Free Picks: Service Plays for Friday February, 3

Marc Lawrence

Cleveland State at Loyola Chicago
Prediction: Loyola Chicago

When Cleveland State takes their act into the Windy City Friday night to meet the Ramblers the Vikings will enter off a satisfying 20-point same season revenge win over Youngstown State. That sets the table for tonight's fray as Loyola is 4-1 ATS this campaign as a dog with revenge versus an opponent off a win. Meanwhile CSU is 1-5-1 ATS in games against avenging foes with four or more days of rest this season. With that look for the Ramblers to improve to 18-8-1 ATS in this series here tonight. Take the points. We recommend a 1-unit play on Loyola Chicago.

Matt Fargo

Memphis @ Oklahoma City
PICK: Oklahoma City -9

Memphis came away with a big road win on Thursday at Atlanta and while that was a horrible call on my part, it at least sets us up for an opportunity to go against the Grizzlies again in a much tougher situation. It was the second straight victory for the Grizzlies against a quality opponent as Denver was the victim prior to that in Memphis. The Grizzlies are now two games over .500 overall but two games under .500 on the road while going 3-7 on the season against teams ranked in the top ten.

Oklahoma City is coming off a win at Dallas on Wednesday which made up for its poor effort in Los Angeles against the Clippers two nights before. The Thunder have only four losses all season long including just two in their last 14 games and a return home following a three-game roadtrip should keep them focused. Oklahoma City has had some difficulties against the elite teams, going 3-3 against teams ranked in the top ten in the league but it is 14-1 against every other team.

The travel aspect is also hurting Memphis is this is its second game in two nights and this is just the second time all season long that the Grizzlies have had to play back-to-back road games. The first time, they were hammered in Portland following a road win the night before. With the truncated schedule, it makes it even more difficult this season and on top off that, the Grizzlies are playing their fourth game in five nights and fifth game in seven nights and its been travel every day during this stretch with the exception of one.

Memphis lost to the Thunder in the playoffs last season so it would certainly like to get some revenge. The problem is that the Grizzlies have already had two shots at the Thunder at home and lost both of those games. It will get even tough on the road and even more so that they have lost three straight meetings in Oklahoma City. Memphis is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games as road underdogs between 5.0 and 10.5 points while the favorite is a perfect 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.

Jim Feist

Columbia vs. Dartmouth
Play: Dartmouth +3

After opening the Ivy League season with 4 difficult conference games, including two against powerhouse Harvard, Dartmouth gets a Columbia team that is 1-3 in the conference. The Lions are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 vs. the Ivy League. The Big Green is 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall, 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a loss. Look for a big effort from the home court to get out of the Ivy League basement. Play Dartmouth.

Rob Vinciletti

Columbia vs. Dartmouth
Play: Under 111

This game has several solid totals indicators. Columbia has gone under the total in the following scenarios. Under in 9 of 12 lines games, 12 of 15 the last 3 years vs teams who averages less than 65 points, 13 of 17 with 5 or 6 days rest, 11 of 15 on Friday nights. Dartmouth has played under in 17 of the last 21 vs teams over .500 including all 7 this years, 9 of the last 10 at home when the posted total is 119 or less and 16 of 22 as a home dog of 3 or less the last 15 years. In the series 11 of the last 14 have stayed under the total. The only reason this is a free play and not a unit rated selections is due to the 111 point total that is posted. Just seems a little too low. But for the free play we can take a shot.

Bryan Power

Cleveland @ Orlando
PICK: Cleveland +7

Although they defeated the Wizards 109-103 Wednesday, the Magic did not cover the 10-point spread and remain a complete mess. They had scored less than 70 points in three of their previous six games, including a franchise worst 56 (on 24% shooting) on 1.23 vs. Boston, who would also come back from 27 down to beat Orlando in the rematch three days later. The Magic followed that up w/ a horrific effort, losing by nearly 30 at New Orleans. Cleveland is much improved from last season, mostly due to #1 overall draft choice Kyrie Irving. They've covered four of their last five, including an outright win at Boston in their previous road game. Their previous three losses have all come by seven points or less. Orlando is 2-14 ATS when coming off a division win.

