Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
04-27-19 | Reds v. Cardinals OVER 8.5 | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 12 h 10 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The St. Louis Cardinals are first in the majors in weighted on base average against right handed pitching. This Cardinals lineup is really deep, and they can make things very difficult on an opposing pitching staff. Tyler Mahle has been good so far this year, but he has faced some easy competition. Other than one game against the Dodgers, who have a very good offense, he has faced subpar lineups. Mahle's ERA looks good, but his exit velocity allowed is a whopping 93.1 mph. He ranks in the bottom two percent in hard hit batted balls in the majors as well. Dakota Hudson has control issues, and he has allowed a lot of hard contact. Hudson has been able to work out of jams for the most part, but I see him as a regression candidate. The Cardinals pitching staff has had great luck when it comes to batted balls. On the other side, the Reds offense has the worst BABIP in the league and it isn't even close. The Reds are far better offensively than they have shown so far this year. The wind is blowing out at about 15 mph for this one, and with two pitchers allowing a lot of hard contact I see this number as too low. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-26-19 | Rangers v. Mariners OVER 8.5 | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 21 h 7 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* It would be hard to overstate how bad Shelby Miller has been this year. Miller has 13 walks and only 6 strikeouts this year. For any big league pitcher to have more walks than strikeouts is awful, and Miller has more than doubled up his strikeout number. The Mariners have a patient offense (7th in walk rate), and they should make him work here. Miller has a swinging strike rate of a ridiculously low 5.0%. The Mariners lineup is full of quality youngsters. Miller has a 7.63 ERA, but his FIP is 7.81 and xFIP is 8.11. He hasn't been unlucky. He's just been terrible. Yusei Kikuchi will serve as the opener and pitch an inning or two here for Seattle. The Mariners are expected to turn it over to Justus Sheffield after that. Sheffield is a decent prospect, but he's been having major problems throwing strikes in the minors. Sheffield is averaging more than 7 walks per nine innings. He has a FIP of over 7 in the minors so far this year. He's likely to give this Rangers lineup several free passes. The Rangers and Mariners both rank in the bottom ten in the majors in bullpen FIP. Both bullpens are likely to give the opposition several scoring chances. The over is 6-1 in the Rangers last 7 vs. a team with a winning record. The over is 8-1-1 in Seattle's last 10 following a win. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-26-19 | Warriors v. Clippers UNDER 233.5 | 129-110 | Loss | -110 | 32 h 1 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Clippers stunned everyone by winning at Golden State again in Game 5. We head back to LA for Game 6, and I see value on the under here. There were 250 points scored in Game 5. A closer look at the shooting percentages and the tempo in that game makes me like the under here. Why? Game 5 was played at the slowest pace of the series. A tempo of 97.5 possessions. Each of the last three games has finished with a slower pace than the previous contest. How did they score so many points last game? Extremely high shooting percentages and more offensive rebounds than normal. The Clippers averaged a whopping 1.316 points per possession. The Warriors averaged a really impressive 1.247 points per possession. The Warriors defense is better than they showed last game, and Steve Kerr was really unhappy with their defensive effort. I expect better defense from them in this contest. If we get the same tempo as last game, and I think that's a good guess, both teams could average 1.18 points per possession and the total points would be at 230 points. These teams can shoot the ball well, but this is an extremely high total for game 6 in the NBA playoffs. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-25-19 | Nuggets v. Spurs UNDER 208.5 | 103-120 | Loss | -102 | 17 h 5 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA System Play SMASHER* The San Antonio Spurs go home down 3-2 to the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs were up 2-1 in this series, but have had a couple poor performances in a row. You would expect a really well-coached team like the Spurs to play better in a game like this one. These two teams rank 23rd and 25th at getting to the free throw line. The Spurs rank 2nd at defending without fouling. The Nuggets rank 12th. Unless the refs turn this thing into a ref show, you wouldn't expect a lot of free throws here. The average pace in the last 3 games of this series has been 93.5 possessions. At 93.5 possessions, both teams averaging an impressive 1.10 points per possession would lead to a projected total at 205.7 points. As the games get more important, the defense generally turns it up a notch in the NBA playoffs. The tempo tends to slow down a bit more as well. Here's a system to consider: First round of the NBA playoffs with a total of 191 to 209 -Home team with a win percentage of 60% or lower -Spread between home team -4.5 and +7.5 -The percentage of tickets on the under is 45% or lower In this situation the under is a whopping 47-10. This game fits the system. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-24-19 | Clippers v. Warriors UNDER 232.5 | 129-121 | Loss | -103 | 8 h 53 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Golden State Warriors lead the Clippers 3-1 and they are a big favorite here to finish out this series. Golden State dropped game two to the Clippers. Golden State played the ultra fast paced game that the Clippers wanted in that game. The Warriors have turned the dial on the tempo the last couple games. Golden State averaged 1.149 points per possession in the regular season. In this series, they are at 1.186. The first two games were played to a pace of 108.5 possessions. The last two games in this series have played to 99.75 possessions. If we assume there will be around 100 possessions in this game- the Warriors could average 1.9 points per possession (119 points) and that leaves the Clippers needing to score more than 113 for this to go over. Two of the best under refs in the business are calling this game in Goble and Davis. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-24-19 | White Sox v. Orioles OVER 9.5 | 3-4 | Loss | -108 | 4 h 18 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* John Means isn't a guy the Orioles can count on going deep into the game. In his two starts he has gone a combined 8 innings. The White Sox are a bit better offensively against left-handed pitching than righties. Means is a subpar lefty. The Baltimore Orioles bullpen is awful. Baltimore's bullpen ranks last in the majors by nearly half a run in FIP at 6.30. Ervin Santana starts here for the White Sox. Santana was decent a couple years ago for the Twins, but last year he came back from injury with a huge velocity drop. Santana was throwing his average fastball at 93.6 mph a couple years ago. Now, he consistently sits at 89 or 90 mph. That's a big difference. Santana is giving up a lot of hard contact, and he has a swinging strike rate below 5% (very low) last year and this year. The White Sox bullpen ranks 21st in the majors, so they aren't very good either. The over is 12-1 in the Orioles last 13 home games. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-24-19 | Brewers v. Cardinals OVER 9 | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 48 m | Show | |
*4 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Brewers and Cardinals have two of the best offenses in the National League. Jhoulys Chacin and Adam Wainwright have been very shaky so far this year, and neither of these bullpens have been very good either. Wainwright was a star pitcher at one point, but he is hanging on right now and simply isn't very good. Wainwright has a bad combination of poor control and he ranks bottom 6% in the majors in fastball velocity. So far this year, his hard hit rate is at the worst percentage in his career. Chacin is averaging 5.18 walks per nine innings this year. His control has been much worse this season. Chacin has a 5.66 ERA in his career against the Cardinals. Mark Wegner is behind home plate and he is one of the best over umpires in the business because of his tight strike zone. That hurts both pitchers quite a bit here since both of these guys struggle with their control. Take the over here. |
|||||||
04-21-19 | Raptors v. Magic UNDER 207 | 107-85 | Win | 100 | 17 h 3 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA Super System CRUSHER* The Orlando Magic are down 2-1 to the Toronto Raptors. All three games in this series have stayed under the total. In fact, they have all stayed under this total, which has been adjusted down a bit. These two teams have played 7 games this year. The average final total in those games has been 202 points. These teams are consistently playing at a slow tempo against each other. Toronto ranks 22nd in the NBA in free throw attempts per game. Orlando ranks dead last in free throw attempts per game. Orlando is 5th best at not fouling on defense. Toronto is 11th best at not fouling on defense. Both of these teams are below average at getting second chance opportunities. The Raptors have some serious defensive talent on their roster now. Kawhi Leonard is as good as they come on defense. Danny Green is a very good defender. Marc Gasol is a good defender in the low post. Serge Ibaka is a very good defender as well. The Magic are scrappy on defense and they will make Toronto work on the offensive end. There's a big system that this game fits. -A 1st round NBA playoff game -The total of 191 to 209 -Home team win percentage of 60% or lower -Road team win percentage of 50% to 73% -Home team favored by 4.5 points or is an underdog In this situation the under is a stunning 62-19 in the last 81 (76.5%). Take the under. |
|||||||
04-21-19 | Dodgers v. Brewers UNDER 8.5 | 6-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 8 m | Show | |
*3 Star MLB Total Perfection* The LA Dodgers have a great offense, but their totals have gotten a bit inflated of late. The Dodgers also have a good pitching staff and an underrated bullpen. Dave Roberts has consistently sat out a key starter or two in Sunday day games in his time as manager of the Dodgers. I would expect a key player or two out of the lineup here. Clayton Kershaw isn't the best pitcher in baseball anymore, but he is still very good. Kershaw unders at this high of a number are definitely intriguing to me. Brandon Woodruff's ERA isn't very good this year, but his FIP and xFIP suggest positive regression should be coming. Josh Hader didn't pitch yesterday, and he should be available to pitch for more than an inning should the situation arise. That is clearly a plus for the under. The under is 8-0 in the Dodgers last 8 games. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in the Brewers last 4 games. The under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these two teams. A combined 22-0 angle. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-20-19 | Mariners v. Angels UNDER 9 | 6-5 | Loss | -115 | 18 h 51 m | Show | |
*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* The Seattle Mariners offense has been really good so far this year. I think they are a quality offense, but they are due for some regression. Their batting average on balls in play with men in scoring position is .343 so far this year. That number can't continue all year. Trevor Cahill starts for the Angels, and he has held this Mariners lineup to a subpar .224 batting average in 86 plate appearances. Yusei Kikuchi is a quality lefty who the Angels will be seeing for the first time. The Angels are terrible against lefties. This team was in the bottom five against lefties last year, and they are dead last in wOBA against lefties so far this year. Justin Upton is usually good against lefties, but he is injured now. The Angels have Mike Trout, but the rest of the lineup isn't good. The Angels have a .241 wOBA against lefties on the season. The under is 34-14-3 in the Angels last 51 games against a left handed starter. Take the under here. |
|||||||
