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Parity in the Missouri Valley conference has created an oddsmaker conundrum for Tuesday. After starting conference play at 0-5, Northern Iowa finally broke through and toppled Valparaiso. Drake on the other hand is 5-1 in conference but their one loss was a 17 point drubbing to Valparaiso. With Northern Iowa’s big win over Valparaiso bettors may chase the illusion that they’re a team to back with confidence. Yet with six days rest expect Drake to have the fresher legs and withstand the Panthers. 

Friday the Phoenix Suns were one of the more popular underdog consensus plays as they hosted the Rockets. A rare stretch of five days rest was the angle bettors chased but the Suns were blown out by 17. Now they’ll step onto the court less than 48 hours later against a Pacers team that defeated the Cavaliers in a miraculous comeback Friday. That’s created value on the Suns as Indiana is inflated off that victory. Grab the Suns. 

After pulling off a narrow ATS victory against Colorado Wednesday, USC will look for another Pac-12 victory against Utah. Utah once was a 10-3 team that looked the role as a dark horse Pac-12 contendor. Unfortunately scheduling has not benefitted them as they’ve lost three straight against the meat of the Pac-12 in Arizona, ASU, and UCLA. Although USC has been turnover prone and susceptible defensively they’ve grown accustomed to playing in the Sunday night spot on a weekly basis. Grab the value on the Trojans.

Sunday, Davidson travels to take on Fordham in the Bronx. Fordham’s a team that has been an under the radar reliable conference ATS team in recent years. Yet, they’re 1-3 in conference play and are coming off two steep consecutive losses. Davidson on the other hand has rebounded from a 4-6 start to win four of their last five. Grab them to continue their higher level of play on the road against Fordham.

A team that keeps losing in the WCC is Portland. They’re winless in conference and just lost by fifty points at Gonzaga. Pacific on the other hand has rebounded from a subpar non-conference performance to go 3-2 in conference. Yet they’re venturing on the road for the first time in nine days. Still this is a baited home dog spread as Pacific’s 8-10 record offers a peculiar spot for a favorite. Grab it as Portland’s woes continue.

The return of Zach Lavigne for the Bulls is not one to consider from a value stand point. Lavine has been away due to injury for a year and is also stepping onto the court with a new team as opposed to his familiar prior setting with the Timberwolves. The thunder of the Bulls former torrid stretch of having won ten of twelve games has dissipated as they’ve dropped five of seven. Detroit has the depth and size to offset a young Bulls team. Still, look for the back end of a Detroit three-game road trip to keep the Bulls in position to win. Grab the Bulls.

In college hoops ASU continues to be a hot bed to go against ATS for several reasons, but primarily based on their schedule. After opening up conference play with three straight road games the Sun Devils dropped their first home game to Oregon on Thursday. Saturday’s opponent is one in Oregon State that also lost but on the road Thursday to Arizona. The angle that ASU is in need of a win and is facing a team continuing road travels is one offered by oddsmakers. Yet even though ASU has the quick spurt capabilities this is too many points to bypass. Grab the Beavers.

Friday the Bucks will host the Warriors in a key interconference matchup. On the injury report for the Warriors is Steph Curry who is listed as doubtful with a sprained ankle. Yet the Warriors have already dealt with playing without Curry prior this season and boast a 17-3 away record. Of their nine losses this year none have come consecutively. That’s where the value lies here as bettors chase the number on the Warriors team strength of the past four seasons. Grab the home Milwaukee Bucks.

Arizona State returns home tonight to face Oregon after a three-game road stretch to start the Pac-12. Most coaches would have been happy with the results of the stretch. ASU fought tough against 17th ranked Arizona, played Colorado to overtime, and held off Utah. Yet, tonight’s point spread is more indicative of a returning home tilted line as well as ASU’s strong ATS record (10-2). The fact of the matter is ASU lacks size and does not defend for forty minutes. Grab the value on Oregon. 

At 4-12 UNC Wilmington has had an extreme free fall from their tournament appearance two years ago. Tonight they’ll take on conference opponent Elon whom has won four of their last five. Yet I see value on UNC Wilmington who still has prime talent at several positions. The Seahawks looked extremely flat in their latest matchup allowing 96 points in a twenty point loss to Delaware. That’s created value on the Seahawks tonight as they conclude a conference three-game road trip. Grab the Seahawks.

Oddsmakers have dangled out a large point spread Wednesday on the Trojans. The fact of the matter is their improper top ten ranking to start the season made it difficult  for oddsmakers to adjust their number. At 11-6 they’re the only team not in the Pac-12 outside of ASU that has a positive mark ATS at 10-7. Colorado is coming off home upsets against both Arizona State and Arizona which further elevates their inflation. They also played their latest game against Arizona mid-day Saturday PST compared to USC’s Sunday evening buzzer beat loss to Stanford. Grab the value on the underachieving but talented Trojans.

