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12/16 04:00 PM  CB   (527) BELMONT VS (528) VA COMMONWEALTH edit

Take: (528) VA COMMONWEALTH 

Reason: Play VCU -14 VCU is the type of team that could be a top twelve to fifteen team right now. Unfortunately their flaws of poor free throw shooting, foul trouble, and poor transition defense out of their havoc defense have caused them a poor start on the season. The talent is there and tonight should be a clear overmatch where we see the havoc defense work like Coach Shaka Smart wants. Belmont lost three starters from the team of a year ago that played well with VCU in 2012 and 2013. On top of it a key starter in Craig Bradshaw is doubtful with a calf injury. VCU has had several players start to shoot the ball better with their reserves and starters. VCU's never been a first half team which makes me feel more comfortable with a mid teen line than a high teen to low 20's. They'll roll in the second half and should have one great run intermixed with 3-4 average runs.

12/16 04:00 PM  CB   (529) DARTMOUTH VS (530) MERCER edit

Take: (529) DARTMOUTH 

Reason: Play Dartmouth plus 5 Dartmouth is off an ugly loss to Jacksonville State a few nights ago. They've been poor on the road as a team but are getting a higher line value on the road against Mercer. Mercer of course is coming off a great tournament run from a season ago. This year's team boasts all returning players but four of them are getting near 20 minutes higher than they did a year ago. When ever you see that big of a jump with a team there is going to be a gap of growing pains. The ball hasn't moved as fluid for Mercer and they're turning the ball over at a high rate. Dartmouth is the opposite with five starters with key experience. Experience will prevail in a tight game. Grab the key number here.

12/16 04:00 PM  CB   (531) EAST TENN STATE VS (532) EASTERN KENTUCKY edit

Take: (531) EAST TENN STATE 

Reason: Play East Tenn State plus 6 Eastern Tennessee State is coming off a shocking loss as 12 point favorites to UNC Greensboro, but I like the points in this spot against Eastern Kentucky. Both of these teams boasts athletes and shooters all over the floor. But I believe the difference in this one should come from East Tenn State's better perimeter defense and overall guard play. Don't be surprised if the Buccaneers win this outright.

12/14 01:00 PM  CB   (827) LOUISIANA TECH VS (828) SYRACUSE edit

Take: (827) LOUISIANA TECH 

Reason: Play Louisiana Tech plus 8 Syracuse is still a conundrum for oddsmakers. Everyone knows this is a down Syracuse team--yet they've been a powerhouse team at home in non conference play for a decade. Stats/trend guys will be gobbling that up for a play on Syracuse. Don't do so. Syracuse has zero identity offensively. By midseason I think they'll have it squared away by feeding the ball more inside with Christmas and freshman McCullough. But for now they're still trying to force feed guard Trevor Cooney--who frankly just can't get it done. Louisiana Tech is a sharp shooting team that will be able to find the gaps in Syracuse's vulnerable zone this season. Another note is that the Carrier Dome can be one of the loudest when Syracuse has a good team but also dead silent when they're a vulnerable team. Sundays have been historically quiet from the dome crowd. Play Louisiana Tech plus 8.

12/13 07:00 PM  CB   (585) TEXAS ARLINGTON VS (586) CAL IRVINE edit

Take: (586) CAL IRVINE 

Reason: Play UC Irvine -12--buy the half point UC Irvine has been one of the more disappointing teams in the country. They returned almost all of the key players from last year's team that had some quality games--including a resounding upset at Washington. For whatever reason they've struggled out the gate, but this matchup should be just what the doctor ordered. Texas Arlington struggles at shooting the basketball at just over 40%. I do not see them being able to keep up with the offense of Cal Irvine. Play Irvine in a rout at home.