04-19-19 | Celtics v. Pacers UNDER 204 | 104-96 | Win | 100 | 18 h 17 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Indiana Pacers controlled the tempo and had a very real chance to win the game in Boston in Game 2. Indiana led by 2 points with 52 seconds left. The Pacers losing by 8 and failing to cover 7.5 is one of the worst NBA beats I've ever seen. Indiana knows they need this game badly. They aren't likely to change their game plan here. Their game plan was working in game two. Keep the Celtics out of transition and use the clock on offense. The shooting numbers weren't all that bad last game, but the game only got to 190 points. The game was played to only 94 possessions. I think Indiana gets their preferred tempo again here. Boston ranked 29th in the NBA at getting to the free throw line during the regular season. Indiana ranked 25th. These two don't normally get to the line much. The under is 20-7 in the Pacers last 27 games against a team with a winning percentage of 60% or higher. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-19-19 | Raptors v. Magic UNDER 210 | 98-93 | Win | 100 | 17 h 47 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA System Play SMASHER* The Orlando Magic were beaten badly in game two. I like to play unders in game 3 when the home team was beaten soundly in game two. This is a chance for the home team to attempt to rally the troops and put forth a better effort, and more times than not it comes from improved play on the defensive end. Orlando wants to slow this game down, and I expect them to work to slow the tempo a lot on their home floor. These teams have met six times this year. Four of the six games have stayed under this total. The average final total has been 204.33 points. This is a playoff game that means much more than the regular season meetings did, and playoff games have historically been quite a bit lower scoring. Orlando ranks last in the league at getting to the free throw line. Toronto ranks 21st. Unless there is a ref show, you wouldn't expect a bunch of free throws when these two teams meet. Here's a totals playoff system I have followed in recent seasons with success. -Total of 195.5 or higher -Home team is between -2.5 and +5.5 in the game -The home team is coming off a loss of 6 points or more -The home team has won 63% or less of their games in the regular season -The under is getting 45% or less of the bets The under is a whopping 37-8 (82.2% wins) in the last 45 contests that fit this criteria. This game fits the system. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-18-19 | Warriors v. Clippers UNDER 237 | 132-105 | Push | 0 | 21 h 7 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The LA Clippers made a massive comeback to win over Golden State in stunning fashion in Game 2 at Oracle Arena. Golden State is clearly the best team in the NBA, and the Warriors aren't likely to shut it down in the 3rd quarter as they did last game. Steve Kerr made it clear he wasn't happy with the Warriors defense in the second half of Game 2. While Golden State is obviously a great offensive team, most don't realize how good this Warriors defense can be when they are highly motivated. The under is 24-8-1 in the Warriors last 33 games following a loss. I don't think that's an accident. The under is also 4-1 in their last 5 after allowing 125 points or more in their last game. There were a whopping 65 made free throws in Game 2. An average made free throws number for these two teams would be in the upper 30's. Last game was an outlier. Could there be a bunch of made FT's here again? Yes, but we shouldn't expect that number to be repeated. Both teams shot the ball very well from the floor last game. This game has a little extra on the line now with the series at 1-1. The line has been adjusted upward by the oddsmakers. This is an extremely high playoff total. An average of 59 points per quarter puts this one just under the total. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-17-19 | Astros v. A's UNDER 9 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 23 h 33 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Houston Astros offense has been very good of late. Houston was clearly better against lefties last year, and that has been the case again this year thus far. A total of 9 is high in Oakland. This is a top five pitchers park in the majors. There is a massive amount of foul territory. The ball doesn't carry well here. Fly ball pitchers can have a lot of success in this park. Houston arguably has the best bullpen in baseball (maybe second behind the Yankees). The Athletics rank in the top five in FIP in the bullpen, so they have pitched into bad luck thus far. Wade Miley pitches to contact, but he has a good defense behind him. Oakland's defense has been excellent this year as well. Frankie Montas has plenty of upside and his pitches have plenty of movement. Gibson has a been a strike caller behind home plate in recent seasons as well. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-16-19 | Magic v. Raptors UNDER 212 | 82-111 | Win | 100 | 8 h 45 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Toronto Raptors are down 1-0 after Orlando stunned them in game one. In game one, Orlando was able to slow the pace down quite a bit. The game played to 98.5 possessions. The shooting was a bit below average, but it wasn't terrible. Orlando averaged 1.051 points per possession and Toronto averaged 1.031 points per possession. Late in the regular season, Orlando was very good defensively. Toronto was also strong defensively to finish out the year. Orlando ranked 7th in defensive efficiency in the last 15 games. Toronto ranked 4th in defensive efficiency. Orlando ranked 25th in pace of play and Toronto ranked 15th. Neither team pushes the pace to any kind of extreme level. Two of the three best under referees in the NBA are on this game in Marc Davis and John Goble. Neither of these teams have been particularly strong at offensive rebounding, and that helps with avoiding second chance points. There hasn't been an adjustment down in this total like there was in most of the other contests. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-16-19 | Pirates v. Tigers UNDER 8 | 5-3 | Push | 0 | 18 h 33 m | Show | |
*3 Star MLB Red HOT CASH* Matt Boyd has had an amazing start to the season. In his first three starts, he has a ridiculous swinging strike rate of 16.8%. He had a solid 10.2% swinging strike rate last year. Boyd is striking out 15 batters per nine innings pitched this year. Obviously, this kind of strikeout rate won't continue. Still, there are a couple reasons I like what I see from him. Boyd has upped his slider usage quite a bit this year, and that is clearly his best pitch. The Tigers are top five in the majors in bullpen ERA so far this year. Joe Musgrove hasn't allowed an earned run yet this year. His average exit velocity allowed is only 85.5 mph so far this year. He has only allowed one barreled batted ball so far this year. Musgrove is backed by a quality Pirates bullpen. The Pirates offense isn't nearly as good without Polanco or Dickerson in the lineup. Both of those guys are injured right now. Nick Castellanos and Niko Goodrum are both questionable for the Tigers here as well. Cool temperatures and a slight breeze blowing in are helpful as well. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-14-19 | Jazz v. Rockets OVER 213 | 90-122 | Loss | -110 | 19 h 15 m | Show | |
*3 Star NBA Red HOT CASH* There has been a lot of money come in on the under in this game. The total opened at 219 and has been bet down six points. I think this move has been overdone. Utah is a much better offensive team than they were a year ago. Utah got significantly better on offense late in the season this year. The Jazz were third in the NBA in offensive efficiency in the last 15 games of the season. Who was first? The Houston Rockets. Houston's coaching staff has been quoted as saying they have to get the tempo going even quicker than normal here to prevent Utah's big men from setting up on the defensive end. Look for the Rockets to move the ball around quickly and try to get up some shots early in the shot clock here. Utah can sometimes shoot a poor percentage from the floor and still score quite a few points. The Jazz have been pretty good on the offensive boards, and Houston ranks second worst in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage. Houston has scored 111 points or more in 12 of their last 13 games. Utah has scored 109 points or more in 16 straight games. The big move on the under has created some value on the over in this one. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-13-19 | Spurs v. Nuggets UNDER 211.5 | 101-96 | Win | 100 | 20 h 48 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA 100% Angle Crusher* The Spurs and Nuggets have met four times this year. All four games went under the total. The stakes are clearly higher now with this being a playoff contest. The tempo generally slows down in the playoffs and the defenses work a little harder. Both San Antonio and Denver slowed their pace down late in the regular season, and I don't see any reason to expect them to speed things up now that the games mean even more. Denver ranked second slowest in the NBA in tempo in the last 15 games of the year. The Spurs were fourth slowest. Denver hasn't been all that efficient on offense overall this year. It has been their second chance points that can really do damage. The Spurs rank sixth in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage. The Spurs are 24th in offensive rebounding percentage, so I wouldn't expect too many second chance opportunities for them. The under is 9-0 in the Spurs last 9 vs. the Western Conference. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 on two days of rest. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. The under is 6-0 in Denver's last 6 vs. the NBA Southwest Division. The under is 4-0 in the Nuggets last 4 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two teams. A combined 31-0 angle. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-13-19 | Padres v. Diamondbacks UNDER 9.5 | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 7 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Arizona Diamondbacks aren't going to be nearly as good against left handed pitching this year. Paul Goldschmidt was always a big reason this team was great against lefties. A.J. Pollock was good against lefties as well. The DBacks have good numbers against lefties in a small sample size this year though it is important to keep that in context. Zack Greinke's mashing when he has pitched weighs heavily here. Without Lamb, Souza, and Avila this DBacks lineup is pretty weak right now. Arizona has scored two runs or less in three of their last five games. Merrill Kelly pitches for the DBacks here, and I like his ability to locate the curveball. He's a guy who can be hard to hit when he has it working. The Red Sox just found that out. Kelly has been pretty good in the Rays minor league organization the last few years. Matt Strahm is a guy the DBacks haven't seen much and that should hurt them. Strahm is backed by a good bullpen as well. Muchlinski is behind the plate here and he's clearly an under umpire based on his strikes called percentages and strikeout/walk ratios. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-13-19 | Mets v. Braves OVER 9.5 | 7-11 | Win | 100 | 17 h 21 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The weather in Atlanta is very warm for this time of the year. Temperature at first pitch is expected to be around 80 degrees here. The ball flies well in this park when it is warm. Jason Vargas is near the end of his career, and his stuff just isn't good enough anymore. He had a 5.77 ERA last year, and the early signs from this year are no better. The Braves rank 8th in wOBA against lefties this year, and the Atlanta lineup should get plenty of scoring chances here. Sean Newcomb is a really inconsistent pitcher. There are nights when he looks great and some nights where he looks awful. Newcomb has been struggling with his control early in the season. Neither pitcher is going to get any help from Alfonso Marquez, who will be the home plate umpire here. Marquez has called the lowest percentage of pitches a strike of any umpire in the majors in the last five years. These two bullpens both rank in the bottom 8 in ERA this year, and they are both in the bottom five in FIP on the season. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-11-19 | Mariners v. Royals OVER 10 | 7-6 | Win | 100 | 22 h 58 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The weather should play a big factor here. Sustained winds of 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph blowing out to center field are in the forecast. Mike Leake is a mediocre pitcher who has solid control, but can get hit around on a fairly regular basis. The Mariners bullpen went from a major strength last year to a major weakness this year. Jorge Lopez had an ERA above 5 in both the majors and in Triple A last year. Lopez hasn't typically been a starter, and he can't pitch deep into the game. The Royals bullpen is the worst in baseball. Both offenses have performed pretty well this year, and with wind howling out to center field I like the value on the over. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-11-19 | Indians v. Tigers UNDER 8 | 4-0 | Win | 100 | 15 h 50 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers rank second to last and last in the majors in weighted on base average (wOBA). Cleveland's lineup has a strikeout percentage of a whopping 30.3%. No one else is close to that level so far this year. This team is swinging and missing a bunch. Spencer Turnbull has had very good swinging strike rates in the minors throughout his career. Bieber is ready for a breakout for the Indians. He has a great strikeout/walk ratio, and I always like to back or play unders with starting pitchers like that. The Tigers lineup doesn't have much pop in it. The wind here is forecast to be blowing in between 15 and 20 mph. That could be a big factor in this one. It's a get away day game which means a key bat could be out of the lineup as well. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-10-19 | Rays v. White Sox UNDER 8.5 | 9-1 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 58 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The weather here should play a role. With some rain and heavy winds of about 15 mph sustained with gusts to 25 mph blowing in from center field, the conditions won't be great. With temperatures in the upper 30's, it will be nasty outside. There is certainly a chance this game gets rained out, but if it is played I like the under here. According to my umpire database, Carapazza has called the 12th highest percentage of strikes of all the umpires in the majors (91 umpires) in the past five years. The under is 88-59 in his games behind the plate as well. A very good under umpire. Tyler Glasnow can struggle with control sometimes, but Carapazza should help out with that. The White Sox rank below average in walks, and this offense has quite a few guys who are free swingers. Glasnow has a really high upside, and this White Sox offense isn't very good. Reynaldo Lopez has struggled with walks so far this year, but Carapazza helps and the Rays only rank 23rd in the majors in walk rate so far this year. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-09-19 | Twins v. Mets UNDER 6.5 | 14-8 | Loss | -107 | 6 h 16 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The ball doesn't carry well at Citi Field when the temperatures are cool. This ranked as the best pitcher's park in the majors last year. Jacob Degrom has been nothing short of amazing both last year and the start of this year. Degrom has thrown 26 straight scoreless innings. Degrom also has struck out 24 of the 48 batters he has faced this year. Degrom also has 26 straight quality starts, and a quality start here would break Bob Gibson's record for most quality starts in a row. Degrom's has been very good on the road, and nearly unhittable at home the last few years. He comes home now to face a Twins lineup that isn't all that impressive. Miguel Sano is a key cog missing from the lineup. The Mets offense is without Cespedes and Frazier right now. The Mets will face Kyle Gibson here. Gibson's underlying stats suggest last year's breakout season is likely a sign of more positive things to come for him. His swinging strike rate was up a lot, and he did a better job keeping the ball in the ballpark. Both bullpens are better than average. The Twins bullpen is fairly deep and a pretty good pen overall. The Mets have an excellent bullpen with Diaz now anchoring things. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-09-19 | Nationals v. Phillies UNDER 7.5 | 10-6 | Loss | -103 | 18 h 32 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* Stephen Strasburg has felt right at home pitching in Philadelphia. Strasburg has a phenomenal 1.58 ERA in 10 starts in Philadelphia in his career. Do the Phillies have a better lineup than they had then? Yes. Still, Strasburg has only allowed a .277 OBP against this Philadelphia Phillies roster. Aaron Nola has proven himself as a top notch pitcher in the past year. Nola has always had the excellent curveball, but his other pitches have gotten much better. Nola is elite at preventing hard contact, and that's a skill many pitchers can never master. The wind is expected to be blowing in at about 10-12 mph here which is definitely a bonus. The under is 6-0 in Strasburg's last 6 starts in Philadelphia. The under is 7-2 in Nola's last 9 starts vs. the Nationals. Two top 15 starting pitchers against each other here. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-07-19 | Padres v. Cardinals OVER 8.5 | 1-4 | Loss | -103 | 20 h 15 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The St. Louis Cardinals have a deep lineup, and they will score quite a few runs this year. San Diego's offense is clearly much improved with Ian Kinsler, Eric Hosmer, and then Manny Machado in the order. The winds are forecast to be blowing straight out at 12-13 mph during this game. The home plate umpire is Wegner and he is one of the better over umpires in the league. Adam Wainwright used to be a good pitcher, but he isn't anymore. Wainwright has major control problems, and his fastball sits in the 87 mph range. I think it is only a matter of time until Wainwright is out of this rotation. The Padres offense isn't great, but they are much improved from last year, and I think they get to Wainwright here. Strahm is a fly ball pitcher and the Cardinals have power. With the wind blowing out, I see plenty of opportunities for them as well. This total is too low. Take the over. |
|||||||
04-07-19 | Royals v. Tigers UNDER 8.5 | 1-3 | Win | 104 | 11 h 26 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals have two of the worst offenses in the majors. We've got one of the best under umpires in the majors behind home plate here in Bill Miller. According to my umpire data from the spreadsheet I keep, Miller ranks third highest in the majors in strikes called percentage. He also has a great strikeout/walk ratio. He's called almost 66% of pitches of pitches a strike in his first two games behind the plate this year. The under is 36-13-2 in Miller's last 51 Sunday games behind home plate. Keller has some potential for Kansas City. He has been able to induce weak contact and his slider continues to improve. Detroit has a terrible .168 average against right handed pitching so far this year. Tyson Ross can sometimes have control problems, but he should be helped by Bill Miller's strike zone, and this Kansas City offense isn't the same without Salvador Perez in the lineup. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-06-19 | Texas Tech v. Michigan State UNDER 133 | 61-51 | Win | 100 | 43 h 37 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Texas Tech Red Raiders are first in the nation in effective field goal percentage defense, and it isn't even very close. You have to love what the Red Raiders are doing defensively under Chris Beard. Beard is an elite head coach and he has this team working so hard on defense. As he has said before, defense is a way of life in his program. If you don't defend well, you won't play for Chris Beard. Michigan State's defense is a lot better than most people realize. The Spartans have played the second toughest schedule in the country this year, and they haven't allowed an opponent to average more than 1.12 points per game all year. They have been so consistently strong defensively. Michigan State has a couple very good defenders in Matt McQuaid and Aaron Henry to throw at Jarrett Culver. Texas Tech and Michigan State have both struggled with turnovers on offense this year, and I do think there will be quite a few wasted possessions in this game. Neither team likes to push the pace very much, and both teams are very physical. As long as we don't get a ref show here, I think the defenses will have the upper hand all the way. Michigan State loves to run the pick and roll with Winston, but Texas Tech is elite at defending that play. Texas Tech is reliant on Culver getting into the lane, but Michigan State should have a good defensive plan ready for him. Shooting numbers have historically been lower in these huge stadiums built for football rather than basketball. That's another plus in this one. A very hard fought game here. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-06-19 | Reds v. Pirates UNDER 7.5 | 5-6 | Loss | -101 | 10 h 18 m | Show | |
*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Cincinnati Reds offense is a mess right now. As a team their plate discipline has been poor. The Reds are going after bad pitches and not making the pitcher work deep into the count. How bad has the Reds offense been? The Reds haven't scored a single run in 4 of their first 7 games this season! They have scored more than 3 only one time (season opener). This lineup definitely misses Scooter Gennett. The Pirates offense is worse than league average. Pittsburgh does have a deep bullpen though. Tanner Roark and Trevor Williams square off here, and both of these guys have been much better in day games than night games. Roark has a 3.13 ERA in day games and 3.90 ERA in night games. Williams has a 2.91 ERA in day games and a 4.12 ERA in night games. This is a day game in Pittsburgh. Both of these starters have pitched well in their career in the first month of the season as well. Williams has been an under machine on the mound of late. The under is 37-13-1 in his last 51 starts. The under is 7-0 in the Reds seven games this year. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two teams. A combined 11-0 angle. Mark Ripperger is behind home plate and he has been a strong under umpire in his career. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-05-19 | Blazers v. Nuggets UNDER 216 | 110-119 | Loss | -106 | 23 h 30 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Portland Blazers are without C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic right now due to injury. The Blazers have still been good, but their upside is certainly limited without those guys. Portland has slowed their pace down a bit without two of their best players. Portland ranked 16th in the NBA in tempo up until the McCollum injury. In their last ten games, they rank 24th in the NBA in tempo. Denver ranks 29th out of 30 teams in the NBA in tempo in their last ten games. The Nuggets have slowed the pace down drastically in recent weeks. Denver has been better defensively of late as well. Denver ranks 8th in the NBA in defensive efficiency in their last ten games. Portland has been solid defensively also of late. Portland ranks 10th in defensive efficiency in their last ten games. I like to look for unders late in the season in the NBA in games that mean a lot to both teams. Denver sits in second in the Western Conference standings. Portland sits 4th in the standings and they are only two games behind Denver. The under is 6-0 in the Nuggets last 6 games vs. a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 home games. The under is 5-0 in the Blazers last 5 when they are off a win of 10 points or more. A 16-0 angle. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-05-19 | Cubs v. Brewers UNDER 8.5 | 10-13 | Loss | -109 | 18 h 6 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers renew their rivalry on Friday night in Milwaukee. Chicago is off to a terrible 1-5 start to the season. Milwaukee is off to a great 6-1 start to the season. These two teams don't like each other a bit, and there have been a bunch of low scoring games between these two in recent years. The under is 24-6 in the last 30 meetings between these two teams. Brandon Woodruff has good velocity on his fastball, and he has some pretty good secondary pitches. Woodruff has some upside, and this Cubs lineup has really struggled to string together hits this season. Jose Quintana has been amazing against Milwaukee in his career. Quintana has a 1.62 ERA in 11 career starts against the Brewers. He has a 1.55 ERA in six starts at Miller Park. The Cubs bullpen is a concern, and I think putting a portion of this under play on the first five innings under is definitely something to consider. The Milwaukee bullpen is very good though, and Josh Hader is well rested for this one. I see a close low scoring contest here. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-03-19 | Spurs v. Nuggets UNDER 213.5 | 85-113 | Win | 100 | 9 h 42 m | Show | |
*3 Star NBA 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Denver Nuggets offense has been a mess of late. In their last 8 games, Denver ranks last in the NBA in offensive efficiency. It's hard to imagine, but yes they are actually behind the Bulls and the Knicks during their last eight games. Denver's defense has been solid during this time. The Nuggets rank 10th in the NBA in defensive efficiency in their last eight games. San Antonio is playing at the 28th fastest pace out of 30 teams in the league in their last eight games. Denver ranks 29th in tempo during that time. Both of these teams have been slowing the game down. Late in the season, unders between good teams have been very good in recent seasons. The angle is stronger when they are teams from the same conference. This one definitely fits. The under is 7-0 in the Spurs last 7 vs. a Western Conference foe. The under is 4-0 in the Nuggets last 4 home games. The under is 5-0 in the Nuggets last 5 vs. the NBA Southwest Division. A 16-0 angle. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-02-19 | Nuggets v. Warriors UNDER 222 | 102-116 | Win | 100 | 21 h 43 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Golden State Warriors are back to playing better defense of late. For the season, Golden State ranks only 14th in defensive efficiency. Golden State hasn't played like a team that is terribly motivated during much of the regular season. The Warriors rank sixth in defensive efficiency in their last 10 games. Denver ranks as the second slowest paced team in the NBA in the last 10 games. The Nuggets have decided to try to slow things down quite a bit. Golden State is no longer one of the fastest teams in the league. In fact, Golden State ranks 21st in the NBA in pace in their last ten games. Denver ranks 11th in the NBA in defensive efficiency in their last 10 games. The Nuggets rank 25th in the NBA in offensive efficiency in their last 10 games. Both teams should be motivated here as the two teams fight for playoff seeding in the Western Conference. Late in the season, taking two good teams playing against each other to go under the total has been a very strong angle in the past few seasons. Take the under. |
|||||||
04-02-19 | Texas v. TCU UNDER 140 | 58-44 | Win | 100 | 116 h 21 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Longhorns meet in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden. This is a strange game in that it is a Big 12 showdown in New York City. It's the third time these two teams have played each other this year. The first two games between these two teams finished at 125 and 126 points total. Texas ranks 35th in the country in defensive efficiency. TCU ranks 33rd in the nation in defensive efficiency. Very early in the small postseason tournaments (NIT, CBI, CIT) the over has been a huge moneymaker in the past. Later in these tournaments, the under has had a lot of value. These games start meaning more now. You're this far into the tournament, so why wouldn't you try to go win the thing? The defensive intensity tends to pick up on average, and the tempo slows down a bit. Madison Square Garden is arguably the best under arena you'll find for a college basketball game. The under is 60-39-2 in the last 101 postseason games at MSG with a total of 127.5 or higher. In the NIT semifinals or finals, the under is 26-8 in the last 34 contests with a total of 129 or higher. Take the under here. |
