Free Picks: Service Plays for Thursday, January 19

DUNKEL INDEX

NCAAB

Arizona State at Colorado
The Buffaloes look to take advantage of an Arizona State team that is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games as a road underdog. Colorado is the pick (-10) according to Dunkel, which has the Buffaloes favored by 13 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-10)

Game 541-542: Wake Forest at Duke (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wake Forest 53.849; Duke 74.536
Dunkel Line: Duke by 20 1/2; 152
Vegas Line: Duke by 22 1/2; 147 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Wake Forest (+22 1/2); Over

Game 543-544: Vanderbilt at Alabama (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vanderbilt 67.145; Alabama 74.881
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 7 1/2; 119
Vegas Line: Alabama by 6; 123 1/2
Dunkel Pick Alabama (-6); Under

Game 545-546: UL-Lafayette at Arkansas Little Rock (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UL-Lafayette 54.913; Arkansas Little Rock 54.981
Dunkel Line: Even; 133
Vegas Line: Arkansas Little Rock by 2 1/2; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UL-Lafayette (+2 1/2); Over

Game 547-548: Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arkansas State 50.720; Middle Tennessee State 68.299
Dunkel Line: Middle Tennessee State by 17 1/2; 120
Vegas Line: Middle Tennessee State by 15 1/2; 123 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Middle Tennessee State (-15 1/2); Under

Game 549-550: Florida International at South Alabama (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida International 48.523; South Alabama 53.092
Dunkel Line: South Alabama by 3 1/2; 123
Vegas Line: South Alabama by 6; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida International (+6); Under

Game 551-552: William & Mary at VCU (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: William & Mary 44.937; VCU 67.694
Dunkel Line: VCU by 23; 130
Vegas Line: VCU by 20 1/2; 128
Dunkel Pick: VCU (-20 1/2); Over

Game 553-554: Valparaiso at Loyola-Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Valparaiso 57.399; Loyola-Chicago 50.614
Dunkel Line: Valparaiso by 7; 129
Vegas Line: Valparaiso by 5; 124
Dunkel Pick: Valparaiso (-5); Over

Game 555-556: Virginia at Georgia Tech (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Virginia 63.671; Georgia Tech 61.365
Dunkel Line: Virginia by 2 1/2; 108
Vegas Line: Virginia by 4; 111 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Georgia Tech (+4); Under

Game 557-558: Boston College at North Carolina State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston College 52.408; North Carolina State 65.153
Dunkel Line: North Carolina State by 12 1/2; 144
Vegas Line: North Carolina State by 16; 137
Dunkel Pick: Boston College (+16); Over

Game 559-560: Florida Atlantic at Troy (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida Atlantic 56.409; Troy 50.261
Dunkel Line: Florida Atlantic by 6; 130
Vegas Line: Florida Atlantic by 3; 134
Dunkel Pick: Florida Atlantic (-3); Under

Game 561-562: Butler at Illinois-Chicago (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Butler 59.689; Illinois-Chicago 50.472
Dunkel Line: Butler by 9; 127
Vegas Line: Butler by 7; 124
Dunkel Pick: Butler (-7); Over

Game 563-564: Denver at UL-Monroe (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Denver 57.788; UL-Monroe 48.478
Dunkel Line: Denver by 9 1/2; 115
Vegas Line: Denver by 12; 120
Dunkel Pick: UL-Monroe (+12); Under

Game 565-566: USC at Oregon (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: USC 56.701; Oregon 65.483
Dunkel Line: Oregon by 8 1/2; 110
Vegas Line: Oregon by 8; 112
Dunkel Pick: Oregon (-8); Under

Game 567-568: California at Washington (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: California 64.842; Washington 65.856
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 149
Vegas Line: California by 1; 144 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+1); Over

Game 569-570: Arizona State at Colorado (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona State 52.733; Colorado 66.474
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 13 1/2; 122
Vegas Line: Colorado by 10; 127 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-10); Under

