Free Picks: Service Plays for Friday March, 2

Butler vs. WI-Milwaukee
The Bulldogs look to build on their 17-4 ATS record in their last 21 neutral site games. Butler is the pick (-2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulldogs favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Butler (-2 1/2)

Game 823-824: Akron at Kent State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Akron 55.548; Kent State 60.524
Dunkel Line: Kent State by 5; 149
Vegas Line: Kent State by 3; 143
Dunkel Pick: Kent State (-3); Over

Game 825-826: Ohio at Miami (OH) (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Ohio 60.668; Miami (OH) 58.033
Dunkel Line: Ohio by 2 1/2; 122
Vegas Line: Ohio by 4; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (OH) (+4); Under

Game 827-828: Harvard at Columbia (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Harvard 56.906; Columbia 50.614
Dunkel Line: Harvard by 6 1/2; 119
Vegas Line: Harvard by 8; 117
Dunkel Pick Columbia (+8); Over

Game 829-830: Dartmouth at Cornell (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Dartmouth 42.326; Cornell 52.060
Dunkel Line: Cornell by 10 1/2; 118
Vegas Line: Cornell by 8 1/2; 124
Dunkel Pick: Cornell (-8 1/2); Under

Game 831-832: Brown at Pennsylvania (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Brown 43.858; Pennsylvania 59.995
Dunkel Line: Pennsylvania by 16; 133
Vegas Line: Pennsylvania by 14; 128
Dunkel Pick: Pennsylvania (-14); Over

Game 833-834: Yale at Princeton (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Yale 56.011; Princeton 59.072
Dunkel Line: Princeton by 3; 125
Vegas Line: Princeton by 5 1/2; 129
Dunkel Pick: Yale (+5 1/2); Under

Game 835-836: Providence at Notre Dame (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Providence 59.925; Notre Dame 73.910
Dunkel Line: Notre Dame by 14; 137
Vegas Line: Notre Dame by 10 1/2; 130 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Notre Dame (-10 1/2); Over

Game 839-840: NC-Wilmington vs. James Madison (12:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NC-Wilmington 45.984; James Madison 46.686
Dunkel Line: James Madison by 1; 134
Vegas Line: James Madison by 3; 138 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NC-Wilmington (+3); Under

Game 841-842: Towson vs. Delaware (2:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Towson 40.428; Delaware 56.322
Dunkel Line: Delaware by 16; 121
Vegas Line: Delaware by 11 1/2; 124
Dunkel Pick: Delaware (-11 1/2); Under

Game 843-844: William & Mary vs. Northeastern (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: William & Mary 49.648; Northeastern 51.171
Dunkel Line: Northeastern by 1 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: Northeastern by 5; 127 1/2
Dunkel Pick: William & Mary (+5); Over

Game 845-846: Hofstra vs. Georgia State (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Hofstra 53.209; Georgia State 56.992
Dunkel Line: Georgia State by 4; 123
Vegas Line: Georgia State by 6; 127
Dunkel Pick: Hofstra (+6); Under

Game 847-848: Indiana State vs. Wichita State (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana State 58.021; Wichita State 73.301
Dunkel Line: Wichita State by 15 1/2; 144
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 849-850: Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State (3:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northern Iowa 58.027; Illinois State 56.774
Dunkel Line: Northern Iowa by 1 1/2; 118
Vegas Line: Northern Iowa by 3; 122 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Illinois State (+3); Under

Game 851-852: Drake vs. Creighton (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Drake 57.147; Creighton 64.989
Dunkel Line: Creighton by 8; 140
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 853-854: Missouri State vs. Evansville (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Missouri State 55.490; Evansville 59.482
Dunkel Line: Evansville by 4; 126
Vegas Line: Missouri State by 2; 129
Dunkel Pick: Evansville (+2); Under

Game 855-856: Youngstown State vs. Detroit (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Youngstown State 51.852; Detroit 59.612
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 8; 147
Vegas Line: Detroit by 4 1/2; 141
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-4 1/2); Over

Game 857-858: Butler vs. WI-Milwaukee (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Butler 60.017; WI-Milwaukee 55.461
Dunkel Line: Butler by 4 1/2; 124
Vegas Line: Butler by 2 1/2; 120
Dunkel Pick: Butler (-2 1/2); Over

