Warning: Use of undefined constant PAGE_HEADER - assumed 'PAGE_HEADER' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/profe126/jesseschule.com/respsportscapping.php on line 15
PAGE_HEADER

The Timberwolves aren’t considered a super team but have the talent to contend with anyone. After a buzzer beater victory Sunday at Oklahoma City, they’ll take on the young Pacers Tuesday. Indiana has struggled defensively surrendering 119 points per game. They also have an intriguing look ahead game for Wednesday as they travel to OKC to take on their former teammate Paul George. Grab the Timberwolves here.

The Celtics injuries to Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris has suddenly turned them into a team that has to rely heavily on youth. That furthers the burden for newcomer Kyrie Irving who is still adapting to his new setting. For the Knicks one has to wonder how they will respond from surrendering a 21-point lead Saturday to the Pistons. Expect their dreadful second half against Detroit to carry over against Boston. Grab the Celtics.

The Spurs have been a home dominant team against the Raptors. Minus Kawhi Leonard this line is severely downgraded from last year’s six to seven point range. Yet, the defensive intangibles that led to a Spur blowout are still there. Grab the Spurs to negate the Raptors superstars and start 3-0 on the season. 

During the off-season the Western Conference grew in strength. While many teams have rising youth, the Mavs are a team still led by veteran Dirk Nowitzki. Behind him is strong uncertainty that will build behind rookie Dennis Smith Jr. In an opening night matchup you would not expect a mid-point line against a talented young Hawks team. Yet, look for the Mavericks to capitalize and take advantage of a home court edge.

The Warriors come in off another NBA championship after destroying the Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals. There’s no doubt there destined for another run but I’m always leery in backing a champion off the bat of a season. Houston lost their on ball strong guard defender in Patrick Beverly in a trade for Chris Paul. Bringing together chemistry of two talented guards is hard to do with Paul and Harden. Yet, I like the steps the Rockets role players took last season. They’ll match the Warriors role players and get enough from Harden/Paul to cover. Grab Houston.

Monday, we'll grab the home Miami Heat as they look to bounce back from a poor showing against Brooklyn. They will take on a Charlottes Hornets team that has an extended five days of rest. The Hornets do have several key pieces in place that pushed a Dwayne Wade led Heat team to a seven game series two years ago. Still, look for the Heat to show signs of last years team ascension. Grab the Heat tonight. 

During the regular season consecutive road games at Portland and Utah are extremely tough. With the Jazz already 2-0 at home in the pre-season, Phoenix will be in for a tough test against the depth of Utah. Still, there is too much room for value on the Suns side to ignore five points. Grab the Suns. 

An unordinary position lies for the Atlanta Hawks. They’ll be on the road for their third straight pre-season game. I find value here on the home Pistons based on the Hawks standout sixteen point victory over the Cavaliers in their last game. Though the Pistons struggled defensively in their opener look for an increased level of defense tonight.

Both Brooklyn and the Heat have jumped out to 1-0 records in the pre-season. This is a series that was dominated by the Heat last season, as most teams did against the lowly Nets. Though there are new faces in the Nets starting lineup there are enough players remaining that will serve a payback performance. Grab the Nets.

Game one's take will side with the Cavaliers. A healthy Steph Curry and addition of Kevin Durant have spiked this spread based on the two past Finals. Yet, I look for two keys to stand out in game one. Quietly over the last two postseasons the Cavaliers have won by the merit of playing Golden State offense. Last post-season they shot 40% from three point range and this year a league best 44% (Five percentage points better than the Warriors). Yet the biggest key in game one hails with the Cavaliers small ball lineup. Tristan Thompson's versatility proved critical last year as he averaged ten points and ten rebounds a game last NBA Finals. Not to mention Kevin Love's natural all around game as a big. The addition of Kevin Durant was the eye-popping move but losing size with Festus Ezeli, Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, and Anderson Varejao leaves the Warriors with a high dependance on Durant and Green to rebound. Grab the Cavaliers to cover game one.

Kawhi Leonard's serious ankle injury has flipped the series completely. Without him in game two the Spurs were unable to put forth any type of challenge. Dating back to game one when Leonard left in the third quarter the Spurs haven't resembled a playoff team. Yet, in game two support ATS was on the Spurs and failed miserably. Here, look for a better effort and value on a two point increase.

