Sean Higgs
Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls
Play: Brooklyn Nets +3½
Nets have been playing well since the calender changed going 14-5 SU(13-6 ATS). The Bulls blasted the Nets on Christmas, spanking Brooklyn 95-78 on their own court. Time for some sweet revenge. The road team is 10-4 ATS last 14 in the series.
Dennis Macklin
Boston College vs. Georgia Tech
Play: Georgia Tech -2½
Boston College is awful. Since upsetting Washington back on November 22nd, the Eagles have four wins .... Sacred Heart, Philadelphia Textile, and lowly Virginia Tech twice. Georgia Tech has just one win since beating BC 68-60 at Chestnut Hill back on January 21st and will be anxious to host here. In that game, the Jackets shot 52% from the field including 8-15 from downtown. They also killed BC on the boards winning that battle 32-19. Not sure what could be different here as G Tech gets healthy on its home floor.
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St. John's -1.5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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St. John's is playing their best basketball of the season right now. The Johnnies have won six out of their last seven games including the big win over #12 Creighton in their last game on Sunday. Seton Hall put up a fight in their game at St. John's on January 23rd losing by just one point 77-76. Thats a big reason why I believe this line has the Red Storm favored by just a single point. St. John's is playing much better now and their defense has been very strong. Seton Hall has lost four out of their last six games and four out of their last five home games. This could normally be a flat spot for St. John's after the big home win over Creighton, but I like the way they are playing and the way the Pirates battled them in the first meeting, Seton Hall will have the Johnnies full attention for this game. St. John's needs every win they can get to get to the big dance. Play on St. John's.
Carlos Salazar
Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls
Play: Chicago Bulls -4
Carlos is going with the home team Bull here on Thursday night to be more motivated to play the last game before the All-Star break for both teams. Look for a low scoring game with Chicago winning by 12 points.
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PLAY: ARKANSAS +5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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Nobody has to tell me just how tough life has been on the road for Arkansas. The Razorbacks just had not been able to find a way to win as visitors. They also figure to have another tough challenge facing them tonight as they invade Missouri. But they’ll enter this game with a different mindset after finally coming out on top at Vanderbilt.
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I see the Hogs with a legit shot to get over the hump again tonight against the Tigers. I’ll fire off a few reasons why this could be the night Arkansas now gets another SEC road win.
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First off, Missouri looks ripe for the taking right now. The Tigers are off a pair of tough road losses of their own at Florida and Mississippi. Fact is, Mizzou is only 4-6 over its last ten games and aside from a blowout over Alabama, they’ve been life and death in almost every game. They’re losing the turnover battle way too frequently, and have basically gotten by thanks to knocking down their free throws and their threes. The Missouri defense has been largely atrocious.
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Arkansas matches up favorably with the Tigers, especially in the turnover category. That’s unfortunately offset by their basic inefficiency on offense, but they’ve shown recent improvement in that area, which might bode well for them tonight.
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The big obstacle is still Arkansas on the road. One win doesn’t erase all those negative results. But from a mental standpoint, they’re no longer going into the game defeated from the neck up, and that’s sure to create a huge boost in their confidence level.
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I like the idea of taking the road dog in an fairly even matchup where that visitor is out to avenge a home loss, as is the case here. I also like the premise of taking the dog when the favorite will command 70% of the ticket action, and that will be the case here. It looks to me like Arkansas is flashing better current form, and this is an opponent they would appear to match up well with. I’m expecting a tight battle, and if that’s the case, Arkansas plus the points looms as a live dog tonight.
Jimmy Boyd
Long Beach State -1½
The Long Beach State 49ers have been a great team to back during conference play this season. They have a 7-2 ATS record against Big West opponents, and they should easily improve on that number with a home court matchup tonight against UC-Santa Barbara. The 49ers are a much better team than their record would indicate. They have played four teams that were ranked at the time of play, and two more that would eventually move into the top 25 ranking. That tough schedule makes most of their Big West opponents look like a practice squad.
This is a revenge game for Long Beach State. They lost on the road against Santa Barbara last month, but they will have the luxury of playing host for tonight's matchup. The Gauchos have not played well on the road this season. They may have an 8-4 record in road games, but the competition has been soft. They are surrendering 68.2 points per game on the road against opponents averaging 69.7 points per game. Long Beach State on the other hand has allowed 66.1 points per game at home against a schedule where their opponents have an offensive scoring average over 72 points per game. The 49ers are the better team defensively, and that strong defensive play will lead them to victory on their home court tonight.
Doug Upstone
Green Bay vs. Youngstown State
Play: Youngstown State +2
On Thursday, Play On teams like Youngstown State when the line is +3 to -3, who are revenging a same season loss, off three or more consecutive road defeats. The reasoning for this college basketball free play is teams like Youngstown State feel renewed to be back home and they are 24-5 ATS, with a winning scoring margin of +3.1 per game.