Game 859-860: San Francisco vs. Loyola-Marymount (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco 60.398; Loyola-Marymount 58.548
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 2; 130
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 861-862: San Diego vs. BYU (11:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego 51.440; BYU 67.777
Dunkel Line: BYU by 16 1/2; 132
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 863-864: Appalachian State vs. College of Charleston (11:30 a.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Appalachian State 47.988; College of Charleston 53.479
Dunkel Line: College of Charleston by 5 1/2; 138
Vegas Line: College of Charleston by 6 1/2; 134 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Appalachian State (+6 1/2); Over

Game 865-866: The Citadel vs. Western Carolina (2:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: The Citadel 41.209; Western Carolina 49.195
Dunkel Line: Western Carolina by 8; 131
Vegas Line: Western Carolina by 6; 128 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Carolina (-6); Over

Game 867-868: Furman vs. Samford (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Furman 46.843; Samford 46.758
Dunkel Line: Even; 123
Vegas Line: Furman by 1; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Samford (+1); Under

Game 869-870: Chattanooga vs. Georgia Southern (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chattanooga 48.720; Georgia Southern 49.282
Dunkel Line: Even; 132
Vegas Line: Georgia Southern by 1 1/2; 136 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chattanooga (+1 1/2); Under

Game 871-872: Tennessee Tech vs. Murray State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee Tech 47.150; Murray State 64.265
Dunkel Line: Murray State by 17; 142
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 873-874: Morehead State vs. Tennessee State (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Morehead State 54.172; Tennessee State 55.691
Dunkel Line: Tennessee State by 1 1/2; 139
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 875-876: St. Peter's vs. Marist (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Peter's 37.288; Marist 51.508
Dunkel Line: Marist by 14; 126
Vegas Line: Marist by 5; 129
Dunkel Pick: Marist (-5); Under

Game 877-878: Canisius vs. Niagara (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Canisius 38.368; Niagara 48.411
Dunkel Line: Niagara by 10; 144
Vegas Line: Niagara by 6 1/2; 141 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Niagara (-6 1/2); Over

Game 879-880: Western Michigan at Central Michigan (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Michigan 52.209; Central Michigan 48.180
Dunkel Line: Western Michigan by 4; 127
Vegas Line: Western Michigan by 1 1/2; 131 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Michigan (-1 1/2); Under

Game 881-882: East Tennessee State vs. Belmont (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: East Tennessee State 52.488; Belmont 68.355
Dunkel Line: Belmont by 16; 158
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 883-884: FL-Gulf Coast vs. Mercer (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: FL-Gulf Coast 48.498; Mercer 54.888
Dunkel Line: Mercer by 6 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Sam Martin

Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns
Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers

Both of these teams won yesterday and will play here without rest, but while we backed Phoenix as one of our five winners last night (5-0 ATS yesterday overall), that play was more of a "play-against" spot for Minnesota, who was playing their third game in as many days. The T-Wolves were worn out in the second half, allowing Phoenix to shoot 53% from the floor. But here they face a much more talented team in the Clippers who are actually better on the road than the Suns are at home. LA slows down the Suns and pulls away late to secure this one!

Scott Spreitzer

Memphis Grizzlies at Toronto Raptors
Prediction: Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies whipped the Mavericks in their first game back from the all-star break, extending their current run to 8-2 SU. Memphis is a focused basketball team - within 4 games of San Antonio in the Southwest Division and they're just one-half game out of 5th place in the Western Conference playoff standings. Memphis struggled early on without Zach Randolph, but they're now used to playing without their star forward. I have a lot of respect for Marc Gasol and believe that Mike Conley is one of the most under-valued point-guards in the league. Gasol is on fire in his last five games and Conley produced another strong effort in the win over Dallas. Rudy Gay has eaten Toronto alive, scoring 21 ppg the last five times he's faced them. Toronto has won two of three, but the wins did come against New Orleans and Detroit. The fact is, while coach Dwane Casey has his team focused more on the defensive end this season, the Raptors just don't produce consistently enough on the offensive end. Memphis enters on a 22-7 ATS run as a favorite of less than 5 points. They're on a 6-1 ATS run as a road favorite in general. More of the same in this one. I'm backing Memphis on Friday.

Rob Vinciletti

Charlotte Bobcats vs. San Antonio Spurs
Play: San Antonio Spurs -14.5

The Spurs fit a nice system here that plays on home favorites off a home game where they were favored by 4 or less and had 4 or more days rest prior to the game. These teams have covered 8 of the last 9 times. Charlotte who gets blown out on a regular basis also fits a system that plays against road dogs of 10 or more with 1 day of rest if they scored 90 or more on the road vs an opponent that was favored. These road teams lose by an average 19 points per game. The Bobcats have lost all 17 times vs winning teams covering in just 5 of those games. They are 1-5 to the spread on Friday nights and 1-4 to the spread when the posted total in their road games is 190 to 195. The Spurs are 6-1 straight up with 5 spread wins here vs Charlotte the last few years. Look for The Spurs to get back on track.

