20* Providence/Villanova FOX No-Brainer on Providence +11.5

Providence is a gritty team that doesn't go away easily.  That is evident by the fact that they have gone 6-4 SU & 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games overall with all four losses coming by 10 points or fewer, including three by 6 points or less.  That makes for a 10-0 system backing the Friars pertaining to this 11.5-point spread.  They just upset Creighton 74-70 as 10-point road underdogs last time out.

Asking Villanova to win by 12-plus points to beat us is asking too much.  Especially for a Wildcats team that didn't play a single game between December 23rd and January 19th due to COVID.  They just returned to practice on Thursday last week and only had eight players available.  They were rusty in a 76-74 win over Seton Hall as 8.5-point favorites in their return to action.  And they still won't be hitting on all cylinders yet today.

Six of the last seven meetings in this series were decided by 11 points or less.  That includes a 58-54 upset as 7.5-point dogs by Providence at Villanova last year.  The Friars are 5-1 ATS in their last six games as underdogs.  The Wildcats are 1-8 ATS in their last nine home games.  Providence is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games as a road dog or PK.  Take Providence Saturday.

20* CBB Saturday No-Doubt Rout on Syracuse -1

The Syracuse Orange are grossly undervalued right now.  They should be more than 1-point favorites here at home against the Virginia Tech Hokies.  They played up to their potential in their 83-57 win over Miami last time out.  And they will come back with another big effort here with a ranked Hokies team coming to town.

I think it's time to 'sell high' on the Hokies, who are 7-1 SU in their last eight games overall but it has come against a pretty easy schedule.  Their only two road games during this stretch came in a loss at Louisville and a narrow 64-60 win over a bad Wake Forest team.  This will arguably be their toughest test of the season to date.

Syracuse is 6-1 SU In its last seven home meetings with Virginia Tech.  Virginia Tech is 1-8 ATS in its last nine road games off two straight conference games.  The Hokies are 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games.  Virginia Tech is 1-6 ATS in its last seven road games vs. a team with a winning home record.  Bet Syracuse Saturday.

15* NBA Friday Late-Night BAILOUT on Sacramento Kings -4

This is a great spot to 'buy low' on the Sacramento Kings, who are 0-4 SU & 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.  But it has come against a brutal schedule of the Clippers (twice), Blazers and Pelicans.  Now they get to face one of the worst teams in the East in the Knicks and will take advantage.

It's a great rest spot for the Kings as they will be playing just their 2nd game in 5 days.  It's a terrible rest spot for the Knicks, who will be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back after an upset road win over the Golden State Warriors last night.  It will also be the 8th game in 13 days for the Knicks here.  Bet the Kings Friday.

15* NBA Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Minnesota Timberwolves +6

It's a great time to 'buy low' on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who just blew a 20-point lead against the Magic and lost 96-97 at the buzzer last time out.  This is a motivated, rested Timberwolves team that will be playing just their 3rd game in 9 days here tonight.

The Timberwolves will be out for revenge from a 97-108 road loss at Atlanta on December 18th just five days ago.  Now they get their shot at revenge here Friday night and are catching 6 points at home in the rematch.  This is a game they can win outright.

It's not like the Hawks are playing all that well right now, either.  They are 3-5 SU & 3-5 ATS in their last eight games overall.  They erased a huge deficit to come back and beat the Pistons in overtime at home last time out.  Cam Redish and De'Andre Hunter are questionable tonight, while they are still without Bogdanovic and Gallinari.

Atlanta is 2-12 ATS in its last 14 games after winning two of its last three games coming in.  The Hawks are 1-10 ATS in their last 10 road games vs. teams that force 14 or fewer turnovers per game.  Atlanta is 9-19 ATS in its last 28 road games.  The Hawks are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.  Roll with the Timberwolves Friday.

20* Celtics/76ers ESPN No-Brainer on UNDER 222.5

These teams just played on Wednesday with the 76ers winning 117-109 at home for 226 combined points.  The total was 220 for that game and now the books have jacked up this total 2.5 points to 222.5.  I think that's the wrong adjustment, and now there's great value with the UNDER in the rematch.

Familiarity favors defense.  Points will be much harder to come by in the rematch.  And the 76ers shot a whopping 45 free throws in that first meeting and made 36 of them.  They aren't going to get a free 36 points in the rematch, and they certainly won't get nearly as many calls as they did in that first game.

The UNDER is 5-2 in the last seven meetings with combined scores of 216 or fewer in five of those.  The UNDER is 14-6 in Celtics last 20 games as underdogs.  The UNDER is 8-2 in 76ers last 10 games following an ATS win.

Plays on the UNDER on all teams where the total is 220 or higher (Boston) - a well rested team playing four or less games in 10 days, in a game involving two good teams (60% to 75%) are 87-34 (71.9%) since 1996.  Bet the UNDER in this game Friday.

15* NBA Eastern Conference ANNIHILATOR on Toronto Raptors -2.5

The Toronto Raptors will be out for revenge from a 102-111 home loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.  Look for them to have their revenge tonight in the rematch just two days later on Friday.

Now the Raptors go from being 4-point favorites in that first meeting to just 2.5-point favorites in the rematch, so there's some line value here.  Plus the Raptors aren't going to shoot as poorly as they did in the first meeting, where they shot just 39.8% compared to 48.7% for Miami.  That includes 18-for-40 (45%) from 3-point range for the Heat, which is very unlikely for them to repeat.

Miami is 3-15 ATS in its last 18 road games vs. bad defensive teams that allow 110 or more points per game.  The Heat are 0-6 ATS in their last six games following an ATS win.  Take the Raptors Friday.

20* Pelicans/Jazz TNT Late Night BAILOUT on New Orleans +7

This is the perfect spot to bet New Orleans tonight.  We'll 'buy low' on the Pelicans, who have lost six of their last seven games overall, including their 102-118 loss in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.  Now the Pelicans will be the more motivated team here out for revenge and getting a chance at payback just two days later.

It's the ultimate 'sell high' spot on the Jazz.  They have gone 6-0 SU & 6-0 ATS in their last six games overall.  And they won't be very motivated to face a Pelicans team that they just beat by 16 as 6.5-point favorites on Tuesday.  Now they are even bigger favorites here laying 7 points in the rematch.

That was a rare blowout win for the Jazz in this series as the previous three meetings were all decided by 6 points or less.  The Pelicans are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a loss by more than 10 points.  The Jazz are 5-13-2 ATS in their last 20 games as home favorites

Plays against any team (Utah) - off two consecutive covers as a favorite, a good team (60% to 75%) playing a bad team (25% to 40%) are 53-18 (74.6%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Bet the Pelicans Thursday.

15* CBB Thursday UPSET SHOCKER on Washington State +2.5

I love the spot for the Washington State Cougars tonight.  They opened 8-1 with their only loss to Arizona by 4 points in overtime.  But they have since played four straight road games and gone 1-3 SU with losses to three of the best teams in the Pac-12 in Stanford, UCLA and USC.

Now the Cougars finally get to play a home game here against a team they can handle in Utah.  The Cougars are 8-1 at home this season with that lone loss being the overtime defeat to Arizona.  The Utes are 0-3 SU & 1-2 ATS on the highway this season and losing by 12.7 points per game.

The Utes are just 1-5 SU & 2-4 ATS in their last six games overall.  And they have played four straight home games coming in.  That includes their 63-72 home loss to California as 11.5-point favorites last time out.

Utah is 0-8 ATS in its last eight road games off a conference loss.  The Utes are 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games.  The Cougars are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a loss.  Washington State is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games as a home underdog.  The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.  Take Washington State Thursday.

20* NBA Wednesday Late-Night BAILOUT on San Antonio Spurs +1.5

This is a huge letdown spot for the Golden State Warriors.  They erased a double-digit 4th quarter deficit on TNT on MLK Day and pulled the 115-113 upset as 9-point road underdogs.  They won't be nearly as motivated to face the Spurs as they were to go up against the defending champs two days ago.

This is a Spurs team quietly playing some great basketball of late, especially on the road.  The Spurs have won six of their last eight games overall, including upset road wins over both the Lakers and Clippers.

The Spurs are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as road underdogs.  The Warriors are 0-8 ATS in their last eight home games off a close win by 3 points or less.  Golden State is 16-34-1 ATS in its last 51 games as a home favorite.  The Warriors are 19-39-1 ATS in their last 59 games following an ATS win.  The Spurs are 5-2 SU & 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.  Take the Spurs Wednesday.

15* Pac-12 PLAY OF THE DAY on Washington +13

It's a good time to 'buy low' on the Washington Huskies.  They are 1-11 SU this season, but they have been showing some improvement here of late.  They only lost 76-81 at UCLA as 15.5-point underdogs last time out.

Now the Huskies are 13-point home dogs to Colorado.  They were only 9-point road dogs at Colorado in their first meeting this season, a 69-92 loss.  They will be out for revenge, and they are catching 4 more points than last time despite playing at home this time around.

Colorado is one of the best home teams in the country.  But they are awful on the road and have been for years.  Washington is 6-1 SU & 5-2 ATS in its last seven home meetings with the Buffaloes.

The Buffaloes are 15-41 ATS in their last 56 road games.  Colorado is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games as a road favorite.  The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.  The Buffaloes are 0-6 ATS in their last six road games off three or more consecutive wins.  Colorado is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 road games off two or more consecutive home wins.  Roll with Washington Wednesday.

20* Big East GAME OF THE MONTH on Providence +10.5

It's a good time to 'buy low' on the Providence Friars off three straight losses by 10 points or less.  In fact, the Friars haven't lost any of their last nine games by more than 10 points.  So getting 10.5 points here is a great value.

Providence only lost 65-67 at home to Creighton on January 2nd in their first meeting as 4-point underdogs.  So they will be out for revenge here.  Plus, this is a 6.5-point adjustment for home-court advantage with the Bluejays now 10.5-point favorites in the rematch.  That's too big of an adjustment.

Creighton is dealing with an injury to its best player in Marcus Zegarowski (14.1 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.2 RPG).  He sat out their last game against Butler and they were upset as 7-point favorites.  Zegarowski is questionable to return with a hamstring injury here.  He had 20 points and 7 rebounds in the first meeting with Providence.   Even if he plays I love the Friars here.  If he doesn't it will be an added bonus.

The Friars are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games when revenging a loss.  That includes a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last six games when revenging a same-season loss.  Providence has only lost one of the last seven meetings with Creighton by double-digits, and that was an 11-point loss.  Bet Providence Wednesday.

20* Pelicans/Jazz NBA TV No-Brainer on New Orleans +6.5

It's a great time to 'sell high' on the Utah Jazz tonight.  They have gone 5-0 SU & 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall.  They are coming off a huge 109-105 road win over the Nuggets on Sunday, getting revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.  This is now a big letdown spot for the Jazz tonight.

It's also a great time to 'buy low' on the New Orleans Pelicans.  They have gone just 1-5 SU & 2-4 ATS in their last six games overall.  They blew a 15-point lead against the Lakers, lost by 5 to the Clippers, lost by 1 to the Thunder and lost by 2 to the Pacers.  So it's not like they are getting blown out, and catching 6.5 points with them here is a nice value.

The Jazz are 6-14-2 ATS in their last 22 home games.  Utah is 1-4 ATS in its last five games as a home favorite.  Each of the last three meetings in this series were decided by 6 points or less.  Bet the Pelicans Tuesday.

20* CBB Tuesday No-Doubt Rout on Syracuse -4

The Syracuse Orange will be highly motivated for a victory.  They have lost their last two games overall and are 0-4 ATS in their last four games.  So we are getting them cheap as only 4-point home favorites based on recent results.

The blew another halftime lead and gave up 64 points to Pitt in the 2nd half last time out.  There's no doubt they come back with an inspired effort tonight at home against the Miami Hurricanes.  It's a good time to 'buy low' on the Orange here.

It's also a great time to 'sell high' on the Hurricanes, who have gone 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.  After losing 62-84 at Boston College, they came back and upset Louisville 78-72 at home last time out.  They did it despite having just seven scholarship players available.  That win has them overvalued, and they could still be short-handed tonight.

This is a great matchup for Syracuse.  Teams need to be able to make 3-pointers to beat them because they play their patented 2-3 zone.  Well, Miami is last in the ACC in 3-point shooting at 28.1% this season.

Miami is 0-11 ATS in its last 11 games vs. excellent free throw shooting teams that make 77% or better.  The Hurricanes are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games.  The Orange are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss.  Take Syracuse Tuesday.

15* CBB Tuesday Undervalued Underdog on Maryland +10.5

The Maryland Terrapins want revenge from a 73-84 home loss to the Michigan Wolverines on December 31st in their first meeting this season.  The Wolverines shot 58.8% as a team, and that's highly unlikely to happen again here.

Maryland just went on the road and beat Illinois 66-63 outright as a 10.5-point underdog in its last Big Ten game.  The Terrapins also upset Wisconsin 70-64 as 10-point road dogs and only lost to Purdue by 3 as 6-point road dogs.  They have actually played their best basketball on the highway this season.

Michigan is overvalued right now after opening the season 11-1 SU & 9-3 ATS.  But their perfect season just ended in a 57-75 road loss at Minnesota as 5.5-point favorites on Saturday.  And a lot of times teams struggle in that next game after having their long winning streak snapped.  I expect that to be the case here with the Terrapins being the more motivated, revenge-minded team.  Roll with Maryland Tuesday.