The Cavs came out ready and on fire in game one. With the Celtics in a must win situation this may seem like an opportune spot to grab the Celtics. Instead, look for the Cavaliers mission of excellence to continue. Proper rest is on the Cavaliers side and that will pay the difference tonight ATS.

Mistakes happened in the post-season linger. With that being said the Wizards great play through three games is bound to come to a screeching halt Sunday. While the Wizards did creep back into this series on game three, they dug themselves a hole blowing games one and two. This is where Boston can seize full control of the series and head back home for game five. Grab the value here on the Celtics off of game three's blowout loss.

There's been a little movement here ATS for good reason between the Warriors and Jazz. Golden State has dominated the first two games yet did not cover games one and two. With the Jazz strong home court ways this may be a spot to see them get back on track. Yet a veteran team like the Warriors wants to leave little room for the Jazz to have a confident surge. Look for the Warriors to make a statement here through four quarters.

Seizing control of the series was a possibility for the Wizards, but they failed to guard the perimeter in game one. Offensively they have the flow to cause problems for the Celtics, who are riding a five game playoff win streak. That's factored into tonights spread by a solid 1.5-2 points. Grab the value here on the Wizards.

After looking down and out after three games, the Raptors have switched gears and exposed the Bucks in games four and five. With the Bucks defense weakening it has regained the Raptors confidence. Yet, bettors can't over react to a lopsided game five. The Bucks at home can frustrate the Raptors into poor shots. Grab the Bucks.

Typically a veteran laden team in a mismatched series will prevail in a big way for one moment in a series. We saw that from the Grizzlies over the Spurs two nights ago. For Saturday expect more of what we saw from games one and two from the Spurs with much better defense. Grab the Spurs.

The Pacers have tested the Cavaliers for six of eight quarters in the post-season. In a do or die game this is a tricky spot for a Cavaliers team that has no new wrinkles for the Pacers to identify. Look for Indiana to cover the small number with proper scoring balance amongst their core starting five.

We've seen in the East how off the ATS number is for the eighth seed versus the one. The same can be said in the West with the top seed Warriors still showcasing reluctancy to play tenacious offense and defense for four quarters. The Blazers were fortunate to get into the post-season and have a nucleus of core talent that's hungry to develop. Grab the Trailblazers. 

Sunday, look for value on Oklahoma City's side on the road in Houston. Thunder Coach Billy Donovan comes in devalued because of a seismic shift in personnel from last season. Lost from last post-season were his brilliant in-game and game to game adjustments that curtailed Dallas, San Antonio, and nearly Golden State. Grab the Thunder to have the road defense needed to cover this number. 

Two narrow wins helped the Wizards end a three-game skid. Yet, they needed to erase a twelve point halftime deficit against the Hornets and beat an undermanned Knicks team by three points. They'll face a Heat team Saturday that is in complete desperation mode as they sit one game back of two remaining playoff spots in the Eastern conference. Still, it's hard to ignore their extended road trip as they were in Charlotte on Wednesday, Toronto Friday, and DC tonight. Grab the Wizards to hold their home edge tonight.

A two game losing streak by the Hornets has all but eliminated their chances of getting into the playoffs. Their opponent Saturday is also on a costly two-game losing streak in the Boston Celtics. Just a few days ago the Celtics were looked at as the top seed in the East, and now could be in jeopardy of slipping to the fourth seed. While the Hornets haven't shown the defense of last year's playoff team they're still one of the more dangerous offensive. Grab the Hornets to continue the Celtics end of season slide.

The Heat showed some upward signs as they defeated the Hornets in runaway fashion on Wednesday. Yet, they were coming off multiple days rest while the Hornets were playing in a back to back. Toronto on the other hand erased a steep deficit to win on the road against the Pistons. It was Kyle Lowry's return to the lineup. As the playoffs approach this may seem a spot to back the Raptors as they look to gain more momentum. Instead grab the Heat who will aim to gain in the playoff race. 

Thursday, there is value to be had on the home Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers have inserted both Justin Anderson and Timothe Cabarrot into the starting lineup as their NBA draft mindset is clear. All the while the Bulls have found themselves in the playoff hunt as they currently sit in the seventh seed. In fact, they're only two games back of the fifth seed Bucks. Yet, the Bulls are the type of team that can lose their focus for four quarters. Expect that to happen tonight as they face new faces 

Miami Heat +2

The Heat have stumbled as of late losing five of their last eight games. Wednesday's road game against the Hornets is a crucial game in the Eastern conference for playoff seeding. Both the Heat(1 game) and Hornets (2 games) are on the outside looking in as the regular season winds down. Look for the Heat to take advantage of the Hornets playing in a back to back scenario and win this game with offense versus defense.