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Canada -4½ +108 over NorwayFOR REE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Canadians really don’t need any introductions and after watching the first few games of this tournament, it’s clear that unlike the games played in Vancouver four years ago, the big ice surface in Europe allows these gifted players to thrive in a way we’ve never seen before. For the Americans, Swedes, Russians and even the Czechs, it’s been a barrage of outstanding scoring opportunities and the Norwegians are in for the biggest barrage of all.
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Norway isn't known for producing high-end hockey players and its defensive game plan has no chance of slowing down or stopping the powerful Canadian team. To make matters worse for the Norwegians, they don’t have an NHL caliber goaltender. The only current NHL player set to represent Norway at the Olympics is Mats Zuccarello, a good player but he’s just one forward that can’t do it on his own. The only thing the Norwegians have going for them is familiarity, as these players have played together for years but as we’ve seen with these other second tier teams, it does not matter. Canada’s 10th line would be Norway’s first line.
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After seeing all those goals being scored on this big ice surface, one can only imagine how anxious the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Rick Nash, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrick Sharp, Matt Duchene, Corey Perry, John Tavares Jamie Benn, et all are to get on the ice. The Canadians also have no goaltending issues whatsoever with Carey Price in net. They have offensively gifted defensemen and the best collection of forwards ever put together on one team. Yeah, 4½ goals is a lot but we expect the Canadians to score twice that many and show no mercy against this second tier club. We’ll call it 9-0 Canadians.
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Czech Republic -2½ +111 over LatviaFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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This game goes tonight at midnight. The Czechs fell behind 4-0 against the Swedes early in the second period but from that point on they were the better team. The Czechs got better as the game progressed and that should carry over to this game against an offensively challenged Latvia team. The Czechs seemed a bit out of sorts to start the game and it was quite a surprise not to see Ondrej Pavelec between the pipes but this team is too good to allow one loss to affect them. In fact, one has to admire the Czechs for not throwing in the towel after being down 4-0. They made a game of it. Make no mistake, the Czechs are a threat to win a medal, as they are able to stack three forward lines with first line, if not game-breaking NHL talent. Had they defeated the Swedes, this line would be -3½ and some juice. Their loss to the Swedes makes them very playable spotting 2½-pucks.
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Latvia lost their opener to Switzerland, 1-0 on a goal with 7.9 seconds left. Not scoring on the Swiss and allowing 38 shots on goal is only a small sample of what’s in store for Latvia in this game. Latvia has one NHL player, Zemgus Girgensons of the Buffalo Sabres. In Vancouver, Latvia took 19 minor penalties in three games, the most for any team in the tournament and against this vastly superior opponent on a bigger ice surface, expect more of the same here. Latvia goaltender Edgars Masaļskis is likely going to face between 50 and 60 shots on net here. If he beats us, so be it but Latvia cannot compete with the powers in this event and the Czechs are a power that is a definite threat to for a medal and we’re not talking about a Bronze. Cheap price on a Czech team that figure to go off for at least five goals.
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Georgia Tech -2.5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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We were eyeing this game up yesterday before old man Winter reared his ugly head in the southern part of the US, postponing the game until tonight at 5 p.m. We liked the Jackets yesterday and like them even more today. When you have a change in plans due to weather, game delay, etc., we always tend to take a harder look at the home team. Not really sure why, other than we think we would rather have the team that is already in a comfortable environment as opposed to one that is cooped up in an unnatural environment. A couple of reasons we like Ga Tech, actually more of a play against the Eagles. BC is 2-11 on the road this season and 2-8 in conference play. They have lost three in a row and 6 of their last 7, most of which have been double-digit losses. Tech has lost two in a row and four of their last five games, but they seem to play better (as most teams do) at home. The other angle we like here is that when you have a .500 team playing at home against one of the teams from the bottom of the conference, those are games they really need to win, and so they seem to get extra focus from the coach and the team. We think Gregory will have Tech ready to play hard tonight and take care of the visiting Eagles.
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Manhattan at RiderFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Play:Manhattan -3.5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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Rider is seeking revenge tonight against Manhattan but that might be all the Broncs have going for them in this game. Manhattan is the better team with greater depth and they have shown recent domination against Rider on multiple occasions. Manhattan cruised to a 67-51 win earlier this season and notched a 62-51 win last year when they last faced off on this court. The Jaspers were sleepwalking a bit through their last game against Niagara, barely escaping with a 78-77 win. It was their third win in a row but not a very sharp performance and perhaps a wakeup call. Manhattan’s strong senior class of George Beamon, Michael Alvarado and Rhamel Brown was too much for Rider to handle in the first meeting as they combined for 38 points.