15* Warriors/Lakers TNT Late-Night BAILOUT on UNDER 226.5

Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have been great UNDER bets this season.  The Lakers are 10-2 UNDER in their last 12 games overall, while the Warriors are 5-0 UNDER in their last five games overall.

The Lakers are such a great UNDER bet because they play great defense and run their offense through Lebron James and Anthony Davis, so they have to slow it down.  The Lakers rank 1st in the NBA in defensive efficiency this season.

The Warriors are an improved defensive team this season because they know they have to rely on defense without the firepower of Klay Thompson.  They really don't have many good offensive weapons outside Stephen Curry.  The Warriors rank 25th in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency.

The UNDER is 9-1 in Lakers last 10 games following a win.  The UNDER is 6-1 in Warriors last seven games as a road underdog.  The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five meetings with combined scores of 216 or fewer points in four of them.  Roll with the UNDER in this game Monday.

20* Kansas/Baylor ESPN No-Brainer on Kansas +9

You're definitely paying a premium to back the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears at this point.  They have opened 12-0 SU & 10-2 ATS to make the betting public a ton of money.  They are going to continue to back them until they fail them.

In no world should the Kansas Jayhawks be catching 9 points to Baylor.  The Jayhawks have dominated the Big 12 for decades.  And while they aren't as good as they have been in years' past, they are still one of the best teams in the country.  And they'll be highly motivated to hand the Bears their first loss of the season tonight.

It's also a good time to 'buy low' on the Jayhawks off an upset loss to Oklahoma State on Tuesday.  Now the Jayhawks have had five days to get ready for Baylor.  Meanwhile, the Bears will be playing their 2nd game in 3 days after a hard-fought 68-60 road win at Texas Tech on Saturday.  They only have one day to get ready for Kansas, which is a huge disadvantage for them.

Kansas is 19-2 ATS in its last 21 games after allowing 45 points or more in the first half last game.  The Jayhawks are 13-2 ATS in their last 15 road games vs. a team with a winning record.  Kansas is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.  The road team is 23-8-1 ATS in the last 32 meetings.  The underdog is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.  Bet Kansas Monday.

20* Suns/Grizzlies TNT No-Brainer on Phoenix -3

The Phoenix Suns will be rested and ready to go tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.  They haven't played in seven days with their last game coming on Monday, January 11th.  They will also be highly motivated for a victory off a loss.  The Suns are 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS in their three games following a loss this season.

The Memphis Grizzlies are starting to get too much respect from oddsmakers after going 4-0 SU & 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall.  They faced a very soft schedule during this stretch, and this is a big step up in class for them.  They will be without one of the most underrated players in the NBA on Jonas Valanciunas tonight.  He averages 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season and does all the dirty work for them.

Phoenix is 60-32 ATS in its last 92 games off an upset loss as a road favorite.  The Suns are 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games overall.  Bet the Suns Monday.

15* NBA Monday Early ANNIHILATOR on San Antonio Spurs -1

The San Antonio Spurs have gone 5-2 SU in their last seven games overall including upset road wins over both the Lakers and Clippers.  And now they should take down a short-handed Portland Trail Blazers team that is getting too much respect from oddsmakers after going 5-1 SU in its last six games overall against a very soft schedule.

But now the Blazers are going to be without two of their three best players in C.J. McCollum (26.7 PPG, 5.0 APG) and Jusuf Nurkic (9.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG) tonight.  Nirkic suffered a broken wrist a couple games back, while McCollum sustained a foot injury last time out and is out indefinitely.  Damian Lillard can't carry the load without these two against a team the caliber of the Spurs.

The Spurs are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 road games.  The Blazers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games.  Portland is 0-9-2 ATS in its last 11 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.  The Blazers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS win.  Take the Spurs Monday.

15* St. John's/UConn FOX Early ANNIHILATOR on St. John's +8

It's a great time to 'sell high' on the UConn Huskies.  They are 7-1 SU & 7-1 ATS this season and making backers a ton of money.  But now they find themselves in a big favorite role here laying 8 points to St. John's.  Consider they were laying 8.5 points to DePaul a few games back, and St. John's is a much better team than DePaul.

There's no way the Huskies should be this heavily favored tonight considering they will be without their best player in James Bouknight (20.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG).  And it's a great time to 'buy low' on the Red Storm after going just 2-6 SU & 3-5 ATS in their last eight games overall.  They will be in their 2nd-largest underdog role of the entire season today.

UConn is 18-34 ATS in its last 52 games as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points.  The Huskies are 12-29 ATS in their last 41 home games after scoring 60 points or less.  Take St. John's Monday.

25* NFL Divisional Round GAME OF THE YEAR on Tampa Bay Bucs +3

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have now reeled off five straight victories and their offense is playing at a level as good as anyone that's left in the playoffs.  They are scoring 35.8 points per game during this five-game winning streak.

I was really impressed with what they did against Washington's defense last game.  They put up 507 total yards on a Washington defense that is one of the best in the NFL, especially up front.  If they can do that against Washington, they can certainly penetrate this overrated New Orleans defense.

The Bucs are also playing pretty well defensively in giving up 329.9 yards per game on the season.  And now they will get back their best defender in LB Devin White, who leads the team with 140 tackles, 9 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.  White had to sit out the Washington game, which is a big reason they actually somewhat struggled to stop Taylor Heineke and company.  They could also get back their best run stuffer in DT Jeremiah Ledbetter from a calf injury.  RB Ronald Jones could return after missing last week as well.

The Saints had some new injuries pop up in their win over the lowly Bears last week.  RB Latavius Murray, QB Taysom Hill and CB Patrick Robinson all missed practice for a second straight day on Thursday.  DE Trey Hendrickson, LT Terron Armstead and TE Jared Cook were all limited in practice on Thursday as well.

No question the Bucs are going to be the more motivated team here after losing the first two meetings of the season with the Saints, including their fluky 38-3 loss last time.  I think we see an inspired effort from them similar to the one we saw from the Ravens last week, who were playing with identical double-revenge after losing to the Titans in the playoffs last year and in their first meeting this season.

New Orleans is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 playoff home games.  The Saints are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last three seasons.  New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last six vs. a team with a winning record.  Only one of the Saints' last nine games has come against a team with a winning record, and that was their home loss to the Chiefs in which they were outgained by 126 yards and were blown out worse than the final score showed.  Bet the Bucs Sunday.

15* CBB Sunday Total DOMINATOR on Northern Iowa/Loyola-Chicago UNDER 139

Loyola-Chicago beat Northern Illinois 72-57 for 129 combined points yesterday.  Now they play each other in a rematch a day later and we're seeing a 139-point total here after a 138-point total yesterday.  It makes no sense, and the books have missed their mark here.  There's a ton of value with the UNDER.

That's especially the case when you look at the series history between these teams.  Indeed, Northern Iowa and Loyola-Chicago have combined for 129 or fewer points at the end of regulation in eight of their last nine meetings, making for an 8-1 system backing the UNDER pertaining to this 139-point total set.

Loyola-Chicago is 9-1 UNDER in its last 10 home games after winning five or six of its last seven games coming in.  Northern Iowa is 36-19 UNDER in its last 55 road games when revenging a loss.  Familiarity favors the UNDER.  Take the UNDER in this game Sunday.

15* MVC PLAY OF THE DAY on Evansville +9

The Evansville Purple Aces will be out for revenge following a 60-69 loss as 8.5-point dogs at Bradley yesterday.  Now the Purple Aces come back as 9-point dogs here in the rematch, so we are getting an even better line than what was available at the close yesterday.

Evansville has been grossly undervalued for weeks.  The Purple Aces are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall.  They haven't lost any of their last 12 games by more than 9 points, making for a 12-0 system backing the Purple Aces pertaining to this 9-point spread.

Bradley hasn't won any of its last five games by more than 9 points.  That includes a 1-point win over Miami Ohio as a 12-point favorite.  Their only wins by more than this spread came against overmatched teams in Jackson State, Lewis, Judson College and Oakland.

The Purple Aces are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games as underdogs.  The Braves are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win.  The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.  Take Evansville Sunday.

20* NBA Non-Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on Chicago Bulls +7

The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most underrated teams in the NBA to this point.  Their 4-8 SU record will have them undervalued moving forward.  And we'll keep getting more points with them than we should be getting.

Chicago is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games overall.  The Bulls have a total of one loss by more than 4 points in those nine games, and that came to the best team in the East in the Milwaukee Bucks as 14.5-point dogs.  They have upset wins over the Wizards (twice), Mavericks and Blazers.  They also have five losses by 4 points or fewer, so they simply haven't been able to close out games.

The Bulls are rested and highly motivated for a win right now after losing four straight coming in.  They will be playing just their 2nd game in 7 days.  And they want to end this 6-game road trip with a victory in Dallas tonight.  It's a Mavericks team they already beat 118-108 as 4-point home underdogs.  And now they are catching even more points (+7) in the rematch.

Dallas is overvalued after going 4-1 SU & 5-0 ATS in its last five games overall.  The Mavericks had their four-game winning streak come to an end with a tough 109-112 loss at Milwaukee on National TV Friday.  I think they suffer a hangover from that defeat here Sunday.  And they will still be without Dorian-Finney Smith, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell and Josh Richardson due to COVID.  They could also be without both Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Bulls are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games playing on one days' rest.  Chicago is 6-0 ATS in its last six Sunday games.  The Bulls are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as underdogs.  Chicago is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 road games after covering four of its last five ATS.  These four trends combine for a 29-1 system backing Chicago.  Roll with the Bulls Sunday.

20* Iowa/Northwestern Big Ten No-Brainer on Northwestern +10

This is the ultimate 'buy low' spot on the Northwestern Wildcats.  They opened the season 6-1 SU & 5-1 ATS with upset wins over Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State.  But they have since gone 0-4 SU & 0-4 ATS their last four games overall with four straight losses by double-digits and three of those coming on the road.  In their lone home loss they blew a 15-point halftime lead against Illinois.

That includes their 72-87 loss at Iowa as 11.5-point dogs on December 29th.  Now they will be out for revenge three weeks later here and are catching 10 points at home for this Sunday morning tilt.  Look for them to stay within the number and possibly pull off the upset.

The Hawkeyes are 17-39-2 ATS in their last 58 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.  The Wildcats are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games.  Iowa is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games off four or more consecutive wins.  Bet Northwestern Sunday.

15* Ravens/Bills AFC BAILOUT on Buffalo ML -139

I'm going to take the points out of play here and back the Buffalo Bills on the Money Line Saturday night.  The Bills are playing as well as anyone in the playoffs right now.  They are 10-1 in their last 11 games overall with their only loss coming on the hail mary by Arizona.  They are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games overall, and they have won seven straight SU with six of those coming by double-digits.

Josh Allen had an MVP-caliber season.  He has guided the Bills to an average of 36.7 PPG in their last nine games overall as this offense is humming as well as any offense in the NFL right now.  And the Bills have played much better defensively down the stretch to live up to their potential.  They are giving up just 19.1 points per game in their last seven games overall.

Allen and the offense will get theirs against the Ravens, and it's going to come down to how well the Bills stop the run.  They played soft against the run against the Colts last week because they were up 14 in the second half and defending the pass.  They have allowed 86 or fewer rushing yards in four of their last seven games overall.  And they have the speed at linebacker to contain Lamar Jackson.

This is a total different matchup here as the Bills can stack eight in the box to stop the run.  Jackson can't beat them with his arm, and that's the knock on him.  The Ravens are averaging just 155.9 passing yards per game in their last eight games.  They have been held below 200 passing yards in 13 of their 17 games this season.  So with Buffalo knowing it needs to stop the run to win this game, I think defensive minded head coach Sean McDermott comes up with the proper game plan to do just that.  And you know if Buffalo gets ahead big the Ravens don't have the ability to come back.

Lamar Jackson has never played in snow and the conditions could really hurt him.  He struggles to take care of the football as it is with terrible ball security.  And temperatures are going to be in the 20's Saturday night in Buffalo with a 40% chance of snow and winds from 10-15 MPH.  Allen is obviously used to playing in tough conditions dating back to his time at Wyoming.  That's a huge advantage for the Bills in this one.

Baltimore is just 3-4 SU against teams with winning records this season.  Buffalo is 6-2 SU against teams with winning records.  The Bills are 7-1 ATS in all games where the line is +3 to -3 this season.  The home team is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.  Buffalo being 10-1 SU in its last 11 games overall applies here since we just need them to win straight up.  Roll with the Bills on the Money Line Saturday.

20* NBA Saturday No-Doubt Rout on San Antonio Spurs -6.5

The San Antonio Spurs just blew a 9-point lead late in the 4th quarter against the Houston Rockets on Thursday and lost 105-109.  It's safe to say the Spurs will be out for revenge in this spot as they get a rematch just two days later on Saturday.

It's a banged up Rockets team that will be missing John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Danuel House Jr. and could be without Eric Gordon.  I think the Spurs just took them lightly in the first meeting.  Greg Popovich won't allow that in the rematch.

The Rockets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games overall.  Houston is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games following an ATS win.  San Antonio is 5-1 ATS in its last six games following an ATS loss.  The Spurs are 54-26 ATS in their last 80 games when revenging a loss.  Bet the Spurs Saturday.