Gonzaga -6.5

The cinderella story of South Carolina featured perfect match ups for them. They ran through guard heavy teams before facing an Elite 8 SEC conference opponent in Florida. The Zags will be a different story. They can offset any defensive adjustment South Carolina may have in-game with a balanced inside-outside attack. They also have the ability to play at a fast or slow pace tempo. That'll be a challenge for a South Carolina team that has exceeded their regular season offensive and defensive standards. Grab the Zags to head to the title game.

The Clippers head to Phoenix tonight after winning in cruise control fashion on Wednesday against the Wizards. Witnessing teams rest in back to back scenarios recently may leave the window open on a steep road spread tonight. Yet, we'll still tail a Clippers team that has depth in line from several players that had to step up when the Clippers were ravaged with injuries. Grab the Clippers to tackle a Suns team that has snuck in ATS at the tail end of games recently.

The Hawks free fall has garnered seven consecutive losses. The loss of Paul Millsap indefinitely has plagued them, but they'll also be without Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore. Sunday, minus all three the Hawks last by fifteen on their home floor against the Nets. Yet, we'll grab the value here on the Hawks against a Suns team that has lost eight straight and is at the tail end of a five game road trip.

The SEC has three of the six remaining teams left in the tournament, with perennial power Kentucky as the mainstay. That's what was expected from the ACC which suffered a string of losses to leave only North Carolina left. This North Carolina team may not have as high a ceiling on a game to game basis as last year's team but it has bought in defensively. They'll show the difference from allowing 103 points earlier this season in a loss to Kentucky. Grab North Carolina.

An oddsmaker number conundrum is in line for Saturday. Dallas comes off a home win as sizable dogs to the LA Clippers. On the other hand the Raptors are coming off a road win in dominant fashion against the Miami Heat as 4.5 point underdogs. Although the Raptors are twelve games ahead of the Mavericks, I'll side with their offense defeating a Raptors defense that still is makeshift post All-Star trades.

During the regular season perhaps no team was looked down upon in the top fifteen as much as Baylor. Discounted wins has led to them playing with a chip on their shoulder. South Carolina on the other hand stormed up the charts with two solid tournament wins and has the fixture Coach people know in Frank Martin. After a tight win against USC, buyers may be quick to jump on the first weekend's darling in South Carolina. Yet, look for South Carolina's recent flirt of excelled fast pace play to burn them unexpectedly Friday. Grab Baylor. 

The Cavaliers continue on the road Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. Over recent years the Cavaliers have owned the Hornets with several double digit wins. Seemingly after a blowout road loss in Denver this would seem an appropriate spot to take the Cavaliers against the struggling Hornets. Instead, grab the continued road grind value against the Cavaliers. Grab the Hornets.

An adjusted line comes in on the Michigan Wolverines against the Oregon Ducks. Will the time off bode to the advantage of the Wolverines? In a tournament format oddsmakers are leaning that way. Here though I'll gravitate towards the experience of the Ducks to topple a strong sweet sixteen run by the Wolverines. Grab the Ducks.

Post All Star break the Celtics have continued to elevate their level of play. Their rising bench play has only continued with Avery Bradley at full usage. Coming off a buy low ATS cover and dominant win over the Wizards, has created ATS value against them tonight. Indiana's demise this season has been an 11-24 road record. Yet, they're currently the sixth seed in the East and a game back for the fifth spot. Grab the Pacers as a Wednesday value play.

Brooklyn +6

The Nets struggles all season long have been well documented at 13-56. For possible playoff seeding this is a matchup that the Pistons can ill-afford to lose. Yet, I'm not going to ignore the Pistons inabilities on the road of an 11-22 record. Grab the value on the home Nets.

On the road Sunday night the Pacers were walloped by the Raptors. After receiving public/sharp support in that loss, it's always a tough spot in a back to back scenario. Yet, the Pacers are who they are, which is a poor road team ( 11-24 and above average (24-10) at home. Grab them Monday to cover against the surging Jazz. 

Sometimes winning in poor fashion is a key sign. Yesterday the Wizards protected a big lead by preserving the minutes of their key stars. The move was made in anticipation of a back to back game. Instead of anticipating the roster showing fresh legs I expect a flip result. Grab the Hornets to take care of the Wizards.