12/13 04:00 PM  CB   (553) NORTHERN IOWA VS (554) VA COMMONWEALTH edit

Take: (553) NORTHERN IOWA 

Reason: Play Northern Iowa plus 6 This is a peculiar line to me, with how bad VCU has struggled. Four of their last five games VCU has trailed for lengths of the game, and lost three overall. Northern Iowa is undefeated and has the same core group of players back that defeated VCU's press a season ago. The problem with VCU is they're a jumbled mess. Their press is giving up easy layups at the same rate that they're creating turnovers. Leads they do get evaporate quickly because of this. They are also one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country. It's hard to back VCU at this high of a spread until they show the ability to grab and build on a lead. I have yet to see it happen and don't think it will happen Saturday versus Northern Iowa.

12/13 12:15 PM  CB   (535) UTAH VS (536) KANSAS edit

Take: (536) KANSAS 

Reason: Play Kansas -3.5 Utah's back to back impressive wins over BYU and Wichita State has this point spread undervalued. Utah has done a terrific job defensively which has helped them stay in games. At this point of the season though you always see 2-3 teams slip that will bounce back into the fold come March. Utah has that look of a team that needs Jordan Loveridge back to excel further. Kansas looks like a legit top ten team and is starting to show confidence after a comeback win over Florida and a win at Georgetown. Play Kansas Saturday.

12/13 11:15 AM  CB   (525) SAINT MARYS CA VS (526) CREIGHTON edit

Take: (525) SAINT MARYS CA 

Reason: Play St. Mary's plus 5.5 I'm shocked that this line is as high as it is. Creighton is extremely vulnerable as a team as coaches get to game plan their new look lineup from a year ago. They're struggling in the interior and our relying heavily on guards Devin Brooks and Antonio Chatman. Saint Mary's has the guards to contain both and at least neutralize one of the other. An off game by either is going to require an unproven player to emerge and have a breakout game. I don't see that happening and believe St. Mary's will bounce back after a poor loss to Boise State.

12/13 11:00 AM  CB   (531) PEPPERDINE VS (532) ARIZONA STATE edit

Take: (531) PEPPERDINE 

Reason: Play Pepperdine plus 8 In my estimation Herb Sendek has done one of the best jobs in the country with the talent he has this season--one month in. Yet the team is just 5-3, with close losses to Texas A@M, Alabama, and Maryland. Defense just is not ASU's strength. To stay in games they have been relying on hot shooting. Against A@M they made 12 of 29 threes, and 14 of 27 against Maryland. Pepperdine is a veteran group that has the better team in my opinion. I do not see ASU having an answer for double-double machine Stacy Davis. Davis also hails from Laveen, Arizona, which is 12-15 minutes away from ASU's campus. By not being recruited by the Sun Devils, Davis should have extra motivation that should draw more fire from his teammates. Play Pepperdine

12/13 09:00 AM  CB   (517) WICHITA STATE VS (518) DETROIT edit

Take: (517) WICHITA STATE 

Reason: Play Wichita State -12 This is the first play on the board from me for Saturday. Wichita State has been one of the best teams in the nation at covering against the spread the last several seasons. They do it by scoring in bunches. And that's exactly what Detroit is incapable of doing. Detroit wins games based on their defense and timely offense. They really only have two reliable scorers in Juwon Howard Jr and Anton Wilson. The biggest key here that makes this a play is that they go on big offensive lulls in games. Against Oregon they went scoreless for a big portion of the second half that blew a golden cover. Against Michigan they also had a second half lull, and even in their latest game against South Florida they nearly blew a nine point lead late. Wichita State should roll on the road.

12/13 09:00 AM  CB   (643) RADFORD VS (644) GEORGETOWN edit

Take: (644) GEORGETOWN 

Reason: Georgetown -14 I love this college basketball Saturday every year to find those 2-3 tune-up games ATS. This is a tune up game for Georgetown. They may have lost to Kansas but they grew as a team on the floor. I was impressed with Josh Smith's play and from freshman LJ Price. There is room for this team to grow immensely before January. RJ Price of Radford has been sizzling from three point range but one thing John Thompson III has always done is take away a team's key player. Price is shooting just 35% from the field and taking nearly 8 three pointers a game. That's a sign of poor shot selection coming from the point guard. Of the top four scorers from Radford--all four are shooting below 43 percent. To add to it Georgetown is coming off a game in which they gave up ten of 17 three pointers to Kansas and also gave them 25 freebies at the foul line. Expect a better defensive showing and for Georgetown to have its way offensively.