|||||||
04-01-19 | Angels v. Mariners OVER 8.5 | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 21 h 40 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* These two teams have weak bullpens. Seattle has a bottom five bullpen in baseball. The Angels have a bottom ten bullpen in the majors. Felix Hernandez was once a very dominant starter, but he's not a top 100 pitcher in the majors now. Chris Stratton doesn't have elite stuff, and he walks too many batters. That's a bad combination, especially in the American League. The Angels offense looked really bad against the A's in their last series, but Oakland's bullpen is elite. They won't be up against an elite bullpen here. The Mariners bullpen is already gassed and they aren't good. I would expect both teams to get plenty of scoring chances throughout this game. The over is 6-0 in Hernandez's last 6 starts vs. an AL West opponent. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-31-19 | Indians v. Twins UNDER 7 | 3-9 | Loss | -103 | 12 h 15 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Cleveland Indians offense is weaker this year, and they are much weaker without Francisco Lindor healthy. There is less pop in this offense right now, and they have quite a few high strikeout batters in the lineup. Michael Pineda has never realized his full potential, but he has great swing and miss stuff. Pineda should be able to miss quite a few bats with the lineup Cleveland is going to run out there. Carlos Carrasco is a tremendous starting pitcher. I think he is a top 10 or 12 starter in the majors. Carrasco has become so much more consistent, and his ability to work deep into the game is important since the Indians no longer have a really deep bullpen. The Twins are without Miguel Sano and that hurts this lineup. Minnesota has plenty of power, but Carrasco has been great at suppressing home runs. The cold weather is a plus for the under too since the ball doesn't carry well in these temperatures. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-30-19 | White Sox v. Royals UNDER 8 | 6-8 | Loss | -114 | 14 h 38 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* Reynaldo Lopez and Jake Junis are both starting pitchers with plenty of potential. They haven't been the most consistent starters, but they have the potential to shut down the opposition. There are a couple key factors working in their advantage on Saturday. First, Ron Kulpa will be behind the plate, and he has always been an excellent under umpire. That's something I keep a close eye on, and it can definitely make a difference. Second, cold weather and winds blowing in are a big help here. Early in the season (game 25 or earlier), cold weather and winds blowing in at 10 mph or more have been better than 60% to the under in the past five years. This one fits the system nicely. The White Sox bullpen has gotten better. The Royals do still have a weak bullpen, but it is slightly better than a year ago. Both of these offenses have tons of question marks. The under is 6-0-1 in the last 7 meetings between these two teams. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-29-19 | Houston v. Kentucky UNDER 135 | 58-62 | Win | 100 | 55 h 54 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Kentucky Wildcats rank 8th in the nation in defensive efficiency. Houston ranks 12th in defensive efficiency. Houston ranks 1st in effective field goal percentage defense. While both teams are pretty good on offense, the strength of both teams is their defense. Kentucky has slowed their tempo down drastically in recent weeks. The Wildcats have played 7 of their last 10 ten games to a pace of 64 possessions or slower. Kentucky ranks 274th in tempo overall in the country. Houston ranks 247th in overall pace in the country. Houston has been held to a low number on offense in several big games this year. In fact, they scored 61 points or less in two of their last four games. This should be a very good game played between two physical teams. I'll keep this one to a 3 star play because if we get referees who want to blow the whistle a lot, this one could go over the total. Overall though, I see a tight low scoring game in this showdown to see who gets to the Elite 8. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-29-19 | Nuggets v. Thunder UNDER 221 | 115-105 | Win | 100 | 17 h 24 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Western Conference playoff standings are really tight. The team in first place is only 8 games ahead of the team in eighth place. Just 1.5 games separate 5th from 8th place. Denver is in second place right now in the standings, but they could still fall to 3rd or 4th or even regain the top spot. Oklahoma City sits in 7th, but they are just one game out of 5th. This game means a lot to both teams. The more these games mean late in the season, the more I lean toward the under to begin with. There are more reasons to like the under in this one too. Denver has seen 11 of their last 13 games stay under this number. The Nuggets have slowed their pace drastically. The Nuggets are playing at the second slowest tempo in the NBA in the last 10 games. Oklahoma City has a history of playing top opponents to lower scoring games. The under is 37-16-1 in the Thunder's last 54 games against a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. Paul George is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury for this game. He'll likely try to play, but he is less than 100 percent. The under is 13-3 in the Nuggets last 16 vs. the Western Conference. The under is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings between these two teams. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-28-19 | Texas Tech v. Michigan UNDER 126.5 | 63-44 | Win | 100 | 55 h 17 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Texas Tech Red Raiders rank first in the nation in defensive efficiency. Michigan ranks second in the nation in defensive efficiency. There is going to be some tremendous defense played in this game. If there is a lot of scoring, it will be because the teams are hitting tough shots. This game is played at the Honda Center in Anaheim. This has been a tremendous under venue in college basketball. In the last 55 games with a total of 124.5 or higher at Honda Center, the under is a whopping 40-15. Michigan's offense ranks 290th in the country in tempo, so they move very slowly. Texas Tech ranks at 253rd out of 353, so they move pretty slowly as well. This game should be played in the halfcourt, and both defenses are excellent. These are two extremely well-coached teams. Both coaching staffs should have a great idea of what the other team wants to do here. That should help the defenses. With the venue being an extra bonus, I think the defenses look great here. It's a low number for a good reason. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-28-19 | Florida State v. Gonzaga UNDER 147.5 | 58-72 | Win | 100 | 52 h 0 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Gonzaga Bulldogs lost to the Florida State Seminoles last year in the Sweet 16. Gonzaga is very excited for the chance to get them back this season. Florida State's length really bothered Gonzaga's offense last year. Florida State just put up 90 points in a blowout win over Murray State in the Round of 32. Keep in mind though, this is a Florida State offense that really struggled at times this year. They rank 171st in the country in effective field goal percentage offense. Florida State is shooting only 33.7% from 3 point range on the season. Gonzaga's offense is great. The Bulldogs did feast on a weak schedule though. They faced the 104th toughest slate of defenses this year. Gonzaga did struggle more against the better defenses they faced this year (Tennessee, St. Mary's). Florida State ranks 10th in the nation in defensive efficiency, and they should give Gonzaga a tougher time than most teams have. Florida State would be well served to play this game more in the halfcourt and force Gonzaga to stay out of the paint as much as possible. This game is played at the Honda Center in Anaheim. This has been a tremendous under venue in college basketball. In the last 55 games with a total of 124.5 or higher at Honda Center, the under is a whopping 40-15. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-27-19 | Pacers v. Thunder UNDER 216.5 | 99-107 | Win | 100 | 29 h 46 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* It has been a strong angle in the past decade to take the under in a game between two good teams late in the year. Both of these have plenty to play for. Oklahoma City's recent slump has dropped them to 8th in the playoff standings, but they are just one game behind fifth place. Indiana sits in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They certainly want to fight hard to stay there so they have home court advantage in the first round. I like to look at recent performance this time of the year. In their last 8 games, Indiana ranks 26th in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Oklahoma City ranks 27th during this time. What about on defense? Indiana ranks 4th best in the NBA. Oklahoma City ranks 6th best in the NBA during this period when it comes to defensive efficiency. Both of these teams can go through offensive droughts, but both play tough defense. This game projects as a defensive battle. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-26-19 | Florida International v. Green Bay OVER 176.5 | 68-98 | Loss | -109 | 30 h 47 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* I'll start by saying this is an extremely high total, and normally I wouldn't play an over at this number. There are a couple key reasons I'll take the over in this game though. This is a second round game in the CIT, which is a small postseason tournament. These smaller postseason tournaments in the early rounds have gone over the total at a very high rate. Green Bay's last game against East Tennessee State finished at 102-94. Both teams did shoot very well in that one. FIU's last game finished 87-81. That was against a Texas State team that tries to stall as much as possible. FIU ranks first in the country in tempo. Green Bay ranks 10th overall in tempo and 8th in their offensive length of possession. These two teams absolutely fly. The quotes from Linc Darner, coach of Green Bay, suggest he expects a game with both teams pressing all game and running. With two teams pressing and both teams pretty good at drawing fouls, there should be quite a few trips to the line. Additionally, both of these defenses are bad at grabbing defensive rebounds so I would expect plenty of second chance opportunities. It's a very high number, but I think this one gets to 180 or more. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-24-19 | Ohio State v. Houston UNDER 132 | 59-74 | Loss | -110 | 31 h 49 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Houston Cougars rank first in the nation in effective field goal percentage defense. Ohio State ranks 21st in the nation in defensive efficiency. Houston ranks 252nd in the nation in tempo. Ohio State is 277th in the nation in tempo. Both Kelvin Sampson and Chris Holtmann generally prefer to play at a slow pace. Ohio State doesn't have much offensive firepower, and I would assume their game plan is to make sure this is a halfcourt game. Both teams are far better at defense than offense, and this is a game that decides who gets to the Sweet 16. There is clearly plenty of incentive to work extremely hard on defense. In a regular setting, I think 130 is a fair number for the total here. In a game like this that means much more, I think this total should be in the 120's. The under is 6-0-1 in Houston's last 7 neutral site games. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-24-19 | Spurs v. Celtics UNDER 220 | 115-96 | Win | 100 | 15 h 12 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The San Antonio Spurs defense has been much better in recent weeks. The Spurs rank third in the NBA in defensive efficiency in their last 12 games. San Antonio ranks 23rd in tempo in that period as well, so they are slowing things down. Brad Stevens was very upset with Boston's defensive effort in their last game, and you have to think they work harder on that end in this game. The Celtics have key players banged up that could slow the offense too. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford will either play at less than 100% or miss this game. Sunday has been the best day for unders in the NBA in the long run, and it isn't even close. This is a high total with two teams who have plenty to play for here. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-24-19 | Nuggets v. Pacers UNDER 211.5 | 88-124 | Loss | -109 | 13 h 38 m | Show | |