Florida State 

In round one we saw the Musketeers put forth the type of wins that led to their success in the regular season. One strong run swung a close game against Maryland. Facing Florida State should be much different. Leonard Hamilton uses a deep rotation with athletes that can equally defend/score. Grab Florida State to showcase how close to the bubble Xavier truly was.

Northern Kentucky +20

Two takes on this game. One being the obvious small state school versus the mecca in Kentucky. This is the classic round one baited favorite matchup. In fact we even have a first round taste of the Horizon (Green Bay) vs the SEC (Texas A&M) in round one last year. A&M cruised against a formidable Green Bay team. Yet, I believe this Northern Kentucky is as dangerous as a double digit loss team in this tourney. Grab the Norse.

Marquette-Pick

Any time you have a team playing in their home state in the tournament it is difficult to evaluate. South Carolina has that today with the game being played in Greensville. Yet, this is where Marquette's difficulties on the road in the tough Big East should boost their value. They went 3-6 on the road with six of their overall twelve losses decided by six points or less. In a first round where many could argue seedings this is not the case. Marquette will play and hold the advantage as a true seven seed over South Carolina the ten seed.

Consecutive losses by the Wizards have drawn attention to the decline side on the Wizards ATS. Furthering matters is the fact that John Wall possibly could miss with a foot injury suffered in their home loss to the Mavericks. Facing a team such as the Bulls who can score a high amount is a troubling sign. Yet, grab the Wizards who have put proper balance in line to prepare for such situations if Wall is out. Grab Washington. 

Perhaps no first round team faces an opponent they would not want more than Virginia Tech. Wisconsin's sound balance and ability to play any style of tempo is a considerable edge factor. Also Virginia Tech exuded as much effort as any team to round out the regular season strong to get in the tournament. Wisconsin will play to the level and keep their label as wrongly seeded. Grab Wisconsin.

Earlier before the season I discussed change over in college hoops amongst the non power schools. The Atlantic 10 has seen a shift a step back in play while out west the WCC is growing. That'll be a factor today against little known St. Mary's against yearly tournament strong force VCU. Keep in mind Shaka Smart's last VCU recruits will step on the court one last time, after three consecutive strong tournaments. Grab the value here on St. Mary's.

Getting in the tournament is not the accomplishment the Wildcats were looking for. They'll put together a strong effort against a Vanderbilt team that peaked towards the end of the season. Facing the Wildcats tough discipline style on both ends of the floor is not a skill set of the SEC. Grab the Wildcats.

The Gators strength defensively should be enough to get past a solid ETSU team. ETSU has all the danger elements you look for in an opening round upset. Yet, defensively they are prone to giving up long stretches of baskets. Added to the mix with Coach McCall's former presence in the SoCo conference, and you can expect the Gators to pull away in this one.

Over recent years Fresno State has been a popular team in the NIT/NCAA Tournament. Facing an up and coming TCU team would seem to bode for the heavy underdogs. Yet, Jamie Dixon is one of the best coaches at taking away team's strengths offensively. Look for the Bulldogs to be overwhelmed on the road.

Tonight we'll grab value on Georgia Tech against Indiana. Indiana's main downfall all season was the inability to play up to the level of subpar opponents. That theme should re-occur tonight against a Georgia Tech team that grew ahead of schedule under Josh Pastner. Look for the Yellow Jackets to gain the cover.

The Pacers embark on a road trip Tuesday as they travel to New York City. This is a series that the Knicks have the upper hand with two of three wins on the year. Furthermore, the Pacers haven't won consecutive games since February 6th. That's created value on a number that's much smaller than it should be. Grab Indiana in Madison Square Garden tonight.

Sunday, we'll grab the home value on the Indiana Pacers. The red-hot Miami Heat continue to gain confidence and close in on playoff positioning. After a big win yesterday against the Toronto Raptors in which the Heat were able to rest their starters in the fourth period. Still, look for the Pacers to control tempo and gain a home win tonight.

We'll grab the championship value here on the Irish. Both the Blue Devils and Irish have eight losses with strength of schedule heavily favored towards Duke's side. Compound the Blue Devils consecutive wins as underdogs against Louisville and UNC and you may think the Blue Devils are peaking. Instead I believe their coaching executed terrific game plans that were enough to come back from steep deficits. Against the veteran Irish look for Notre Dame to exploit the advantages Louisville and UNC had but were unable to finish. Grab the Irish.