Once again the Pelicans will be minus star athlete Anthony Davis. Traveling on the road against Memphis will be a challenge as the Grizzlies still are capable of solid half-court defense. Yet offensively they’ll keep the Pelicans within striking distance with their inopportune offensive lulls. Value here is based on the fact that of the Grizzlies last twelve games four opponents they faced multiple times. That led to tighter games based on familiarity similar to an MLB home-away series. Grab the value on the Pelicans.

In a back to back scenario the Dallas Mavericks will travel to Charlotte. This is a skewed line as Charlotte returns home from a lengthy west coast trip. During the trip the Hornets defeated the Warriors and also blew out their last two opponents. That figures to translate at home against a tired team far below .500. Yet look for the Mavericks to fight in this one and cover a skewed line.

Dropping from a top five team to unranked has occurred for Texas A&M. Issues diagnosed pre-season with Texas A&M’s lack of a point guard have been a main downgrade to their 0-3 SEC start. Opposite the Kentucky Wildcats have not been the same caliber of a typical Coach Calipari. That’s showcased by oddsmakers offering low numbers against Louisville (-4.5) and Virginia Tech (-6.5). Yet there is value to be had here off the Aggies slide and last year’s blowout 100-58 Kentucky victory over A&M. In the victory Kentucky did not ease off the gas as they hunted to score 100 points. An added ATS indicator for the Aggies is this is the first collegiate game of conference play with class back in session from the holidays. Grab the Aggies.

The depleted Clippers were further hit with the injury bug as they’re now minus Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers. That’s created ATS value tonight against an Atlanta Hawks team that were blown out by 19 points against the Lakers and by 21 in Portland. Grab the Clippers to get it done with a core of non original starters as they sweep the Hawks.

The Suns thin roster will likely be without more players Sunday as TJ Warren and Isaiah Canaan are likely to miss today’s game against Oklahoma City. For the Thunder they’ve become a stronger group on their current road trip with blowout wins over the Lakers and Clippers. The catalyst has been rookie Terrance Ferguson whom has given the Thunder an athletic spark of youth. Phoenix’s poor home record of just 7-14 adds to their value. Grab the Suns to put up points and cover the big number.

Signs of ASU having glaring weaknesses were evident before conference play began. Under sized and offensive droughts plagued them in come back wins over Vanderbilt, Longwood, and others. Starting off the Pac-12 0-2 is a cause of those issues but also a tough conference schedule out of the gate. Both their games were on the road as is tonight’s matchup against Utah. That’s where the value lies ATS. Look for ASU to show a concerted effort to avoid falling to 0-3 in the Pac-12.

Continued credit for being a former dominant conference team is what oddsmakers have granted Northern Iowa. The Panthers have now lost four straight after starting the season 8-3. The Missouri Valley has increased their offensive production and been able to bypass the Panthers typical strong defense. After consecutive road games this is a spot oddsmakers have baited bettors to grab the home Panthers. Instead look for further rust from Northern Iowa and for Loyola-Chicago to be the aggressors as they’ve lost three of four.

Samford finds themselves in an unordinary spot as a favorite this season. Minus key contributors Wyatt Walker and Christen Cunningham Samford has started the season 5-10. Yet, they both may play today which would be a small conference oddsmaker miss in the Southern conference. Even if both fail to return expect Samford to bypass Western Carolina’s methodical slow pace offense. Grab Samford.

Saturday, we’ll grab the value on Brooklyn as home underdogs against the Celtics. Boston is coming off a nationally televised blowout win as Kyrie got the upper hand over Lebron and the Cavaliers. Yet the Nets have won consecutive home games and have played two close games against the Celtics. One resulted in a seven point loss and there most recent matchup on New Year’s Eve was by three points. Grab the Nets to keep this close again.

Saturday there is value in the Ohio Valley conference as Jacksonville State travels to take on Belmont. Here the value lies with Jacksonville State’s second consecutive road game. In their prior road game the Gamecocks lost by seven to a lowly 6-8 Tennessee State team. Yet, Belmont should bring a higher level of energy from the Gamecocks. Grab the road value.

Just one team in the Pac-12 has a losing record below .500. That is Stanford which is just 6-8 overall and has poor losses on their resume to teams such as Portland State, Eastern Washington, and Long Beach State. They’ll face a UCLA team tonight that’s gaining their confidence. After a neutral site victory over Kentucky, UCLA has started off Pac-12 play 2-0. Yet, expect Stanford to show some strides in this one as they lost by just three points in their latest matchup against California.

