Suns yesterday. Two absences on the Phoenix side are huge here. Deandre Ayton, who was last year's top draft pick, is suspended. Ricky Rubio was a late scratch last night due to back spasms and the offense did not look the same without him running the show. With the Suns in a back to back, the situation is much better for the Kings tonight. Play on SACRAMENTO AAA | |||||||
11-19-19 | Montana State +6 v. Grand Canyon | Top | 56-69 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 51 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MONTANA STATE Montana State has covered all of its games this year while Grand Canyon hasn't covered any. That makes this line pretty strange. We're not saying the home team shouldn't be favored, but giving this many points is a definite reach in our estimation. Montana State (4-1 SU, 4-0 ATS) has been winning games close and in low-scoring fashion, but that still makes them a dangerous dog. Their only loss was by eight to a Utah State team that is now ranked 14th the country. Since that loss, the Bobcats have given up an average of 55.2 points/game. Their last win was against Tennessee Tech and they allowed only 39 points! Needless to say, if this string of impressive defensive efforts continues tonight, it'll mean an easy cover and they'll probably take the game outright. Grand Canyon is 1-3 and has lost to a Division II team (Davenport University) here at home. They just won for the first time this season, beating Arkansas Pine-Bluff 67-54, but they were favored by 15.5 points. Not a good start for the Antelopes. An area where they are really struggling is behind the three-point arc. There they are shooting just 25.0% in four games. That's trouble seeing how well Montana State has defended so far. The Bobcats have allowed just 25% three-point shooting. Bad line set by the oddsmakers in this one. Play on MONTANA STATE AAA | |||||||
11-19-19 | Southern Miss v. Iowa State -18 | Top | 45-73 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
This is an 8* on IOWA STATE Iowa State hasn't had the easiest start to the year as they've already lost once (at Oregon State), but tonight vs. Southern Miss should be a blowout. The Cyclones last played one week ago today when they beat Northern Illinois 70-52 as a 14-point favorite. That was here in Ames as well. Southern Miss has lost two in a row, both close games on the road. They lost six to South Alabama and then by three to North Florida. While the Golden Eagles still covered the spread each time, tonight is a third straight road game and their toughest opponent to date. This hardly seems like a good spot for them. The Cyclones actually trailed Northern Illinois at halftime last Tuesday. But that was due to some truly awful three-point shooting and a lack of rebounding. Both issues were quickly rectified in the second half when they outscored their opponents 39-18. We look for more of a "full game effort" tonight. ISU may be a young team, but they aren't turning the ball over much. Only 12.5% of their offensive possessions have ended in a turnover. That's 7th best in the country. Meanwhile, 22.5% of Southern Miss possessions end in a turnover. That's a bad number. Don't look for Iowa State to shoot 12.5% from three-point range again like they did in the last game. They should win quite comfortably tonight. Play on IOWA STATE AAA | |||||||
11-18-19 | Southern Utah v. UCLA -10.5 | Top | 61-76 | Win | 100 | 14 h 57 m | Show |
This is a 10* on UCLA Southern Utah already notched one upset this year, that being a 79-78 double overtime win at Nebraska. The Thunderbirds followed that up with a cover in BYU as they lost by only five points as a double digit dog. That was their 10th straight ATS win in the month of November going back two years. That streak ends tonight. The upset of Nebraska saw Southern Utah come back from a rather sizable deficit in the second half. They relied on some terrible shooting by the Cornhuskers to win that game. But it was their own poor shooting that cost them against BYU. The Thunderbirds missed all 12 three-point attempts they took in Provo. This will be Southern Utah's third straight road game and the tank could be closing in on empty. UCLA has yet to leave campus and has looked progressively better with each passing game. On Friday, they beat UNLV 71-54 as an eight-point favorite. The Bruins have a new head coach this year (Mick Cronin) and a new lease on life. They led by UNLV by 24 in the first half Friday. You knew Cronin would improve the defense here and UCLA has yet to allow more than 65 points. Play on UCLA AAA | |||||||