Saturday, we'll eye the Detroit Pistons at home against the New York Knicks. Over the recent weeks the Knicks have played a more disciplined brand of basketball. Coming into tonight's game with three days of rest would seem like a great spot to be refreshed on the road. Yet, the Pistons at 32 wins cannot afford a loss. Currently in the 7th seed three teams are right behind with 31 wins to bump them out of playoff position. Grab Detroit to play above their record Saturday.

It's a quick turn around game for the Rams against Davidson. As they faced each other just six days ago in a close overtime affair. In tournaments teams can get hot and rise to the occasion and that appears to be the leap that Davidson is taking. Yet, grab the Rams to dig in defensively and thwart the rising offense of Davidson.

In the Atlantic Ten's night cap we'll side with a George Washington team that has lost two prior match ups this season against Richmond. On a neutral site look for George Washington's experience to lend the upper hand ATS, as they showcased some new wrinkles offensively in their last matchup against Richmond.

Friday the new-look Toronto Raptors travel to take on an Atlanta Hawks team that survived a close scare against Brooklyn. That's created value against a Raptors team that has a 17-15 away record, and a Hawks team that's been shaky ATS for a large portion of the past month. Grab Atlanta to turn the corner and cover this small number.

Tonight we'll grab the value on OKC who has lost value by losing four consecutive games. With their main stars resting San Antonio impressed with a dominant comeback win yesterday against the Kings. Yet, we saw last year in the playoffs what kind of level Russ Westbrook can get to against the Spurs. Look for the home value edge that bettors looked for from OKC last game (Loss to Portland) to be the main story tonight.

A neutral site opening line of 6.5 was nearly identical to the opening line of Virginia Tech vs Florida State's regular season matchup (5.5). In both instances the number rose quickly on Florida State's side. For the Hokies, no other top ACC team gives them as much problems as Florida State. Their length and athleticism counter a Hokies roster that feeds off of the ability to slash and out hustle opponents. Although the Hokies are a dangerous team this is the wrong matchup for them. Grab Florida State.

This will be the third matchup between the Cavaliers and Panthers. Each team has won a game thus far. While the Panthers eked out a win Tuesday, they did so with a subpar offensive effort. Look for the Cavaliers strong defense to keep the Panthers at bay and grab the cover in Brooklyn.

Wednesday the Atlanta Hawks continue a home stand with their fifth game in a row. They'll take on the Nets who are a disastrous 4-27 on the road. This is also their seventh consecutive road game, which started on the west coast. Yet, we'll grab the value here on the NBA's worst team to hang around a Hawks team that's been out of sorts since trading Kyle Korver.

With the Bulls poor road record of 12-18 we're seeing an abnormal line against the .500 Detroit Pistons. Adding to the spread is Dwayne Wade missing tonight's game. Still, the Bulls are playing inspired basketball thanks to all around better play. This has been done with Jimmy Butler playing at a subpar level. Grab the value here on Chicago.

After upsetting Oakland and Cleveland State, Youngstown State looks poised for another upset. After all they defeated Northern Kentucky just a few weeks ago on their home floor. Yet, I believe Northern Kentucky has the value here. They under achieved all season and now sense the opportunity to land an at large bid. Grab Northern Kentucky.

Road favorites in the NBA by a wide margin are always tricky. Sunday, we get an even trickier situation as the Celtics travel all the way to Phoenix for a road game. Still, we have an opposite of the spectrum view here. The Celtics continue to elevate their play on court, while the Suns are in clear uprooting mode. They've given minutes to Derrick Jones Jr. and Alan Williams, while not playing veterans Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler. An extra side note is current GM Danny Ainge's past affiliation with the Suns as player/coach. Grab the Celtics.

We continue to see oddsmakers entice bettors on the Wizards. After an incredible run that lasted through All Star break, the Wizards have fallen back to Earth. Trade acquisitions to boost their team haven't helped on court yet. While Orlando is not a stalwart they're worthy of backing here as a double digit dog.

Seeing a small number for a team that is 5-24 is not supposed to happen. Yet, oddsmakers have adjusted on Tulane whom have showed a better spirited effort at the tail end of the season. Tulsa's 8-9 overall conference record is a bit misleading as they've won just two of their last nine games. Grab Tulane.