Sean Murphy

St. Peter's @ Siena
PICK: Over 125

The first meeting between these two teams this season produced only 105 total points, but keep in mind, that was played way back on December 1st.

Since then, Siena has evolved into a much stronger team, particularly at the offensive end of the floor. I'm confident we'll see the Saints set the pace tonight, but the Peacocks should put up a fight after getting embarrassed in back-to-back games.

St. Peter's is coming off losses by 35 and 24 points against Rider and Iona, respectively. The Peacocks put up a grand total of 95 points in those two setbacks.

Despite their offensive inefficiencies, St. Peter's has still managed to post a 9-7-1 o/u record this season, with high-scoring games being the norm on the road, where it has recorded an 8-3-1 o/u mark in lined contests.

There's little reason to believe the Peacocks can knock the Saints offense out of rhythm on the road. However, they do have some streaky outside shooters that can get hot in a hurry. Note that St. Peter's is shooting better than 35% from beyond the arc over its last five games.

Siena's two-point defense is its strength, it has proven to be vulnerable on the perimeter. The Saints have allowed the opposition to shoot 37.5% from three-point range over their last five contests.

St. Peter's regularly allows the opposition to get into the 70s, and I'm not sure that tonight will be any exception.

With that being said, Siena has allowed at least 60 points in nine of 11 conference games to date. The Saints are a solid defensive team, but they like to play up-tempo, and that results in extra possessions for their opponents as well.

As long as St. Peter's can approach 60 points in this game, we'll be in good position to cash our ticket. Despite the Peacocks recent results, I believe hitting that point total is well within the realm of possibility tonight.

Free NCAAB Play for 2/3: Saint Peters +8 at Siena. The Peacocks are showing excellent value getting this many points against the Saints. Note that St Peters has beaten Siena three straight now by an average margin of 8.33 points/game. Siena is 8-3 at home, but both clubs are playing poorly in conference play this year and this is just too many points to expect thim to cover. St Peters has improved their shooting over the last five games leading up to this matchup. They are still averaging just 39.9% overall in conference play, but have upped it to 41.3% over their last five. Siena is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5, 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 games vs. losing teams, and 1-12 over the last 2 years vs poor offensive teams (avg 64 or less points/game). St Peters is a solid 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5 and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring under 50 points their last time out. We'll play the road dog here, St Peters +8. Our free plays are now 157-82-1. Sign up today to receive all of our free releases via email at iseewinners.com. Thank you. And as always, best of luck!

JEFF BENTON

Your Friday night freebie is the underdog Nets at home against the Timberwolves.

Minnesota brings a nice 7-2 road spread mark into tonight's game, but only one time before have they been listed as the road favorite - and that was by just a basket in a cover at Washington. Not so sure the Timberwolves will be able to "chop the road wood" in this spot, as they are laying more than a basket to the improving Nets this evening in New Jersey.

The Nets come into this game off a home win over Detroit, and they have been able to cover their last three tries when installed as the underdog. Overall, New Jersey is on a 4-3 straight up run their past seven outings, so an upset win on their home floor would not be a shock this Friday night.

This has been a home-oriented series in recent meetings, as the home team has gone 7-3 against the spread the past ten series meetings.

Stick with the "home cooking" tonight, as Minnesota is unable to cover this rather large road impost on the Nets hardwood.

2♦ NEW JERSEY

MATT RIVERS

For Friday night, I say continue to go against the Peacocks of St. Peter's.

On Sunday I gave you a 500,000♦ mega-bomb winner on Iona drilling St. Peter's on their home floor, and while Siena is not in the class of Iona, they should have more than enough to handle the Peacocks at home tonight.

St. Pete's is just 4-18 for the year, and they are a woeful 1-12 straight up on the road this year. The Peacocks did win the first meeting of the year against the Saints in New Jersey, but Siena has been able to win three of the last four series meetings played in Albany.