The Wofford Terriers host their first home game in Southern Conference play against VMI. VMI is coming off a thirty point loss in which they allowed sixteen three pointers to Furman. Fletcher Magee of Wofford figures to be in for a great evening as one of the country’s premier three-point shooters. Yet, be leery of another Wofford offensive lapse to detriment this large spread. In their latest matchup against UNC Greensboro they scored just twenty second half points, including a stretch of twelve minutes with just seven points. Grab the underdog here. 

In two of the Jazz last three home games they’ve defeated the Spurs and Cavaliers. Still they’re a team struggling with camaraderie amongst their starting five with a record of 16-21. Meanwhile the Pelicans have dropped consecutive home games against the Knicks and Mavericks. Yet, their starting five has been extremely productive and has to much fire power for the Jazz in a road spot. Grab the Pelicans.

Four of five losses by Saint Joseph’s has dropped their season record below .500 at 5-7. Today they’ll host a VCU team that is 9-5. All five of the Rams losses were to reputable teams in Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Marquette, and Seton Hall. That’s created value for Saint Josephs tonight on their home floor. Grab the Hawks.

We’ll grab the value on the College of Charleston for Tuesday in college hoops. This has been a competitive series over the last couple of years with Charleston sweeping last year’s matchup. Charleston’s pace of play seemingly hurts them on a big number ATS. Yet they’re a team that you can feel comfortable clinching a spread with late free throws. Grab Charleston.

Zack will grab the value on the Lakers traveling to Minnesota tonight. There are a couple of quality angles in this game, with both teams in back to back scenarios. For one the Timberwolves handily defeated the Lakers on Christmas Day. Secondly, the Lakers lost in overtime in a high scoring affair last night against the Rockets. They’re lacking depth but expect them to showcase their youth and hang tighter than expected. Grab the Lakers. 

Two teams with subpar records meet today as the Magic travel to Brooklyn. Orlando has lacked the cohesiveness shown last season. For one Jonathan Simmons is adjusting as a starter and their bench has far less fire power. That’s an issue against a Nets team that’s depth is challenging even for veteran teams. Yet, expect Orlando to capitalize off of the Nets turnovers and poor defense. Grab the Magic.

After six straight wins the OKC Thunder lost in a controversial finish against the Milwaukee Bucks. Sunday, they’ll face a Mavericks team that has won three straight games. Yet they’re just 12-25 and on the third game of their road trip. This has created value as bettors seek to back OKC to get back in the win column. Grab Dallas.

Post holiday break two teams looking for a boost in-conference will be the Dons and Pilots. Both have six losses with inconsistent offense to match subpar defense. Yet the Dons have a core starting five that is starting to show growth. While many will remember Portland’s national TV game against UNC, they’ve not shown the team chemistry needed. Grab the road value on the Dons.

Off of just one day of rest Portland will attempt to travel to face an Atlanta team that’s coming off a road game in Toronto. It’s one of the more peculiar travel assessments to break down. Yet, I see value with the two angles of the Hawks playing 24 hours ago and their poor overall record. Grab the value on the Hawks.

Wofford ended their non-conference play with a big win over fifth ranked North Carolina. It was a game they had supreme offensive efficiency and also their second win over an ACC opponent. Saturday they’ll step into conference play against UNC Greensboro. Look for Wofford to shake off the rust of last year’s 19 point loss at UNCG and grab the cover.

The first conference top twenty-five game is slated between Creighton and Seton Hall. Can Seton Hall score at the same level as Creighton? That will be a challenge as depth-wise the BlueJays have the upper hand. From an ATS perspective the line is a bit lower due to Creighton’s full eight days of rest versus Seton Hall’s five. Still, look for the Pirates to take advantage of home-court and pull off the ATS cover. 

Cleveland will look to get revenge based on last year’s NBA Finals 4-1 result. Minus Steph Curry the Warriors will be relying on more youth than in prior matchups. Cleveland has solidified their veteran depth with new acquisitions. Look for the Cavs to showcase their growth. This is a rare spot where the Warriors are slight home favorites. Take advantage with a play on the Cavaliers. 

The Brooklyn Nets travel to take on Indiana after a home win last night against the Wizards. Six days ago the Pacers crushed the Nets in Brooklyn by twelve points. That has created value on the Nets tonight as oddsmakers were forced inflate the number of 3.5-4 of last week. Grab the Nets.