11-18-19 | Chiefs -4 v. Chargers | Top | 24-17 | Win | 100 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on KC It seems logical that Kansas City would bounce back in this spot. They are off a loss in which they outgained the opponent (Tennessee) 530-371. They had nine more first downs than the Titans in that game. But they also had two late-game field goal snafus that ended up costing them dearly. We don't think we'll be seeing those same kind of mistakes tonight in Estadio Azteca as the NFL once again heads to Mexico City. The Chargers are also off a close loss, theirs coming to the Raiders last Thursday. Again, costly miscues were the culprit as they finished the game -3 in turnover margin. One of the turnovers was an INT return for touchdown and that was basically the difference in a 26-24 game. LA finished with more yards and first downs than Oakland, similar to KC in its loss to Tennessee. This one boils down to the fact the Chiefs are simply better. Patrick Mahomes showed no ill-effects from his injury, throwing for more than 400 yards last week. The Chargers, who only average 20.7 points/game, simply don't score enough to keep up with the high-powered Chiefs. Kansas City is 9-1 the last 10 meetings with Los Angeles and has covered 8 of the last 11. Same 'ol story "south of the border." Play on KANSAS CITY AAA | |||||||
11-18-19 | Bucks -7.5 v. Bulls | Top | 115-101 | Win | 100 | 11 h 21 m | Show |
This is a 10* play on MILWAUKEE With wins in seven of the last eight games, Milwaukee is definitely rolling right now. The just beat Indiana by 19 on the road Saturday night. That was their best defensive effort of the year, holding the Pacers to just 83 points. That was timely because their own point total of 102 happened to be a season-low. Scoring has not been an issue for the Bucks this year, however. They lead the league in points/game (118.8) thanks in large part to the same prolific three-point shooting we saw last year. The other good news is the Bucks are 7-3 ATS the last three seasons coming off a game in which they allowed 90 points or less. These teams just played on Thursday with the Bucks winning 124-115. The Bulls were our *10* Game of the Month that night and cashed as 11.5-point underdogs. But we're switching course tonight as it seems very unlikely that Chicago will score that many points again. They are shooting just 40.9% in home games so far. It's now two straight losses for the Bulls as they just fell to a Brooklyn team that didn't have Kyrie Irving or Caris LeVert. Despite those absences, the Bulls still gave up 117 points. That's a bad sign for tonight. Milwaukee has covered its last four games in Chicago. Play on MILWAUKEE AAA | |||||||
11-17-19 | Patriots v. Eagles +4 | Top | 17-10 | Loss | -110 | 51 h 3 m | Show |
This is an 8* play on PHILADELPHIA You probably remember the last time the Patriots played the Eagles. It was in the Super Bowl two years ago and they lost a memorable game, 41-33, as Doug Pederson was able to do what few have done and that's outcoach Bill Belichick. We'd be kidding ourselves to think that Super Bowl loss won't be on the mind of the Patriots Sunday. But so will a more recent defeat, the one that occurred two weeks ago in Baltimore. It was the first defeat of the year for New England and they pretty well got their "lunch" handed to them by the Ravens, losing 37-20. Before that, the Patriots defense had been unbelievable. But they've also faced a weak slate of opponents: the Jets twice, Miami, Washington and the Giants to name a few. Philly is also coming off a bye week, so no advantage for the Patriots there. Before their bye, Philly had won two straight and looked like a team that could win the NFC East. Carson Wentz may not have Alshon Jeffrey at his disposal this week, but he still has TE Zack Ertz and New England's defense struggles to defend tight ends. Ertz had nine catches for 103 yards two weeks ago against Chicago. The Eagles offense can also run the ball effectively. How about the Philadelphia defense? The last two games have seen them give up just 27 points and 417 yards. Grab the points here with the home dog. Play on PHILADELPHIA AAA | |||||||
11-17-19 | CS-Northridge v. Richmond -14 | Top | 62-90 | Win | 100 | 8 h 56 m | Show |
This is a 10* on RICHMOND Cal State Northridge is having a terrible start to the season. The Matadors are 0-4 straight up and against the spread. The losses have gotten progressively uglier with the latest coming by 46 points against Auburn. They gave up 116 points in that one. So Richmond has to be licking its chops coming into Sunday. The Spiders are 2-0, though those two wins couldn't have been much closer. They beat St. Francis (PA) by two (100-98) and Vanderbilt by one (93-92). Both games went to overtime! The Spiders are going to have to score a lot to cover the spread this afternoon and we think they will. So far they have shot the ball very well. CS-Northridge plays little in the way of defense. CS-Northridge's opponents have shot 53.1% so far. At the same time, they haven't shot very well themselves. This is simply a bad basketball team. These teams have combined to go 0-6 ATS, but it's pretty obvious which is better. All five Richmond starters are averaging more than 10 points/game. Off two tough wins, this will be among the Spiders easiest games of the season. Play RICHMOND AAA | |||||||