15* CBB Saturday No-Doubt Rout on Arkansas-Little Rock -3.5

Arkansas-Little Rock was upset 59-63 as a 5-point home favorite to Texas State yesterday.  Now the Trojans will be the more motivated team in the rematch, and we are getting a better line on them today as only 3.5-point home favorites.

We just saw Little Rock bounce back from a 64-66 loss to Lafayette with a win in the rematch.  They also beat Arlington by 9 and came back and beat them by 13 in the rematch.  This is a veteran team with five returning starters so they have been great at making adjustments in the second game of these rematches.

Little Rock is 8-1 ATS in its last nine home games after playing a home game.  Little Rock is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing its 2nd game in 3 days.  Little Rock is 14-5 ATS in its last 19 home games.  The Bobcats are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games overall.  Texas State is 1-5 ATS in its last six games following a win.  The favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Roll with Arkansas-Little Rock Saturday.

15* CBB Saturday UPSET SHOCKER on Appalachian State +3

Appalachian State lost 64-73 at South Alabama as a 3-point underdog yesterday.  They blew a 37-30 halftime lead and got outscored by 16 points after intermission.  Now the Mountaineers will be out for revenge in the rematch today and are identical 3-point dogs.  I fully expect them to win this game outright.

Appalachian State had gone 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS in its three previous games with the three wins coming by a combined 40 points.  South Alabama was 0-3 SU & 0-3 ATS in its previous three games with its three losses coming by a combined 40 points.  So that win came out of nowhere and was an aberration.

The Jaguars are 7-18-2 ATS in their last 27 games as favorites.  South Alabama is 1-4 ATS in its last five games following a win.  The Mountaineers are 7-3-2 ATS in their last 12 games as underdogs.  The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.  Roll with Appalachian State Saturday.

20* Rams/Packers NFC No-Brainer on Green Bay -6.5

The Green Bay Packers fought hard to get the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the first round.  And now they are going to pay it off with a dominant win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round Saturday.

The Packers have gone 6-0 SU & 4-2 ATS in their last six games overall with all six wins coming by 7 points or more and by an average of 15.0 points per game.  That includes their 40-14 home win over the Titans in the snow.  And it is going to be cold, windy and there is currently a 40% chance of snow.

That's bad news for a West Coast team in the Rams that is used to playing in perfect conditions.  We've seen Jared Goff struggle in the past in cold weather in Chicago.  And Goff is far from 100% right now.  The only reason he played last week against Seattle was because John Wolford got hurt.  He came in and didn't have much on his throws as he is dealing with a broken thumb still.  And Wofford has already been ruled out, leaving it all on Goff.

Goff completed just 9-of-19 passes against the Seahawks last week.  And he isn't the only injury concern here.  The Rams' best defender in Aaron Donald suffered a rib injury that forced him out of action in the second half against Seattle.  He will play, but he won't be is usual dominant self.  WR Cooper Kupp (knee) was held out of practice Thursday and is questionable.  LB Terrell Lewis (ankle) has been ruled out.

With Goff hobbled and Kupp not himself, the Rams are going to struggled to keep up with the Packers on the scoreboard.  Aaron Rodgers is the MVP of the league with 70.7% completions, 4,299 yards and a 48-to-5 TD/INT ratio.  He and Devante Adams have hooked up 115 times for 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Aaron Jones quietly has rushed for 1,104 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.5 per carry.  This is a Packers offense that is averaging 31.8 points per game on the season.

The Rams have really been held in check offensively down the stretch.  The 30 points they scored on Seattle was fluky as they did it on just 333 total yards and an average of 4.9 yards per play.  They were aided by a pick-6 early in that game.  They are averaging just 20.2 points, 324.2 yards per game and 5.0 yards per play in their last five games overall.  That's not going to get it done against an improved Packers defense that allows just 334.1 yards per game this season.

The Packers are a perfect 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings in this series, winning five times by 10 points or more.  The favorite is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings.  This trend continues as the rested Packers put it on the Rams for four quarters, and Jared Goff and company have no answer.  Take the Packers Saturday.

25* MAAC GAME OF THE YEAR on Niagara -1

Niagara is out for revenge from a 49-58 loss as a 3-point favorite at Manhattan yesterday.  Now the Purple Eagles are only 1-point favorites in the rematch.  Head coach Greg Paulus is clearly great at making adjustments in these situations.  And it helps that he has a veteran team that returned all five starters.

We've seen Niagara thrive in this situation all season.  After losing to St. Peter's by 16, they only lost by 4 in the rematch and covered as 8-point dogs.  After losing to Marist by 2, they came back and beat Marist by 14 in the rematch.  After losing to Rider by 6, they came back and beat them by 11 in the rematch.

Niagara is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games after scoring 30 points or less in the first half of two straight games.  The Purple Eagles are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss.  The Jaspers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a win.  Bet Niagara Saturday.

15* C-USA PLAY OF THE DAY on Florida International PK

FIU was just upset 79-81 by rival FAU as a 4.5-point home favorite on Thursday.  Now the Golden Panthers come back highly motivated for revenge and we get a 4.5-point adjustment in the line as they just have to win the game to cover in the rematch.

FIU is a perfect 9-0 ATS in its last nine games after failing to cover the spread in two or more consecutive games.  FAU is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games after a combined score of 155 points or more.  Take Florida International Saturday.

15* ACC PLAY OF THE DAY on Notre Dame -4

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally get a break in the schedule.  Eight of their last nine opponents have been Virginia (Twice), UNC, VA Tech, Duke, Purdue, Kentucky and Ohio State.  That explains why they are just 2-7 SU in their last nine games overall.

But now the Fighting Irish get a team they can handle in Boston College.  And it's an Eagles team that will breathe a sigh of relief after ending a four-game skid with a win over Miami last time out.  The Fighting Irish will be the more motivated team to put an end to their own four-game skid.

Notre Dame is 19-2 SU in its last 21 meetings with Boston College, including 11-1 SU in its last 12 home meetings.  The Eagles are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following an ATS win.  Bet Notre Dame Saturday.

20* AAC GAME OF THE MONTH on Tulane +1

This is a terrible spot for the Temple Owls.  They will be playing their 2nd game in 3 days and their 3rd game in 6 days.  They had to travel to SMU on Monday, come home and play UCF on Thursday, and now have to travel to face Tulane on Saturday.

This is a rested Green Wave team that has six days to get ready for Temple after last playing Houston on Saturday.  It's also a good 6-3 Tulane team which only has losses to Memphis, ECU and Houston this season.  The Green Wave are 6-1 SU & 5-2 ATS at home this season.  The Owls are 0-2 SU in true road games with their two losses coming by a combined 37 points.

Temple is 5-17 ATS in its last 22 games off a home win.  The Green Wave are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games.  Take Tulane Saturday.

15* CBB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Holy Cross +19

Holy Cross has been grossly undervalued in the early going.  They are 2-2 SU & 3-1 ATS this season despite being underdogs in all four games.  They pulled the upset over Boston as 14.5-point dogs and also upset Army 70-61 as 11.5-point dogs.

Now Holy Cross is catching 19 points against a Colgate team that only beat Boston by 7 and also lost outright to Army as a 7.5-point favorite.  So that gives these teams two common opponents, and based on the results there's no way Colgate should be laying 19 points here.

The Crusaders are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games.  The Raiders are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a win by more than 20 points.  Roll with Holy Cross Saturday.

15* NBA Friday Undervalued Underdog on Sacramento Kings +7

It's a great time to 'buy low' on the Sacramento Kings after going just 2-5 SU & 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall.  This team is tough to defend as they have shot 51.6% or better in four of their last five games overall.  And they come in highly motivated for a victory against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight.

The Clippers have been consistently overvalued of late.  They are 4-3 SU & 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall.  All four of their wins came by 7 points or fewer over the Pelicans (by 5), Bulls (by 3), Warriors (by 7) and Suns (by 5).  So asking them to cover a 7-point spread on the road here is asking a lot based on how they have been playing of late.

Sacramento is 2-0 SU & 2-0 ATS in its last two meetings with the Clippers winning 124-103 as 14-point road dogs and 112-103 as 9-point road dogs.  The Kings are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games after losing six or seven of their last eight games coming in.  The Clippers are 2-8 ATS int heir last 10 games playing on one days' rest.  Los Angeles is 0-4 ATS in its last four games following a win.  Roll with the Kings Friday.

15* Pelicans/Lakers ESPN ANNIHILATOR on New Orleans +10

This is a great time to 'buy low' on the New Orleans Pelicans.  They are 0-4 SU & 1-3 ATS in their last four games overall with all four losses by 8 points or fewer.  That includes their 106-111 loss at the Clippers as 11.5-point dogs last time out.  But they didn't have Zion Williamson in that game and still only lost by 5 points.  Williamson returns to the lineup tonight.

It's also time to 'sell high' on the Los Angeles Lakers.  They are 8-1 SU in their last nine games overall and have covered three straight coming in.  But those three ATS wins came against a gutless James Harden and the Houston Rockets (twice) as well as the Thunder, who are one of the least talented teams in the league.

The Pelicans have played the Lakers very tough in recent meetings.  In fact, they haven't lost any of the last four meetings by more than 10 points.  So getting double-digits here with the Pelicans is a tremendous value, especially considering they are a much better team than they were in their four meetings last year.  It's also worth noting that both Lebron James and Anthony Davis are listed as questionable tonight so there's a chance that one or both sit.

Plays on road underdogs of 10 or more points (New Orleans) - after going over the total by 30 or more points in their last five games against an opponent that went under the total by 54 or more points in their last 10 games are 72-32 (69.2%) ATS since 1996.  The Lakers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games.  Take the Pelicans Friday.

15* Wisconsin/Rutgers Big Ten ANNIHILATOR on Rutgers +3

This is a great time to 'buy low' on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.  They are coming off three straight losses to Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State.  And now they come back highly motivated for a victory and fresh with five days off in between games.

They take on a Wisconsin team that is far from fresh and still reeling from a 54-77 road loss at Michigan on Tuesday.  Now the Badgers only have two days to get ready for Rutgers.  The Scarlet Knights are 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS in their last three home meetings with Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is 0-7 ATS in its last seven road games after failing to cover three of its last four ATS coming in.  The Scarlet Knights are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games as home underdogs.  The home team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.  Take Rutgers Friday.

25* Big South GAME OF THE YEAR on Longwood +17

It really appears that Winthrop is just getting bored at this point and going through the motions.  The Eagles are 12-0 SU this season, but they have gone 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.  Each of their last eight wins have come by 18 points or fewer as well.

They only beat Gardner Webb by 10 as 12-pint favorites and came back and beat the same team by 8 points as 11-point favorites in the rematch.  They beat Charleston Southern by 16 in their first meeting and came back and won by 2 in their 2nd meeting as 16-point favorites.

After beating Longwood 72-61 yesterday as 17-point favorites, they come back as 17-point favorites here tonight.  This just looks like a dream spot to fade Winthrop as we've seen it happen on multiple occasions where the Eagles don't live up to expectations in the 2nd meeting of these 2nd of a back-to-back matchups.  They are simply getting bored and are OK with winning without getting margin.

Longwood has been a lot more competitive of late than its 3-12 record on the season would indicate.  Indeed, 11 of their 12 losses have come by 13 points or fewer.  So they have only lost one of their 15 games by more than this 17-point spread, making for a 14-1 system backing the Lancers pertaining to this spread.  Longwood has only lost one of its last six meetings with Winthrop by more than 17 points.  Bet Longwood Friday.

15* NBA Thursday No-Doubt Rout on Toronto Raptors -9

I love the spot for the Toronto Raptors.  They will be highly motivated for a victory here after losing their last two games by a single point each.  They've had the last two days off to recover from their 5-game road trip and will be fresh and ready to get back in the win column in a big way tonight.

The spot couldn't be worse for the Charlotte Hornets.  They will be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back and their 5th game in 7 days after losing 93-104 at home to the Dallas Mavericks last night.  And their best player in Gordon Hayward suffered a hip injury in the loss and is questionable to play tonight.  Chances are the Hornets will sit Hayward, who has been red hot in averaging 26.6 PPG in his last five games.

Toronto is 13-2 ATS in its last 15 games as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points.  Charlotte is 6-14-1 ATS in its last 21 games following a double-digit home loss.  Roll with the Raptors Thursday.

15* NBA Thursday Undervalued Underdog on Miami Heat +10.5

I love the spot for the Miami Heat tonight.  They will be out for revenge following a 134-137 (OT) loss at Philadelphia as 8.5-point dogs on Tuesday.  Now they get to face the 76ers and are 10.5-point dogs in the rematch.

I get that the 76ers are getting some players back from COVID issues, but the Heat were short-handed last time and will have basically the same lineup this time.  They thrive in the role of underdogs when people count them out.  Guys like Vincent had 24, Herro 34, Robinson 26, Achiuwa 17 and Olynyk 15 points.  And they are good enough to not lose by double-digits in this rematch.

The 76ers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall not once winning by more than 5 points.  The Heat are 37-13-1 ATS in their last 51 games following a loss.  Miami is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings.  Take the Heat Thursday.

20* Pac-12 GAME OF THE WEEK on Washington State +10

It's a great time to 'sell high' on the UCLA Bruins tonight.  They have won four straight and covered three in a row coming in.  They are coming off a sweep of the Arizona schools on the road.  That makes this is a huge letdown spot for them coming back home to face Washington State.