Earlier in conference play the Bearcats dominated the Huskies on a steep mid-teen number. The Huskies were able to sneak inside of that thanks in large part to a twenty point lead the Bearcats held. To end the regular season look for UConn to show a spirited effort. Seniors Amidah Brimah and Rodney Purvis will show some grit to end their Huskies career on a positive note. Grab the Huskies

After a nationally televised record breaking win, the Cavaliers take a short trek down to Miami. Miami on the other hand faltered in a big way as 4.5 point road favorites to the Orlando Magic. Still, I'm leery here of the Cavaliers settling for three pointers tonight. We saw how dangerous that became yesterday as the Hawks erased a steep fourth quarter deficit in a quick span. Grab the Heat to reverse their fortune off of a poor loss last night.

Philadelphia was able to do enough to hold off the New York Knicks to win a game they were favored. For Saturday they'll host the Detroit Pistons, a team they blew out with a weaker lineup back in December. Detroit returned the favor though three weeks ago. Don't expect the Pistons to take the 76ers lightly here. Grab the Pistons.

Neither Boston College or Clemson has boded well in the ACC, but the results are misleading. Clemson's lost six ACC games by close decisions which could have put them in contention for March Madness. While Boston College has played better as of late they seem to be worn down in second halves. Grab Clemson

The battle in Florida today takes place in the ACC. Earlier this year Florida State routed Miami on their home floor with a dominating second half. While many folks have Florida State dubbed as the most dangerous team of the tournament, they've not playing basketball capable of fitting that mold. Miami's sound defense will not be exposed to the tune of 75 points as in the last matchup.

Oddsmakers continue to over adjust on Central Michigan. The flair of having a potent attack caught the attention of the media early on the season with Central Michigan. Yet, MAC conference opponents have caught up to the attack. Earlier in conference play Western Michigan blew a sizable lead that Central Michigan showcased their last true full explosive offensive effort. Grab Western Michigan to not take their foot off the gas tonight.

In the first round of conference tournaments you're going to get poor match ups. The Horizon league features two as we'll tackle one between Milwaukee and Detroit Friday. This is a matchup that Detroit defeated Milwaukee less than a week ago on the road. The quick turn around may figure to bode to a Milwaukee team that is trying to avoid losing a tenth straight game to end the season. Grab the value on the slight favorite in Detroit.

Western Carolina takes on Wofford in the first round of the southern conference. Wofford is one of those teams that gave a strong second half effort to a season that looked like it was spiraling to bottom tier status of the Southern Conference. While Western Carolina has not enjoyed a solid season they're starting to see the fruits of a young team starting to play together at the end of the season. Grab Western Carolina today.

A loss of Kevin Durant's extent would seem troublesome on a lengthy east coast road trip. Yet this is a Warriors team that has utilized it's depth to a better extent than years prior. Look for the Warriors to showcase to the NBA world that they're not going to miss a beat with Durant out.

The vulnerability of the Bearcats has lurked recently after losing two of their last five games. On the other hand Houston has won seven of their last eight games. With the Bearcats offense struggling this would seem like a high number against a very efficient Cougars offense. Yet, look for the Bearcats to use their physical presence to stymie the Cougars in a tough travel game from Texas to Ohio. Keep in mind the Cougars traveled to Memphis Sunday.

The Suns have played two close games on the road post All-Star break. Surrendering a lead and losing to the Bulls in overtime, and also losing a tight one against the Bucks. Both games witnessed the Suns run out of gas with sizable leads in the third quarter. Look for that issue to lurk against a defensive minded Grizzlies team that has had immense success against the Suns. 

Tuesday, at home the Detroit Pistons look for a series sweep over the Portland Trailblazers. In Portland, the Pistons staged a heroic final minute overtime win to steal a game. Yet, they may have been where the Pistons peaked on the season. Since that moment the Pistons are 10-10 and remain far too inconsistent on both ends of the floor. Although Portland has lost seven of ten they've shown a different level of focus out the gate from All Star break. Grab the Trailblazers to keep this one close.

Not having a prime backup point guard and back line depth is starting to show severe issues for the Wizards. John Wall has had fifteen turnovers in two games post All-Star break, including nine in the Wizards loss to the Jazz. After a marginal road win by the Warriors last night in Philadelphia this may seem like a spot to back a Wizards team strong at home. Instead, grab the Warriors who will hit another gear tonight.