Bryan Power

New Jersey @ Boston
PICK: Boston -6.5

There's a lot going down in Celtic-land right now, much of it surrounding a possible trade of PG Rajon Rondo. Bottom line is that this is an old team, which is no longer a true contender in the East. That was obvious as Boston headed into the All-Star Break on a five-game losing skid. However, they've come out of the Break fairly strong w/ wins over Cleveland and Milwaukee. Friday sees them hosting another bottom tier club in the New Jersey Nets. The C's have failed to cover their last seven games, but I look for that streak to come to an end tonight. Boston beat the Nets by 19 on this floor a two months ago. New Jersey has lost 10 of its last 13 overall and is due for a letdown here as they come off a stunning SU dog win at home over Dallas the first night after the Break. The Celtics are holding opponents to 84.1 PPG at home this season.

David Chan

Blackhawks @ Senators
PICK: Under 5.5

The 34-24-7 Chicago Blackhawks roar into Ottawa to take on the 34-23-8 Senators.

Ray Emery is set to square off against Robin Lehner between the pipes.

The Blackhawks won 5-4 vs. Toronto on Wednesday; to say this team is desperate would be a bit of an understatement I think.

Chicago was first in the NHL on January 20th, but has since slid into sixth in the Western Conference.

Patrick Kane has turned a corner, getting his offensive game untracked, and scored for a second straight contest.

Note that Corey Crawford started this game in net, but was replaced to start the second frame by Emery after giving up three-goals on 10-shots.

“Ray did an outstanding job,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “You look back over the year, you get some goalie wins and Ray was instrumental in us winning tonight.”

Note though that the Blackhawks went 0-for-2 on the power-play and have scored just one goal in their last 41 chances with the man-advantage.

The Senators are coming off hard-fought 1-0 win at Boston on Tuesday.

Lehner was brilliant, stopping 32-shots for his first career shutout; Erik Karlsson scored the only goal.

The Sens are now just one-point behind the Bruins:

“We’re trying our best. I think we can,” said Lehner.

Two teams with big post-season aspirations going head to head on Friday night; a couple of competent goaltenders; this one sets up as a hard-hitting, low-scoring affair!

Guillermo Senor Sanchez

Dallas Stars @ Edmonton Oilers
PICK: Dallas Stars

Dallas is 33-26-5 (15-14-2 on the road). Edmonton is 25-32-6 (16-12-4 at home). The last time these team's played, Dallas hammered the Oilers 4-1 on January 7th, 2012.

The Stars are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The close setback represented the end of Dallas' four-game win streak. It did however earn an important point and sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference.

The Oilers are coming off a 5-2 loss at home to St. Louis on Wednesday. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Corey Potter tallied the goals. “We certainly pushed our way back in the game and good for us,” said coach Tom Renney. “But there are two levels of teams out there, St. Louis and then there is us. We did everything we could to latch on to where they were headed and play with them and we came awfully close but then I thought we beat ourselves.” Note that goaltender Devan Dubnyk (who is scheduled to start tonight), was pulled after allowing three-goals on 19-shots.

This is a team that Dallas needs to "kick" while it's down; with games in Calgary on Sunday (extremely tough home team), and then Vancouver next Tuesday (top team in the Western Conference), a victory against the lowly Oilers becomes paramount.

Consider a play on the STARS!

Stephen Nover

Memphis @ Toronto
PICK: Memphis -3.5

The Grizzlies are the more reliable team and playing well. Memphis is 8-2 in its last 10 games. Only the Miami Heat have been hotter than Memphis during this span.

The Grizzlies clearly are at least one tier above Toronto, which continues to miss its leading scorer Andrea Bargnani. He's missed the last 16 games with a calf injury.

The Raptors are 13 games below .500 while Memphis is 20-15. The Grizzlies are 9-1 when taking on sub .500 opponents.

Memphis is 22-7 ATS the past 29 times it has been favored by up to 4 1/2 points. Toronto is 13-28-1 ATS as a home 'dog of up to 4 1/2 points.

The Grizzlies also have covered seven of the last eight times they've faced an Eastern Conference opponent.

Memphis is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 visits to Toronto. The Grizzlies have won the last five overall games between the two teams by an average of 7.2 points.