And while UCLA is winning a lot of games, they aren't getting margin.  In fact, they haven't won any of their last six games by more than 9 points.  And we are getting 10 points with an underrated Washington State team here.

The Cougars might be the most underrated team in the Pac-12.  They have gone 9-2 this season with their only losses coming to Arizona by 4 and Stanford by 15.  They are coming off that loss to Stanford, so it's a great time to 'buy low' on the Cougars.

Last year, Washington State upset UCLA 79-71 as 2-point home dogs, and only lost 83-86 as 8-point road dogs in the rematch.  The Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a loss.  Washington State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.  The underdog is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.  Bet Washington State Thursday.

15* CBB Wednesday Undervalued Underdog on Wyoming +9.5

Wyoming will be out for revenge from a 60-83 home loss to Boise State on Monday.  Now the Cowboys get to face the Broncos just two days later here at home again.  No question the Cowboys will bring more energy to the court than the Broncos, who probably feel like they just have to show up to win.

We've seen Boise State falter in this spot each of their last two tries.  After beating San Jose State by 52 as a 22-point favorite, they came back and only won 87-86 over the Spartans as a 26-point favorite.  After beating Air Force 78-59 as a 19-point favorite, they failed to cover in the rematch in an 80-69 win as an 18.5-point favorite.  Now they go from being a 7-point favorite over Wyoming to a 9.5-point favorite in the rematch.  

Don't be surprised to see the Cowboys win this game outright, either.  This was a 63-58 game with seven minutes to play in the first meeting.  But Boise State incredibly closed on a 20-2 run to make the final score look like a lot bigger blowout than the game really was.

Wyoming is 11-1 ATS when revenging a same-season loss over the last two seasons.  The Cowboys are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games as underdogs.  Wyoming is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games vs. a team with a winning record.  Take Wyoming Wednesday.

20* NBA Eastern Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on New York Knicks +5

It's a good time to 'buy low' on the New York Knicks.  They have gone 0-3 SU & 0-3 ATS in their last three games overall.  That followed a great run of going 5-1 SU & 5-1 ATS in their previous six games.  And now the Knicks are catching 5 points at home against a Brooklyn Nets team that has been awful and is in a terrible spot.

The Nets are just 4-6 SU & 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall.  They are missing their two lead guards in Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie.  And now they are going to be extremely tired due to the schedule and being short-handed.

The Nets are playing the 2nd of a back-to-back after facing Denver on Tuesday.  They had to put a lot of effort in overcoming an 18-point deficit in the 3rd quarter to win that game 122-116.  Not to mention, it will also be the 5th game in 7 days for the Nets, which is as tough a situation as there is in the NBA.

The Knicks are 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings with the Nets, not once losing by more than 4 points in any of the four meetings.  The Nets are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 games when playing the 2nd of a back-to-back.  Brooklyn is 1-5 ATS in its last six games as a favorite.  New York is 6-1 ATS in its last seven home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.  The Knicks are 5-1 ATS in their last six home meetings with the Nets.  Bet the Knicks Wednesday.

15* NBA Wednesday Undervalued Underdog on Detroit Pistons +10.5

The Detroit Pistons will be out for revenge after losing two meetings with Milwaukee on January 4th and January 6th.  They lost by 10 and 15 points.  I fully expect them to lose this game by 10 points or fewer or win the game outright.

Clearly, the Pistons will be the more motivated team here playing with double-revenge.  The Bucks probably think they just have to show up to win.  And it's a rested Pistons team that has had the last two days off after losing to Utah by 10 on Sunday. The Bucks will be playing their 4th game in 6 days here.  They are overvalued after beating two of the worst teams in the East in Cleveland by 10 and Orlando by 22.  

Both of those teams are injury-ravaged right now and missing a ton of key players.  The Pistons are as healthy as they've been all season and it's starting to show as they have gone 4-2 ATS in their last six games overall, including outright upset wins over the Celtics as 8.5-point dogs and the Suns as 8-point dogs.

Plays on underdogs of 10 or more points (Detroit) - off a home loss by 10 points or more when playing on two days' rest are 70-35 (66.7%) ATS since 1996.  Plays against road favorites of 10 or more points (Milwaukee) - a top team outscoring their opponents by 9-plus points per game against an opponent that scored 90 points or less last game are 34-11 (75.6%) ATS since 1996.  

The Bucks are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games following a win by more than 10 points.  The Pistons are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a double-digit home loss.  Roll with the Pistons Wednesday.

20* ACC GAME OF THE WEEK on Notre Dame +10.5

The love the spot for Notre Dame tonight.  It's a good time to 'buy low' on the Fighting Irish after they have gone just 1-5 SU & 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.  But keep in mind four of those five losses came by 10 points or fewer.

That includes their 9-point loss to Virginia on December 30th at home.  They were 7-point underdogs in that game.  Now they are 10.5-point underdogs in the rematch at Virginia, a 3.5-point adjustment.  It's simply adjusted too much for home-court advantage, which isn't worth much in college basketball this year.  Notre Dame will be the more motivated team out for revenge and getting to play the Cavaliers just two weeks later here.

It's also a good time to 'sell high' on Virginia after they have won six of their last seven games overall.  Each of their last three wins have come by 12 points or fewer against a very weak schedule.  The Cavaliers won by 9 over Notre Dame, by 9 over Wake Forest and by 12 over Boston College.  This team has been grossly overrated since the beginning of the season when they came out ranked in the Top 5 and promptly lost outright to San Francisco as a 15-point favorite.

Virginia has only beaten Notre Dame by more than 9 points once in the last six meetings in this series.  The Cavaliers have beaten the Fighting Irish by 1, 6 and 5 points in their last three meetings in Charlottesville.  And that was when there were fans and a much bigger advantage for much better Cavaliers teams than this 2020-21 version.

The Cavaliers are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.  Virginia is 0-5 ATS in its last five games following an ATS win.  The road team is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.  Virginia is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games off a win by 10 points or more.  These four trends combine for a 25-1 system backing the Fighting Irish tonight.  Bet Notre Dame Wednesday.

15* CBB Wednesday Early ANNIHILATOR on George Washington +11.5

George Washington is grossly undervalued right now due to its 3-7 SU record.  But the Colonials have suffered all seven losses by 11 points or fewer, including four by 4 points or less.  So they haven't lost by more than 11 points all season, and they're not about to start here against VCU.

VCU is overvalued after going 7-1 SU in its last eight games overall against an extremely soft schedule.  They were favored in all eight games.  And against the toughest opponent they faced, they lost outright 68-83 as 6-point favorites against Rhode Island.

George Washington is 13-2 ATS in its last 15 home games vs. teams that force 18 or more turnovers per game.  The Rams are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games after winning six or seven of their last eight games coming in.  The Colonials are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games after five straight games where they committed 14 or fewer turnovers.  

George Washington's great ability to take care of the ball against VCU's pressure defense is a big key here to the Colonials covering.  The home team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.  Take George Washington Wednesday.

20* Alabama/Kentucky ESPN No-Brainer on Kentucky -2.5

John Calipari teams at Kentucky always seem to get better as the season goes on because they are always so young with mostly freshmen.  And that has been the case again this season with the Wildcats being extremely undervalued right now due to their slow start.

Indeed, the Wildcats opened 1-6 this season.  They have since gone 3-0 SU & 2-1 ATS.  They went on the road and beat Mississippi State 78-73, topped Vanderbilt at home 77-74 and crushed Florida 76-58 on the road.  Now they will take down Alabama here Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide come in overvalued off five straight victories.  Now they will meet their match here against the Wildcats after barely surviving Auburn 94-90 on the road last time out.  Alabama is 13-29 ATS in its last 42 games following five or more consecutive wins.

Kentucky simply owns Alabama, going 12-1 SU in the last 13 meetings.  The Crimson Tide are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games vs. a team with a losing home record.  The Wildcats are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.  Alabama is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games following a win by 6 points or less.  Kentucky is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games off an upset win by 10 points or more as an underdog.  Take Kentucky Tuesday.

20* Lakers/Rockets NBA TV ANNIHILATOR on Houston +5.5

I love the spot for the Houston Rockets tonight.  They will be out for revenge from a 102-120 home loss to the Lakers on Sunday.  Now they don't have to wait long for revenge as they host the Lakers here again.  And we're getting extra value as the Rockets were 3.5-point dogs in that first meeting and now 5.5-point dogs in the rematch.

The Rockets will clearly be the more motivated team here.  And they aren't likely to shoot as poorly as they did in that first meeting where they shot 41.1% from the field and just 29.3% from 3-point range.

We've seen the Lakers falter in this situation twice recently.  After beating the Spurs by 14 as 7.5-point favorites on December 30th, they failed to cover as 7.5-point favorites in the rematch on January 1st.  After beating the Grizzlies by 14 as 10-point favorites on January 3rd, they only beat the Grizzlies by 2 as 9.5-point favorites in the rematch on January 5th and failed to cover.

The Lakers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a win.  Houston is 20-7 ATS in its last 27 home games after going under the total in two or more consecutive games.  Plays against road teams (LA Lakers) - off a road win, a good team (60% to 75%) playing a bad team (25% to 40%) are 52-23 (69.3%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Bet the Rockets Tuesday.

15* Big 12 PLAY OF THE DAY on TCU +6.5

I love the spot for the TCU Horned Frogs tonight.  They had won five straight games prior to losing their last two games to the two best teams in the Big 12 in Kansas and Baylor.  Now they take a big step down in class here against Oklahoma.

The Horned Frogs will also be out for revenge from a 78-82 home loss to Oklahoma in their first meeting this season back on December 6th.  And they go from being 4-point dogs in that game to now 6.5-point dogs in the rematch, so there's some serious line value here.

Oklahoma is going to be without both Bradey Manek (13.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG) and Jaylen Hill (3.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG) due to COVID-19.  Manek is a huge loss as he is the team's second-leading scorer and had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the first meeting with TCU.  The Horned Frogs are fully healthy for this game.

Plays on underdogs (TCU) - after being beaten by the spread by 42 or more points in their last five games against an opponent that went under the total by 24 or more points in their last three games are 80-41 (66.1%) ATS over the last five seasons.  

The Horned Frogs are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games.  The Sooners are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games as favorites.  The underdog is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.  Roll with TCU Tuesday.

15* Pacers/Kings NBA Late-Night BAILOUT on OVER 226.5

The Indiana Pacers have been a lot more of an offensive juggernaut this season under new head coach Nate Bjorkgren.  They are scoring 115.0 points per game, shooting 48.9% as a team and hoisting a lot more 3-pointers than last year.  Their defense has taken a hit as a result too.

The Kings like to run and gun as well as they average 112.4 points per game and are 10th in the NBA in pace.  But they give up 121.0 points per game and rank dead last (30th) in defensive efficiency.  This game has shootout written all over it.

The OVER is 5-2 in Kings last seven games overall with combined scores of 240 or more points in five of them.  The OVER is 26-10 in Kings last 36 games with a total of 220 to 229.5 points.  The OVER is 18-8 in Pacers last 26 games following a loss.  The OVER is 19-7 in Kings last 26 games following an ATS loss.  The OVER is 5-0 in Kings last five games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.  Take the OVER in this game Monday.

20* Ohio State/Alabama National Championship No-Brainer on UNDER 75

This total is being inflated due to Alabama's offensive numbers on the season and Ohio State's offensive barrage against Clemson that came out of nowhere.  Justin Fields won't be nearly as effective against a much better defense here in Alabama.

Fields is dealing with a rib injury that held him out of practice most the week.  Ohio State has yet to reveal the severity of it, but it's not good.  And he's not about to do what he did against Clemson to Alabama.  The Tigers were cheating up to stop the run all game, allowing Fields to go over the top time after time.  Alabama will make the proper adjustment and make Ohio State drive the length of the field to score.

This is an Alabama defense that is giving up just 19.0 points per game this season.  Ohio State also has a great defense, allowing just 22.0 points per game.  The Buckeyes held Trevor Lawrence and Clemson's high-powered attack to just 28 points.  What made that even more impressive was Clemson was in the hurry up most of the 2nd half trying to erase a big deficit.

The extra preparation time in between games favors the UNDER as well.  The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide have both had 10 days to get ready for this game.  That will favor the defenses more than the offenses in this one.  And keep in mind if Alabama gets up they are more than happy with just sitting on the ball in the 2nd half.  That was the case against Notre Dame in their 31-14 victory.

Plays on the UNDER on all teams where the total is 63 or higher (Ohio State) - after beating the spread by 35 points or more in their last three games against an opponent that beat the spread by 49 or or more points in their last seven games are 26-4 (86.7%) over the last 10 seasons.  Bet the UNDER in this game Monday.

20* MVC GAME OF THE MONTH on Bradley +1.5

The Bradley Braves will be highly motivated for revenge today after losing 72-78 to Northern Iowa yesterday.  Now they don't have to wait long for revenge as they get the Panthers against today.  They are underdogs in the rematch when they should be favorites.

This is a Northern Iowa team that has been consistently overvalued all season.  They are just 3-7 SU & 2-7 ATS on the year.  And now they are without their best player in AJ Green, who has been out since the first three games of the season.  Green was averaging 22.2 PPG and 5.7 RPG this season after averaging 19.7 PPG last season.