We’ll grab the value on Cal Poly for Thursday. UT-Arlington has been a darling the last three years against big schools, including this year with wins over BYU and nearly defeating Creighton. With Cal Poly on the second leg of their Texas road trip, one may expect a clunker outing here. After all they did not showcase enough scoring ability against an SMU team that had played in consecutive games. Yet, grab the value here on Cal Poly.

Perhaps no team has shown more vulnerability at finishing teams off than Tennessee. Games against Lipscomb, Villanova, and their recent matchup against UNC they had numerous opportunities to stretch the lead to put away their opponent. Furman is a turnover prone team that lacks size to compete with the Vols but expect Tennessee to showcase rust from their loss to UNC. Grab Furman. 

No team is hotter ATS than the Chicago Bulls. Bringing Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic off the bench has reinvigorated not only the second unit but the starters as well. Six straight wins has led to a complete 360 from oddsmakers from a point spread perspective. Meanwhile the Orlando Magic have lost five straight games and will be without two key starters Wednesday. Pick this spot as a good opportunity to jump in against the Bulls. Grab the Magic. 

A year ago one of the more popular attractors came with a matchup of East Tennessee State and Detroit. The number moved up significantly towards the Bucs before tip-off and proved to be correct in a big way. Yet, I see value with this rematch as Detroit is coming off a severe blowout loss to Michigan, and East Tennessee State nearly upset Xavier. Grab Detroit here as East Tennessee State’s defense and offensive efficiency isn’t nearly the same as a year ago. 

Based on USC’s lackadaisical play there is no reason to see them as double-digit favorites against UC Santa Barbara. UCSB has improved offense to match their typical strong half court defense. Yet, USC being 0-3 against solid competition has given them value tonight as well as UCSB’s short travel to LA. Look for their offense to outrun UCSB Sunday night just enough for the cover. 

Colorado State hopes they can stay undefeated at home as they take on Texas State.  A home court they protected in a solid win over Pac-12 school Colorado. With the Rams coming off consecutive blowout road defeats against Arkansas and Oregon, this would seem like a spot for a team to get their confidence back. Especially considering Texas State lost by four points on the road in their latest game to Abilene Christian. Instead look for Texas State to give the Rams a handful and a cover.

Tennessee’s lone loss this season was in a game they dominated for a large stretch against Villanova. UNC on the other hand has looked vulnerable especially against athletic teams such as the Vols. Yet this is where the Tar Heels can use their veteran experience as did Villanova stay calm during Tennessee’s runs.

After playing in matchups last night the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies will take on each other in Memphis tonight. The Celtics have now lost three of their last five games as offensively they’ve taken a step backwards. The value here lies with the Grizzlies inability to cover in a a close win Friday night. The victory was against a Hawks team in a back to back scenario as well. Yet, look for the Grizzlies to carry over the win to an ATS advantage.

Cincinnati travels to Los Angeles to take on a UCLA Bruins team that is 5-0 at home. Two losses to Xavier and Florida have pushed the Bearcats on the brink of falling outside of the top twenty five. In both losses the Bearcats failed to sustain the offense to keep up with their opponents. That figures to be an issue against UCLA yet look for the Bearcats to take advantage of their depth and skillset advantage. Grab the Bearcats.

Southern Utah takes on a dynamic Central Michigan team from an offensive and scoring standpoint. While Southern Utah does not have the exposure or top-tier schedule they’re also capable of playing a fast-paced style. Look for Southern Utah to answer the bell and what should be an entertaining game. Grab the points here. 

Memphis woes are hard to ignore. They played poor in a road effort against the Wizards which extended their losing streak to sixteen of their last seventeen games. Yet suddenly they’re steep favorites at home against the Hawks Friday. Although this is a short road trip for Atlanta, look for the Grizzlies to let off some prolonged frustration of losing. Grab the Grizzlies tonight.

Injuries continue to mount for the Clippers to an unfathomable level. Tonight they’ll be minus several key starters against a Wizards team that is fresh with John Wall back in the lineup. After losing to the Clippers on the road just three games ago this would seem like an easy revenge spot. Yet LA’s players and current lineup is use to filling in for spot start duty. Grab them to play another competitive game against the Wizards. 

A formidable opponent for the Wisconsin Badgers lies with Western Kentucky tonight. The Hilltoppers run just an eight man rotation but have key transfers in Lamonte Bearden (Buffalo) and Dwight Coleby (Ole Miss/Kansas) at their disposal. In their first road game of the season the Hilltoppers stumbled in a five point loss to Ohio. That’s created an interesting line tonight in the same range against a Wisconsin team that is lacking confidence with six losses against power five schools. Grab the value here on Western Kentucky.