11-17-19 | Falcons +4.5 v. Panthers | Top | 29-3 | Win | 100 | 48 h 39 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ATLANTA Atlanta recorded what has to be considered the upset of the year, beating New Orleans last week 26-9 as a 14-point underdog. The Falcons came into that game at 1-7 and had not covered since a Week 2 win against Philadelphia. Having now beaten the likes of Philadelphia and New Orleans, the Falcons should be taken seriously - even at 2-7. This might be a lost season. But the team isn't bad. It's simply underachieved. Consider that they have gained more yards than they've allowed this season! There was nothing fluky about the win in New Orleans either. What had previously been a non-existent pass rush even decided to show up as the Falcons sacked Drew Brees six times. Carolina's defense has looked real shaky of late. They gave up 51 points to the 49ers a few weeks back and are allowing 25.3 points/game for the year. The last three games have seen them allow 516 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Despite having a better record than Atlanta, the Panthers (5-4) are being outgained this year. Matt Ryan has always had his way with Carolina, beating them 14 times in 22 tries. He and the Falcons are 6-1 the last seven meetings. Half of Atlanta's ATS victories the last two years have come in division games. Kyle Allen started to look like a backup in Carolina's 24-16 loss last week to Green Bay. Our guess is that his regression will continue. We'll take the points with the team that has the edge at QB. Play on ATLANTA AAA | |||||||
11-16-19 | USC -2.5 v. Nevada | Top | 76-66 | Win | 100 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
This is a 10* on USC USC is 3-0 and looking good for coach Andy Enfield. The Trojans have beaten each of their three opponents by at least 18 points. While this is the first road game of the season, they are favored to win in Reno and we like them to keep rolling. Nevada has already eaten a loss. It came in the first game (vs. Utah) where they were favored to win by four but fell 79-74. The Wolf Pack have since bounced back with wins over Loyola Marymount and UT-Arlington. But both wins were close, coming by five and seven points respectively. One key area where USC will have the edge tonight is offensive rebounding. The Trojans have posted an off rebounding percentage of 40.5 so far. That ranks 21st in the country. Nevada's offensive rebounding percentage of 18.6 ranks 283rd. Jalen Harris led Nevada with 24 points in the win Tuesday night over UT-Arlington. But he is still not 100% after missing most of the first two games with a foot injury. Against a team like USC, one of your best players not being completely healthy could be the difference. This is a revenge game for USC. They lost by 12 to Nevada last year at home. Poor three-point shooting is the reason they lost. But, as indicated by the pointspread, this year's squad is better. Play on USC AAA | |||||||
11-16-19 | Blazers +1.5 v. Spurs | Top | 121-116 | Win | 100 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
This is a 10* on PORTLAND Portland is a small dog tonight in San Antonio. But it would appear as if the oddsmakers have failed to account for the fact that the Spurs are playing the second night of a back to back. This line would make sense were the home team rested. But they're not. The Blazers should be favored. Then there is the matter of what happened to the Spurs last night. Despite being up most of the game, they lost to Orlando 111-109. You just can't lose games where you have a 16-point lead ad shoot 50%. But the Spurs did just that. It was their 4th straight loss. For maybe the first time in Greg Popovich's tenure here, defense has become a major issue in San Antonio. The Spurs gave up 64 points to the Magic in the second half last night. They've allowed at least 112 points in five straight games.This is a revenge game for Portland, who lost 113-110 here in SA on October 28th. Both teams enjoyed a lead of 19 points in that game. The Blazers ended up covering as six-point underdogs. While the line isn't as high this time, that's irrelevant as the road team can clearly win outright here. Portland needs this one pretty badly as they've dropped six of seven. Carmelo Anthony won't be coming on board until Tuesday at the earliest. But the Blazers are well rested heading into Saturday (two days off) while the similarly struggling Spurs are not. Play on PORTLAND AAA | |||||||
11-16-19 | Oklahoma v. Baylor +11 | Top | 34-31 | Win | 100 | 51 h 3 m | Show |