Bradley is 6-4 this season with all four losses coming by 6 points or fewer, including 1-point road losses to both Missouri (53-54) and Xavier (50-51).  That's how close the Braves are to being 10-0 this season.  The Panthers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.  Bet Bradley Monday.

20* Patriot League GAME OF THE WEEK on Boston +3.5

Boston will be highly motivated for revenge following a 79-86 loss to Colgate as 4-point underdogs yesterday.  I fully expect them to win outright as 3.5-point underdogs in the rematch today.

The Raiders are 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games as road favorites.  We saw Colgate beat Army by 44 and come back and lose to them by 2 the next day in their last situation like this one.  Bet Boston Sunday.

15* NFL Sunday PLAY OF THE DAY on Chicago Bears +10.5

It's a great time to 'buy low' on the Chicago Bears off their 16-35 loss to the Packers last week.  They were in that game in the 2nd half down only 5 before the Packers took over late.  But it was a much closer game than the final score would indicate.  The Bears actually outgained the Packers by 40 yards and held them to 316 total yards.

This Chicago offense has really come to life behind Mitch Trubisky down the stretch.  They are averaging 30.2 points and 382.2 yards per game in their last six games overall, which have all come with Trubisky under center.  Those are the kind of numbers that are going to make it tough for the Saints to put them away.  And the Bears obviously have one of the better defenses in the NFL, giving up 344.1 yards per game on the season.

It's a great time to 'sell high' on the Saints, who are overvalued off back-to-back blowout wins over the Vikings 52-33 and Panthers 33-7.  The Panthers had about five red zone trips end in zero points and turned the ball over five times.  That was a hugely misleading final score, and it has provided us with some serious line value here on the Bears.

Consider that the Bears were only 4.5-point underdogs to the Packers last week and now they are 10.5-point underdogs to the Saints.  That's a 6-point adjustment.  Keep in mind the Packers beat the Saints earlier this season too, and the Bears have been competitive in every game outside of their two matchups with the Packers.  They only have three losses by double-digits all season, and two were against the Packers.  The other was against the Rams by 14, who were coming off a bye week.

Also consider that the Bears were 5-point underdogs to the Saints in their first meeting this season.  They only lost that game 23-26 in overtime.  So this is also a 5.5-point adjustment off that first meeting, which saw the Bears hang tough for four quarters and overtime, and I think they can hang tough again.  Keep in mind that was Nick Foles at QB too for the Bears in that first meeting, and Trubisky is the better of the two quarterbacks, which has been proven here down the stretch.

The Saints have been choke artists in the playoffs in recent years.  New Orleans is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 playoff home games, including 0-4 ATS in its last four playoff home games.  They were upset by both the Rams and Vikings the last two seasons at home in the playoffs.  Underdogs are 11-1 ATS in the 12 wild card games over the last three seasons.  Teams entering the playoffs with an 8-8 record or worse are 6-1 SU & 7-0 ATS in the last seven instances in the Wild Card Round.

Plays against favorites of 3.5 to 10.5 points (New Orleans) - off a road win over a division rival, a top team winning 75% or more of their games in the second half of the season are 31-8 (79.5%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  Roll with the Bears Sunday.

15* NBA Sunday Undervalued Underdog on Chicago Bulls +11.5

The Chicago Bulls are one of the most underrated teams in the NBA right now.  They are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall with upset wins over the Mavericks, Blazers and Wizards (twice).  They also only lost by 2 to the Lakers as 9-point dogs and by 1 to the Warriors as 3.5-point dogs.  They have lost just one of their last eight games by more than 4 points, and that was a blowout loss to the Bucks, which can be expected.

The Clippers have no business being double-digit favorites over the Bulls today.  They are just 2-3 SU in their last five games overall with their two wins come by 7 and 5 points.  So they haven't won any of their last five games by more than 7 points.

The Bulls are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following a loss by 6 points or less.  Chicago is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games playing on one days' rest.  The Bulls are 5-0 ATS in their last five Sunday games.  The Clippers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games playing on one days' rest.  Roll with the Bulls Sunday.

20* NBA Non-Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on Detroit Pistons +8.5

It's a good time to 'sell high' on the Utah Jazz off their upset win as 5.5-point underdogs over the Milwaukee Bucks last time out.  The Jazz are a tired team right now playing their 7th game in 11 days.  They won't have enough left in the tank here in their 5th straight road game to beat the Pistons by more than 8.5 points.

It's also a good time to 'buy low' on the Pistons, who are off to a 2-7 start this season.  But the Pistons have won outright in this price range twice with an upset win as an 8.5-point dog over the Celtics and an upset win as 8-point dogs to the Suns.  They also only lost by 2 as 8-point dogs to the Celtics in the rematch.

Betting on Jazz games is simple.  Back them as underdogs and fade them as favorites.  Indeed, the Jazz are 6-23-2 ATS in their last 31 games as favorites.  The Pistons are 5-1 ATS in their last six games as home underdogs.  Take the Pistons Sunday.

15* CBB Sunday Line Mistake on Holy Cross +11.5

Holy Cross will be motivated for revenge following a 68-83 loss as 5.5-point dogs to Army.  Now they come back as 11.5-point dogs in the rematch today and will improve enough to cover this inflated number.

We just saw Holy Cross in this exact same situation against Boston.  After losing 76-83 in their first meeting as 10-point dogs, they came back and won outright 68-66 as 14.5-point dogs in the rematch.  They can beat Army here.  The Crusaders are 5-1 ATS in their last six games as road underdogs.  Bet Holy Cross Sunday.

15* American East PLAY OF THE DAY on Maine +10.5

Maine will be motivated for revenge following a 54-63 loss to New Jersey Tech as 8.5-point dogs yesterday.  Now the Black Bears come back as 10.5-point dogs today in the rematch, which is too many points.

Maine is 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine games as an underdog.  The Highlanders are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games following an ATS win.  New Jersey Tech is 1-4 ATS in its last five home games.  Maine is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 road games after scoring 60 points or less in two straight games.  Take Maine Sunday.

15* CBB Sunday Undervalued Underdog on Binghamton +12.5

Binghamton wants revenge from a 60-76 loss as 12.5-point underdogs to Vermont yesterday.  I expect them to play much better here Sunday and to be the more motivated team, thus covering this identical 12.5-point spread this time around.  

This is the 5th time Binghamton has been in this situation.  They have improved in the 2nd game in three of four times they've lost the first matchup with the only non-improvement resulting in a cover.  They lost by 3 to Marist as 4-point dogs and came back and covered as 6-point dogs in a 4-point loss in the rematch.  The last time Vermont won the first game in this situation they beat New Jersey Tech by 14 and came back and lost by 1 in the rematch.

The Catamounts are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games vs. a team with a losing record.  Vermont is 3-13-2 ATS in its last 18 Sunday games.  The Bearcats are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a double-digit home loss.  Vermont is 11-25 ATS in its last 36 games when playing with one or less days' rest.  Roll with Binghamton Sunday.

15* CBB Saturday Late-Night BAILOUT on Cal Poly +13

Cal Poly wants revenge from a 49-62 loss at Bakersfield yesterday as 13-point underdogs.  Now the Mustangs come back as identical 13-point dogs today and this number is simply too high.

The Mustangs are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games after scoring 50 points or less in their previous game.  The Roadrunners are 16-34-2 ATS in their last 52 games overall.  Bakersfield is 4-16-1 ATS in its last 21 home games.  The Roadrunners are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.  Bakersfield is 0-6 ATS in its last six games off a conference win.  Take Cal Poly Saturday.

15* MWC PLAY OF THE DAY on Nevada +11.5

Nevada wants revenge from a 60-65 loss at San Diego State as a 13-point underdog on Thursday.  Now the Wolf Pack get to face the Aztecs just two days later here Saturday and come back as 11.5-point dogs.

The Wolf Pack are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games vs. a team with a winning home record.  Nevada is 4-0 ATS in its last four road games.  The Wolf Pack are 45-20-2 ATS in their last 67 games following an ATS win.  The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.  The Aztecs are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a SU win.  The Wolf Pack are 6-0 ATS in their last six games after playing their last game on the road.  Roll with Nevada Saturday.

15* Summit League PLAY OF THE DAY on Nebraska-Omaha +7.5

Nebraska-Omaha wants revenge from a 69-71 loss at North Dakota State as 7.5-point dogs yesterday.  Now the Mavericks come back as 7.5-point dogs today in the rematch, and this line is simply too high again.

The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.  Omaha is 21-10 ATS in its last 31 games vs. a team with a losing record.  Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points (Omaha) off a close conference loss by 3 points or less against an opponent that won as a favorite but failed to cover in their last game are 59-30 (66.3%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Take Nebraska-Omaha Saturday.

25* NFL Wild Card GAME OF THE YEAR on Washington +8

The Washington Football Team gets overlooked because they have a mediocre offense.  But they have a championship level defense, and that fact alone gives them a chance to pull the upset here against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.  At the very least they should stay within this inflated 8-point spread.

Washington has allowed 20 points or fewer in seven straight games coming in.  That's hard to do in today's NFL, and it just goes to show how dominant their defense has really been.  They have arguably the best defensive line in the NFL, and the way to get to Tom Brady is with pressure, especially pressure up the middle.  Washington can do just that.

Tom Brady has been awful in primetime games this year.  He is 0-4 ATS in primetime games with five touchdowns and five interceptions.  He has an 8:30 bed time, which may have something to do with it.  And the Bucs come in overvalued on a 4-game winning streak, but all four wins came against teams with losing records.  Tampa went 1-5 SU against teams with records of .500 or better this season.  The temps will be in the 30s at game time so this is also Brady having to go outdoors in the cold weather, something you don't want from aging quarterbacks.

Washington may be a losing team at 7-9, but they have been a different team down the stretch and with Alex Smith under center.  They have gone 5-2 SU & 5-2 ATS in their last seven games overall.  Their only two losses came with Dwayne Haskins as their starter.  They are 5-0 SU in games that Smith has started to improve to 11-5 with Smith compared to 6-26 with all other starting QB's since he arrived in Washington.

The last seven teams that entered the playoffs with a record of 8-8 or worse have gone 6-1 SU & 7-0 ATS.  That includes outright upsets by the two teams that had 7-9 records.  These teams consistently come in undervalued due to their record.  But as stated before, Washington has been a much better team down the stretch than its record would suggest.

Tampa Bay has a huge loss on the defensive side of the ball that is getting overlooked.  LB Devin White, the teams's leading tackler with 140 tackles, 9 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, will be out of this game due to COVID-19.  I think his loss is a huge one, and it will allow Antonio Gibson to run the ball more effectively and take some pressure off of Smith.

Underdogs are 11-1 ATS in 12 Wild Card games over the last three seasons.  Washington is 6-0 ATS off a win by 6 points or less over the last three seasons.  Washington is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a win.  Bet Washington Saturday.

20* NBA Saturday No-Doubt Rout on Indiana Pacers -3

The Indiana Pacers have been one of my favorite teams to back in the early going this season.  They are way underrated because they are mostly healthy this season, which hasn't been the case in recent years.  And the players love head coach Nate Bjorkgren.

He has given them the freedom to play to their strengths.  It has paid off in a big way as they have three All-Star caliber players in Malcom Brogdon (23.6 PPG, 7.0 APG), Domantas Sabonis (20.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 6.4 APG) and Victor Oladipo (20.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.3 APG).  This trio can take them a long way when healthy, which has been the case thus far.

The Pacers are 6-2 SU & 6-2 ATS this season.  Now they face a tired Phoenix Suns team that will be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back after a 105-110 (OT) loss in Detroit last night.  It will also be the 3rd game in 4 days for the Suns.  The Pacers had the last two days off and will be fresh and ready to go.

Plays against road underdogs of 3 to 9.5 points (Phoenix) - a tired team playing their 2nd game in 2 days, a good team (60% to 75%) playing a team with a winning record are 27-7 (79.4%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Indiana is 5-1 ATS in its last six games playing on two days' rest.  The Pacers are 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.  Bet the Pacers Saturday.

15* CBB Saturday Line Mistake on Florida Atlantic +7.5

Florida Atlantic wants revenge from a 67-71 loss to Old Dominion as a 7.5-point underdog yesterday.  Now the Owls come back as 7.5-point dogs in the rematch today, and this number is too high once again.

Old Dominion has consistently been overvalued, going 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall.  They are also 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.  The Monarchs are 0-4 ATS in their last four games as home favorites.  The Owls are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as underdogs.  The road team is 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings.  The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Bet Florida Atlantic Saturday.

20* C-USA GAME OF THE MONTH on Louisiana Tech +7

Louisiana Tech wants revenge from a 64-66 loss to Western Kentucky yesterday as a 7.5-point underdog.  Now the Bulldogs come back as 7-point underdogs in the rematch as this line is way too high in a game I expect them to win outright.

Betting against Western Kentucky has been a great move.  The Hilltoppers are 3-9 ATS this season.  The Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS int heir last six games overall.  The Bulldogs are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as road underdogs.  The Hilltoppers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as favorites.  Western Kentucky is 0-7 ATS vs. teams who force 14 or fewer turnovers per game this season.  Take Louisiana Tech Saturday.