Tonight John Wall makes his return from injury at an appropriate time. The Wizards were not been getting the same level of contributions from Kelly Oubre Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. that were vital with Wall healthy. Memphis on the other hand has been abysmal with a roster of talent that has not blended together. Three losses in a row has created value on the road tonight in Washington. Grab Memphis.

LA Lakers +3

Consecutive road wins for the Lakers have placed a tough spread for Tuesday. The Knicks return home where they boast a 12-5 record. After an ugly loss to the Bulls the Knicks bounced back with a home win against the Hawks. Yet the young Lakers seem to be playing better away from home and growing as a team. Look for Luke Walton to continue his proper rotations and have the advantage over the Knicks. Grab the Lakers.

To become a true contender in the West the Utah Jazz must find away to win on the road. Thus far on the year they’re just 2-8 away from home. Saturday, they’ll hope to end a two-game losing streak as they travel to Milwaukee. Having won five of six the Bucks are starting to find their balance on both ends of the floor. Still, one has to rank the level of play in the Western conference appropriately. Grab the hidden value here on the Utah Jazz who would be favored if not for a poor road record.

Saturday, there is value to be had on the Providence Friars as they take on UMass. UMass is struggling this year at just 4-5, but should be ready for their best effort in this in-state matchup. For the Friars they’re coming off a close call against Brown on Wednesday. Down twelve points at halftime they needed a late surge to win in OT. That’s created value for today. Grab the Friars.

The Vols have an in-state matchup against small school Lipscomb Saturday. At 6-1 the lone loss by the Vols were to the Villanova Wildcats. In that loss they blew a double-digit lead, which puts at the forefront not taken an opponent lightly. Look for Tennessee to handle Lipscomb and continue to rise up in the polls.

Thursday, Zack will look for the value on Eastern Washington. The Eagles are just 3-5 and have been lackluster as all five of their losses have been by double-digits, including a 19 point loss to Seattle in their last game. They’ll face a San Francisco team that narrowly avoided a three-game losing streak with a close home win over Central Arkansas. With Eastern Washington playing in their third straight road game ATS value is on their side. Grab the Eagles here.  

Denver Nuggets +5

We’ll grab value on the Denver Nuggets as road dogs against the Pelicans. As a road team the Nuggets are just 3-8 overall. This includes a poor loss in their latest game against the Dallas Mavericks. In the outing the Nuggets trailed by double-digits for the majority of the game. Minus Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic the Nuggets are missing a size/scoring combo that’s detracted their ATS value. Yet, look for the Pelicans to have a hangover performance after letting an opportunity to beat the Warriors slip away. Grab the Nuggets here. 

The Spurs find themselves as an underdog on the road against OKC. OKC has won five straight home games and will look to avenge a road loss to the Spurs. This is where the point spread has swayed to value on the Spurs. San Antonio is just 5-5 on the road while the Thunder have been stout at home at 7-3. Still, the Thunder are below .500 because of inconsistencies with their core team development. Grab the Spurs to cover here. 

Oddsmakers are not fooled by the Bradley Braves whom have started the season 7-1. They’ve battled in competitive games all season against subpar competition. San Diego State on the other hand has provided a much tougher schedule and should have the right mindset in this Missouri Valley-Mountain West challenge. A key here is San Diego State is not afraid to play a slow pace half court game. They’ll have the proper tactics to offset tempo with winning the turnover and free throw battle. Grab SD State.

One typically won’t see a team below .500 as a sizable road favorite. Yet that’s the case for the Stanford Cardinal as they take on Long Beach State. At 4-5 Stanford has not looked like a Pac-12 team with losses to Portland State and Eastern Washington. Yet they found a bit of confidence against Montana and should expose a poor defensive 49ers team. Grab Stanford.

A true barometer test lies with Seton Hall Sunday as they take on Louisville. Louisville has the talent from Rick Pitino’s tenure but showed glaring weaknesses in a loss to Purdue. The veteran laden Pirates need to put their foot on the gas early to keep the confidence away from the Cardinal. Look for that to happen and for the Pirates to hold off a late flurry from the Cardinal.

We’ll take the points on Samford today against Jacksonville State. Jacksonville State has opened up the season 5-2 with both losses within reach against Buffalo and Mississippi State. They also blew out Richmond and defeated a sound Chattanooga team. Meanwhile Samford has had all types of issues as they deal with a new lineup that hasn’t meshed yet. Still, this is too many points to pass up. Grab Samford. 

Friday the Oregon Ducks saw their non-conference home win streak of forty games plus come to an end against Boise State. Tonight a similar occurrence is possible as SMU hopes to defend their 27 game win streak against USC. Thus far USC has not looked sharp against two formidable opponents. They were blown out by Texas A&M and struggled to defeat Vanderbilt in an overtime game. Look for USC to play much sharper than they’ve shown and cover an improper number. 