Game 571-572: Loyola Marymount at BYU (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Loyola Marymount 56.219; BYU 70.967
Dunkel Line: BYU by 14 1/2; 155
Vegas Line: BYU by 16 1/2; 149 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Loyola Marymount (+16 1/2); Over

Game 573-574: Illinois at Penn State (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Illinois 68.668; Penn State 61.431
Dunkel Line: Illinois by 7; 127
Vegas Line: Illinois by 4; 123
Dunkel Pick: Illinois (-4); Over

Game 575-576: Arizona at Utah (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 62.864; Utah 50.640
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 12; 112
Vegas Line: Arizona by 15; 118 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Utah (+15); Under

Game 577-578: North Carolina at Virginia Tech (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: North Carolina 74.377; Virginia Tech 65.046
Dunkel Line: North Carolina by 9 1/2; 150
Vegas Line: North Carolina by 6 1/2; 143
Dunkel Pick: North Carolina (-6 1/2); Over

Game 579-580: Long Beach State at Cal Poly (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Long Beach State 61.572; Cal Poly 62.958
Dunkel Line: Cal Poly by 1 1/2; 117
Vegas Line: Long Beach State by 1 1/2; 120
Dunkel Pick: Cal Poly (+1 1/2); Under

Game 581-582: CS-Northridge at UC-Santa Barbara (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: CS-Northridge 46.455; UC-Santa Barbara 66.275
Dunkel Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 20; 149
Vegas Line: UC-Santa Barbara by 17; 141 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UC-Santa Barbara (-17); Over

Game 583-584: Stanford at Washington State (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Stanford 61.678; Washington State 63.002
Dunkel Line: Washington State by 1 1/2; 127
Vegas Line: Pick; 134
Dunkel Pick: Washington State; Under

Game 585-586: Pepperdine at St. Mary's (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pepperdine 50.007; St. Mary's 70.294
Dunkel Line: St. Mary's by 20 1/2; 119
Vegas Line: St. Mary's by 23 1/2; 124
Dunkel Pick: Pepperdine (+23 1/2); Under

Game 587-588: San Diego at Portland (11:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego 50.798; Portland 58.713
Dunkel Line: Portland by 8; 144
Vegas Line: Portland by 5 1/2; 142 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Portland (-5 1/2); Over

Game 589-590: San Francisco at Gonzaga (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco 57.565; Gonzaga 70.538
Dunkel Line: Gonzaga by 13; 143
Vegas Line: Gonzaga by 16 1/2; 148
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+16 1/2); Under

Game 591-592: New Mexico State at San Jose State (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Mexico State 60.295; San Jose State 50.696
Dunkel Line: New Mexico State by 9 1/2; 154
Vegas Line: New Mexico State by 7 1/2; 148 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New Mexico State (-7 1/2); Over

Game 593-594: UCLA at Oregon State (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UCLA 62.275; Oregon State 67.243
Dunkel Line: Oregon State by 5; 153
Vegas Line: Oregon State by 2; 149
Dunkel Pick: Oregon State (-2); Over

Game 597-598: Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Kentucky (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee-Martin 39.884; Eastern Kentucky 50.434
Dunkel Line: Eastern Kentucky by 10 1/2; 121
Vegas Line: Eastern Kentucky by 12; 128
Dunkel Pick: Tennessee-Martin (+12); Under

Game 599-600: Chattanooga at NC-Greensboro (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chattanooga 54.398; NC-Greensboro 51.305
Dunkel Line: Chattanooga by 3; 152
Vegas Line: Chattanooga by 1; 145
Dunkel Pick: Chattanooga (-1); Over

Game 601-602: Appalachian State at Wofford (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Appalachian State 49.448; Wofford 54.617
Dunkel Line: Wofford by 5; 120
Vegas Line: Wofford by 7 1/2; 122 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Appalachian State (+7 1/2); Under

Game 603-604: College of Charleston at Davidson (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: College of Charleston 57.421; Davidson 62.804
Dunkel Line: Davidson by 5 1/2; 156
Vegas Line: Davidson by 8 1/2; 150 1/2
Dunkel Pick: College of Charleston (+8 1/2); Over