20* Sun Belt GAME OF THE MONTH on Arkansas-Little Rock -1.5

Little Rock is coming off a 64-66 loss to Lafayette yesterday as a 1-point favorite.  I expect the Trojans to bounce back here as 1.5-point favorites in the rematch.  Lafayette is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games off a win by 6 points or less.  Bet Little Rock Saturday.

15* Horizon League PLAY OF THE DAY on Oakland -1

Oakland wants revenge from an 81-84 (OT) loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay yesterday as a 1.5-point favorite.  Now the Golden Grizzlies come back as only 1-point favorites in the rematch today and I expect them to have their revenge.

The Golden Grizzlies are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a SU loss.  Oakland is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following an ATS loss.  The Phoenix are 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 home games.  The Golden Grizzlies are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 games as a road favorite of 3 points or less.  Take Oakland Saturday.

15* CBB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Southern Miss +14

Southern Miss wants revenge from a 60-72 loss at UAB as 13-point underdogs yesterday.  At the very least, I expect the Golden Eagles to cover this 14-point spread in the rematch today.

The Golden Eagles have been consistently undervalued, going 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.  UAB is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 home games vs. a team that is called for 17 or fewer fouls per game.  The underdog is 13-6 ATS in the last 19 meetings.  The road team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Roll with Southern Miss Saturday.

15* MAAC PLAY OF THE DAY on Manhattan +2.5

Manhattan wants revenge from a 79-84 (double OT) loss to Quinnipiac yesterday as a 3-point dog.  Now the Jaspers come back as 2.5-point dogs in the rematch Saturday in a game I fully expect them to win outright.

Quinnipiac is 22-40 ATS in its last 62 games after scoring 80 points or more.  The Jaspers are 3-1 ATS in the last four meetings and should be 4-0 if not for blowing a big lead late in regulation.  Masiello is 13-2 ATS after failing to cover the spread in three or more consecutive games as the coach of the Jaspers.  Bet Manhattan Saturday.

15* Big Sky PLAY OF THE DAY on Idaho +14

Idaho only lost 80-85 as a 14-point underdog at Southern Utah yesterday.  Now the Vandals come back as 14-point dogs today as this line is simply too high.  Idaho's 0-8 record has them undervalued right now as they have only lost one of their last six games by more than 13 points, and that was at Pac-12 opponent Utah.

The Thunderbirds are 11-30 ATS in their last 41 games as a home favorite.  The road team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.  Idaho is 7-0 ATS in its last eight road games after allowing 80 points or more in two straight games.  The Vandals are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games off a loss by 6 points or less.  Roll with Idaho Saturday.

20* Colts/Bills AFC Wild Card No-Brainer on Buffalo -6

Nobody is playing better than the Buffalo Bills coming into the playoffs.  The Bills would be on a 10-game winning streak if not for the fluke Hail Mary by Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.  But that loss may have been a blessing in disguise because the Bills have been dominant ever since.

Indeed, the Bills have won six straight games all by double-digits.  They are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games overall.  And this team continues to be undervalued week after week.  They are lighting up the scoreboard with 37.9 points per game in their last eight games.  Their defense is playing up to the level that it did last season.  They are giving up just 18.3 points per game in their last six games.

Josh Allen is by far the superior quarterback in this matchup.  I don't trust Philip Rivers to be able to match him score for score.  Rivers is used to warm weather after playing in San Diego and also playing in a dome in Indianapolis.  He will be out of his element here.  Temperatures in Buffalo will be in the 20s around kickoff.  I always like fading older quarterbacks with questionable arm strength like Rivers outdoors in the playoffs.  We saw the Colts struggle outdoors early this season in elements when they lost 23-32 at Cleveland.  They also lost outdoors at Pittsburgh in Week 16.

The Colts have played the single-easiest schedule int he entire NFL this season.  They played the 32nd-ranked schedule.  Buffalo played the 13th-toughest schedule.  So that disparity in SOS definitely favors the Bills.  The Colts went 2-4 against teams with winning records this season, while the Bills went 5-2 against teams with winning records, including 3-0 in their last three with all three wins by double-digits over Seattle by 10, Pittsburgh by 11 and Miami by 30.

And keep in mind the Bills rested their starters in the 2nd half of that 56-26 win over Miami last week.  They will now be the fresher team here, which is a big factor considering this is the first game of the Wild Card round with kickoff set for 1:00 EST Saturday afternoon.  The Colts found themselves in a dog fight with the Jaguars last week.  They led 20-14 late in the fourth quarter with the Jaguars having the ball around the 50-yard line with a chance to take the lead.

The Bills are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games overall.  The Colts are 0-6 ATS in their last six games after allowing less than 90 rushing yards in their previous game.  Indianapolis is 0-3-1 ATS in its last four games as an underdog.  The home team is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.  These four trends combine for a perfect 22-0 system backing Buffalo.  Take the Bills Saturday.

20* Clippers/Warriors ESPN Late-Night BAILOUT on UNDER 231

I love the spot for this UNDER to come through for us Friday.  The Clippers and Warriors just played on Wednesday, so they are familiar with one another.  And they combined for just 209 points in a 108-101 victory for the Clippers.

Now this total has been set a whopping 22 points higher than that 209-point finish with a 231-point total.  The oddsmakers have messed this one up.  There's a good chance that the Warriors will be without Stephon Curry, who has an ankle injury.  Patrick Beverly shut down Curry in the first meeting, limiting him to a season-low 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting.  So even if he does play Beverly can slow him down again.

Plays on the UNDER on home teams where the total is 230 or higher (Golden State) - revenging a same season loss, after a home game where both teams scored 100 points or more are 61-31 (66.3%) over the last five seasons.

The UNDER is 7-2-2 in Clippers last 11 games playing on one days' rest.  The UNDER is 10-4-2 in Clippers last 16 games as a favorite.  The UNDER is 9-4 in Warriors last 13 games playing on one days' rest.  The UNDER is 4-1 in Warriors last five after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.  Bet the UNDER in this game Friday.

15* NBA Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Chicago Bulls +9.5

This is a bad spot for the Lakers, who will be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back and their 8th game in 13 days.  They showed some fatigue last night in a 109-118 loss to the Spurs as 8.5-point favorites.  And now they are being overvalued again as 9.5-point favorites against Chicago tonight.

While the Lakers appear to be going through the motions after winning a title, the Bulls have been out to prove a point under first-year head coach Billy Donovan.  They are showing the world that their young talent is finally starting to gel, and they are living up to their potential in the early going.

Indeed, the Bulls are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall as they have consistently been undervalued.  They have won four of their last six games straight up with a 4-point loss to Sacramento and the other loss coming to the Bucks.  They upset Washington in both road meetings, upset Dallas 118-108 and upset Portland 111-108 as 9.5-point road dogs.  They will hang with the Lakers tonight given the awful spot for Los Angeles.

Chicago is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 road games after covering three of its last four ATS coming in.  The Bulls are 6-1 ATS in their last seven gams as underdogs.  Chicago is 6-0 ATS in its last six games playing on one days' rest.  The Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games vs. a team with a losing record.  Take the Bulls Friday.

15* CBB PLAY OF THE DAY on Air Force +18.5

I like the spot for Air Force tonight.  They will be playing Boise State for the 2nd time in 3 days.  They lost the first meeting 59-78 as 19-point dogs at Air Force.  And now they are catching 18.5 points in the rematch here.

Air Force will clearly be the more motivated team in the rematch.  And Boise State is overvalued with an 8-1 record and on an 8-game winning streak coming in.  Look for the Broncos to let up enough here to allow the Falcons to cover this 18.5-point spread.

We just saw Boise State in this  exact same situation falter in the two games prior to Air Force.  After beating San Jose State 106-54 as a 22-point favorite, the Broncos came back and only beat the Spartans 87-86 as a 26-point favorite.  That was a 51-point improvement for San Jose State in the rematch.

Air Force is 53-31 ATS in its last 84 games as a road underdog of 12.5 points or more.  Boise State is 1-12 ATS in its last 13 home games after scoring 75 points or more in four straight coming in.  Roll with Air Force Friday.

20* Pac-12 GAME OF THE WEEK on UCLA -1

The UCLA Bruins brought back all five starters this season and are a team I've been looking to back with every chance I get.  And they've delivered by going 7-1 SU & 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall with their only loss coming to Ohio State.  They also beat the likes of Marquette, Utah and Colorado during this stretch.

The Arizona State Sun Devils have been one of the most overrated teams in college basketball, and they continue to be tonight.  The Sun Devils are 4-3 SU but 1-6 ATS this season.  They are coming off a 63-76 home loss to UTEP as a 13-point favorite.  And that game was on December 16th, so they have been off for three weeks, and thus there will be some rust with this team tonight.

UCLA is 8-1 ATS in its last nine games off a conference home win.  The Bruins are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 games overall.  UCLA is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 games vs. a team with a winning record.  The Sun Devils are 0-7 ATS in their last seven home games.  Arizona State is 3-12-1 ATS in its last 16 games overall.  Roll with UCLA Thursday.

20* NBA Western Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on San Antonio Spurs +7

The San Antonio Spurs are playing with double-revenge here.  They will be facing the Lakers for the 3rd time since December 30th.  They lost the first two meetings but covered in the second meeting in a 6-point loss as 7.5-point dogs.  And now they are 7-point dogs in the trilogy and I think they have a great chance to win outright tonight.

The situation is a good one for the Spurs, who will be staying in Los Angeles after their 116-113 upset of the Clippers as 7-point dogs on Tuesday.  The situation is a terrible one for the Lakers, who are now back home following a four-game road trip.  I love fading teams in their first game back home following a long trip.

The Lakers will be playing their 7th game in 12 games here, and they have another game tomorrow against Chicago.  There's a good chance they rest one or both of their two stars tonight in Anthony Davis and Lebron James.  They are both listed as questionable tonight with James dealing with an ankle injury, and Davis dealing with a strained thigh muscle.  Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out with an ankle injury as well.

Conversely, the Spurs now have LaMarcus Aldridge back in the lineup.  He didn't play in either of their first two meetings with the Lakers.  The Spurs are 52-25 ATS in their last 77 games when revenging a loss.  San Antonio is 6-0 ATS in its last six games as a road underdog.  The Lakers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a win.  Bet the Spurs Thursday.

15* NBA Eastern Conference ANNIHILATOR on Brooklyn Nets ML +110

The Brooklyn Nets showed they could still get it done without Kevin Durant with an impressive 130-96 home win over the Utah Jazz as 4.5-point dogs on Tuesday.  Now they come back as home underdogs to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight in a game I expect them to win outright.

The spot couldn't be any worse for the 76ers.  They will be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back and their 8th game in 13 days here.  They just played a 141-136 shootout with Washington last night, which will have taken a lot out of them.  Don't be surprised to see them rest some key players tonight against the Nets.

Philadelphia is 2-13 ATS in its last 15 games following four or more consecutive wins.  The 76ers are 5-18 ATS in their last 23 games following two or more consecutive home wins.  Philadelphia is 6-21-1 ATS in its last 28 road games.  Take the Nets on the Money Line Thursday.

20* Big 12 GAME OF THE WEEK on Oklahoma +12

The No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears are 9-0 this season.  The longer a team stays unbeaten the harder it is to cover spreads because expectations are so high that they are hard to live up to.  And players start to become complacent as well.

We've seen that in Baylor's last two games as they failed to cover as 44-point favorites in a 29-point win over Alcorn State.  They also failed to cover as 15.5-point favorites in an 11-point win over Iowa State, which may be the worst team in the Big 12.

Now Oklahoma takes its shot at Baylor.  The Sooners are 4-1 in their last five games overall with their only loss coming by 2 points to Texas Tech, 67-69.  They also beat West Virginia 75-71 at home.  This is a veteran squad that can hang with a team like Baylor.  They only lost 57-61 at Baylor as 11-point underdogs last season.

The Sooners are 18-7-2 ATS in their last 27 road games following three or more consecutive home games.  Oklahoma is 4-0 ATS in its last four games as an underdog.  The road team is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings.  Bet Oklahoma Wednesday.

15* NBA Wednesday Undervalued Underdog on New York Knicks +7.5

Tom Thibodeau quietly has the New York Knicks maximizing their potential in the early going.  The Knicks are 4-1 SU & 4-1 ATS in their last five gmaes overall with upset wins over Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta and Cleveland.  Their lone loss came on the road to Toronto.

Now they take on a tired Utah Jazz team coming off a 96-130 loss as a 5-point favorite at Brooklyn last night.  The Jazz will now be playing their 5th game in 7 days and the fatigue is starting to show.  There's no way the Jazz should be favored by 7.5 points here given the terrible spot with the 5th game in 7 days.

Plays against favorites (Utah) - off an embarrassing loss by 20 points or more as a favorite, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team are 22-4 (84.6%) ATS over the last five seasons.  The Jazz are 6-22-2 ATS in their last 30 games as favorites.  Utah is 6-24 ATS in the last 30 meetings, including 3-12 ATS in the last 15 meetings in New York.  Take the Knicks Wednesday.

20* NBA Non-Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on Indiana Pacers -2

The Indiana Pacers are one of the most underrated teams in the NBA in the early going.  They are loaded with talent at the top with their Big 3 of Victor Oladipo (20.8 PPG, 45.5% 3-pointers), Domanta Sabonis (20.6 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 6.7 APG, 52.9% 3-pointers) and Malcolm Brogdon (22.0 PPG, 7.0 APG, 44.7% 3-pointers), who are all All-Star caliber players.  And they love new head coach Nate Bjorkgren.