The Milwaukee Bucks return home after a successful west coast road trip. During their trip they defeated the Sacramento Kings as sizable road favorites to the tune of 112-87. With the Kings having played in Chicago last night that has further elevated the point spread for tonight. Grab the value here on the Kings.

Mercer has been a tough team to figure out. They’re as loaded as any non power conference team as far as depth and returning talent. For whatever reason that has not resulted in success this season. While Memphis does not have a team that likely will finish above sixteen wins they do have the athleticism to take advantage of a shaky Mercer team. Grab Memphis.

Sometimes teams can realize their depth advantage when injuries occur. The Jazz have discovered that. Minus several key starters including Rudy Gobert and Rodney Hood the Jazz have found offensive balance. After a key pull away victory last night in LA there is doubt that the lineup can hold up in a back to back situation. Instead look for the Pelicans to be the team looking ahead to their back to back scenario Saturday. Grab the Jazz to take advantage of their home court in the second half. 

The Tar Heels offensive camaraderie has not been top notch, even in wins. That’ll be put to the test Friday against a solid scoring Davidson team. In order for the Tar Heels to get an upper hand tonight ATS look for Roy Williams to employ a similar strategy utilized in conference play the past two seasons. With the offense lagging they have the ability to step it up defensively. That’ll be the difference ATS tonight. Grab UNC.

Tonight in college basketball both East Carolina and UNC-Wilmington will aim to get back in the win column. This is a rematch from last year when UNC-Wilmington was heavily favored by thirteen points against the Pirates. An outcome that featured a backdoor conclusion for the Pirates. Offered tonight is a much smaller line as the Pirates have the upper hand with key upperclassmen. Look for the Pirates to cover again.

For years Michigan State was a team that would be incorrectly ranked and sputter out of the top twenty-five. Their opponent in Notre Dame has been the exact opposite over the last five years. They’re usually unranked but find their way into the top twenty five. This year is different for both programs as they’re each in the top five. The Irish have made a living off of playing up to the level of their opponents in big matchups. Tonight will be a different story as the Spartans can play to an even higher level than showcased against UNC.

The records of Charlotte (3-2) and Davidson (2-2) do not offer a proper early season assessment. The 49ers three wins were against subpar schools in Presbyterian, High Point, and D-3 school Methodist. Meanwhile Davidson’s losses were to 6-0 Nevada and an improving Appalachian State team. Oddsmakers are not treating this as an away game for Davidson and shouldn’t. Twenty-one miles separate both school campuses and Davidson is in need of ending their two-game skid. Still, side with Charlotte who have three experienced upperclassmen in their starting five. 

This early in the college basketball season there are obvious incorrect pre-season rankings. USC has the nucleus to be a top ten team but are facing a Texas A&M team playing at a higher level and with better team camaraderie. This is the case of rankings dictating a point spread. Grab the Aggies to continue to climb ATS.

Today’s CBB lineup is littered with dynamic matchups. In all likelihood the game of the day will be North Carolina and Michigan State. The past two years the prime ‘eye’ rise of the Tar Heels has been justified. A strong core of holdover talent remains from their national title. Yet, Michigan State’s buildup for this season has been pieced together over the course of two recruiting classes by Tom Izzo. Grab the youth of the Spartans to overtake the veteran Tar Heels.

Anytime there is a battle between the Philadelphia schools you can expect a great game. Temple has jumped out to a 3-0 start with quality wins over Old Dominion, Auburn, and Clemson. Those are radar ATS attention wins. LaSalle on the other hand has lost three straight while they try to intermix a new lineup. Still they have the best player on the floor in senior BJ Johnson. He’ll be the catalyst to get LaSalle the ATS edge. Grab LaSalle.

Wright State looks to get use their home court edge to get back over .500. Looking at their schedule one would see that they’ve had a tough time with mid-level division one schools. They’ve lost to Loyola-Illinois, Miami-Ohio, and Murray State while gaining three easy wins over lower level division one schools. Look for that to change here against Fairfield. 

The Raptors saw their four game winning streak come to a halt their last game against the Knicks. It was the first road game of their current trip that witnessed the Raptors melt away a double digit lead. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I believe Indiana is one of the early season teams that’s ATS value is higher than it should be. Youth has helped the Pacers early on, but look for teams to adjust their game plans now that their core is known. Grab the Raptors today.

ASU is off to a 4-0 start with Bobby Hurley’s recruits showcasing their talents. They’re playing awfully similar to his days at Buffalo and have an intermixed strong upper class. In all four of their games this season they’ve scored over 90 points, including two strong blowouts over UC Irvine and San Diego State. Yet, look for Kansas State to defend ASU’s perimeter and off the ball offensive attack. Grab Kansas State. 