*3 Star NBA 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Indiana Pacers rank second worst in the NBA in offensive efficiency in their last ten games. Indiana also ranks 23rd in tempo. The Nuggets rank 28th in tempo, and Denver's defense is clearly better than it was a year ago. The under is 13-3 in Denver's last 16 road games. A game between two good teams at this time of the season is a good under system in the past 15 years. This game means plenty to both teams. Sunday has been the single best day to bet unders in the NBA by a wide margin. This is a Sunday afternoon contest. The under is 7-0 in the Nuggets last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 7-0 in their last 7 games following an ATS loss. The under is 6-0 in their last 6 vs. the Eastern Conference. The under is 5-0 in the Pacers last 5 following a loss by 10 points or more. A 25-0 angle. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-23-19 | Lipscomb v. NC-Greensboro OVER 151.5 | 86-69 | Win | 100 | 47 h 37 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The UNC Greensboro Spartans use a full court press to keep the tempo going. Lipscomb ranks in the 94th percentile in the country in press offense. The Bison will be happy to play fast, and they should be able to get some quick scores against the press. UNCG will also create some turnovers and scoring opportunities from that press. Lipscomb ranks 14th quickest in average possession time on the season. UNCG ranks 77th out of 353 in tempo on offense. These teams love to play fast to start with. These postseason tournament games early in the tournament have been great over plays in the last few seasons. This one should be up and down all the way. Both teams have had fast paced high scoring games in the first round. They should repeat that here. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-22-19 | UCF v. VCU OVER 126.5 | 73-58 | Win | 100 | 20 h 44 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* The VCU Rams offense moves at the 40th quickest pace of any team in the country in terms of average possession length. I would expect VCU to move even faster than normal in a game like this. They know they can't get into a halfcourt game against a team with a 7'6 shot blocker like Tacko Fall in the middle. They'll look for every chance to get out in transition. UCF hasn't faced a press like VCU's much at all this year, and at times they have struggled with turnovers. VCU should get some easy chances off turnovers. VCU's defense has been very good this year. Still, I think UCF's ability to draw fouls is key in this one. UCF is second in the nation in FTA/FGA. VCU fouls a lot based on their pressure defense. Look for BJ Taylor to be at the line a lot here. VCU is also good at getting to the free throw line. Both teams are good at getting second chance opportunities. With both teams getting second chance points and both teams getting to the line, this is a low total. With the spread where it is, overtime is a possibility and a foul fest late is possible as well. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-22-19 | Cal-Irvine v. Kansas State UNDER 119 | 70-64 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 59 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Kansas State offense isn't the same without Dean Wade. Wade is a big man who can score in the post or step out and shoot or facilitate the offense. Kansas State becomes too guard-oriented without him. The Wildcats can still play elite defense without Wade. Kansas State ranks 4th in the nation in defensive efficiency (one spot ahead of Virginia). Bruce Weber's team is going to be easily the best defense UC Irvine has faced this year. In fact, Irvine hasn't gone against a team in the top 40 in the country in defensive efficiency. Kansas State's offense can be a mess without Wade, and UC Irvine has been very good defensively for several years under coach Russell Turner. UC Irvine ranks first in the nation in 2 point field goal percentage defense. Both teams play at an extremely slow tempo. This game tips off at 11 am local time, so this is an early start for these teams and that on the whole is a positive for the under. This total is very low, but UC Irvine has played 8 games under this number this year. Kansas State has played 12 games under this number. Take the under here. |
|||||||
03-21-19 | St. Mary's v. Villanova UNDER 131 | 57-61 | Win | 100 | 22 h 56 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The St. Mary's Gaels and the Villanova Wildcats meet on Thursday night in Connecticut. Both of these teams play very slowly. In terms of average possession length, Villanova ranks 339th out of 353 teams. St. Mary's is even slower at 350th out of 353 teams. This game should be played in the halfcourt throughout. St. Mary's has some impressive numbers at home this year on offense, but their road and neutral offensive efficiencies are much lower. The Gaels averaged 1.202 points per possession at home this year. They averaged 1.085 points per possession on the road. They averaged 1.077 points per possession on neutral courts. They are a long way from home in this one, and neutral courts like this one tend to lean toward the under. Villanova ranks in the top 5 in most three point shots attempted. The Wildcats go against a St. Mary's defense who ranks 44th in 3 point field goal percentage defense. St. Mary's has ranked in the top 44 each of the last three years when it comes to defending beyond the arc. Look for a low scoring contest thanks in large part to the tempo this game will be played at. Both teams also rank in the top 80 in the nation in defending without fouling, so barring a ref show there shouldn't be too many free throws in this one. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-20-19 | Green Bay v. East Tennessee State OVER 152.5 | 102-94 | Win | 100 | 50 h 52 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The Green Bay Phoenix rank 8th in the country in quickest possession length on offense. Green Bay always runs and they'll continue to do so here. East Tennessee State is right in the middle of the pack at 181st. The Bucs have shown the willingness to run against the likes of Georgia Southern, VMI, and Western Carolina this year. Green Bay will be the fastest paced team they have played all year. This is a small postseason tournament, where overs have done exceptionally well in the first couple rounds in the past decade. Why? The pace usually picks up because there is less on the line. East Tennessee State should dominate on the glass against a Green Bay team that gives up second chance points by the bunches. This is several points too low in what should be a really high tempo contest. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-20-19 | Grand Canyon v. West Virginia OVER 151 | 63-77 | Loss | -110 | 49 h 14 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* Both Grand Canyon and West Virginia like to push the pace. There are a lot of teams in their leagues who prefer to slow the game down, but now they get to go up against another team who likes to run. Grand Canyon was an elite defense last year. They aren't this season. Grand Canyon was 3rd in the country in effective field goal percentage defense last year. They are 149th this season. West Virginia picked up the pace quite a bit in their last few games. They have played 6 of their last 7 games to a pace of 71 possessions or quicker. Seven of their last eight games have finished at 153 points or higher. This is a small postseason tournament, where overs have done exceptionally well in the first couple rounds in the past decade. Why? The pace usually picks up because there is less on the line. Look for an uptempo game here. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-20-19 | UAB v. Brown OVER 135.5 | 78-83 | Win | 100 | 49 h 0 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* The UAB Blazers go to Brown to take on the Brown Bears from the Ivy League. This is a CBI contest. Both of these teams have pretty good defensive numbers on the year, but these defenses aren't as good as they look. Why? Both have played a bunch of weak offenses. UAB has faced the 276th strongest offenses in the country according to KenPom (compared to 125th best defenses). Brown has faced the 249th toughest slate of offenses (185th defenses). Essentially, both teams played in leagues where they didn't have to go up against many good offenses. This is a small postseason tournament, where overs have done exceptionally well in the first couple rounds in the past decade. Why? The pace usually picks up because there is less on the line. Brown ranks 40th in overall tempo in the country (out of 353 teams), so they really push the pace. This is a very low total in a small postseason game with one team pushing the pace that much. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-19-19 | Loyola-Chicago v. Creighton OVER 134 | 61-70 | Loss | -110 | 29 h 48 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* This is a low total for an early smaller postseason tournament contest. These games are generally much faster paced than the regular season contests. This is an NIT game, and they have changed the rules for this year's NIT as an experiment. The 3 point line is a bit farther back (FIBA distance), but the shot clock resets to only 20 on an offensive rebound. Additionally, on the 2nd foul in the last two minutes teams will shoot two shots no matter how many fouls they have committed in that period. There will be no 1 and 1 attempts. Fouls will be reset every 10 minutes and after 5 fouls teams will shoot two shots. These rule changes on the whole favor more scoring and a quicker pace. Creighton has been really efficient at home this year. Creighton saw 15 of their 17 games at home go over this posted total. Loyola Chicago ranked 31st in effective field goal percentage defense last year, but they are only 176th in that metric this season. They rank 293rd in 3 point defense, and Creighton shoots the 13th highest percentage of 3 pointers of any team in the country. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-19-19 | IUPU-Indianapolis v. Marshall OVER 163.5 | 73-78 | Loss | -110 | 26 h 29 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The Marshall Thundering Herd love to run. Marshall ranks 7th in the nation in tempo. The Thundering Herd have gotten more efficient on offense as the season has moved along. IUPUI ranks 120th in tempo, so they play relatively quickly as well. The Jaguars rank 320th in the nation in 3 point percentage defense. Marshall ranks in the top 40 in the country in most 3 pointers attempted. The Thundering Herd should get some easy looks from long range. IUPUI's biggest strength on offense is their ability to grab offensive rebounds. Marshall's single biggest weakness is defensive rebounding. They rank 338th out of 353 teams in the country in defensive rebounding percentage. Overs have done really well in the early rounds of the smaller postseason tournaments. They have done especially well in games with two teams with a winning percentage under 60% for the season. This game fits that system. Jon Elmore needs 20 points to become Marshall's all time scoring leader, and that should lead Marshall to push the pace even more here. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-18-19 | Pacers v. Blazers UNDER 213.5 | 98-106 | Win | 100 | 20 h 35 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Portland Blazers are without C.J. McCollum here. McCollum has a knee injury. Without McCollum, the Blazers lose a major offensive weapon. Portland doesn't have the great second scoring option in the backcourt now. On other hand, McCollum's defensive stats have never been very good, and they might be a bit better on defense with him on the bench. Indiana is without their best scorer in Oladipo as well. The Pacers have scored 108 points or less in six straight games. They have scored 105 points or less in 5 of their last 6 games. The Pacers slow the game down, and they'll try to avoid a high scoring contest here. Portland's tempo is slightly below league average, and without McCollum it should be tough for them to be as efficient on offense. This is a game between two good teams late in the year. That's a solid under angle in the NBA in the past decade. The under is 23-8 in the Pacers last 31 games vs a team with a 60% or higher winning percentage. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-17-19 | Texas-Arlington v. Georgia State UNDER 140 | 64-73 | Win | 100 | 16 h 27 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The UT Arlington Mavericks and the Georgia State Panthers meet in the Sun Belt Tournament final to decide who will represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament. Georgia State plays a unique zone defense that can be a very tricky matchup. UT Arlington isn't efficient against a man offense (26th percentile in the country), but they are even worse against a zone defense (15th percentile). Georgia State isn't very good in transition defense, but Arlington ranks in the 2nd percentile in transition offense. Georgia State has a solid offense, but I've been impressed with UT Arlington's ability to switch up their defenses. They have a solid man defense and a solid zone defense. The Mavericks do struggle with turnovers on the offensive end, and I see quite a few turnovers there. Lakefront Arena is the venue here and the under has done well here. The under is 32-19 in the 51 postseason games played here. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-16-19 | Eastern Washington v. Montana UNDER 142.5 | 62-68 | Win | 100 | 10 h 25 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Montana Grizzlies and Eastern Washington Eagles play for a berth in the NCAA Tournament tonight. Both of their games in the regular season played to a pretty slow pace, but the shooting was good. In this game, I would expect the pace to slow down some. After all, this game means far more than those regular season matchups did. These are two of the top defenses in the Big Sky. This is a game played at a large arena in CenturyLink at Boise. This is a positive for the under as well. Look for a tightly played game. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-16-19 | Georgia Southern v. Texas-Arlington UNDER 147 | 58-67 | Win | 100 | 8 h 18 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The UT Arlington Mavericks like to slow the game down. They are the second ranked defense in the Sun Belt. Georgia Southern plays extremely fast, but they aren't always efficient on offense. Georgia Southern is the third ranked defense in the Sun Belt. The two regular season meetings between these two teams finished at 139 and 141 points. This game is the semifinal game in the Sun Belt Tournament, and there is a lot more on the line than there was in either of the first two meetings. This game is also played at Lakefront Arena, which is noted for being a difficult shooting backdrop. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-16-19 | CS-Fullerton v. UC-Santa Barbara UNDER 138.5 | 64-58 | Win | 100 | 13 h 50 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* Cal State Fullerton won in overtime yesterday against UC Davis. UCSB won by 3 over Cal State Northridge. These two teams both played to a slower pace than their season average. These games mean more now. If they lose they go home. That typically leads to a slower pace. Cal State Fullerton is 280th in the nation in offensive efficiency. They are averaging only 0.98 points per possession this year. UCSB is solid on offense, but they rank 314th in the nation in tempo. Cal State Fullerton ranked 2nd in the Big West in defensive efficiency. UCSB ranked 4th. Honda Center is the venue here, and this is a massive hockey arena. These teams aren't accustomed to the spacious backdrop and that has caused massive shooting problems from Big West teams here in the past. The under is a whopping 33-8 in the last 41 Big West Tournament games here with a total of 131 or higher. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-15-19 | George Mason v. St Bonaventure UNDER 131.5 | 57-68 | Win | 100 | 2 h 38 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The St. Bonaventure Bonnies have been excellent on defense of late. How good? The Bonnies have allowed 58 points or less in six of their last eight games. They haven't allowed more than 64 points in any of those eight games. George Mason's offense has been struggling late in the season. George Mason scored just 37 points on VCU recently, and they struggled to a 61-57 win over a bad George Washington defense yesterday. The two meetings between these teams this year were played at a slow tempo. The first game finished at 121 points. The second game went to 135 points because St. Bonaventure made 11/19 three pointers and averaged 1.25 points per possession. They average only 1.01 points per possession and this game is on a neutral floor. It is win or go home time for both teams. The under generally does well on neutral court games like this one. St. Bonaventure has played six straight games under this number. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-14-19 | Long Beach State v. Hawaii UNDER 147 | 68-66 | Win | 100 | 51 h 22 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* Hawaii and Long Beach State met twice during the regular season. One game finished with a total of 131 points. The second game finished at 147 points with some extremely good 3 point shooting numbers. Hawaii doesn't like to run as much as Long Beach State, and I think Hawaii has the guards to slow this game down and turn it into more of a halfcourt style game. This game is played at the Honda Center. You won't find a better under venue, especially for a small conference like this. The Big West schools are small, and they aren't accustomed to playing in a big venue like this one. This is a hockey arena and the shooting backdrop is very tricky for basketball. The under is a whopping 30-7 in the last 37 games here with a total of 131 or higher. With a total set this high and two teams fighting hard to play another day in a hockey arena, I have to take the under here. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-14-19 | Thunder v. Pacers UNDER 222 | 106-108 | Win | 100 | 18 h 47 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA Red Hot CASH* The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers meet on Thursday night. Oklahoma City played last night and picked up a win against Brooklyn. Their defense was very good in that game, but the offense wasn't very good outside of Russell Westbrook who had a great game. The Oklahoma City offense has struggled in the past ten games. The Thunder rank 29th out of 30 teams in the NBA in offensive efficiency in their last ten. They have still been solid on defense though up in 5th in the NBA in defensive efficiency during that time. Indiana ranks 26th in tempo, and they aren't going to want to get out and run with Oklahoma City here. Two good teams squaring off late in the season is a solid under angle in the long run, and I see several reasons to like this one to stay under this fairly high number. The under is 42-19 in OKC's last 61 games against a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. The under is 21-8 in the Pacers last 29 vs. a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. The under is 35-16 in Indiana's last 51 home games. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-14-19 | UC-Davis v. CS-Fullerton UNDER 132 | 71-75 | Loss | -110 | 45 h 22 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* Both UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton are very inefficient on offense. Both teams are very good on defense. UC Davis ranks 307th in offensive efficiency in the country. Fullerton ranks 288th. UC Davis is 156th in defensive efficiency. Fullerton ranks 115th on defense. These two teams played twice in the regular season. The final scores were 120 and 125 points total. They were hard fought defensive battles. This game is played at the Honda Center. You won't find a better under venue, especially for a small conference like this. The Big West schools are small, and they aren't accustomed to playing in a big venue like this one. This is a hockey arena and the shooting backdrop is very tricky for basketball. The under is a whopping 30-7 in the last 37 games here with a total of 131 or higher. With this game meaning more than their two regular season games, the tempo is likely to slow down a bit as well. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-14-19 | CS-Northridge v. UC-Santa Barbara UNDER 148 | Top | 68-71 | Win | 100 | 43 h 51 m | Show |
*5 Star Top Play Under* The Big West Tournament gets underway on Thursday. UCSB and Cal State Northridge will tip things off at noon pacific. This game is played at the Honda Center. You won't find a better under venue, especially for a small conference like this. The Big West schools are small, and they aren't accustomed to playing in a big venue like this one. This is a hockey arena and the shooting backdrop is very tricky for basketball. The under is a whopping 30-7 in the last 37 games here with a total of 131 or higher. Cal State Northridge has slowed down their pace here late in the season. UCSB is one of the slowest paced teams in the league. While both are solid offensively, this is a really high number in this arena for an early start time. Both of these teams rank in the top five in the Big West at defending without fouling. This number is several points too high. Take the under. *This line has moved a bit since I first played this game. I would play this game as a 5 star Top play down to 145 and as a 4 star play at anything below that. Thank you* |
|||||||
03-14-19 | Creighton v. Xavier UNDER 143 | 61-63 | Win | 100 | 14 h 2 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Xavier Musketeers have been mixing in zone defense of late, and it has really helped them. Xavier in the bottom 20% of the country in man defense, but their zone defense ranks in top 1/3 of all zone defenses in the country. Creighton is excellent against man defense. Creighton ranks 97th percentile according to Synergy Sports against man defense. The Blue Jays have struggled against zone though. They rank in the 36th percentile against zone defenses. Creighton tends to play a little bit fast. The Blue Jays rank 123rd in the nation in tempo. Xavier ranks 310th in tempo, and they'll work to slow this game down. The two regular season meetings were both very low scoring games, and Xavier was able to dictate the pace. I don't see any reason that they can't do the same here. Xavier's defense improved drastically late in the year. During a six game losing stretch in the middle of the season, they allowed 74 points or more in 5 of those 6 games. In their last 7 games, Xavier went 6-1. During that time, they didn't allow more than 73 points in a game. They allowed 61 points or less in three of those games. Madison Square Garden has been a tremendous under court for many years. It's a difficult shooting backdrop. Both regular season meetings stayed under this total by more than 10 points. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-13-19 | Butler v. Providence UNDER 136 | 57-80 | Loss | -110 | 18 h 49 m | Show | |
*3 Star CBB Total DOMINATION* The Providence Friars are different than all the other teams in the Big East. Providence switches up their defense often. Ed Cooley does a good job keeping opposing offenses uncomfortable with these changes. Providence wants to slow the game down and make it sloppy. Butler ranks 7th in the Big East in tempo. Providence ranks 8th in tempo in this league. Neither one of these teams want to push the pace much. These two teams have played each other twice in the last two weeks. I tend to think that helps the defenses since they have a lot of recent video to look at the opponents offensive sets. This game will be played at Madison Square Garden. It's been the most consistent under venue in college basketball. The under is 67-45-2 in postseason NCAA BB games at MSG. The under improves to 57-33 (62.2%) when the total is 127.5 or higher in a postseason game here. The fact that these two just played a high scoring game against each other gives us some line value. This game means more to both teams. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-13-19 | CS Sacramento v. Northern Arizona UNDER 142.5 | 72-60 | Win | 100 | 16 h 48 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* These two teams meet at 9:30 am local time. This is an extremely early start time in a gym that neither team has played in all year. It's a bigger arena than these teams are accustomed to as well. Early start times are a help for the under in general, because it changes routines. A bigger venue that is new to everyone is another big plus. The two games during the regular season between these two went to 144 points and 130 points. Neither of them were played very fast. This game means more than those games did because it is a win or go home tournament. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-12-19 | Blazers v. Clippers UNDER 233 | 125-104 | Win | 100 | 11 h 46 m | Show | |
*3 Star NBA System Play SMASHER* The LA Clippers host the Portland Blazers on Tuesday night. The Clippers are coming off an offensive outburst last night over the Boston Celtics. Portland has had several days off to prepare for this game. In their last ten games, the Clippers rank fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency. The Blazers rank 14th in that time in defensive efficiency. Portland likely tries to slow the game down a bit here. The Blazers rank only 19th in the NBA in pace in their last ten games. There is a strong totals system regarding conference games in play here: -A total of 227 or higher -Game 5 of the season or later -Public bet percentage on the under of 48% or less -Total has either stayed flat from the open or gone up. The under is a whopping 82-36 (69.5%) since 2005 in this system. This game fits the system. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-11-19 | College of Charleston v. Northeastern UNDER 140 | 67-70 | Win | 100 | 10 h 51 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* Northeastern and College of Charleston both prefer to play at a slow tempo. Northeastern ranks 250th in the country in tempo. Charleston ranks 290th in the country in tempo. The two regular season games between these two finished regulation with 129 and 138 points. This game means much more since it is a one loss and you are done tournament format here. It is also at a neutral site where the shooting backdrop is more difficult. These two played at this site in the tournament last year and they finished regulation at 130 points. I would expect a pretty slow pace here, and I think this total is a few points too high considering how much is riding on this game. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-10-19 | Siena v. Iona UNDER 142.5 | 57-73 | Win | 105 | 8 h 59 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Siena Saints have played 19 games against MAAC opponents this year. Two of those 19 games have gone over this total. Siena ranks as the slowest paced team in the country using up 21.5 seconds per possession on offense. The Saints know they need to slow the game down to have their best chance of winning against a good offense in Iona. Both regular season meeting between these two stayed well under the total. The last time these two met the posted total was 135. Why would the total jump 7.5 points when this game is an even more important matchup? I thought this game should be lined around 136 or so- I see a big edge here. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-10-19 | Northern Iowa v. Bradley UNDER 125 | 54-57 | Win | 100 | 4 h 21 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Bradley Braves and Northern Iowa Panthers meet today and the winner goes to the NCAA Tournament. Enterprise Center has been a massive under arena, and the MVC is a defensive-minded league. I don't see any reason to expect anything other than a defensive slugfest in the final game in the MVC Tournament here. Both of these teams prefer to slow the game down. Both teams can also go through long scoring droughts. With the poor shooting backdrop in St. Louis (this is a hockey arena), and the very high stakes on the line here, I look for a tight low scoring game. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-10-19 | Connecticut v. East Carolina UNDER 143 | 82-73 | Loss | -113 | 12 h 57 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The UConn Huskies will be without Alterique Gilbert here. He sustained an injury in the Huskies last game. He has been the focal point of the offense of late. He is averaging 12.6 points per game. Jalen Adams has been out for several weeks now. He is listed as doubtful on Sunday again. UConn's offense has drastically slowed their pace of late. The Huskies have played five games in a row under their season average in pace. Their offensive efficiency has been below average in five of their last six as well. East Carolina ranks 334th in the country in offensive efficiency. This is a pretty high total for a game where the Huskies might be without their two best offensive players and the other team is a very weak offensive team. The first meeting between these two teams got to only 128 points total. I think East Carolina will work hard on defense here, and I don't think the Pirates will be very efficient against a UConn defense that plays hard from start to finish. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-10-19 | Bulls v. Pistons UNDER 217 | 108-131 | Loss | -109 | 11 h 52 m | Show | |