The Pirates post-season aspirations are in danger with a poor effort tonight against Georgetown. These two also played an overtime affair on February 4th. In fact, all five of the Pirates February wins have been by seven points or less. Tonight though look for a better all around effort to stray from the Pirates February pattern of close wins.

Sometimes a break can derail team momentum. Out of the break the Wizards lost a head scratcher to the 76ers but now return home to take on Utah. Utah is a team that has fared well on East coast road trips. They also have newfound confidence amongst their young talented players relying on All-Star Gordon Heyward. With Rodney Hood back in the lineup the Jazz should be able to challenge a Wizards team that's over achieved at home with a 24-7 record. Grab the Jazz.

George Mason +3.5

George Washington comes into Sunday as slight favorites after winning three of their last four. They'll take on a George Mason team they defeated by nineteen points on the road earlier in conference play. While the upward momentum seems to be there for a George Washington veteran team, I'll take the points of a younger George Mason team looking to avoid a three game skid.

The Hornets travel west after blowing a steep lead and losing in overtime to the Pistons. To make matters worse the Hornets fell just short of the number. Now they criss cross the country to take on a Kings team that over achieved in game one from the All Star break. Confidence is on the young Kings but look for the veteran core of the Hornets in Kemba Walker, Batum, etc to give the young Kings a long night.

A week ago it appeared that Furman could be the favorites to win the Southern Conference. Consecutive losses by double-digits have adjusted views and boosted Saturday's point spread value against Wofford. Wofford is a team growing in confidence and already has defeated Furman at home this season. Look for the underdog to spoil the 'revenge' factor as Furman looks to avoid their first three-game losing streak in their regular season finale. 

Trade deadline acquisitions of Serge Ibaka and PJ Tucker have bolstered a needed defensive presence for the Raptors.  Boston on the other hand is coming off a road trip of five of six games. With the break at the tail end there is a likely possibility that the Celtics come out flat in the tough home building of the Raptors. Yet, teams can gain confidence when no deadline moves are made. GM Danny Ainge has perpetually added pieces but restrained this year. Look for the Celtics to showcase the confidence of a team that has a chance to go five games in front of the Raptors.

Illinois Chicago +8.5

Northern Kentucky will look to continue momentum off a solid series sweeping win over Wright State. They'll take on a UIC team that's lost seven of ten games, one which included a seventeen point home loss to Northern Kentucky. Yet, this is a spot where you can look for Northern Kentucky to be vulnerable. They'll face conference leader Valparaiso on Sunday in their regular season finale before the Horizon conference tournament begins. Grab the value on UIC Friday.

Today figures to be a tricky spot for the home Creighton Blue Jays. They're coming off a convincing win against Georgetown, yet receiving the same favored number against Providence. The Friars have two consecutive 'revenge' wins against Xavier and Butler, both whom they lost to by substantial amounts earlier this season. Tonight, grab Creighton to end that momentum and surge past the Friars in similar fashion to their away win in Providence.

At the end of the season, sometimes you can gain ATS value on future building teams. Tonight I see that as the case with the Demon Deacons who have shown bright spots but were perhaps a bit to young in the rugged ACC. Pittsburgh on the other hand is a veteran team filled with five starters over the age of 21, with four over the age of 23. After their best win of the season against Florida State, this is a letdown spot as their graduates start to envision their overseas careers.

Two teams in the ACC that have received opposite oddsmaker attention have been Clemson and Virginia Tech. After the Hokies lost Chris Clarke for the season on February 12th, oddsmakers over compensated which resulted in three straight easy covers for the Hokies. Yet, the Hokies return back home tonight a tired team having been on the road six of their last eight games. Grab Clemson to avenge an 82-81 loss to the Hokies from January 22nd.

Since a troubling loss to SMU, UConn has regrouped to win six of their last seven. It's created an end of season issue for oddsmakers to implement a proper line for the Huskies. Temple on the other hand has only four wins in American Conference play with two coming against Memphis. The personnel of the Huskies against the Owls fits the strategies Kevin Ollie has been held back at implementing this season. Grab UConn to continue their upward end of season finish.

Youngstown State

Saturday value lies in the Horizon league with the home team of Youngstown State. After receiving backing in their last home game against Wright State, Youngstown State faltered with a poor final fifteen minutes. Northern Kentucky on the other hand edged out an improving Cleveland State team after nearly surrendering a twelve point lead. Look for Northern Kentucky's issues with controlling pace/lead to lurk here on the road.