Today in Las Vegas another day of tournament action proceeds as George Washington takes on Xavier in the Orleans Arena. Xavier is off to an electric start posting a 4-0 record. On the other hand George Washington has struggled with a twenty point loss to Florida State and a two point loss to Rider in their latest game. Although Xavier’s a juggernaut offensively expect one offensive lull to give GW the cover. Grab George Washington.

An unranked Virginia team is not getting proper attention in the polls or ATS. Today they’ll take on a Vanderbilt team that nearly pulled off an upset over USC. They showed an ability to play the pace offensively USC displays on a nightly basis but fell short in overtime. I’m leery of the contrast of pace of play affecting Vanderbilt today. Virginia doesn’t have the same defensive half-court levels of years past but still runs the same Tony Bennett system. It’ll disrupt the Commodores. Grab Virginia.

Over the past couple of seasons SMU has been an ATS juggernaut in non-conference play. They’ll take on a Northern Iowa team that has been untested to this point similar to their own schedule. SMU’s strength comes from a three-guard experienced tandem in Ben Emelogu, Jerry Foster, and electric scorer Shake Milton. Yet, look for Northern Iowa to show their worth in this matchup. Grab UNI.

A team that has looked confused with their lineup has been the Memphis Grizzlies. The loss of Mike Conley has caused disarray with Mario Chalmers and Chandler Parsons getting higher minutes. Even rookie Dillon Brooks has had to take on a higher role. Five losses in a row showcase just how much of a disarray the Grizzlies are, including three straight at home. Yet, look for their cold shooting to come to an end tonight against a poor Mavericks team. 

A team that has looked confused with their lineup has been the Memphis Grizzlies. The loss of Mike Conley has caused disarray with Mario Chalmers and Chandler Parsons getting higher minutes. Even rookie Dillon Brooks has had to take on a higher role. Five losses in a row showcase just how much of a disarray the Grizzlies are, including three straight at home. Yet, look for their cold shooting to come to an end tonight against a poor Mavericks team. 

Eastern Washington +7.5

Eastern Washington’s early season schedule has not been easy. They head into today’s matchup against Georgia State off of three straight games against Washington, Stanford, and UNLV. A blowout loss to UNLV has devalued them in today’s early MGM mid-afternoon game. Look for Eastern Washington to find better offensive execution today and cover the seven and a half.

One of the night cap college hoops games today involves a neutral site tournament game between Mercer and Colorado. Both teams are off to solid starts with Mercer at 4-1 and Colorado 4-0. With each team displaying dominant holdover starters the advantage lies in one key area. Colorado’s leading scorer is a high volume shooting point guard freshman in McKinley Wright. He’s averaging 16 points per game paired with backcourt Missouri transfer Namon Wright. Look for Mercer’s team balance to pose problems for Colorado’s new backcourt. Grab Mercer. 

Iona is just 1-2 on the season while Northern Kentucky has started off strong at 3-0. Northern Kentucky’s experience is a key factor here but Iona has showed some positive strides. Against Syracuse they erased a double digit deficit to tie in the second half before Syracuse pulled away. That experience will pay off here against Northern Kentucky. Grab the Gaels. 

Portland

Sacramento returns home after a dreadful road trip that featured blowout losses to the Knicks, Wizards, and Hawks. Returning home seems like a sigh of relief but oddsmakers aren’t buying it. Although the Kings are 2-3 at home, side with the Portland Trailblazers to continue to expose the porous defense of the Kings. Grab Portland. 

A close victory against Ball State followed by a loss to Host has devalued Dayton for Friday. They’ll face an Ohio team that played a solid game in a five point loss to Clemson. Yet this will be the game that Ohio misses team leader Jason Carter the most. Look for Dayton to shoot the three ball much better tonight and create turnovers Ohio. 

Although the Terrapins did lose Melo Trimble, they retained four of five starters going into this season. Justin Jackson and Kevin Huerter played huge roles last season as freshman and have showcased solid development into their sophomore seasons. Butler on the other hand is a bit under the radar in a loaded Big East. Look for their under sized lineup to give problems to Maryland. Grab Butler.

We’ll grab the value here on the steep underdog Bulls. OKC has started to turn the corner in their level of play and clearly outmatch the Bulls. In fact OKC dominated the Bulls just a couple of weeks ago in Chicago. Yet, expect the Bulls to dig in and play a competitive game here on the road. Grab the Bulls.