"First and foremost, coach got all the fight in the world," Oladipo said following an OT win over the Pelicans in which they trailed by 6 with 30 seconds left. "The whole time down the stretch, with a minute left, with 38 seconds left, he was telling us 'it's not over, it's not over.' Tha's all he kept screaming from the sideline.  We believed that, and we made something happen down the stretch."

"We've got one of the best coaches in the league, if not the best," Malcolm Brogdon said afterward. "I'm going to continue to say that during the season and make sure people understand how well-coached we are. Nate puts everybody in a position to play their game and show their strengths."

While the Pacers are feeling good about themselves and playing up to their potential, the Houston Rockets are a mess right now.  It's hard to know whether or not James Harden even wants to be there.  And they are trying to implement a bunch of new pieces, and it has hurt them defensively.  The Rockets are 2-3 this season and coming off an upset home loss to the Mavericks, 100-113.  

The Rockets are 20th in defensive efficiency and giving up 115.6 points per game.  That's bad news for them as they will be up against a Pacers team that is 8th in offensive efficiency, scoring 114.9 points per game and shooting 49.3% as a team.  The Pacers are also 12th in defensive efficiency this season.

The Rockets are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games overall.  Houston is 2-7 ATS in its last nine road games.  The Rockets are 6-18 ATS in their last 24 games following a SU loss.  The Pacers are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 Wednesday games.  Houston is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 trips to Indiana.  Bet the Pacers Wednesday.

15* CBB Wednesday No-Doubt Rout on Richmond -4

Richmond has played a brutal schedule and has gotten through it at 7-3.  They have wins over Kentucky, Wofford, Vanderbilt, Loyola-Chicago and Davidson and losses to St. Bonaventure, West Virginia and Hofstra.  And they haven't lost two games in a row yet, so this veteran team that returned four starters has shown some resilience.

Now I expect the Spiders to bounce back from a 3-point loss to St. Bonaventure with a win and cover here against Rhode Island.  This is a 5-5 Rams team that is getting too much respect from oddsmakers here.  They have a common opponent in Davidson, which Richmond beat 80-74 on the road, while Rhode Island lost to 58-67 at home.

The Spiders are a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss.  Richmond is 6-1 ATS in its last seven home games vs. a team with a losing road record.  The Spiders are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games as home favorites.  Take Richmond Wednesday.

15* Big 12 PLAY OF THE DAY on Kansas -5.5

I love the spot for the Kansas Jayhawks today.  They are coming off their worst home loss in program history 59-84 to Texas on Saturday.  It's safe to say they are going to come back highly motivated for a victory here Monday.

The Jayhawks had won eight straight coming into that game with their only previous loss coming to top-ranked Gonzaga.  It's safe to say that loss was an aberration.  Now the Jayhawks face a TCU team that is overvalued off five straight victories coming in.

Kansas simply owns TCU.  The Jayhawks are 16-1 SU in the last 17 meetings.  Kansas is 9-0 ATS in its last nine games following a loss by 20 points or more.  The Jayhawks are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 Big 12 road games.  Kansas is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 road games vs. a team with a winning record.  The Jayhawks are 43-19-3 ATS in their last 65 games following a SU loss.  Take Kansas Tuesday.

20* NBA TOTAL OF THE WEEK on Lakers/Grizzlies UNDER 218.5

The Lakers and Grizzlies will square off for the second time in three days.  The familiarity between these teams will lead us to an UNDER tonight, plus the fact that the Grizzlies are an UNDER team now that they are without their best player in JA Morant for a few weeks.

It's amazing the oddsmakers haven't adjusted this total much off the first meeting.  The Lakers won 108-94 for 202 combined points.  And now we have a 218.5-point total for the rematch here tonight, which is way too high.

The Lakers are an UNDER team as well as the UNDER is 5-0 in their last five games overall.  The UNDER is 4-1 in Grizzlies last five games overall.  The UNDER is 6-0 in Lakers last six road games.  The UNDER is 8-0 in Grizzlies last eight home games vs. a team with a winning record.  The UNDER is 9-0 in the last nine meetings.  These last three trends combine for a perfect 23-0 system backing the UNDER.  Bet the UNDER in this game Tuesday.

20* NBA Eastern Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on Charlotte Hornets +9.5

I like the spot for the Charlotte Hornets tonight.  They will get their chance at revenge on the Philadelphia 76ers after losing to them 112-127 on Saturday.  Now they get to face them again just two days later and will be the more motivated team in this rematch.

The Hornets shot just 41.3% as a team while the 76ers shot 59.3% as a team in that first meeting.  It's actually surprising the 76ers didn't win by more than 15 with that disparity.  You have to think the Hornets will close the gap in the rematch.

Remember, this is a Hornets team that pulled off two impressive upsets over Dallas as 8.5-point dogs and Brooklyn as 11-point dogs prior to two bad losses to Memphis and Philadelphia.  So it's a good time to 'buy low' on them.  It's also a good time to 'sell high' on the 76ers, who are off to a 5-1 start this season and have won and covered three in a row.

Plays against home favorites (Philadelphia) - after allowing 110 points or more against an opponent that's off two straight blowout losses by 15 points or more are 29-6 (82.9%) ATS over the last five seasons.  

The Hornets are 32-17 ATS in their last 49 games off two or more consecutive losses.  The 76ers are 7-23 ATS in their last 30 games off two or more consecutive ATS wins.  Charlotte is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 games as an underdog.  Bet the Hornets Monday.

20* CBB Monday Undervalued Underdog on Southern Illinois +11

I was on Southern Illinois yesterday.  They played well early and led big but got crushed over the final 25 minutes and lost 55-73 at Drake as 10-point dogs.  Now they come back as 11-point dogs here in the rematch in this back-to-back situation and will be the more motivated team.

Drake is overvalued now after starting 12-0 SU & 9-0 ATS this season.  And with every win and cover, the Bulldogs will continue getting more and more respect from oddsmakers.  They will also start to feel the pressure of trying to keep this unbeaten streak alive.

It's a good time to 'buy low' on Southern Illinois.  The Salukis opened 7-0 SU & 5-1 ATS this season before two straight losses to Evansville and Drake coming in.  Keep in mind they upset Drake in both meetings last season with a 66-49 home win and a 79-72 road win.  And they want revenge from that loss yesterday now.

The underdog is 18-7-2 ATS in the last 27 meetings.  Take Southern Illinois Monday.

15* CBB Monday UPSET SHOCKER on Monmouth +3

Monmouth is in a great spot today.  They want revenge from a 77-78 loss at Siena as 2.5-point dogs yesterday.  Now they come back as 3-point dogs in the rematch.  The Hawks will be motivated for revenge while the Saints will relax.  I expect the Hawks to win this game outright.

Monmouth is 3-3 SU & 4-1-1 ATS this season.  The Hawks have two losses by a combined 3 points this season, which is how close they are being to 5-1.  Siena will be playing just its second game of the season after missing all of 2020 with COVID problems.

The road team is 8-2-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.  Monmouth is 6-1 ATS in its last seven trips to Siena.  The Hawks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a SU loss.  Roll with Monmouth Monday.

15* Blazers/Warriors NBA TV Late-Night BAILOUT on Golden State +5.5

I like the situation for the Golden State Warriors tonight.  They want revenge from a 98-123 home loss to the Blazers on Friday just two days ago.  And now they go from being 3.5-point dogs in the first meeting to 5.5-point dogs in the rematch, so there's value here.

The Warriors will clearly be the more motivated team in this situation.  And they aren't going to shoot as poorly as they did in the first meeting, going 7-of-35 (20%) from 3-point range.  Conversely, the Blazers won't shoot as well as they did last time.  They shot 20-of-43 (46.5%) from distance.

Plays against road teams (Portland) - off a road win, a good team (60% to 75%) playing a bad team (25% to 40%) are 50-22 (69.4%) ATS over the last five seasons.  The Blazers are 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games vs. a team with a losing record.  Golden State is 24-11 ATS in its last 35 home meetings with Portland.  Roll with the Warriors Sunday.

20* Washington/Eagles NBC Sunday Night BAILOUT on Washington -1

Washington wins the NFC East with a win Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.  It's safe to say they'll be max motivated.  I don't think you can say the same for the Eagles, who were just eliminated from playoff contention with their 17-37 loss at Dallas last week.  I always like fading teams the week after they have been eliminated from the playoffs.

The Eagles have now lost six of their last even games overall.  Their injury situation is awful.  They led 14-3 at Dallas las week before Fletcher Cox went out with a stinger.  Dallas outscored them 34-3 the rest of the way.  It's unlikely that Cox will be back this week, and he's their most important player on defense, especially when it comes to stopping the run and getting after the passer.

The Eagles are also missing a handful of players in the secondary.  The Cardinals and Cowboys have both torched their defense the last two weeks.  The Cardinals had 526 yards against them, while the Cowboys put up 513 yards against them.  The talent level they are putting on the field might be the worst in the NFL right now on the defensive side of the ball.

Washington is likely to get Alex Smith back at quarterback this season.  Washington is 10-5 with Smith as a starter, and 6-26 with everyone else over the last few seasons.  I don't think they would have let Dwayne Haskins go if they didn't know Smith would return this week.  There's a good chance they get back their best receiver in Terry McClaurin from injury this week as well.  And RB Antonio Gibson returned last week and is back to full strength.  So the matchup is a good one for this Washington offense.

But it's the Washington defense that has me excited to back them again this week.  They have held six straight opponents to 20 points or fewer.  No defense is playing better than theirs right now.  They give up just 21.0 points per game this season.  They held the Eagles to just 17 points and 26 total yards in their first meeting this season in their 27-17 victory.  They also forced three turnovers, and Jalen Hurts had three turnovers against the Cowboys last week.  Chase Allen and company will make life difficult on the rookie Hurts in this one.  And it helps that Washington now has some game film on him after starting the last three weeks.

Washington is 4-2 SU & 5-1 ATS in its last six games overall.  The only two games they lost came with Haskins as a starter, and they were competitive in both with a 5-point loss to Seattle and a 7-point loss to Carolina.  They upset the Cowboys, Steelers and 49ers with Smith at QB and I was on them in all three games.  Even Taylor Heineke gave them a spark when he replaced Haskins last week, and they are good enough to win with him even if Smith can't go.  I recommend betting this game early because when they announce Smith as a starter I expect this line to go to -3.

Philadelphia is 0-6 ATS in its last six games off an upset loss as a road favorite.  Washington is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after gaining 350 or more total yards last game.  Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last five vs. NFC East opponents.  The Eagles are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a loss.  Take Washington Sunday.

20* NBA Western Conference GAME OF THE WEEK on San Antonio Spurs +5

The San Antonio Spurs are highly motivated for a victory Sunday.  They have lost three striaght since opening 2-0.  And two of those losses came to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.  One was by 6 points and they also lost to the Pelicans by 3 points.  So they have been competitive in all but one game this season.

The Utah Jazz appear to be overvalued in the early going.  They are 2-2 SU & 1-3 ATS in their last four games overall.  They suffered upset losses to the Timberwolves as 9-point favorites and the Suns as 4-point favorites.  They also only beat the Thunder 110-109 as 9-point favorites.

The Spurs are 13-2 ATS in their last 15 home games off two or more consecutive losses.  The Jazz 5-21-2 ATS in their last 28 games as favorites.  San Antonio is 19-9 ATS in its last 28 games as a home underdog.  The Spurs are 22-8-1 ATS in their last 31 home meetings with the Jazz.  Bet the Spurs Sunday.

20* MVC GAME OF THE WEEK on Southern Illinois +11

The secret is out on the Drake Bulldogs.  They've been the best covering team in all of college basketball over the past couple seasons.  And now that they are 11-0 SU & 8-0 ATS to start this season, the word is out on the street on them.  It's definitely time to 'sell high' on the Bulldogs now as 11-point favorites against Southern Illinois.

This is a very good Southern Illinois team that probably shouldn't be double-digit dogs to anyone in the Missouri Valley.  The Salukis are 7-1 SU & 5-2 ATS this season with an upset win at Butler.  But they are coming off their first loss of the season to Evansville.  It was predictable as they had beaten Evansville the day before and had this game with Drake on deck.  It was a letdown spot, but off that upset loss it's a good time to 'buy low' on the Salukis now.

Southern Illinois went 2-0 SU & 2-0 ATS against Drake last season with two upset wins as underdogs.  They won 66-49 at home as 1.5-point dogs and 79-72 on the road as 5.5-point dogs.  And now they are being undervalued once again in their first meeting of 2020-21.

The Salukis are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.  The underdog is 18-6-2 ATS in the last 26 meetings.  The Salukis are 12-2 ATS in their last 14 games after giving up 5 or fewer offensive rebounds in their previous game.  Bet Southern Illinois Sunday.

25* NFL GAME OF THE YEAR on Carolina Panthers +7

The New Orleans Saints are still alive for the No. 1 seed, but they would need a lot to go right and they know it.  They'd need the Packers to lose to the Bears and the Seahawks to beat the 49ers, which would put them in a 3-way tie with both.  They would win the tiebreaker based on their record against NFC teams in that scenario.  