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Rider had a solid three-game winning streak earlier this month but those wins came against Fairfield, St. Peter’s and Monmouth – three of the MAAC’s worst teams. The Broncs have since dropped two straight, losing outright 68-61 as home favorites against Marist and suffering an ugly 82-61 blowout loss on the road at Quinnipiac. Rider has lost 11 games this season and every loss with the exception of two came by margins of more than this pointspread. Let’s hope the East Coast weather cooperates so we can cash in on the road chalk.
Matt Fargo
Illinois-Chicago vs. Cleveland State
Play: Illinois-Chicago +14
Cleveland St. has been rolling along now with six consecutive wins while covering all of those games on top of it. The Vikings are now 8-3 in the Horizon League and they trail first place Green Bay by just one game. After four straight road games, this is the first of four straight home games and while is typically a spot to play on a team because of this scheduling, that is not the case here. Cleveland St. hosts Green Bay on Saturday which makes this a total lookahead situation for the Vikings. Obviously, they know they cannot slip up here but with the amount of points they are laying, all they need to do is coast along and we can grab the over with Illinois-Chicago. It has been a dismal season for the Flames as they are 5-19 overall including 0-10 in the conference. While playing on a winless team may not seem prudent, we don't care about outright wins especially when were are dealing with double-digit spreads. While Illinois-Chicago is 1-8 in true road games, it is 8-1 ATS in those games including a perfect 4-0 ATS in its last four. The Flames also fall into a super situation as we play on road underdogs of 10 to 19.5 points that coming off a road cover where the team lost straight up as an underdog going up against an opponent off two or more consecutive road wins. This situation is 47-19 ATS (71.2 percent) since 1997.
Jeff Alexander
Rider +3½
I'll grab the points with Rider at home where it has won 13 of 16 against Manhattan. Plus, the Broncs are on an 11-2 ATS run when catching 3.5 to 6.0 points at home and have won these games by an average of 1.8 points. Manhattan won the first meeting, but Rider is on a 45-23 ATS run when out for revenge for a same season loss to an opponent. The Broncs have won these games by an average of 1.7 points. Bet Rider.
Jack Jones
Colorado +10
The Colorado Buffaloes (18-6) are very much alive for the NCAA Tournament. This is one of the most improved teams in the country in 2013-14 thanks to having four starters back, though one of them has been lost for the season due to injury.
Colorado has proven that it has figured out how to win without point guard Spencer Dinwiddie in recent weeks. It has gone 3-0 in its last three games overall, including an emphatic 91-65 victory over Washington last time out.
The Buffaloes will be out for revenge from a 56-69 home loss to UCLA in their first meeting of the season. That was the first game that Dinwiddie missed, so the team clearly wasn't ready to play without him at that point. They have made the adjustments since as guys have taken on larger roles.
UCLA is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 home games versus dominant rebounding teams that outrebound their opponents by 7-plus boards per game after 15-plus games. Colorado is 39-21 ATS in its last 60 games when revenging a loss where it scored less than 60 points. The Bruins are 9-22 ATS in their last 31 games off a road win by 10 points or more. The Buffaloes are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games following three or more consecutive home games. Bet Colorado Thursday.
Dave Price
Brooklyn Nets +4
This is a game the Nets want badly. They were knocked out of the playoffs by the Bulls last season in a grueling seven-game series, and they were embarrassed at home by Chicago on Christmas day in the first regular season matchup. I like Brooklyn's chances of getting a little payback here. The Bulls have been a pathetic home favorite since the start of last season, going just 19-36 ATS in the role during this span. The Bulls are an even more pathetic 13-35 ATS when laying 3.5 to 9.5 points since the beginning of last season. They have won these games on average but only by 1.9 points. The Nets played last night against Charlotte while the Bulls had the night off, but it wasn't a taxing game as they blew out the Bobcats 105-89 with no player logging more than 28:01 minutes. Brooklyn had two days off prior to that game so it should still be pretty fresh. Plus, the Nets have the All-Star break to recover so I expect them to push themselves as they go after a little revenge. Road teams off two consecutive double-digit home wins are 108-70 ATS the last five seasons. Bet the Nets.
Joe Duffy
Creighton vs. Butler
Play: Butler +8
Precise records vary on the parameters (obviously), but teams with very high winning percentages off a straight up loss are great go-against plays. Creighton’s loss is no aberration. Their stunning rout of Villanova has been surrounded by four spread losses of 7.5 or more with the only other cover in that span by just a point.
In addition, Butler will have to avoid looking ahead to a Villanova team that will be out for blood. So we like the nice letdown and look ahead combo for the big road favorite.
Yes, this is an off year for Butler, struggling in the post Brad Stevens era, but they did take Villanova to OT in their other home game to a nationally ranked team and we cannot ignore they are 173-31 straight up at home this century.
It has not been a great year for Butler, but so often teams rally around a big game at home as Butler did against Villanova. Creighton is in a tough spot and this game goes down to the wire.