12/13 08:00 AM  CB   (641) USC-UPSTATE VS (642) MARYLAND edit

Take: (641) USC-UPSTATE 

Reason: Play USC Upstate plus plus 15.5 USC Upstate is one of those small schools that oddsmakers have not caught up too. I've been key on the Atlantic Sun ever since Florida Gulf Coast made their run a few seasons ago; it's the same conference that also holds Mercer. It's an underrated conference and I believe USC-Upstate is the best team in the conference this season. They just upset Georgia Tech who has just as much talent if not more athleticism than Maryland. Maryland has been one of the hottest shooting teams in the country over their last two games. This is an early game which should lead to a rusty start from a Maryland team boasting freshman in the starting lineup because of injuries. I like USC Upstate to try and pad their resume for March with a good showing against Maryland.

12/12 05:00 PM  CB   (825) IOWA STATE VS (826) IOWA edit

Take: (826) IOWA 

Reason: Play Iowa -6 This is a matchup of contrasts and an in-state rivalry in Iowa. Iowa is a team that has taken a step back from last year but is still filled with quality upper classmen. It's not a flashy group but they play a physical style of basketball that does not bode well for Iowa State. Iowa State thrives against teams that want to run up and down the court with them. But against teams that play physical they have struggled. Take a look at their losses over the last several seasons and in the NCAA tournament(s). Oddsmakers set this line steep and I believe they got this right all along. The contrarian play will be on Iowa State and it's the wrong side. Iowa covers this one nicely.

Play George Washington -9

DePaul is a much improved team that has shown growth on the basketball court to start the season. But George Washington has the defensive/offensive combination that DePaul has not faced yet this season. George Washington has a sound starting five, including a three guard rotation that features Patrick Garino and Kethan Savage. I expect the three to create turnovers on DePaul and give DePaul point guard Billy Garrett Jr a hard time. Inside Kevin Larsen is one of the more versatile big men in the country. He will be able to defend Tommy Hamilton who likes to stretch away from the block for his points. On the block Larsen has an array of moves to control the paint. This will be a down to Earth game for DePaul.

12/10 04:00 PM  CB   (573) NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL VS (574) MARYLAND edit

Take: (573) NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 

Reason: NC Central plus 11 Give all credit to Maryland coach Mark Turgeon for how successful his team has been to start the season. Last season's team vastly underachieved with a solid starting five. Three players decided to transfer at season's end, including Nick Faust, Seth Allen, and Charles Mitchell. Mitchell (Georgia Tech) and Faust (Long Beach State) are already having solid impacts on their new teams (Allen is sitting out a transfer year for Virginia Tech). The big surprise has been how well Turgeon's with freshman Melo Trimble and Jared Nickens being solid contributors. The key in this game is the fact that Dez Wells and Evan Smotrycz will be out. Wells is expected to miss a month and Smotrycz is doubtful for tonight. Maryland was able to pull away from Winthrop after a close first half but I expect NC Central to hang in this game. Don't forget they were the 14th seed last year in the NCAA tournament. They aren't a regular molded lower tier team. This team boasts four seniors and plays sound defense. Look for NCCU to give Maryland trouble.

Play Eastern Michigan plus 15

This is a game many anticipate that Michigan will race out to an early lead and run away with a victory over Eastern Michigan because of Michigan's performance and loss to NJIT. If only it were that easy. Michigan is a talented young team at the guard positions but is a program that is still trying to recover from a massive overhaul at key positions the last two years. They lost Stauskas, McGary, Robinson III, Tim Hardaway II, Jon Horford to a transfer to Florida, and Trey Burke. Six key players. It's been emphasized that both Spike Albrecht and Caris LeVert have grown as players but were not highly recruited players. Eastern Michigan is no slouch. Raven Lee may be the best player on the floor in this game. Michigan will certainly go on an aggressive couple of runs but I believe the game will not run away from Eastern Michigan and they can keep this within the 15 points.