It's just unlikely to happen, and I think with the Saints knowing it, don't be surprised if they aren't 100% 'all in' for this Week 17 game.  They would be better off resting their guys and getting ready for the playoffs.  I think this line is adjusted too much in the Saints' favor because technically they still have something to play for, but the reality is that they aren't likely to improve their seeding.

What we do know is that the Carolina Panthers show up every week for head coach Matt Rhule.  Washington had a chance to clinch the NFC East last week, and Carolina played spoiler in a 20-13 victory.  And now the Panthers have a shot to play spoiler here against a hated division rival and will be 'all in' for their final game of the 2020-21 season.

It's also true that Carolina is much better than is 5-10 record would indicate.  Indeed, eight of those 10 losses came by one score.  The only two blowout losses came in their two meetings with Tampa Bay.  They only lost 24-27 to the Saints in their first meeting this season, so they already proved they could play with them.

New Orleans is getting too much respect off its 52-33 win over a Vikings team that appeared to quit last week, at least defensively.  The Panthers will offer a lot more resistance here.  The Panthers held the Packers to 24 points and 291 total yards two weeks ago and should have won that game outright.  And last week they held Washington to 13 points and forced four turnovers.

Teddy 'Covers' Bridgewater just keeps getting the money.  He is 36-13 ATS in his career as a starter, including 24-5 ATS as an underdog.  And the Panthers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games as underdogs this season.  This just goes to show that they come to play every week under Rhule, and that they have lost so many close games this season that they are consistently undervalued.

Injuries are starting to pile up for the Saints.  They are without three key receivers in Michael Thomas, Deonte Harris and Tre'quan Smith.  They just lost starting LB Kwon Alexander to a season-ending injury last week.  He was starting to play well after getting claimed from the 49ers.  Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (66 tackles, 1 INT) will be out with COVID.  Fellow S Marcus Williams (59 tackles, 3 INT), DE Trey Hendrickson (12.5 sacks) CB Patrick Robinson (2 INT) and TE Josh Hill are all questionable.

New Orleans is 0-8 ATS in its last eight games after outrushing its last opponents by 150 or more yards.  Carolina is 6-0 ATS vs. teams that average 29 or more points per game over the last three seasons.  The Panthers are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings with only one loss by more than 5 points in those six meetings.  The underdog is 11-2 ATS in the last 13 meetings.  Bet the Panthers Sunday.

15* Atlantic 10 PLAY OF THE DAY on George Washington +8

I like the situation for George Washington today.  They were beating 63-75 by Duquesne as 7.5-point dogs yesterday.  Now they come back as 8-point dogs today in the rematch.  They will be the more motivated team with revenge in mind, while the Dukes will likely relax and not want this game as badly.

George Washington is much better than its 2-7 record would indicate.  In fact, that 12-point loss yesterday was its largest defeat of the season.  The Colonials have four losses by 4 points or fewer this season.  There is going to be value with this team moving forward due to their poor SU record.

Duquesne is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games off a conference road win.  The Dukes are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games vs. teams who average 12 or fewer assists per game.  Duquesne is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games as a favorite.  George Washington is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games as a home underdog.  The Colonials are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a double-digit home loss.  Take George Washington Sunday.

15* NFL Sunday Early ANNIHILATOR on Atlanta Falcons +7.5

The Atlanta Falcons show up week in and week out since Raheem Morris took over.  And they'll certainly show up in Week 17 against a division rival in the Tampa Bay Bucs.  They want revenge after blowing a 24-7 lead to the Bucs in their first meeting this season just two weeks ago.  And they don't have to wait long to get it.

While the Falcons have lost four straight, all four losses were by 5 points or fewer, and three were to playoff teams.  They only lost 16-21 to the Saints and had a chance to win the game on their final drive.  They lost 17-20 to the Chargers.  They lost 27-31 to the Bucs.  And they only lost 14-17 to the Chiefs last week as double-digit underdogs.  They had a chance to win the game or send it to overtime late, but their kicker missed the game-tying field goal.

What makes the Falcons so intriguing all of a sudden is that they have played some tremendous defense down the stretch under Morris, who is their defensive coordinator.  They have allowed 21 or fewer points in four of their last five games overall.  And holding the Chiefs to just 17 points just goes to show how good this defense is playing right now.

The Bucs are overvalued off their 47-7 win over a Detroit Lions team that has quit and is banged up.  Now they go from being 6-point favorites over the Falcons two weeks ago to 7.5-point favorites over them this week.  That adjustment is not warranted considering the Falcons played them tough in that first meeting and only lost by 4 points.

And while the Falcons are very healthy right now, the Bucs are going to be without several key players in their defensive front seven.  They will be without LB Shaquil Barrett, LB Devin White, DL Steve McClendon and DT Jeremiah Ledbetter.  And I think this line is higher than it should be because Bruce Arians has come out publicly and said the Bucs are going to try and win and not rest starters.  That has given us extra line value here.  Don't be surprised if the Bucs do pull some starters in the second half of this one.

The Bucs are just 1-3 SU in their last four home games with their only win coming against the Vikings in a game that was closer than the 26-14 score would indicate.  The Vikings left 10 points on the board with three missed field goals and a missed extra point.  The Vikings outgained the Bucs in that contest as well.

The Falcons have lost just once by more than 7 points in their last 11 games overall.  That was a 9-24 loss to the Saints in which they led 9-3 just before halftime before getting shut out the rest of the way.  That makes for a 10-1 system backing the Falcons pertaining to this 7.5-point spread.  Getting points with the Falcons has been a very profitable move.  Atlanta is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games as a road underdog.  Tampa Bay is 8-21-1 ATS in its last 30 games as a home favorite.  Roll with the Falcons Sunday.

20* UNC/Texas A&M Orange Bowl BAILOUT on Texas A&M -7

The Texas A&M Aggies felt snubbed that they didn't get into the four-team playoff.  Now they are about to take out their frustration on North Carolina here in the Orange Bowl.  And Jimbo Fisher always takes a workmanlike approach to these games and will have his team ready to go.

"You get in, you get out, and you've got to move on," Fisher said. "you got to the future, and listen, we get an opportunity to play in the Orange Bowl, like I said, one of the great bowl games in the history of this sport."

Texas A&M went 8-1 this season with its only loss coming to Alabama.  The Aggies were led by a dominant defense that gave up just 21.1 points and 316.6 yards per game this season.  Their defense will be by far the best unit on the field in this matchup.  And it's by far better than the UNC defense, which allows 28.4 points and 395.8 yards per game.

North Carolina is known for a high-powered offense, putting up great numbers against suspect ACC defenses all season.  But they were upset by both Florida State and Virginia.  And the one defense they faced that was actually pretty good was Notre Dame.  The Fighting Irish held them to 17 points and 298 total yards.  This Texas A&M defense is capable of doing the same thing.

While Texas A&M had minimal opt-outs and should have basically their entire roster available, UNC had several key players opt out.  The Tar Heels will be without two 1,000-yard rushers in RB's Javonte Williams and Michael Carter.  They will also be without a 1,000-yard receiver in Dyami Brown.  Plus, the leader of their defense and leading tackler in LB Chazz Surratt (92 tackles) has opted out as well.  With all of this NFL talent out, the Tar Heels will be a shell of their former selves.

Plays on any team (Texas A&M) - in a game involving two excellent rushing teams (4.8 YPC or more), after allowing 40 or less rushing yards last game are 35-9 (79.5%) ATS over the last five seasons.  The Aggies are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 non-conference games.  Texas A&M is 20-9-1 ATS in its last 30 games as a favorite.  The Tar Heels are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following an ATS win.  Take Texas A&M Saturday.

15* Pac-12 PLAY OF THE DAY on California +3

The Cal Golden Bears get their shot at revenge on Oregon State after losing 63-71 to the Beavers in their first game of the season.  They have improved rapidly since that first meeting and come in playing their best basketball of the season.

Indeed, the Golden Bears are 3-1 SU & 3-1 ATS in their last four games overall.  Their only loss was a 13-point loss at Oregon in which they covered as 13.5-point dogs.  They upset San Francisco as 3.5-point dogs, crush Northridge by 31 and also beat Seattle.

Oregon State is 2-3 SU & 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall.  That includes upset losses to Wyoming as 9-point favorites and Portland as 16.5-point favorites.  And they barely beat Portland State by 5 as 13-point favorites during this stretch.  They should not be favorites in this rematch with the way they are playing of late.

Oregon State is 0-6 ATS in its last six games after allowing 65 points or less in two straight games.  The Beavers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as favorites.  Roll with California Saturday.

15* NBA Saturday PLAY OF THE DAY on Sacramento Kings +5

The Sacramento Kings want revenge from a 119-122 loss as 5.5-point dogs on New Year's Eve to the Houston Rockets.  They don't have to wait long to get it as they will get to face the Rockets again in Houston just two days later here Saturday.

I have been very impressed with the Kings this season.  They are 3-2 SU & 4-1 ATS despite playing all five games as underdogs against a tough schedule.  They upset the Nuggets twice and the Suns once and were obviously competitive against the Rockets.  This is one of the most underrated, young talented teams in the NBA early in the season.

I just don't like the mindset of the Houston Rockets right now.  James Harden doesn't know if he wants to be there, and they're trying to implement a bunch of new pieces they acquired in the offseason.  Plus COVID struck the team so they haven't had much practice time together.  And it has shown with a 1-2 SU & 1-2 ATS start this season.

The Kings are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.  The Rockets are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall.  Houston is 0-4 ATS in its last four home games.  The Rockets are 0-5 ATS in their last five games vs. a team with a winning record.  Take the Kings Saturday.

20* Oregon/Iowa State Fiesta Bowl No-Brainer on Iowa State -3.5

The Iowa State Cyclones have a sour taste in their mouths from losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game.  The Cyclones got blown out by Notre Dame in their bowl game last year and lost a heartbreaker to Washington State the year before.  They won't be lacking any motivation here.  I have no doubt this senior-laden team wants to finish this season with an exclamation point in what has been one of the greatest seasons in program history.

I do question Oregon's motivation coming off a Pac-12 Championship in which they were gifted a spot in the title game due to COVID problems at Washington.  They beat USC 31-24, but that was one of the most misleading finals of the season.

Oregon only managed 243 total yards against USC but forced three turnovers, which was the difference.  The DUcks were upset as 13-point favorites by Oregon State and as 9-point favorites by California in their final two games of the regular season.  So that's basically three striaght games where Oregon has not played well.

The Big 12 looks great in bowl games thus far.  Oklahoma State beat Miami 37-34, Texas beat Colorado 55-23 and Oklahoma beat Florida 55-20.  So we've already seen a Big 12 vs. Pac-12 matchup in Texas' 55-23 win over Colorado.  And that was a Texas team with a ton of opt-outs and a backup QB in the second half.  And Iowa State beat Texas.

Oregon gave up 27.3 points and 409.5 yards per game this season.  Iowa State only gave up 21.8 points and 343.1 yards per game as they had one of the best defenses in the Big 12.  Oregon doesn't trust QB Tyler Shough to unleash him.  Shough only had 91 passing yards against USC in the Pac-12 Championship.

Iowa State trusts Brock Purdy to make all the throws.  He is completing 66.4% of his passes for 2,594 yards with an 18-to-9 TD/INT ratio this season.  He has also rushed for 343 yards and four scores.  And the Cyclones had the leading rusher in the country in Breece Hall, who rushed for 1,436 yards and 19 touchdowns this season to put his name in the Heisman Trophy discussion.

Iowa State is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games after allowing 125 or fewer rushing yards in two straight games coming in.  The Ducks are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 games following an ATS win.  The Cyclones are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 games following a SU loss.  Iowa State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games as a favorite.  Bet Iowa State Saturday.

15* C-USA PLAY OF THE DAY on Charlotte +6

Charlotte wants revenge from a 63-67 loss to Western Kentucky yesterday as a 7-point underdog.  They don't have to wait long to get it as they will be playing each other again today.  The 49ers will be the more motivated team in the rematch, and I expect them to cover this 6-point spread and possibly win outright.

This is a Charlotte team that has shown they can play with some good teams.  They upset Davidson 63-52 as 10.5-point dogs as part of their three-game winning streak prior to losing to WKU.  I expect the Hilltoppers to relax today after winning six straight coming in.

Western Kentucky has been winning but not covering, which means they continue to be overvalued.  The Hilltoppers are now 1-7 ATS in their last eight games overall.  Four of their last five wins have come by 4 points or less.

Charlotte is 9-1-1 ATS in its last 11 games as a home underdog.  Western Kentucky is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games vs. teams who force 14 or fewer turnovers per game.  Take Charlotte Saturday.

15* MVC PLAY OF THE DAY on Evansville +6.5

The Northern Iowa Panthers have been one of my favorite teams to fade in the early going.  A big reason for that is they are missing their best player in AJ Green.  Green's loss is huge as he averaged 19.7 PPG last season and is averaging 22.3 PPG this season.  He is out for the year.

The Panthers have gone 2-5 SU & 1-5 ATS this season.  And now they are getting too much respect from oddsmakers once again today as 6.5-point road favorites over Evansville.  It's a Purple Aces team that is on the improve.

Indeed, Evansville has gone 3-2 SU & 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall.  The two losses were both covers in a 9-point loss to Belmont and a 6-point loss to Southern Illinois.  Then they avenged that loss to Southern Illinois and handed the Salukis their first loss in an 84-72 victory as 8-point dogs.  Roll with Evansville Saturday.