The A-10 hasn't received top twenty-five recognition but that hasn't derailed solid play. Friday in-state conference rivals meet, as VCU travels to take on Richmond. In-conference Richmond has gone 9-4 by using their veteran talent to take advantage of a young conference. VCU holds even more veteran leadership featuring a nine-man rotation with five seniors and two juniors. In a nationally televised game this is a chance for the Rams to make a statement to boost their at-large March Madness hopes. Grab the Rams. 

Thursday, the Oregon Ducks will look to gain a season-sweep over the Utah Utes. After a tight win in Salt Lake City just three weeks away, one may be leery of the Ducks having a flat performance. Yet, this Ducks team is starting to show proper maturation from last year's Elite 8 run and with sixth-year senior PG Dylan Ennis. They'll be ready for Utes system offense and defense and notch the ATS cover.

Tonight the Wizards will travel too Indiana having won seventeen of their last twenty. On February 11th they defeated the Pacers by five points falling short of the closing number of six. In fact, all three games in the series this season have been decided by six points or less. With the Pacers lineup missing Thaddeus Young and likely Lavoy Allen this figures to be a tricky spot in a back to back scenario. Star player Paul George has shown severe signs of fatigue with all three of his season low point totals coming in February with one coming last night against the Cavaliers. Instead look for Pacers star Paul George to bounce back nicely and for the Pacers to play the Wizards tight once again. 

Typically one won't see a team below .500 favored less at home than they were on the road against the same opponent. That's the case with the Pistons who were higher favorites on the road in a slim ATS victory over the Mavericks on December 14th. Adjustments to the Mavericks lineup with Seth Curry and health are main elements for the oddsmakers adjustments here. Still, the Pistons are a lethal home team especially against poor defensive teams. Grab the value on the Pistons.

An abnormal steep line resides in the Southern conference on Wednesday between Samford and East Tennessee. A prime reason for this is oddsmakers see a worn down Samford team on a current three-game road trip. They've lost to Wofford in a four overtime affair, and that effort resulted in tired legs as they lost to Furman by seventeen points on Saturday. Climbing up the ladder in competition yet again against East Tennessee State figures to be another downfall game for the Bulldogs. Yet, East Tennessee State has a knack of pulling off the gas and letting teams back in. Grab the value on Samford.

On a rapid decline have been the UCF Knights who have lost six of their last seven games. A disheartening effort after receiving public backing in their latest loss to UConn figures to lessen their ATS value today. Yet, this is a smaller line thanks to the Knights losing streak and a blown late lead to Tulsa in January. Grab the Knights Tuesday, to get back into a proper offensive flow.

Sunday, we'll grab value on the home Mustangs as they take on the Bearcats. This is a crucial game for the Mustangs as they aim to improve committee eyes for seeding in March. In a two point loss in Cincinnati earlier this season, the Mustangs in-game adjustments proved to be too late as they whittled away a double-digit deficit. Yet, look for the Mustangs to attack weaknesses exposed late in that game to grab an early lead and hold on ATS.

Oddsmakers did a splendid job in pin-pointing a precise line in the Jazz versus Celtics first matchup, and have done so again here. In Boston, the Jazz were playing in back to back nights as a 5.5 point underdog to the Celtics. Boston pulled away late tow in 115-104. Tonight look for the Jazz to utilize their home court altitude edge to wear down 5'9 Isaiah Thomas. An added bonus here is for former Butler players in Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward to get a win versus their college coach.

Wisconsin-Green Bay +3.5

Wright State will look to exact revenge from a 17 point loss earlier in conference play to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Yet, I look for Green Bay's dynamic offense to pose similar problems as their first matchup. Grab Green Bay to sweep the season series against the Raiders.

Villanova -3.5

Villanova is raking up the wins but they're falling short against the number. It's the exact opposite of what occurred a season ago. Saturday will be another tough matchup  as Xavier is searching for a statement tournament resume game. While Villanova's been playing a notch below their capabilities on both ends of the floor, they're a veteran group ready to take down an overachieving Musketeer team.

Friday the Spurs play in their third of eight road games as they take on the Detroit Pistons. Thus far they lost by fifteen points to the Grizzlies and defeated the 76ers in a tight contest by eight points.  New balance offensively has helped ignite the Pistons in winning seven of eight home games. Yet, becoming a more potent offensive team has hurt them defensively. Grab the Spurs to have no problem matching the pace of the Pistons on Friday.