Alabama at GEORGIA (-2')
By Jeff Benton
Your Saturday freebie is the Georgia Bulldogs to beat back the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
They may not be able to best them on Monday night on the gridiron, but Saturday afternoon on the hardwood at The Stege, look for the Dawgs to sic'em!
Georgia is fresh off a Wednesday double-digit home conference win and cover over Ole Miss, as they notched their 10th win against just 3 losses. The Dogs are on a 3-1 run straight up, covering in all 4, and they have won all 7 of their home games in Athens with a 3-1 spread mark.
Alabama has been up-and-down lately, just 4-5 straight up their last 9 games, and only 3-5-1 against the spread in that stretch.
Georgia did win and cover the last series meeting last February in Tuscaloosa, as the Bulldogs are now 4-1 straight up and 5-1 against the spread in this rivalry since 2013.
In this near pick'em spot, go with UGa over 'Bama.
4* GEORGIA
Oklahoma at WEST VIRGINIA (-3')
By Chris Jordan
My free play for Saturday night is on the West Virginia Mountaineers over the Oklahoma Sooners, as the Big 12 powers meet in Morgantown.
Trae Young may be the best player in college basketball, I'll admit that. A freshman, he is leading the nation with 29.4 points and 10.6 assists per game. I'd love to see him join my Los Angeles Lakers, who can then part with Lonzo Ball.
That said, young Young is about to meet the best defense he's faced all season. And the Mountaineers (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) haven’t lost since suffering a blowout at the hands of Texas A&M in the season opener. In my eyes, they’re the very early favorites to win the league - no Oklahoma or Kansas - after opening conference play with road wins at Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
Back home, the Mountaineers will be fired up for the league's No. 1 scoring offense, as Oklahoma is scoring 95.8 points per game. My money says the Sooners will be held by at least 8 points below their average.
The difference between these teams is West Virginia is balanced at both ends, ranking fourth in the league in both scoring offense (84.2) and defense (64.9). Oklahoma may be the Big 12's top scoring team, but it is also the worst scoring team in the league.
The Mountaineers are also the league's best at rebounding on offense and the second-best free-throw shooting team. So in creating second-chance opportunities, we're going to see a lot of and-1s today.
Sorry Boomer Sooners, the Mountaineers are going to be the better team here.
2* WEST VIRGINIA
Southern Utah at WEBER STATE (-10')
By Eric Schroeder
My free winner for tonight is on Weber State, as it will annihilate Southern Utah in Big Sky play on the college hardwood.
Weber State, sitting in the middle of the pack in the Big Sky standings after losing last Saturday to Idaho State, will be looking for an easy win, and should get it against a lethargic, travel-weary Thunderbirds team that is 6-8 overall and 0-3 in league play.
The T-Birds, now 1-6 on the road, have lost four in a row, including a blowout loss on Thursday at Idaho State.
Weber State has a balanced attack at both ends of the court, with the fourth-best scoring offense averaging 78.2 points per game, and the No. 2 scoring defense in the Big Sky, allowing just 65.5 points per contest.
Weber State is at or near the top of the Big Sky rankings in nearly all the statistical categories, and with the Southern Utah at the very bottom with its scoring defense, I don't see the T-Birds slowing the tempo and containing the Wildcats here.
Take Weber State.
1* WEBER STATE
Houston at DETROIT
By Joey Juice
Let's back the Rockets here even though they have struggled lately, giving us a chance to take advantage of a soft line.
Houston will have the added advantage of coming off a day's rest while the Pistons had to play on the road in Philly, and then fly back for this game. To make matters worse for Stan Van Gundy and his Detroit crew, Drummond will be limited at best with his rib issue and the Pistons simply arent that deep of a squad as injuries have taken a serious toll.
Pistons are the midst of a serious ATS slide, they are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
Houston has been slumping, but will pull this game out on the road.
Rockets are the free play.
3* HOUSTON