Game 605-606: Georgia Southern at Furman (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Georgia Southern 46.150; Furman 55.359
Dunkel Line: Furman by 9; 128
Vegas Line: Furman by 7; 132
Dunkel Pick: Furman (-7); Under

Game 607-608: Fairfield at St. Peter's (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Fairfield 57.956; St. Peter's 50.304
Dunkel Line: Fairfield by 7 1/2; 119
Vegas Line: Fairfield by 5; 121 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Fairfield (-5); Under

Game 609-610: Samford at Elon (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Samford 43.364; Elon 47.616
Dunkel Line: Elon by 4 1/2; 131
Vegas Line: Elon by 7; 128 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Samford (+7); Over

Game 611-612: Siena at Loyola-MD (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Siena 48.252; Loyola-MD 59.841
Dunkel Line: Loyola-MD by 11 1/2; 126
Vegas Line: Loyola-MD by 9 1/2; 130
Dunkel Pick: Loyola-MD (-9 1/2); Under

Game 613-614: Austin Peay at SIU-Edwardsville (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Austin Peay 51.030; SIU-Edwardsville 44.444
Dunkel Line: Austin Peay by 6 1/2; 140
Vegas Line: Austin Peay by 8 1/2; 138
Dunkel Pick: SIU-Edwardsville (+8 1/2); Over

Game 615-616: Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee State 47.881; Eastern Illinois 51.659
Dunkel Line: Eastern Illinois by 4; 142
Vegas Line: Eastern Illinois by 2 1/2; 137
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Illinois (-2 1/2); Over

Game 617-618: Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Jacksonville State 46.584; Tennessee Tech 52.873
Dunkel Line: Tennessee Tech by 6 1/2; 125
Vegas Line: Tennessee Tech by 9; 130
Dunkel Pick: Jacksonville State (+9); Under

Game 619-620: Niagara at Canisius (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Niagara 49.868; Canisius 49.290
Dunkel Line: Niagara by 1; 151
Vegas Line: Niagara by 2; 145 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Canisius (+2); Over

Game 621-622: Sacramento State at Montana State (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Sacramento State 40.371; Montana State 49.552
Dunkel Line: Montana State by 9; 133
Vegas Line: Montana State by 6 1/2; 136 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Montana State (-6 1/2); Under

Game 623-624: Northern Arizona at Weber State (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northern Arizona 43.651; Weber State 58.743
Dunkel Line: Weber State by 15; 145
Vegas Line: Weber State by 17; 140
Dunkel Pick: Northern Arizona (+17); Over

Game 625-626: Northern Colorado at Montana (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northern Colorado 46.658; Montana 59.824
Dunkel Line: Montana by 13; 132
Vegas Line: Montana by 11; 135 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Montana (-11); Under

Game 631-632: IUPUI at South Dakota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: IUPUI 51.811; South Dakota 50.273
Dunkel Line: IUPUI by 1 1/2; 154
Vegas Line: Pick; 149
Dunkel Pick: IUPUI; Over

Game 633-634: Western Illinois at UMKC (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Illinois 50.032; UMKC 48.157
Dunkel Line: Western Illinois by 2;
Vegas Line: Western Illinois by 4; 118
Dunkel Pick: UMKC (+4);

Game 635-636: IPFW at Oral Roberts (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: IPFW 52.859; Oral Roberts 67.141
Dunkel Line: Oral Roberts by 14 1/2; 142
Vegas Line: Oral Roberts by 17 1/2; 147
Dunkel Pick: IPFW (+17 1/2); Under

Game 637-638: Oakland at Southern Utah (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland 53.474; Southern Utah 50.341
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 3; 162
Vegas Line: Oakland by 1; 157
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-1); Over

Marc Lawrence

Vanderbilt at Alabama
Prediction: Alabama

When the Tide plays host to the Commodores in a key SEC clash Thursday night Bama will look to pull even with Vandy in the conference standings with a win tonight. The Commies enter off an 11-point win over Georgia knowing they have covered just once in their last eight tries as road dogs after facing the Bulldogs. On the flip side the Crimson stands 5-1-1 ATS at home with revenge in this series, including 3-0 when playing off a loss. With that, look for the Tide to improve to 5-1 ATS in its last six games in this series this evening. We recommend a 1-unit play on Alabama.

