Stephen Nover
Fairfield -3.5
Rider is a poor road team especially when stepping up failing to cover nine of the last 12 times versus home teams that are above .500.
Fairfield has covered the last four in the series, including beating Rider on the road, 76-67, on Dec. 1.
Fairfield leads the conference in two-point field goal accuracy and has allowed an average of 61 points during its last four games. This is a step up defensively for Rider.
Bruce Marshall
New Orleans +3
Not much home edge between these two this season, with road team winning SU in two of three and covering all of those games, including Pels' recent narrow win at Smoothie King on February 6. Neither in especially good form the past few weeks (Suns 1-8 SU last 9 and 2-5 last 7 vs. line thru Feb. 9; N.O. 1-5 SU and vs. spread last six thru same date), with Pels not getting much offense beyond Holiday and Anthony Davis in recent slump. But Suns appear a less desirable alternative, as their defense continues to be MIA, having allowed foes to score 30 or more in a quarter a stunning 13 times in recent 7-game stretch. Series road trends help the case for New Orleans.
Jack Brayman
I'm playing Baylor as my free selection tonight, as the Bears know they have a chance to gain some ground on Kansas, if the Jayhawks lose to West Virginia.
Fourth-ranked Baylor (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) is a game behind first-place Kansas. And after traveling to play Texas Tech tonight, the Bears return home and will host the Jayhawks on Saturday. If the two are tied heading into that colossal showdown, a title could be at stake.
This is a cheap number to lay, considering Texas Tech (16-9, 4-8 ) has lost five of six, including a pair of one-point losses at TCU and at home against Kansas last week.
Texas Tech already lost at Baylor in late January, when the Red Raiders had a shot to tie or win the game in the final 10 seconds. The Raiders have been competitive, but the way they've been losing has been emotionally draining, and I have to wonder if they'll have the mental stamina to contend in this one.
Take Baylor tonight.
2* BAYLOR
Chris Jordan
The Louisville Cardinals, Syracuse Orange and five other teams are stuffed near the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings - all separated by a mere 1 1/2 games. This contest is important, and I have to side with the better overall team tonight for my free play.
The fourth-ranked Cardinals (20-5, 8-4 ACC) will be too much for the Orange (16-10, 8-5) down the stretch, with far too much scoring punch and plenty of depth. The Cardinals will bring a wealth of momentum to Northern New York, after rallying from a 14-point first-half deficit on Saturday, when they defeated Miami.
The Orange, meanwhile, lost at Pittsburgh on Saturday, 80-75, snapping their five-game winning streak. And what I've noticed during the course of the season is the traditionally strong defensive Orange are not as stingy as they usually are, every year.
I'm going to take the road team here, as Louisville is better equipped to pull this one out.
3* LOUISVILLE
Eric Schroeder
My free play for Big Monday is on the Kansas Jayhawks, to win and cover over West Virginia.
No. 3 Kansas (22-3, 10-2 Big 12) is looking to avoid being swept in the season series with the 13th-ranked Mountaineers (20-5, 8-4).
West Virginia named it on Jan. 24, topping Kansas, 85-69. But the Jayhawks - who have won 12 consecutive Big 12 titles - have not lost at home to West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the conference in 2012-13.
Look for revenge in this one, as Kansas pours it on and wins this one big.
5* KANSAS
Brad Wilton
Monday comp play is Monmouth minus a few points at Siena.
The Hawks are riding an 11-game straight up winning streak, and while they have dropped 4 straight against the spread, the price tonight is right in Monmouth's wheel-house for a cover.
Monmouth has won the last 4 series meetings versus Siena, and they have covered in the last pair of wins, and in 3 of the 4 overall versus the Saints.
Siena is playing their best basketball of the season with victories in 8 of their last 10 games, but even with an 8-2 run, the Saints are still 2 games under .500 for the year.
Siena is also just 1-6 against the spread at home for the year.
Monmouth minus the small impost to get the win and the cover in this MAAC affair tonight.
3* MONMOUTH
Harry Bondi
BAYLOR -2.5 over Texas Tech
The reeling Red Raiders are off two-straight, heart-breaking, one-point, Big 12 losses, including on Saturday to Kansas, a game that would have been the biggest win for the program in many years if it held on for the victory, It will be tough for the team to match that kind of effort 48 hours later, so we’ll call for Texas Tech to run out of gas here tonight. Baylor, winners of seven of its last nine game, plays Kansas this weekend, but we don’t expect a look-ahead situation here tonight since the Red Raiders played the Bears very tough in the first meeting, dropping a 65-61 decision as a nine-point dog. Baylor shot a dismal 35% from the floor in that game. We’ll call for a much better effort here tonight and look for Baylor to pull away late and improve its record to 12-6 ATS this season against opponents with a winning record.