This is an 8* play on BAYLOR Baylor is 9-0, but they're also a home dog to Oklahoma this week. Not only that, they are a double-digit home dog. That's pretty rare territory for a team to be in. The only other time in the last 40 years that a 9-0 team was a home dog of at least 7 points was Notre Dame's famous upset of Florida State in 1993. Only six 9-0 or better teams have EVER been a home underdog. Four of the six wound up winning their games outright. It should be pointed out that 9-0 Minnesota is also an underdog this week, but they're playing on the road. Speaking of the Golden Gophers, they were in a pretty similar spot last week (were 8-0) vs. Penn State and won. Bottom line is you shouldn't be writing off these unbeatens just because you didn't expect them to be unbeaten at this point. Baylor has won plenty of close games this year. But they are also 6-0 ATS their last six games as an underdog, winning five of them straight up. Coach Matt Rhule is 32-14 ATS in his career getting points and has won 16 of those games straight up. That includes 13-5 ATS as a home dog with seven straight up wins. Oklahoma's defense has been bad the last two games, giving up 48 and 41 points. They lost at Kansas State and then needed to stop an Iowa State 2-point try in the final minute to win last week. Baylor has allowed more than 21 points in regulation only two times all year. They can certainly win this game. Play on BAYLOR AAA | |||||||
11-16-19 | Stanford v. Washington State -10.5 | Top | 22-49 | Win | 100 | 48 h 4 m | Show |
This is an 8* on WASHINGTON STATE The loser of this game is going to see their postseason hopes take a major hit. Both Stanford and Washington State enter at 4-5 meaning whomever loses here will then need to win out just to get to a bowl game. Fortunately for Wazzu, the game is in Pullman where they have lost only two times in the last three seasons. Once was last year's Apple Cup (vs. Washington). The other was earlier this season in that wild 67-63 game against UCLA. Stanford isn't about to score 27 points, let alone 67. Consider the Cardinal "offensively challenged" as they could manage only 13 points last week against a Colorado defense that is probably the Pac 12's worst. Stanford averages only 21.6 points/game and has been held below that average five times. Washington State has scored at least 30 in every Pac 12 game besides Utah and Cal, who are the league's two best defensive teams. In the last three years, Mike Leach's offense has put up 107 points on the Stanford defense. This year, the Cardinal are missing two key players in their secondary. Despite losing five of six, the Cougs are still a formidable group. They get back on track in a big way Saturday afternoon. Play on WASHINGTON STATE AAA | |||||||
11-16-19 | Central Michigan v. Ball State -2.5 | Top | 45-44 | Loss | -104 | 47 h 5 m | Show |
This is a 10* play on BALL ST Sometimes, handicapping a particular matchup (in any sport) can come to down to one simple factor. In the case of this game, it's all about homefield advantage. Ball State has it and that should be enough for the Cardinals to move one step closer to being bowl eligible on Saturday afternoon. Lay this short number with confidence. Ball State comes in averaging 40.2 points in their four games at Scheumann Stadium. They lost their last time here, 34-21 to Ohio, so that right there should tell you what they did offensively in the other three. The 40.2 points/game scoring average is well above what the Cardinals average in road games (27.5 points/game). Again, homefield advantage matters. It matters not just for Ball State, but for Central Michigan as well. The Chippewas home vs. road split is even wider than their opposition's. While Central Michigan averages 43.0 points/game at home, they average just 17.0 points/game on the road. The Chippewas have lost four of their five road games this year. The win was over Bowling Green, who is 3-7. In the other three road games, Central Michigan scored 0, 12 and 15 points. Central Michigan is already bowl eligible. Ball State is not. The Cardinals need to win two of the next three games and could be underdogs in the next two. The Cardinals won in Mount Pleasant last year 24-23 as a two-point dog. Play on BALL STATE AAA | |||||||
11-15-19 | California Baptist v. California -4.5 | Top | 62-82 | Win | 100 | 9 h 7 m | Show |
This is an 8* on CALIFORNIA California went just 8-23 SU last season and finished last in the Pac 12 with a 3-15 conference record. But things are already looking much brighter in Berkeley this season. The Bears are off to a 2-0 start for new coach Mark Fox and now have an excellent shot at opening 3-0. On Tuesday, they were able to pick up an overtime win over UNLV. They won 79-75 as 3.5-point favorites. That was after we took them in the season opener when they delivered a "surprise" win over Pepperdine, 87-71 as two-point underdogs. As we stated before that Cal-Pepperdine game, the Bears were very likely to improve this season after "bottoming out" under former coach Wyking Jones. Matt Bradley looks like a superstar after scoring 48 points in the first two games. This team is so much better than it was the last two seasons. But the oddsmakers have not caught on yet. Cal Baptist has already played three times, winning twice. The loss came on Tuesday as they faced #25 Texas. The Lancers could score only 54 points against the Longhorns, a major change from the first two games when they scored 93 and 112 against lesser competition. CBU gets 42.9% of its total points from behind the three-point arc, which is a very high percentage. They likely won't be able to sustain that. The Lancers also don't play very good defense, ranking near the bottom of D-I in both block and steal rate. They covered against Texas because the Longhorns couldn't hit open threes. Won't be the case again here. Playing two straight on the road against big time teams is a little much for this underdog. Lay a number that's too short. Play on CALIFORNIA AAA | |||||||