Matt Fargo

Vanderbilt @ Alabama
PICK: Alabama -6.5

After a rough start to the season where Vanderbilt lost three homer games, things have turned around as the Commodores have won their last seven games. A win at Marquette was a big one but other than that, there are no quality wins during this streak. Vanderbilt has won its first three SEC games but those were against Auburn, South Carolina and Georgia which are a combined 1-9 in the conference. This is the first test of the SEC season and it comes on the road no less.

Alabama is 2-1 in the SEC and while its two wins have been against no elite teams, the situation is a very solid one here. The Crimson Tide are coming off a loss at Mississippi St. on Saturday and it was a game they should have won but they managed a mere eight points from the free throw line and behind the arc combined and that is not going to get it done. They went to the line only five times and that is the sign of some home cooking. We hope to see the home cooking tonight as well.

Alabama prides itself with its defense and that defense is holding strong this season. It is allowing just 55.7 ppg which is eighth in the nation with only four opponents scoring 60 or more points against the Crimson Tide this season. This includes six straight games of holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points. While the defense is strong, the offense is pretty good as well, shooting 47 percent from the floor including 51.3 percent over its last five games.

This is a great home court edge as Alabama has won 26 of its last 27 games as well as 10 straight SEC games in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide are also gunning for win No. 500 in the building and that is a pretty big deal. Alabama is a perfect 9-0 ATS in its last nine home games in the second half of the season against winning teams while going 14-4 ATS in its last 18 home games after a loss by six points or less. Vanderbilt meanwhile is 10-22 ATS in its last 32 games as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points.

Sean Murphy

UCLA @ Oregon State
PICK: Over 149

We saw two low-scoring games between these two teams last season, with the winner topping out at 69 points.

Of course, we'll need much more than that out of the winning side in order to cash the 'over' on Thursday, but that's well within the realm of possibility.

UCLA head into this game with plenty of confidence, having reeled off three straight victories. The Bruins have shot the ball exceptionally well lately, connecting on 57-of-108 (52.8%) of their opportunities over the last two games.

There's little reason to expect a drop-off in production from the Bruins offense on Thursday. Oregon State will never be mistaken for a quality defensive team. The Beavers are giving up just shy of 73 points per game on the season, but things have only gotten worse in conference play. In six Pac-12 games, Oregon State has allowed the opposition to shoot better than 50% from the field.

The Beavers have to realize that their best shot at winning this game comes by pushing the pace at every opportunity. If they're in rhythm, they can be tough to stop. Note that in their lone Pac-12 victory, they hung 92 points on a quality Cal squad.

There's been talk of the Beavers stepping up their game defensively, or at least the need to do so, but I'm not convinced they have the personnel in place to accomplish that. Instead, look for another high-scoring affair at Gill Coliseum on Thursday - something that's become commonplace here in 2011-12 (the 'over' is 5-2 in Oregon State's lined home games).

Jim Feist

Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat
Pick: Miami Heat

The Lakers are in first place in the Pacific division, but it's not because of their road play (1-4). They slow the pace down for new coach Mike Brown, but they face a better defensive team, one younger and deeper. The Lakers are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 vs. NBA Southeast, 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games. Miami plays its second straight home game coming off an impressive 120-98 pounding of San Antonio after trailing by 17. The Heat is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Miami and 0-6 ATS in the last 6 meetings. Play the Miami Heat!