Siena is also a positive 5-2-2 against the spread in lined home games this year, going a perfect 5-0 straight up, and 4-0-1 against the spread in MAAC play at the Times Union Center this season.

Payback time for the Saints, as the Peacocks absorb another lopsided loss.

Take Siena minus the points.

3♦ SIENA

Steve Janus

Memphis Grizzlies +9

My money is on the Grizzlies to go into Oklahoma City and at least keep this game within double-digits. Memphis comes into this game off a 100-97 win at home over the Nuggets and a 96-77 beating at Atlanta last night. The Grizzlies have been a very streaky team, and they way they played last night has me thinking they could possibly win this game outright.

Oklahoma City has already went into Memphis and beat the Grizzlies twice this season, you can bet Memphis will be looking to return the favor tonight. Anytime you get a good team in a double revenge situation that is getting close to double-digits, you have to jump on it. These are the type of games in which the Grizzlies thrive. Memphis is 18-6 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 70%) over the last 2 seasons.

If you are worried about the Grizzlies playing the second of a back-to-back, don't be. Memphis is 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 games playing on 0 days rest.

SPORTS WAGERS

Columbus +201 over ANAHEIM

The Jackets are 0-5 on their current six-game trip that wraps up tonight. They've lost six in a row and own the worst record in the league. Based on that, it's no mystery as to why they're being offered such a generous tag. However, everyone is aware of what happened to them last game and the players were furious. Points were stolen from them and while it surely won't matter in the end, it's still a huge insult to these pros that work hard to win for their fans, coaches, the integrity of the game and each other. We expect a spirited response from the Blue Jackets here. They have enough pride and talent to rebound. The Ducks are coming off a 6-2 loss to the Stars and while the score is misleading, Anaheim's earlier run of 23 losses in 29 games is not. Of course, they're playing better but they hardly warrant being a 2-1 favorite over anyone and that includes a steamed up guest. Play: Columbus +201 (Risking 2 units)

CALGARY +115 over Chicago

The Blackhawks have dropped four in a row and have been outscored 19-9 over that span. They'll play their third game in four days and tail end of back-to-backs after losing 8-4 in Edmonton last night. It's no secret that Chicago is in desperate need of goaltending help and while they overcame that a couple of years ago because of great talent, they couldn't carry it over last season and they won't this year. After this game, Chicago has three full days off and you can be sure that Marion Hossa and Patrick Kane need it after participating in the all star festivities. These games are crucial for Calgary. They sit three points behind Minnesota for the 8th and final playoff spot but they also have to leapfrog Colorado and Dallas to get there. They can't afford to fall behind much more or that hole is going to get larger with each passing loss. The Flames are rested and ready. They've lost three straight at the Saddledome but prior to that they were 13-5-2 at home. Play: Calgary +115 (Risking 2 units).

N.Y. Islanders +137 over OTTAWA

The first thing to note here is that the Senators have the Maple Leafs on deck tomorrow night in the second of back-to-back home games on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada. The Sens haven't played at home since January 16th and return to Scotiabank Place after a tough six-game trip that saw them lose their last four games. The All-Star break figures into that equation, as Ottawa returned home but they resumed play on the road in Boston to wrap up that six-game trip on Tuesday. The local media is talking about the All-star event and the way the fans vehemently booed the Maple Leafs, even during the all-star draft. Nobody is talking about the Islanders. Quietly, they've pick up points in five of their past six and that includes wins in Philadelphia and Washington. They also have a recent 5-1 win over Detroit among others. The Islanders usually get red-hot after the break to just miss the playoffs and that's something we can cash in on. The Islanders are playing well, they're scoring goals, they're in a good situation and they're taking back a nice tag. Play: N.Y. Islanders +137 (Risking 2 units).