11-15-19 | Jazz -7 v. Grizzlies | Top | 106-107 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
This is a 10* on UTAH Utah fell behind by double digits against Brooklyn on Tuesday. While they were able to come back and win 119-114, they did not cover the 6.5-point spread. That was at home. Tonight the Jazz hit the road, but they are facing a weak opponent. Memphis is not a team you would expect to get out in front of the Jazz like Brooklyn was able to do. Thus, our automatic inclination here was to lay the points. While the Grizzlies have won two in a row, it's the first time that's been the case this year. In Wednesday's 119-117 win over Charlotte, they mounted their own comeback, rallying back from down 12 in the third quarter. But Memphis has not done well after allowing more than 115 points their previous game. They are just 1-5 ATS in this situation the last three seasons. Utah is one of the top defensive teams in the league and has won four games in a row. They are allowing just 99.5 points/game. Memphis allows 118.8 points/game, which is fifth most in the league right now. This is a sizable mismatch. Play on UTAH AAA | |||||||
11-15-19 | Louisiana Tech v. Marshall -3.5 | Top | 10-31 | Win | 100 | 49 h 56 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MARSHALL Since losing 52-17 to Texas in the first game of the season, Louisiana Tech has won eight in a row. They are 5-1-1 ATS the last seven games and since a Week 6 bye, the Bulldogs have averaged an amazing 52 points/game. They hit that number on the nose last week with a very impressive win over North Texas. That performance last week was definitely not what we were expecting. The Bulldogs are one of seven teams left without a conference loss. But they are underdogs this week at Marshall and for good reason. Marshall's defense has been excellent over the last five games, giving up just 20.4 points/game. So the Thundering Herd have what it takes to slow this La Tech attack down. The Herd have won four straight themselves and control their own destiny over in the East Division of Conference USA. This is just the third all-time meeting, so Huntington is not a place Louisiana Tech is all too familiar with. Their last visit here was the 2014 Conference USA Title Game, which they lost 26-23. Marshall is 48-18 SU its last 66 home games. Louisiana Tech's ascent is not something that was expected. At least to this height. Marshall is primed to win 8+ games for the 5th time in 6 seasons and they are off a bye. Play on MARSHALL AAA | |||||||
11-14-19 | Steelers v. Browns -2.5 | Top | 7-21 | Win | 100 | 27 h 33 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CLEVELAND The underachieving Browns got back into the win column last week by beating Buffalo 19-16 as a 2.5 point favorite. Despite being just 3-6 on the season, the Browns do have reason for hope. Their upcoming schedule is among the easiest in the entire league. Remaining games for the Browns include: Arizona, Miami and two with 0-9 Cincinnati. But first they've got to beat long-time nemesis Pittsburgh Thursday night. The Steelers have definitely had the Browns number through the years. The last eight meetings have seen the Steelers go 7-0-1. The tie was last year. Pittsburgh comes into this game as the underdog, but has won four in a row. Most of the wins have been close though. Three were decided by seven points or less. The other, against a Miami team that was winless at the time, saw them fall behind 13-0. So the Steelers aren't exactly dominating. Another benefit the Steelers have enjoyed is that six of their nine games have been played at home. That includes the last three. The only road game they've played the last six weeks was against the Chargers, who have the one of the weakest home field advantages in the league. Despite winning that game, the Steelers were outgained. They've been outgained by an average of 146.8 yards in the three road games this season. The Browns have only scored 38 points the past two weeks despite getting into the red zone nine times. That's almost historic inefficiency. We look for the Browns' offense to finally have its breakthrough game Thursday night in front of what should be a rabid Dawg Pound. Play on CLEVELAND AAA |
Service | Profit |
---|---|
William Burns | $966 |
Ray Monohan | $762 |
Joey Tron | $604 |
Big Al McMordie | $501 |
Ross Benjamin | $475 |
Jesse Schule | $471 |
Ricky Tran | $360 |
Matt Fargo | $338 |
Tom Macrina | $260 |
Jimmy Boyd | $88 |