Cajun Sports

Vanderbilt vs. Alabama
Play: Vanderbilt +6.5

The Commodores of Vanderbilt invade the Capstone on Thursday night for an SEC battle against the host Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide enter tonight’s contest off a loss at Mississippi State 56 to 52 as a 1.5-point conference road favorite. That loss ended the Tide’s 5-0 winning streak. Alabama is 7-1 SU at home this season but only 1-3 against the spread. They are averaging 68.7 points per game on their home floor while allowing 53.6 points per game. When the Tide has faced conference foes, we see their scoring drop 3.7 points per game compared to their home numbers and they allow more points per game during conference play as we see 2.4 points per game average increase for their opponents. Vanderbilt comes into tonight’s game riding a seven-game winning streak with a 3-2 against the spread mark over that span. The Commodores defeated Georgia their last time out 77 to 66 but failing to cover the thirteen-point spread. Vandy has posted a record of 3-0 SU in conference play this season covering the spread in two of those three games. During their seven-game winning streak, they have won by an average margin of almost twenty-points per game with 19.1 points per game advantage. Vanderbilt’s big man Festus Ezeli appears to be back in decent health while Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins have been strong during conference play so far this season. Taylor has averaged fifty-seven percent from the field and just over fourteen-points per game during SEC play. Jenkins has been lighting up SEC foes from behind the arc shooting forty-four percent and just over sixteen points per game. This type of offensive firepower should cause problems for a group of pachyderms that cannot seem to find the basket this season struggling with 66 points per game, which is good enough for 209 in the nation. Do not look for the trey to be an answer either as the Tide has struggled from behind the arc for almost a decade shooting just over twenty-seven percent. Vanderbilt is 11-2 ATS in road games over the last 2 seasons and 12-3 ATS as a road underdog or pick. Our TPR Index projects a point advantage of just 1.34-points in tonight’s game. The Math Model has a point differential of 2.06-points, which favors the Commodores. Add it all up and you have a play on the underdog in the Vanderbilt-Alabama contest on Thursday evening.

PROJECTED FORECAST: 2* Vanderbilt Commodores 71 Alabama Crimson Tide 69

Rob Vinciletti

Wake Forest vs. Duke
Play: Duke -22.5

Duke has been a machine against Wake Forest going 22-5 straight up and 20-7 ats against them since 1997. Over the last 12 years here at home they are 12-0 straight up and against the spread. They are also 11-0 straight up and ats in all games at home when the total is 145 to 149.5. Even as a home favorite in this high range they are profitable going 49-0 and 31-16 to the spread. Wake Forest is a dismal 0-25 straight up and 7-17 ats as a road dog of 12.5 or more and 1-7 ats on the road when the total is 145 to 149.5. Look for Duke to coast to an easy win and cover here tonight.

Bryan Power

Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Rangers
PICK: Pittsburgh Penguins

I believe we are getting tremendous value tonight w/ the Penguins as an underdog in this big Atlantic Division matchup w/ the first place Rangers. Pittsburgh lost to New York 3-1 in the Igloo earlier this month, at the time their third straight of what would be an eventual six-game losing skid. They have since righted the ship w/ three straight victories, the latest coming on Tuesday at home over Carolina (2-1), and they check in tonight w/ a 14-5 same season revenge record when playing on the road. The return of defenseman Kris Letang would be an even bigger plus here.

Joseph D'Amico

Wake Forest vs. Duke
Play: Duke -22½

Duke is a top 5 team at 15-2. The Blue Devils might have had some "too close for comfort" games early on, but they are now on track to be a top seed come March. The squad is a perfect 8-0 SU at home this season. Their defense has been like a swarm of bees over the last month. This is a 100% healthy team that consists of Rivers, Curry, Kelly, and Plumlee, who are all averaging DDs while Dawkins is flirting with almost 10 a game. They have height, muscle, speed, and intelligence. Oh yeah… they also have Coach "K". They are a very unselfish unit as they have had a different leading scorer in each of their last 4 outings. They cause a ton of TOs and are a nightmare for opponents in transition. Duke is also deadly from beyond the arc as they are an ACC-best 40.2% from 3-point land. Wake Forest has the pair of Harris and McKie, but defenses are trapping the duo, therefore shutting down the Wake Forest "O". A savvy HC like Coach "K" will strangle the Demons duo and force TOs. Duke has won and covered the L3, including LYs 83-59 victory as a 22 1/2 pt fav. The favorite is 8-2 ATS the L10 meetings. The Demon Deacons are 0-11 ATS their L11 games played at the Blue Devils, 6-13-2 ATS their L21 games played vs. the ACC, and 1-5-1 ATS their L7 games played vs. teams with a winning record. Take Duke.