Texas A@M plus 6.5

Out of all the lines on the board today, I believe this is the best value line out there. Kenny Cherry is still out indefinitely for Baylor with a foot injury, leaving a huge void in the Bears lineup. Royce O'Neal is a solid Big-12 player and Taureen Prince has done a great job at filling the scoring void on this Bears team. But the rest of the Bears have been awfully quiet for production. Prince/O'Neal scored 41 of their teams 66 points against Vanderbilt, 22 of their 54 against Illinois, and 36 of their 71 against Memphis. This team is too heavily reliant on these two players. A balanced team such as Texas A@M should be able to exploit this weak part of the Bears team. Texas A@M has two key transfers in their starting lineup with Daniel House from Houston and Jalen Jones from SMU. This combined with 3rd/4th year players at the other starting positions with Roberson, point guard Alex Caruso, and Jordan Green. This team has seen Baylor's aggressive defense before as members of the Big 12 and should be able to come close to an outright win and capture an ATS win against the 6.5.

Play Villanova -4

Illinois will be another tough test for Villanova but once again I think they triumph over the Fighting Illini. Villanova has been a stalwart at covering ATS. That's a good sign of a team underranked but also getting better before conference play. There isn't a bench more developed in the country as Villanova's. You'll notice that Jay Wright doesn't wait for subs if a starter is struggling. He started this last year and the team as a whole has embraced team basketball. Nova will need to guard the perimeter and win this game with the upper hand on the sidelines with coaching.

12/07 06:00 PM  CB   (847) SAN DIEGO STATE VS (848) WASHINGTON edit

Take: (847) SAN DIEGO STATE 

Reason: Play San Diego State -1 Most money will be on the Huskies to achieve a 7-0 mark at home, but I will lean on San Diego State. There aren't many teams in the country that play sound defense for 40 minutes like the Aztecs do. Coach Fischer has a core group that won't wow on the offensive side of the floor but get it done the old school way. Expect Washington to struggle shooting as the bulk of their points come from guards Andrew Andrews and Nigel Williams-Goss

12/07 02:00 PM  CB   (837) UTAH STATE VS (838) USC edit

Take: (837) UTAH STATE 

Reason: Play Utah State plus 4.5 Utah State has lost three in a row but I like them in a high value spot against USC. Utah State has high energy forward Jalen Moore paired with two new JUCO transfers that have made an impact. They're the better team from an X's and O's standpoint from the free throw line, three point line, field goal percentage and overall defense. Grab Utah State plus 4.5

12/07 11:00 AM  CB   (821) WISC MILWAUKEE VS (822) DEPAUL edit

Take: (822) DEPAUL 

Reason: Play DePaul -6.5 You have to love a team that knows its role. Each player on DePaul has a role that stays balanced game in and game out. That's hard to find on a lot of teams in college basketball. Oliver Purnell has quietly built this DePaul team led by PG Billy Garret and inside presence Tommy Hamilton. Illinois transfer Myke Henry has been a pleasant surprise. Balanced scoring from the Demons gets them a double digit win against Wisc Milwaukee

12/06 02:15 PM  CB   (547) ST. JOHNS VS (548) SYRACUSE edit

Take: (547) ST. JOHNS 

Reason: Play St. Johns plus 6 St. Johns has a group of upperclassmen that have been waiting to catch a Syracuse team down. DeAngelo Harrison and several other Johnnies have been defeated by the Cuse in embarassing fashion over the years. Dion Waiters put on a show in the Garden in a regular season matchup just a few seasons ago, and Michael-Carter Williams had his top highlight of his Syracuse career dunking over a Johnnies player on a one-man fast break. Last year St. John's was over matched and still put up a good fight against Syracuse. Right now Syracuse just doesn't have the fire power to give six against a hungry team as St. John's. The offense isn't there for Syracuse and holes are still being found with too much inexperience in the zone.