Los Angeles +135 over ST. LOUIS

Expect a correction in the Blues home record at some point. St. Louis is an incredible 21-3-4 at home and records like that can only be found on dynasty teams of the past like the Canadiens of the 70's and the Oilers of the 80's. The Blue Notes do not belong in that category. They're good but they're not 21-3 at home good. The Blues will play their first game back after the break, meaning they've been off for nine full days after dropping their final two games before the break. St. Louis has scored two goals or less in four of its past five games. Two wins over that span were both 1-0 victories. The Kings come in off that bizarre 3-2 win over the Jackets. This is without question their most crucial stretch of games of the season. The Kings are in seventh place in the conference and embark on a pivotal six-game trip beginning here that could ultimately be the deciding fate of whether they get in or not. You can be 100% sure that the coaches addressed how crucial it is to set the tone and open up said trip with a win. The Kings couldn't have asked for a better time to play the Blues in St. Louis because of the aforementioned long layoff and we trust they'll be ready to take advantage. Play: Los Angeles +135 (Risking 2 units).

SPORTS WAGERS

DETROIT +4½/+173 over Milwaukee

What an interesting spot this is for the Bucks and it's not a favorable one. Milwaukee's stock is through the roof right now with a bunch of strong games and big wins over its past eight games. Over that span the Bucks have beaten the Heat not once but twice. They beat them in Miami on Jan 22 and beat them at the Bradley Center on Wednesday. The Bucks also beat the Lakers this past week, not to mentions an easy 21 point win over the Pistons. They've won six of eight and one of those losses came in Chicago by just seven. In summarizing, the Bucks have are coming off a stretch of games that saw them play the Bulls, the Heat twice, the Lakers, Atlanta and in New York. The kicker is that they host the Bulls tomorrow night at home in a sold out event that has to be in the front of their minds. In the year of the unrelenting schedule, there are going to be a whole bunch of no-shows and this is the perfect spot to expect that. By contrast, Detroit is reeling. They've lost seven in a row and three of the past four have been by 20 or more. The Pistons have been a big fade team all season with a 4-20 overall record and a 7-16 record against the number. This one is going to attract a lot of Milwaukee money but this is the strongest case of buying low and selling high we've seen all year and the enticing line screams “buyer beware”. Play: Detroit +4½ (Risking 1.02 units to win 1) Play: Detroit +173 (Risking 1 unit).

BOSTON -6½ over New York

The Knicks three-point loss to the Bulls last night gave them some credibility back but we're not buying it for a second. Chicago came in playing its fourth game in five nights and sixth game in nine nights. The exhausted Bulls not only won but they had the lead the whole game and put up 105 points. That's a true testament to Mike D'Antoni's complete lack of commitment to defense. D'Antoni's strategy is to try and outscore everyone but with no point guard to run the show, the Knicks aren't going to and haven't been able to outscore many. The Knicks have two wins in their past 12 games. The pair of wins came against Charlotte and Detroit. Combined, that duo is 7-40 and that's not a typo. Doc Rivers is the complete opposite of D'Antoni. He stresses defense every second of every game and if a player doesn't commit to it, he sits. The C's have won seven of eight and in their last game Paul Pierce played 25 minutes, KG played 17 minutes, Ray Allen played 23 minutes and Jermaine O'Neal played 13. By contrast, last night C-Melo played 40 minutes, Stoudemire played 41, Landry Fields played 42 and Tyson Chandler played 36. In other words, the Knicks desperately wanted that win last night and D'antoni was going to keep all his starters out there to get it. Doc Rivers understands the schedule and is smart with his minute distribution. This is a defensive mismatch, a coaching mismatch and a state of mind mismatch. Play: Boston -6½ (Risking 2.14 units to win 2).

Dave Price

1 Unit Niagara +11.5

Niagara played Fairfield to a 4-point game in the season's first meeting to easily cover the 8-point spread, and I like it to keep this one closer than the odds makers think as well. The Stags are just 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5 points while the Purple Eagles are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5 points. Take Niagara.

Jeff Alexander

1 Unit Houston Rockets -6.5

The Suns rolled a poor New Orleans team on the road Wednesday but expect them to come back down to earth against a Houston squad that has been tough as nails at home (9-3). The Suns are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5 points while the Rockets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5 points. The Suns are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. We'll lay the points.