Nelly

College of Charleston + over Davidson

Davidson has a huge win over Kansas under its belt and with five straight wins the Wildcats are now 6-0 in the Southern Standings, sitting with a two game cushion over any other team. College of Charleston sits at 4-2 in the South division with Davidson and this could not be a bigger game for the Cougars. This is a team that won at Clemson, beat Massachusetts, Tennessee, and lost by just seven at Louisville. After a near miss against George Mason the Cougars went back to conference play with a thud, losing badly at Wofford and the Cougars also lost at home against NC-Greensboro showing some inconsistency. The schedule has been tough in terms of opposition and travel and finally normalized with a huge conference game a focused effort should be in store tonight. Beating Kansas carries a lot of weight but the rest of the results have not been that impressive for Davidson. The schedule rates high with the Jayhawks and Duke on the resume but this is a team that lost by 23 against Charlotte and lost by eight against the Massachusetts team that College of Charleston beat. The start to the conference season has been weak as they got to play at Wofford very early in the year which was a big advantage. Davidson has a suspect defense, allowing over 71 points per game and allowing nearly 45 percent shooting so there will be opportunities for the Cougars to score. College of Charleston has covered in five of the last seven meetings and Davidson again looks a bit overvalued, as the Wildcats are 16-34-1 ATS in the last 51 conference games facing a big decline with inflated lines in the post Stephen Curry days.

Jeff Benton

Your Thursday freebie is the Dallas Mavericks plus the points to come through at Utah tonight.

The Mavs are playing their third road game in four nights, and after getting stung late by both the Lakers and the Clippers in their stay in Los Angeles, look for Dallas to come out on a mission tonight.

No doubt the Jazzmen's 7-1 straight up home mark (6-2 against the spread) is impressive, but this is one of those "situational" spots that I like to look for in the association, and after two last second losses, I expect Dallas to be in a feisty mood tonight and take care of business in Salt Lake City this Thursday night.

Dallas won and covered ALL four season series meetings versus Utah last season, and I look for that trend to continue tonight, as Dallas exacts some of their frustrations on Utah tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.

Take any points they are giving with the Mavericks this Thursday night.

3♦ DALLAS

Craig Trapp

Stanford vs. Washington State
Play: Stanford -1

Really more a play against WASH ST who is terrible losing 4 of last 5 straight up and ATS. No quality wins all season long as they just don't have talent to compete in this PAC 12 this year. STAN has also owned this head to head series 7-2 ATS head to head record. STAN wins by 8, win will never be in question,

MTi Sports

Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

The Heat are 0-11 ATS (-6.8 ppg) at home when their opponent has committed an average of at least 23 fouls per game on the road season-to-date. The Lakers are 4-0 ATS (+8.8 ppg) after a win in which Kobe Bryant shot worse than 33% from the field. Finally, the Lakers are 7-0 ATS off a game in which they held their opponent to fewer than 85 points and did not win by 25+ points. Consider investing in LA.

FREE NCAAB PLAY FOR 1/19: We'll side with Colorado (-8.5, -107 5Dimes) over Arizona State. The Buffalos are showing excellent value here as they are coming off a couple of road losses to California and Stanford. They will be aiming to take advantage of this Sun Devils team that is playing in just their fourth road game, and will be without top Guard Trent Lockett (Sprained Ankle). The Buffoloes play solid defense at home, allowing just 59.2 points/game on 37.2% from the floor. Colorado is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs the Pac 12, and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 vs sub .500 teams. Going back to last year, the Sun Devils are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games. They're also just 3-14 ATS in their last 17 games following a S.U. win. Play on the home chalk, Colorado -8.5. Our Free Picks are now 143-79-1. Sign up at iseewinners.com to receive all of our Free Plays via email.