*4 Star NBA Early Bird Special* The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons play a very rare noon eastern start time contest on Sunday. These games have leaned pretty strongly to the under in the past to begin with, and in this one I like the angle even more with the clocks moving forward. This is essentially an 11 am start time on the body clock. Detroit has easily played at the slowest pace in the NBA in their last ten games. The Bulls rank in the bottom ten in the league in tempo as well. I don't think they'll be pushing the pace in this early game. These two just played each other as well, and that should help the under. I would expect a bit of a sloppy game here with some scoring droughts. The last game between these two stayed under the total despite some good shooting numbers. Take the under here. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | Northern Arizona v. Northern Colorado UNDER 144.5 | 89-78 | Loss | -110 | 18 h 43 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Northern Colorado Bears have been the best defense in the Big Sky Conference this year. Northern Colorado is allowing only 0.973 points per possession in the league. No one else is allowing less than 1 point per possession. Northern Colorado is also playing at the slowest pace of any team in the Big Sky. They are averaging 19.0 seconds per possession. Most in this league play much quicker. The Bears are winning games with defense and ball control. Northern Colorado has kept 14 of their 19 games in the league under this total. Northern Arizona is a slightly slower than average paced team. They aren't good either. In the first meeting between these two, N Colorado won 63-48 and it was played to a very slow pace of 60 possessions. Northern Colorado needs a win here to stay tied atop the Big Sky standings. This is the final game of the regular season. I would expect the intensity to be high from them. Northern Arizona is likely to have a hard time scoring. Northern Colorado should dictate the pace too. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | Monmouth v. Quinnipiac UNDER 136.5 | 98-92 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 32 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The under is a whopping 33-14 in the last 47 neutral site games at the Times Union Center in Albany where this one will be played. Quinnipiac is a good 3 point shooting team, but shooting a bunch of 3's in a tough shooting venue could lower their efficiency a bit here. Monmouth relies largely on transition offense and getting to the free throw line, but Quinnipiac is first in the league in transition defense and defending without fouling. There has been a line move up this morning and I'll take the extra points and go with the under here. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | Georgia State v. Georgia Southern UNDER 157.5 | 90-85 | Loss | -110 | 16 h 43 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Georgia Southern Eagles host the Georgia State Panthers in what is being billed as one of the biggest games ever for these two teams. These teams are rivals and games between these two are always spirited. This time there is even more on the line though. Georgia State and Georgia Southern are tied at the top of the Sun Belt (Texas State is as well). The winner of this game will at least share the Sun Belt regular season title. Georgia State is playing a zone defense, and that is key here. Georgia Southern's offense has been excellent against man defense this year, but they aren't very good against zone defenses. According to Synergy Sports, GA Southern is in the top 11% of offenses in the nation against man defenses. They rank in only the 47th percentile in zone offense. GA State will play a zone here. Georgia State relies heavily on the 3 point shot on offense. GA Southern is allowing opponents to shoot only 31.2% from three in the Sun Belt. These are two quality Sun Belt teams, and both of these teams have quality defenses. They do play fast, but in a game like this that means so much I expect it slow down a bit and the defensive intensity will go up even more. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | West Virginia v. Oklahoma State OVER 142 | 77-85 | Win | 100 | 21 h 40 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* For much of the Big 12 portion of their schedule, Oklahoma State was slowing the tempo to a crawl. With the end of the season near, and the games meaning far less now, the Cowboys have sped up drastically in their last three games. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | Texas State v. Texas-Arlington UNDER 128 | 73-81 | Loss | -109 | 3 h 5 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* Texas State and UT Arlington rank as the #1 and #2 defense in the Sun Belt. There are a lot of bad defenses in the Sun Belt. These two teams are very solid on defense. They also rank as the slowest and second slowest team in terms of tempo. Texas State is tied for first place in the Sun Belt. They need a win here to share the Sun Belt title. UT Arlington and Texas State are rivals, so there is always plenty of intensity for this matchup. The first meeting between these two was at 120 at the end of regulation, and the shooting numbers were actually slightly above average. The tempo was very slow the whole way. I think this line is several points too high. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | Syracuse v. Clemson UNDER 129.5 | 55-67 | Win | 100 | 11 h 51 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Clemson Tigers need this game badly. They are right on the bubble right now. Clemson has had a hard time picking up those marquee wins. Syracuse isn't a great team, but they are a quality team and a win over them would help Clemson a lot. Clemson's defense ranks 10th in the nation in defensive efficiency. The Tigers scrap and claw on defense, and it should be hard for Syracuse to get many open looks here. The Orange rely on getting offensive boards and getting to the line, but Clemson is good at clearing defensive boards and they are solid at defending without fouling. The biggest key here for me is Clemson's offense. Clemson shoots 33% from 3 point range. They aren't a good jump shooting team. They need to get into the paint. Syracuse plays that great matchup zone. Syracuse is second in the nation in blocked shots. They have some great rim protectors. Clemson ranks in the 57th percentile in offensive efficiency against man defenses. They rank only in the 26th percentile in offensive efficiency against zone defenses. This is the best zone defense they face. A game that means a lot and offenses faced with a very tough defensive matchup. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-09-19 | Florida Atlantic v. Marshall OVER 155 | 61-76 | Loss | -115 | 11 h 44 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The Marshall Thundering Herd are an offensive juggernaut. Marshall wasn't clicking on offense as expected for most of the season, but that has changed recently. The Thundering Herd have scored 1.142 points per possession or higher in four straight contests after struggling to hit the 1 point per possession mark during a lot of the conference season.They have scored 85 points or more in those four contests. Florida Atlantic has been a unique team this year in that they have played to the pace of their opponents. The Owls have played some very slow paced games against the teams who slow the game down. They have played extremely fast paced games against FIU and Marshall though. The first meeting against Marshall was 96-84 Marshall win. It isn't likely to get that high again here, but this total is set too low. This is the final game of the regular season and neither team has much of anything to play for other than pride. That has been good for over bettors at the end of the regular season in the past. Expect a very quick tempo here. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-08-19 | Illinois State v. Drake UNDER 140 | 62-78 | Push | 0 | 8 h 2 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* In the MVC Tournament, a total of 130.5 or higher is 40-16 in the last 56 games. Enterprise Center where these games are played for Arch Madness is a hockey arena and it is known for a bad shooting backdrop. The shooting numbers in these games are often very low. Drake and Illinois State played twice during the regular season. Both regular season meetings stayed well under this total. Drake's DJ Wilkins was one of their best offensive players, and he will miss this game with a broken ankle. Drake is bothered by the zone defense that Illinois State mixes in. Illinois State hasn't been efficient on offense all season long. At this venue with two teams who have matched up well defensively against each other, this number is too high. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-08-19 | St. Peter's v. Iona UNDER 137.5 | 71-73 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 21 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Iona Gaels have been known as a very high scoring game the last couple seasons. They are still good offensively this year, but they aren't nearly as good as they were the last two years. Iona has actually played 5 of their last 9 games below this total. They are up against a team who is terrible offensively and is stalling at every chance in this one as well. St. Peter's is a whopping 17-2 under this total in their last 19 games. They have to slow this game down to have a chance, and I expect them to do this. The first meeting between these teams finished at 108 points. At this venue- the under is a whopping 71-37 when the total is set at 135.5 or higher. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-08-19 | Bradley v. Missouri State UNDER 127.5 | 61-58 | Win | 100 | 23 h 36 m | Show | |
03-07-19 | Niagara v. Monmouth UNDER 140.5 | 72-76 | Loss | -110 | 20 h 58 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* Monmouth and Niagara meet here in a battle of two bad MAAC teams. The Times Union Center hosts this one. This has been one of the best under venues in all of college basketball of late. How good? The under is 89-47 in the last 136 games played here with a total of 127.5 or higher. Overall, the under is 32-11 in the last 43 games played here when it is a neutral site. Bad teams in conference tournaments have been good under bets on these neutral courts. The offenses are inefficient and the defenses tend to clamp down a bit more when the game is more important. This is a win or go home game for both teams. Niagara isn't good defensively, but they foul the least of any team in the conference. Monmouth has been very reliant on getting to the line to score. Niagara has slowed their tempo down late in the year, and I don't think they'll turn this into a track meet. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-07-19 | Evansville v. Illinois State UNDER 136.5 | 60-65 | Win | 100 | 19 h 22 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* Evansville has been very inefficient on offense this year. They have scored 65 points or fewer in 7 of their last 9 games. Those have been at normal venues, and this game is at a neutral site with a very tough backdrop. Evansville shoots a bunch of 3's, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they miss a bunch of them here. Illinois State has been running some zone defense of late, and Evansville ranks in the bottom 13% in the country in zone offense. Illinois State has scored 67 points or fewer in nine straight games. The RedBirds aren't a good shooting team. The Missouri Valley Conference has been playing at Enterprise Center for many years as part of Arch Madness. This was formerly known as Scottrade Center. This is a huge arena that is normally a hockey arena. It is noted for some poor shooting backdrops. The under has been terrific in neutral site games in the Missouri Valley Conference. How good? The under is a whopping 66-29 (69.5%) in the last 95 contests in the MVC when the total is 119.5 or higher. Most of these were at Enterprise Center. Neither of these teams get many second chance points. The venue is important here based on the historical numbers. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-07-19 | Valparaiso v. Indiana State UNDER 131.5 | 77-55 | Loss | -110 | 17 h 53 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Valparaiso Crusaders have been terrible on offense this year. Valparaiso has seen 10 of their last 12 games go under this posted total. Valparaiso has averaged 0.92 points per possession or worse in 12 of their 18 league games this season. The Missouri Valley Conference has been playing at Enterprise Center for many years as part of Arch Madness. This was formerly known as Scottrade Center. This is a huge arena that is normally a hockey arena. It is noted for some poor shooting backdrops. The under has been terrific in neutral site games in the Missouri Valley Conference. How good? The under is a whopping 66-29 (69.5%) in the last 95 contests in the MVC when the total is 119.5 or higher. Most of these were at Enterprise Center. Valparaiso is expected to be without Ryan Fazekas, their best scorer in this game. Indiana State is very sloppy on offense as well. The Sycamores don't pass the ball well, and too much isolation basketball can be easier to defend. Neither team gets many second chance opportunities. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-06-19 | Fresno State v. San Diego State UNDER 138 | 76-74 | Loss | -105 | 21 h 57 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Fresno State Bulldogs and San Diego State Aztecs meet on Wednesday night. These are two teams who are playing very well of late. Both of these teams are better defensively than they are on the offensive end. Fresno State ranks 6th in the MWC in offensive efficiency. They are third in defensive efficiency. San Diego State is 7th in offensive efficiency. They are 2nd in defensive efficiency. San Diego State's defense has been tremendous of late. The Aztecs have held 7 of their last 10 opponents to less than 0.99 points per possession. They are giving up only 0.916 points per possession at home this season. Their length and athleticism should bother Fresno State here. Six of San Diego State's last seven games have stayed under this total. Both of these teams have been struggling with turnovers on the offensive end. In a game with two solid defensive and a relatively slow pace, wasted possessions can really help the under. Take the under here. |