12/06 12:00 PM  CB   (537) SOUTH FLORIDA VS (538) DETROIT edit

Take: (538) DETROIT 

Reason: Play Detroit -6 South Florida is in one of those odd change overs where the new head coach is still using talent from last year but trying to breed his philosophy. South Florida has never been a tempo team that can shoot the ball. Detroit held tough and had leads against both Oregon and Michigan only to let those leads slip in the second halves. This team has balance led by Juwon Howard Jr. and I expect them to handle an overmatched South Florida team trying to find their identity.

12/06 11:00 AM  CB   (551) EASTERN MICHIGAN VS (552) DAYTON edit

Take: (551) EASTERN MICHIGAN 

Reason: Play Eastern Michigan plus 11 Flashback to March Madness and Dayton's epic run featured a big win over Syracuse. Dayton did not defeat the zone in that game, in fact they struggled, and got some timely fortunate three pointers with the shot clock running down. Eastern Michigan plays zone defense the second most in the country behind head coach Rob Murphy, a former Boeheim assistant through 2011. Eastern Michigan lacks size but does have three sound guards to compete in this game with Dayton with Karrington Ward, Raven Lee, and Mike Talley. Gone from Dayton are key pieces in players Cavanaugh, Dhari Price, and key leader Devin Oliver. The zone should cause problems like it did in March for Dayton's offense, and eleven point should be more than enough for the cover.

 12/05 04:00 PM  CB   (847) WESTERN CAROLINA VS (848) MINNESOTA edit

Take: (848) MINNESOTA 

Reason: Play Minnesota -20 Minnesota is in the portion of their schedule most major college teams are heading in, and that's the soft portion of December before conference play begins. Western Carolina plays the style of basketball that fits right in to a huge blowout loss to Minnesota. Their objective is to score, score, score and wear teams down. That worked last year and almost got them a tournament berth but they fell short to Wofford in the conference championship game. They lost four of their five starters, including Tawaski King (8 ppg), Trey Sumler(17 ppg), and Brandon Boggs (12ppg). Minnesota is going to score in the range of 90-100 points in this game and continue their recent hot shooting. Look for the blowout here Friday.

12/05 04:00 PM  CB   (833) WYOMING VS (834) SMU edit

Take: (834) SMU 

Reason: Play SMU -4 I like to refer to Wyoming as the Florida Gulf Coast of the West. They have athletes that thrive in mid-tier conferences such as the Mountain West. But that changes when you face stiffer competition such as SMU. SMU can match Wyoming's athletes and has a savvy point guard in Nick Moore. SMU needed a few games under their belt to rebuild chemistry lost from last year's departures and Mundlay decommitting to go to China. I like the way they looked against Monmouth and I think they continue to thrive tonight versus Wyoming.

12/02 04:30 PM  CB   (551) THE CITADEL VS (552) COLL OF CHARLESTON edit

Take: (551) THE CITADEL 

Reason: Play Citadel plus 11.5 This is a vastly inflated line. Citadel was one of those teams that was awful for 85% of last season. They won only one game out of twenty two during their worst stretch. But towards the last eight games of the season they started to mature as a team. They lost games in the single digits to Furman and Davidson and then went on a three game win streak. They have a talented guard in Ashton Moore and the team will look to avenge last year's blowout loss to Charleston.

12/02 04:00 PM  CB   (521) MINNESOTA VS (522) WAKE FOREST edit

Take: (521) MINNESOTA 

Reason: Play Minnesota -5 Wake Forest is in transition mode after losing their coach last season and having to deal with players transferring, including Tyler Cavanaugh. Minnesota on the other hand is in the second year of being led by Richard Pitino. Pitino has emulated his father with a strong half court press and has scorers led by juniors/seniors all over the floor. Minnesota should run away with this and give the Big Ten another victory.