A true shocker to start the season is to see Pittsburgh 0-2. They lost to Navy to start the season and also a close contest against Montana. That presents value heading into tonight’s game against UCSB. Look for Pittsburgh to neutralize UCSB’s prime talent in Gabe Vincent and correct early season issues on the defensive end of the floor. Grab Pittsburgh. 

Houston -6

Tuesday, the Rockets will look to win their seventh straight game as they take on the Toronto Raptors. This is the second game of the Raptors road trip which started with a loss to the Celtics. In the loss the Raptors surrendered a steep lead to a Celtics team minus Kyrie Irving. That’s a deflating start to a road trip and one that will carry over on the road against the dynamic Rockets.

At 7-5 the Grizzlies have shown a knack for staying in games. Of their five losses three have been by five points or less. With the Bucks adjusting to life without Greg Monroe and the insertion of Eric Bledsoe, one may expect their offensive lulls to continue against a solid Grizzlies defensive team. Instead, grab the Bucks to prevail with a higher level of offensive efficiency seen recently. 

Monday oddsmakers have set a steep line as Iowa State hosts UW-Milwaukee. After being blown out by fifteen points to Missouri, this is supposed to be a spot for Iowa State to get back on track. After all UW-Milwaukee is under a new Coach and had severe issues last season against fast paced teams. Yet Iowa State’s volume shooting should ignite a Milwaukee team to get out in transition. Grab Milwaukee. 

Monday, an in-state matchup lies with Vanderbilt against Belmont. Oddsmakers have put their faith into the home team here poised for an upset. Yet, look for Vanderbilt to wear down Belmont’s aggressive three-point shooting by attacking the hoop and winning the turnover battle. Grab Vanderbilt.

The most interesting spread of the day lies with LaSalle against Penn. We’ve seen LaSalle showcase themselves as a talented team in the A-10. They’ve done so with prime offense but have dipped with their on-guard defensive skills. Pennsylvania’s strict disciplined offense should be able to capitalize early in the season against an untrustworthy LaSalle half court defense.

Over the last several years Washington has had it’s issues early in the season against smaller schools. In fact in non-conference play they’ve lost against Oakland, Yale, Stony Brook, and UC Irvine each of the last four years. After struggling to defeat Belmont to start the season one may expect rust in a quick turn around matchup. Yet, look for a new and refreshed team effort led by former Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins. 

At 5-7 the Oklahoma City Thunder have undoubtedly struggled to adapt to their new big three. One area they have been impressive is cashing ATS against teams in back to back scenarios. They’ve done so against the Pacers and their latest matchup against the Clippers. With the woeful Mavericks coming off last night’s loss to Cleveland this may seem a spot to back the Thunder again. Yet, look for the sluggish Thunder to leave the door open for Dallas.

Sunday there is value on the road Miami Heat against the Detroit Pistons. Detroit has jumped out to an impressive 9-3 start which features a 6-1 home record. In fact they have not left home in November as today marks their fifth straight home game. Miami on the other hand is playing their sixth straight road game that started in California. Grab the value here on Miami.

California will look to avoid the double-whammy in in-state losses against lower level California division one schools. In their first game of the season they lost 74-66 to Cal Riverside. While California is likely to come out with a lead and much more aggression against Cal Poly, the worry here is in the second half. Grab Cal Poly plus the points.

For Zack’s second college basketball release we find value with Youngstown State against Kent State. Kent State was one of the hottest teams down the stretch of last season from a non power five conference. They used the momentum to win the MAC conference tournament and were led by departing graduate Jimmy Hall. He’ll be a big loss against a Youngstown State team that is much more competitive than their subpar record of 2016-2017 suggests. Grab Youngstown State. 

Saturday there is attractive value on the Bucks based on their extended road trip conclusion last night. They were able to defeat the Spurs and now will take on a Lakers team that has looked woeful on their current road trip against the Wizards/Celtics. Grab a favorable number here on the Bucks who are rejuvenated with the arrival of Eric Bledsoe.

As a steep double-digit favorite Tuesday we have our eyes set on the Nuggets. This is a home-away series for the Nets who just played in one last night against the Suns. After losing at home to the Suns the Nets got revenge Monday. Yet, look for a different outcome Tuesday as the Nets surrendered a fifteen point home lead to get blown out by the Nuggets last week. Denver has the proper game plan to carry over that success against a Nets team playing in a back to back scenario. 

Tuesday we’ll look for a reversal with the Knicks recent great stretch. Having won five of their six games they’ve performed at a heighten level. Tuesday marks their fifth straight home game against a Hornets team that is just 1-4 on the road. Yet look for the Hornets to get on track after a poor outing Sunday against the Timberwolves.