|||||||
03-06-19 | Florida International v. Marshall OVER 177.5 | 78-94 | Loss | -105 | 17 h 24 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* I'll start this off by saying I don't generally like playing extremely high overs, but this one shows enough value that I have to take it. My numbers show this game in the 183-183.5 range. FIU went to Marshall earlier this year and lost 105-97. There were a whopping 88 possessions in that game. When it comes to average possession length on offense, FIU is the fastest paced team in the nation. Marshall ranks 4th. That is out of 353 teams. This game is the second to last game for these teams and the end of the season often brings wide open and fast paced games from mediocre teams. I see no reason to expect anything other than an extremely quick tempo here. Marshall's offense has been much better at home this year. They have also been hitting their stride of late. Marshall has averaged 1.20 points per possession or higher in three straight contests. The Thundering Herd have allowed 1.10 points per possession or higher in 5 of their last 6 games. Both teams rank in the bottom 15 in the country in defensive rebounding so extra chances should be had here by both offenses. Both teams also foul a lot. A very high scoring contest. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-06-19 | LSU v. Florida UNDER 140.5 | 79-78 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 35 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Under* The Florida Gators have been a low scoring team all season. Game after game there has been steam on the over with this team, and yet more than 70% of the games have gone under the total. Florida is 18-4 to the under on this number in their last 22 games. If you exclude overtime, they would be 19-3 to the under on this number. Florida has clearly slowed down their pace even more of late. The Gators have played five straight games to at least a full possession slower than their season average. Florida has played 8 of their last 9 games below their season pace average. LSU has slowed their tempo down of late as well. Of LSU's six slowest paced games this year, four of them have come in since mid-February. This is a big game for both teams. LSU needs a win to keep pace with Tennessee in the SEC standings. Florida is on the bubble and needs big wins. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-03-19 | Notre Dame v. Louisville UNDER 136.5 | 61-75 | Win | 100 | 10 h 47 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Louisville Cardinals host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday afternoon. Louisville is on an ugly stretch where they have lost 5 of their last 6. Notre Dame has been disappointing this year as well. The issue for both teams of late has been their offenses. Notre Dame has scored 61 points or fewer in 7 of their last 10 games. Louisville has scored 59 points or less in four straight games. Notre Dame is very good at slowing the pace down. They have kept ten straight games to a tempo of 65.7 possessions or fewer. Louisville ranks in the middle of the pack in tempo. The Fighting Irish have played zone 1/3 of the time so far this year, and I have to think they'll try it in at least part of this game. Louisville has been miserable against zone defenses this season. Notre Dame isn't what they normally are on offense. In fact, the Fighting Irish rank 320th in the nation in effective field goal percentage offense. They shoot a bunch of 3's, and Louisville is only allowing opponents to shoot 29.8% from 3 in ACC action. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-03-19 | Blazers v. Hornets UNDER 228 | 118-108 | Win | 100 | 9 h 2 m | Show | |
*3 Star NBA Early Bird Special* The Charlotte Hornets host the Portland Blazers. The Blazers are in the middle of a long road trip, and they are coming off a hard fought loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. This is a very early start time on a Sunday afternoon. Sunday has been the single best under day in the NBA in the long-term, and it isn't even close. These early Sunday games tilt slightly more toward the under than the rest of the contests. Charlotte has had several high scoring games in a row, but that was against Brooklyn twice, Golden State, and Houston. Those teams have a lot of very high scoring contests. Portland ranks 23rd in tempo in their last 8 games. Charlotte ranks 21st in the NBA in tempo during that time. For two teams in the bottom ten of the NBA in tempo, this is a very high total. The under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings between these two teams. The under is 4-0 in Charlotte's last 4 vs. a team with a 60% or higher winning record. The under is 4-0 in the Blazers last 4 vs. a team with a losing record. A 14-0 angle. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-02-19 | Southern Utah v. Montana OVER 147.5 | 54-70 | Loss | -105 | 21 h 7 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* Montana ranks first in the league in offensive efficiency. This is a conference where there isn't much defense played. Montana has sped up of late without Akoh healthy in the middle. Montana's forwards can really stretch the floor, and the guards have quickness to get in the lane. Southern Utah gets to the free throw line more than any other team in the Big Sky Conference. Southern Utah should be able to get to the line plenty here. Montana will also get to the line plenty, since Southern Utah fouls a bunch on the defensive end. These teams played a very high scoring contest earlier this year. Montana has seen 11 of their 16 games go over this total in the conference. Southern Utah has seen 10 of 17 go over this total (3 of them fell only half a point below). Look for a fast paced game where free throws put it over the total. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-02-19 | Nevada v. Utah State UNDER 144.5 | 76-81 | Loss | -110 | 21 h 35 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Utah State Aggies defense has been tremendous this season. Craig Smith has really done an amazing job with this team. Utah State is 20th in the nation in effective field goal percentage defense. The Aggies rank in the top 4% of teams in the country in transition defense. That's important against a Nevada team that likes to try to get easy baskets in transition as often as they can. Nevada was a great team on offense last year. They are very good, but not quite as efficient on offense this year. Nevada wasn't good on defense last year, but they are excellent on defense this season. Nevada went from 108th last year in defensive efficiency to 28th in defensive efficiency this year. This is a huge game for both teams. Late in the season huge games where it means a lot to both teams lean fairly heavily toward the under in the long run. Utah State has clearly slowed their pace down. They are playing nearly 7 possessions slower in conference play than they did in non-conference action. A tight game here with two solid defenses. Take the under. |
|||||||
03-02-19 | South Carolina State v. Bethune-Cookman OVER 144 | 95-98 | Win | 100 | 3 h 32 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* Bethune-Cookman has been pushing the pace all season long. They rank 31st in the country in tempo. South Carolina State ranks 222nd in tempo. There are a couple things that make me like this play. First, South Carolina State has played to the pace of their opponent all year long. This is a team that has played very slowly against the slow paced MEAC teams and very fast against the fastest MEAC teams. The first contest between these two finished 98-73. The tempo in that game was a blazing fast 76 possessions. Both teams are great on the offensive glass and both get to the free throw line a lot. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-02-19 | Drake v. Missouri State UNDER 136.5 | 73-62 | Win | 100 | 22 h 48 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Under* The Drake Bulldogs are tied at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. This is clearly a big game for them. In the big games late in the year, it tends to help the under because of improved defense. Missouri State has been an under machine. The Bears have slowed their tempo drastically, and they have controlled the pace against everyone they have played in their last 10 games. Missouri State is using up almost 21 seconds of the shot clock on average. Neither team gives up many offensive rebounds, and that is another clear plus for the under. Take the under here. |
|||||||
03-02-19 | Longwood v. Gardner-Webb OVER 142 | 47-66 | Loss | -110 | 1 h 23 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The Gardner Webb Runnin' Bulldogs have clearly sped up their tempo of late. They are only using up 16.9 seconds of the shot clock on average. Gardner Webb has also become more efficient on offense. In 6 of their last 8 games, they have averaged 1.10 points per possession or better. Longwood's defense has worsened of late. The Lancers are giving up points in bunches. Six of their last seven games have gone above this total. Gardner has seen 6 of their last 8 games go above this total. This is the last game for both teams and this game means little. I think we see a quick pace here. The first meeting between these two was at 152 at the end of regulation. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-02-19 | Illinois State v. Southern Illinois OVER 131.5 | 63-72 | Win | 100 | 20 h 45 m | Show | |
*4 Star Play Over* The Southern Illinois Salukis have been much more efficient offensively of late. The Salukis are consistently getting to the 1.05 points per possession mark or better, and that is impressive in the defensive-minded Missouri Valley Conference. Illinois State has been a disappointment this year. They have played faster in their last couple games. Southern Illinois isn't slowing things down as much now either. In games between two teams with a 60% or lower win percentage in their last two games of the year, the over has hit at 55% in the last 10 years. With a total this low, the system is even stronger. Take the over. |
|||||||
03-01-19 | Blazers v. Raptors UNDER 226.5 | 117-119 | Loss | -109 | 18 h 43 m | Show | |
*3 Star NBA TGIF Total DOMINATION* The Portland Blazers and Toronto Raptors meet on Friday night in Toronto. Both of these teams have been playing good defense of late. Both teams rank in the top five in the NBA in defensive efficiency in their last six games. Portland ranks only 22nd in tempo during that time as well. This is a game between two quality teams late in the season. Simply playing the under from game 60 to game 80 of the regular season in the NBA when both teams have a win percentage of 60% or higher has seen the under cash 57.5% of the time since 2005. This one fits this system. I think both of these teams are clearly good on offense, but many don't realize how good they are on defense. This total is a few points high, and in the late season in a matchup between two quality teams I'll go with the under. Take the under here. |
|||||||
02-28-19 | Hofstra v. Drexel OVER 158 | 80-77 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 49 m | Show | |
*3 Star Play Over* The Hofstra Pride have played six games in a row that went over this posted total. Hofstra is scoring at will on almost every team in the CAA. In fact, only once in their last 12 games has Hofstra scored less than 1.10 points per possession. Hofstra has scored 1.231 points per possession or more in 8 of those games. Hofstra goes up against a Drexel defense tonight that is 340th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. In the first game between these two, Hofstra had 47 points at halftime. That game was played to a pace of 71 possessions. Hofstra's offense has remained great all year, but their defense which was improved, has fallen apart of late. Teams are figuring out this zone. Hofstra has allowed 1.16 points per possession or more in four of their last five games. Drexel is much better offensively than they were a year ago. The last three times these two have met the final totals have been 177, 164, and 164 points. I expect the offenses to have the upper hand once again. |