12/02 04:00 PM  CB   (581) STEPHEN F. AUSTIN VS (582) MEMPHIS edit

Take: (581) STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 

Reason: Play Stephen F Austin plus 6.5 The heat is on Josh Pastner and his Memphis Tigers. It all started last season when Antonio Barton and Tariq Black transferred to finish their senior seasons elsewhere as graduate transfers. Both played important roles on their new teams (Kansas, Tennessee). This year's team is lost and has no identity. Shaq Goodwin is their main option on both ends of the floor and I'm not sure he'd be the main guy a a school in the top 60-75 range in the country. Stephen F Austin has the makeup to head into Memphis and come away with an outright win.

Play East Tennessee State +8

East Tennessee State was in the Atlantic Sun conference last year and now heads is in the Southern Conference. They're a talented ball club that could get at an at large berth now that they aren't in the crowded Atlantic Sun. They have physical on the ball defense and speed at the guard positions. Unlike most teams with those combinations they do not suffer in half court offense. This team can shoot the ball and should hang in on an inflated line of eight points against Morehead State.

I liked a couple other NCAAB plays but narrowed it down to just one. Lets concentrate on NFL and cash CBB at the start of the week.

11/30 01:30 PM  CB   (831) DELAWARE VS (832) VILLANOVA edit

Take: (832) VILLANOVA 

Reason: Play Villanova -30 In my opinion this game should not even be on the board. These two teams play every year and for the last three seasons the matchup has been decided by ten points or less, including last year's narrow win by Villanova of just four points. Delaware has zero starters back from those teams as all five departed from last year's 2013-2014 team. Villanova is a top five team under ranked currently and has bench depth that stretches to a total of nine players. With a big lead in the first half the second unit players should be able to keep extending the lead. I wouldn't be surprised to see this game start off 35-9 and balloon to a 50 point win.

11/29 08:30 PM  CB   (555) COLORADO STATE VS (556) CAL SANTA BARBARA edit

Take: (555) COLORADO STATE 

Reason: Play Colorado State -4 This Colorado State team may lack offensive explosion at the guard position but they have as balanced of an attack as any team in the country with power forward JJ Avila and Daniel Bejarno. Bejarno personifies what type of program Colorado State is. They take on the type of players that want to play for four years--whether it's via transfer or initial recruits. Avila transferred from Navy and Bejarno from UofA. They play sound defense as a team and get to the free throw line more than their opponents. Cal Santa Barbara will not be able to match Colorado State's physicality. Play CSU -4.

11/28 04:00 PM  CB   (791) GONZAGA VS (792) ST. JOHNSedit

Take: (792) ST. JOHNS 

Reason: PLAY ST. JOHNS plus 6.5 This is a college basketball line I've been waiting 48 hours for. This is an optimal value underdog line. Gonzaga has been lights out shooting while the Johnnies have realistically only played one sound half of basketball this season. Look for that to change today as the Johnnies have the formula that have plagued Gonzaga teams for years. Physical guards/forwards that will contest the Zags thriving half court offense. I was hoping for this line to be between 4-6 points. 6.5 is a steal.

11/28 04:00 PM  CB   (801) BRADLEY VS (802) TCU edit

Take: (802) TCU 

Reason: Play TCU -7.5 TCU's offense is just a few notches better than Bradley's plain and simple. Bradley lost a few seniors from last year's team that underachieved. Now they are in transition mode and facing a TCU team that is looking to win their sixth game of the season on a nationally televised game in Corpus Christi, Texas post Thanksgiving. Grab TCU.

11/28 03:00 PM  CB   (771) CS FULLERTON VS (772) USC-UPSTATEedit

Take: (772) USC-UPSTATE 

Reason: Play USC Upstate -4.5 USC Upstate may be a tournament qualifier from a conference that has made some noise with Florida Gulf Coast/Mercer over the years in the Atlantic Sun. I like the makeup of this team led by three seniors and a junior. They also disperse minutes with their bench well. CS Fullerton won last night with solid defense and 24 free throws. This is the second day of a tournament held in USC-Upstate's own state of South Carolina and I expect them to handle Fullerton with ease.

