Matt Fargo
Notre Dame vs. Marquette
Play: Marquette -3
This game falls into the very same scenario as Saturday’s Kansas St./Oklahoma St. game. The Cowboys fell into the solid situation of being an unranked home favorite playing against a ranked underdog. That is the case for Marquette tonight as the Golden Eagles are slight home favorites against 15th ranked Notre Dame. Marquette is off to an 11-5 start on the season which looks pretty average until you take a look at the schedule itself which makes a huge difference. The majority of the 11 wins have been against some weak teams making them rather unimpressive but it is the losses here that get our attention. Marquette’s five losses have come against Duke, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh which have a combined record of 64-12. All of those losses came by single digits on top of it and only one of those, the defeat against the Badgers, came at home. The Golden Eagles are 9-1 at home this season. Marquette ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage, hitting 49.8 percent and 17th in scoring at 80.8 ppg thanks in large part to a well-balanced offensive attack. The Golden Eagles also have an edge at the free throw line as they are hitting 73.6 percent from the stripe and they have made more free throws (277) than their opponents have even attempted (238). As a result, they are outscoring opponents by over eight ppg from the free throw line. This is just the second true road game for Notre Dame where it is 0-1 following a 12-point loss against Syracuse on New Years Day. Marquette is 22-9 ATS in its last 31 games when playing against a team with a winning record and it is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games against teams averaging 77 or more ppg. It is also 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games when the total is between 140 and 149.5 while Notre Dame is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 road games following one or more consecutive overs. 3* (708) Marquette Golden Eagles
Tony Karpinski
Notre Dame vs. Marquette
Play: Marquette -3
Tonight is a bad spot for Notre Dame. First of all it is only there 2nd road game of the year and they have not proven to me that they can win against good teams on the road. I beleive it adds fuel to the fire that they went in to the Bradley Center and won last year in OT, a game that these Marquette players will try and avenge. Also the loss of Scott will be evident in a tough environment on the road especially come crunch time. Besides being the 3rd leading scorer he's a good shot-blocking presence and an excellent foul shooter. Marquette has lost I believe 5 straight (extremely close) games to top 25 opponents and this one is probably there best shot at a win. Marquette at home to steal a win over Notre Dame on Monday night by 6-12 points.
Craig Trapp
Notre Dame vs. Marquette
Play: Notre Dame +3.5
Historically Irish have not been a great road team but this years Irish are a much tougher defensive team. Still the Irish have that high powered offense that we always remember. Big angle here is Marquette is not great at defending the three pointer and ND is one of the best from deep. ND struggles rebounding against really big teams but this Marquette team is not big and should make this game really close. Think ND should win outright but will take points as a bonus.
Jack Jones
Detroit Pistons +10
Getting double-digit points with the Detroit Pistons is an absolute gift Monday. I'll gladly take advantage as the Pistons travel to face the Chicago Bulls tonight. Though Chicago has had Detroit's number, they haven't been blowing the Pistons out. Nine of the last 11 meetings in this series were decided by 10 points or less. The underdog is 12-5-1 ATS in the last 18 meetings and I certainly feel that Detroit is showing tremendous value tonight as a double-digit dog.
Chicago is only 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games overall as the odds are starting to catch up to them. The Bulls are playing well, but night in and night out are not good enough to cover double-digit spreads. The Pistons are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 vs. Eastern Conference. Detroit is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as an underdog. The Pistons are 18-5 ATS in their last 23 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. Detroit is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5. The Pistons are also well-rested, playing only their 2nd game in 6 days. Detroit is 10-1 ATS when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days this season. Take the Pistons Monday.
Black Widow
1* on Charlotte Bobcats +3
The Charlotte Bobcats are playing much better basketball since making a coaching change, firing Larry Brown and hiring Paul Silas. In the opinion of at least one Charlotte Bobcats player, bringing in Paul Silas and his up-tempo offensive system was exactly what was needed to inject some life into the once-disgruntled club. "It's kind of like losing a team. Nobody wanted to play no more," opinionated leading scorer Stephen Jackson said. "Everybody wanted to play a different style than we were playing. We didn't agree with what was going on. Obviously, it wasn't working, so we needed a change." Charlotte averaged 91.8 points while going 9-19 under Larry Brown as players continued to resist his slowdown system. With Silas, the Bobcats have averaged 99.2 points while winning four of six. "You can't blame Coach Brown because we have to play the games," said Jackson, who is averaging 25.2 points under Silas after scoring 17.3 per game while Brown was coach. "But at the end of the day, when you make a change like that it has the domino effect of getting everybody up and loving the game. It's definitely worked so far." Point guard D.J. Augustin is averaging 19.8 points with Silas at the helm - nearly six more than his season average. The Memphis Grizzlies are only 6-14 on the road this season, and Charlotte has had their number, winning four of the last 5 meetings and will be aiming for a 4th straight home win in this series. This Bobcats team is playing with new life and new confidence and should continue being a money maker under Silas in the coming weeks. Take Charlotte and the points.
Info Plays
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3* Bulls -9.5
Reasons why the Bulls will cover:
1) Chicago is one of the best home teams in the entire NBA and have beat the Pistons nine straight times at the United Center. Detroit has really struggled to keep Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer in check, and really have no answer for either player. Look for the Bulls to jump out early and never look back.
2) Chicago is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home games, and are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
3) Detroit is just 3-16 on the road this season, including a 10-point loss at Chicago earlier this year, and are only 11-28 ATS vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Houston Rockets +8.5
Off 5 straight losses, there's no doubt Houston will leave it all on the floor tonight. That may not be enough to end the skid, but it should be enough to cover this generous number. The Celtics have not been a good team to back at home against lesser competition. In fact, they are just 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 home games vs. a team with a losing road record and 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Boston is also just 23-40 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points over the last 3 seasons. Also, the road team is 12-2 ATS in the last 14 meetings in this series and the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. Expect a great effort from Houston to bring home the bacon tonight.
Dave Price
1 Unit on Detroit Pistons +10
The Pistons won't be lacking any confidence when they take on a Bulls team they took to overtime on Dec. 26. They'll be out to avenge that defeat, and they should have an excellent opportunity against a Chicago squad that has played a lot of games in few days. In fact, plays against favorites of 10 or more points, tired team playing 6 or more games in 10 days, with a winning record on the season, are 158-97 ATS the last 5 seasons. Detroit, meanwhile, is playing just its 2nd game in 5 days, and the Pistons are 10-1 ATS when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days this season. The Pistons are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as an underdog, and they get the call tonight. Take the points.