Tony George

Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State
Play: Northern Iowa -2½

The Panthers laid 5.5 to and won by 15 earlier this month against this same team, as these two team split the season series. As always, it is right here and right now and Illinois State is allowing 71 ppg their last 5 games, and Northern Iowa capable of putting up neat that number. This is not the Northern Iowa team of old, but no doubt can get it done here. Northern Iowa hitting 48% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc their last 5 games and while this will be a close one I see Northern Iowa winning by 5 or 6 points down the stretch.

Jim Feist

Brown vs Pennsylvania
Pick: Pennsylvani

Brown has had another bad season, particularly on the road where they are 1-10. The Bears are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 road games and 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the Ivy League. Pennsylvania needs a win to stay ahead of Yale for second place in the Ivy League. The Quakers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a losing record and and the Bears are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings. Play Pennsylvania.

Dave Cokin

Furman vs Samford
Pick: Furman

Furman and Samford look pretty even on paper, but I like the Palladins to squeeze one out here. The key for me as much as anything is the experience edge on the Furman side, and while Samford won the last meeting, I still see this matchup favoring the Palladins. Look for Furman to pull out the win and advance.

Free CBB release for 3/2: Appalachian State +6 over Charlestown. We like the Mountaineers to at least keep this game within the numbers. College of Charlestown has won 6 of their last 7, including three straight entering this contest. But the Cougars have failed to cover in five of their last six when favored during that stretch. They find themselves favored by six today against the Mountaineers, who are 4-1 ATS in the last five games in this series. Appalachian State isnt flashy but they are the more accurate shooting team in this matchup, hitting 43.9% from the floor. They enter this game coming off of two tough losses away, and will be looking to bounce back here. The Mountaineers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games following a S.U. loss. They play good teams close, as they are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games, and just 1-8 ATS in their last nine following a SU win. The underdog has cashed 8 times in the last ten meetings between these schools. We'll side with the underdog here, Appalachian State +6. Our Free picks are 169-91-1 (65%) all-time. Sign up today at iseewinners.com to receive all of our free releases via email.

MATT RIVERS

For Friday's free play, I have no problem backing Notre Dame at home tonight as a big favorite (-10 1/2) against Providence as the Irish return to South Bend following a dreadful two-game conference road swing that saw them get humiliated at both St. John's and Georgetown.

Those two losses came on the heels of a season-high nine-game winning streak (8-1 ATS).

Notre Dame is 15-1 straight-up (6-2-2 ATS) at home this season. The Irish should return to form in front of the friendly rims of Purcell Pavilion, that is for sure.

No chance with two losses in a row, and the fact Providence has sprung conference upsets over Connecticut and DePaul their last two times out, that the Irish take the Friars too lightly tonight.

Notre Dame has won eight straight in this series (5-3 ATS). Look for the Irish to find their comfort-zone back at home, and look for this final margin to expand come the end of this Big East battle as they end their two-game skid in convincing fashion.

2♦ NOTRE DAME

Matt Fargo

Tenn Chattanooga vs. Georgia Southern
Play: Tenn Chattanooga

This line may seem small but it is small for a reason. Chattanooga came into the season looking to repeat as SoCon North Champions as it brought back four starters with loads of talent but it has been anything but a repeat. The Mocs opened non-conference season by going 2-7 but they rebounded to win seven of their next nine and then the wheels fell off. They lost 11 of their next 12 games after opening 3-0 in conference action but close losses were the difference between that and a much better result.

Chattanooga lost six games by three points or fewer and that was difference as it ended up 5-13 in the SoCon. They can make a tournament run though based on their last game. Head coach John Shulman promised change and it resulted in one of their best games of the season. After losing to Furman in the previous game, Shulman said, "We are going to look like a different basketball team. This is something that has to be done to recapture our enthusiasm for our basketball team. We are dead. We are beat down."

The Mocs lost 20 games for the first time in school history and went winless on the road for the first time since joining Division I. The thing about it is though, those 14 road losses were all true road losses and this marks the first neutral site game of the season. Georgia Southern was not much better away from home either as it went 4-12 but the Eagles were a pleasant surprise overall as their 12 SoCon wins matched a program record for conference wins.

Georgia Southern defeated the Mocs in both meetings and while winning the third meeting is not as tough as people think, this situation is in fact a tough one. The Mocs outshot Georgia Southern in both meetings combined but the difference was a disadvantage at the free throw line and in turnovers. Take a look at the overall stats and you will see things are very close and not what is normally seen between two teams with such dissimilar records. The Mocs get their revenge tonight.