11/28 12:30 PM  CB   (773) UTEP VS (774) XAVIERedit

Take: (773) UTEP 

Reason: Play UTEP plus 8 Xavier is a bit over valued currently thanks to a cake walk first part of their schedule. They lost a good core of their team from a season ago. UTEP has three starting seniors---all which have played a bulk of minutes for their entire career since freshman at UTEP. That's unheard of. They also have a strong sophomore in the lineup in Vince Hunter who is averaging 18 points and 12 boards this season. Grab the Miners plus 8

11/27 03:00 PM  CB   (539) CS FULLERTON VS (540) WRIGHT STATE edit

Take: (539) CS FULLERTON 

Reason: PLAY CS FULLERTON PLUS 7 This line opened at 4.5 and has jumped all the way to seven points. CS Fullerton shoots the ball poorly but has stayed in close games including a narrow defeat to USC. Wright State is a talented Horizon league team but Fullerton should be able to hang around the original number. Seven is just too much. Take the underdog CS Fullerton.

11/26 04:00 PM  CB   (731) DAVIDSON VS (732) CENTRAL FLORIDA edit

Take: (731) DAVIDSON 

Reason: Play Davidson Plus 2 Davidson is coming off a wake up call loss to a powerhouse in North Carolina. Clearly they were overmatched but I still do expect this team to represent the Atlantic 10 well this season. They play true team basketball and that's where they have the advantage tonight over a Central Florida team that plays as wreckless as any team in the country. There is still plenty of rust with Central Florida's offense as they try to replace 25PPG from departing senior Sykes. Grab Davidson tonight

11/26 04:00 PM  CB   (783) MINNESOTA VS (784) ST. JOHNS edit

Take: (784) ST. JOHNS 

Reason: Play St. Johns Pick Em St. Johns certainly has not looked like a team capable of beating Minnesota in the early portion of this season. Look past that as St. John's has notoriously started slow year in and year out against lesser competition. Minnesota is a Big Ten mid tier talent with a heavy laden roster of upper classmen. The problem is they lack that defensive prowess or go-to guy offensively. St. Johns on the other hand boasts three starting seniors, junior Chris Obepka who averages right under 5 blocks a game, and future pro in sophomore Rysheed Jordan. This team will play well tonight and grab the win over Minnesota.

11/25 08:00 PM  CB   (533) DELAWARE VS (534) STANFORD edit

Take: (534) STANFORD 

Reason: Play Stanford -23 I was unimpressed with the way Stanford played against Duke. With that being said Duke has premier offensive talent that is thriving with great three point shooting and interior scoring too match currently. Stanford is a borderline top 20-25 team that should bounce back in good fashion tonight against Delaware. Delaware was a tournament team a season ago but lost all five starters from that team. They're struggling mightily. Facing a Stanford team that will emphasize defense after being crushed by Duke with poor defense should be the recipe for a blowout. I expect Stanford to be up by 16-20 points in the first half and carry it over to a resounding second half to get the cover.

11/25 07:00 PM  CB   (569) MICHIGAN VS (570) VILLANOVA edit

Take: (570) VILLANOVA 

Reason: Villanova -4 As talented as Michigan is, they are a year behind in being a true top fifteen team. They'll show flashes of one but they're going to be a team that's primed for being upset on a nightly basis. They rely too much on perimeter shooting and are not a strong defensive team yet. Villanova on the other hand has the look of an Elite 8 team. Jay Wright has a great mix of returning juniors and seniors with Jayvaughn Pinkston, Dylan Ennis, Ryan A, and Darren Hillard. Their sophomore talent is the biggest key. Growth with Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart makes this team upper echelon. This team won the Bahamas tournament a year ago with a double digit comeback win over Iowa and a win over Kansas. Look for that experience to pay off tonight as Villanova is the better team.

11/25 04:30 PM  CB   (567) OREGON VS (568) VA COMMONWEALTH edit

Take: (568) VA COMMONWEALTH 

Reason: Play VCU -4 This is the consolation game in Brooklyn as both teams lost last night. This is a much better match up for VCU than they had last night against Villanova. Oregon lost several players from last year's team and is still finding their identity on the offensive end. That could spell trouble with turnovers against VCU's defense. Oregon does have the best player on the floor in Joseph Young but he is a scoring guard that is not the best of ball handlers. Oregon also lost one of their starting forwards last night to an ankle injury against Michigan. This is an under valued line and I look for VCU to thrive tonight in Brooklyn.

11/24 04:00 PM  CB   (769) VA COMMONWEALTH VS (770) VILLANOVA edit

Take: (770) VILLANOVA 

Reason: Play Villanova -1.5 This is a great early season test for both teams. VCU's havoc style defense is hard to beat but Villanova has the backcourt and shooters to disrupt VCU's press. For years Villanova had faced UConn's man to man tight defense and Louisville's full court press. They're use to it. The difference here is the dry spells that VCU goes through. That should be enough for Villanova to get a hard fought early season win.

11/21 04:00 PM  CB   (527) GEORGE WASHINGTON VS (528) VIRGINIA edit

Take: (528) VIRGINIA 

Reason: Play Virginia -13 Buy the hook George Washington is not a poor team by all means. In fact come February this team will be a top five contender in the Atlantic 10. The problem is George Washington faces a team that will truly rank in the top ten to fifteen all season long. George Washington doesn't have strong ball handlers to handle the tough Virginia man to man defense. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Cavaliers create 20 plus turnovers in an easy Friday night win. 

PLAY DETROIT +18

Detroit is coming off a loss to Oregon that got away from them in the second half. The first half was tied at 35 and Detroit had held star guard, Joseph Young to just four points from the free throw line. Turnovers and foul trouble by Juwon Howard Jr. turned the game over to Oregon. This Michigan team is guard oriented and has dealt with top tier talent departing the past two seasons. Detroit struggles to shoot at times but can give Michigan's guard heavy lineup problems defensively on the perimeter. Take Detroit plus 18.

PLAY ARIZONA -15 Cal-Irvine may end up getting into the NCAA tournament this season as a 13th or 14th seed. They have talent and the tallest player in college hoops with a 7'6 center. The problem will be Arizona's size and athleticism. At the guard and forward spots Arizona has a clear advantage with speed, size, strength, and overall skills. In UofA's last game they were favored by -27 against Cal-State Northridge. It was too high of a number and a sloppy Sunday night game from UofA. Look for Arizona to cash on a lower number and play more efficient against Cal-Irvine.

11/14 04:00 PM  CB   (785) NIAGARA VS (786) PITTSBURGH edit

Take: (786) PITTSBURGH 

Reason: Play Pittsburgh -25 Niagara is in a total revamp mode after losing their upperclassmen last season including Antone Mason who transferred to Auburn. Niagara tries to push the ball and score frequently. Unfortunately playing against PIttsburgh will be a challenge as the Panthers return a formidable backcourt and backline. Jamie Dixon's Panthers may have problems scoring in ACC play but will run away with it tonight against Niagara.

11/14 03:30 PM  CB   (723) VA COMMONWEALTH VS (724) TENNESSEE edit

Take: (723) VA COMMONWEALTH 

Reason: PLAY VCU -8 Shaka Smart has turned down offers time and time again from other schools because he is turning VCU into a power. He has a talented team this year and they'll showcase their skills tonight against Tennessee. Tennessee was a surprise in the NCAA's last season but did so with Bruce Pearl's recruits. Lets so how they fare going forward. Play VCU tonight -8

11/11 05:35 PM  NBA   (507) SACRAMENTO KINGS VS (508) DALLAS MAVERICKS edit

Take: (508) DALLAS MAVERICKS 

Reason: Play Dallas 508 -6.5 Sacramento and Dallas both made offseason additions for the benefits of their team. Except to start the season it looks like the Kings are getting more bang for their dollar. Darren Collison has been a tremendous spark while the Mavericks are struggling to adjust to starting lineup additions with Chandler Parsons and Jameer Nelson. The fact of the matter is the Mavericks have had a tougher early season schedule than the Kings have had. Expect the veterans of Dallas to come out with intensity and put the Kings young talented lineup in a hole early. This line is high for a reason. Cash on the Mavericks