Michael Alexander

Rating: 2 Units

I do not have any interest in backing New York right now, as the Knicks have been extremely inconsistent and overvalued in the betting market. They have only covered the spread three times in their last nine games, and they have gone 4-8 against the spread in their last 12 home games. Los Angeles is going to be undervalued after losing a game to Milwaukee that it clearly should have won. The Clippers have covered the spread in six of their last seven games, including five of their last six road games. They are a different team with George back on the court, but the market has not fully accounted for that, which has made them a profitable option.

Rating: 2 Units

I will be riding with the Los Angeles Lakers in this game. Los Angeles has been trending in the correct direction, as they are (6-4) in their last 10 and they've won two straight. They also have James and Davis back on the floor, as this has been a huge boost for their team. Now, the Pelicans have continued to slide. They are (0-10) in their last 10 and they don't seem to be warming up. The Lakers will dominate on the offensive end of the court, as they are scoring the sixth most points per game and they have the ninth-highest team shooting percentage. The Pelicans will allow them to find consistent open shots throughout this game and I expect them to take advantage. New Orleans has also struggled on the offensive end of the court, as they won't score enough points to cover this spread. The Lakers have been great at defending the perimeter and the Pelicans just haven't looked good enough for me to trust them.

Rating: 2 Units

Chicago has covered the spread in 6 of its last nine at home. The Bulls will be well rested having played on Thursday while Portland will play its third straight road game and its second game in as many nights after facing Washington on Friday. The result is the Trail Blazers will be playing their third game in four nights, all of which were on the road. Portland has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine games played on the road and the Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in eight of the last nine games played on the road against the team that has a winning record at home (Chicago 14-11 at home). Portland struggles against teams with a losing record, failing to cover the spread in five of seven in that situation. Jerami Grant, who averages 20.1 points per game for Portland, is out on Friday in the first half of the back to back and could miss Saturday against Chicago.

Rating: 2 Units

This feels like a good spot to put some money on the Pistons. Both of these teams come into this game playing the second half of a back to back so I have to think that the Suns will be overlooking the lowly Pistons, thinking they could go through the motions and get a win before gearing up for tougher games ahead. And they may well escape with a win, but I think this is a game the Pistons could possibly steal and win outright, or at least play close enough to cover the spread. They are 3-7 in back to backs this season, which is better than their overall winning percentage. Take the Pistons here to cover the spread.

Rating: 2 Units

When one team dominates another as the Thunder do the Rockets, a pesky loss such as the one Oklahoma City suffered at Houston as 6-point road chalk on Wednesday only serves to bring them back around to full focus. That’s what we expect to find tonight, as the Thunder will look to improve on their 10-2 ATS mark in this series, taking the floor sporting a 5-0 ATS record in their last five games when coming off a SU favorite loss. Meanwhile, the Rockets arrive off a home revenger against Toronto last night while standing 0-5 SUATS after the Raptors, and 0-5 SUATS the last five without rest. Making matters worse, Houie has another home revenger waiting on tap Monday night against the Sacramento, owning a 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS log in post-Kings’ contests.

Rating: 2 Units

From a squad that was a permanent fixture in the Top 25 poll under Wright, this year’s Wildcats still haven’t found their footing, standing 10-12 overall after losing 7 of their last 10 contests. They also bring along an 8-16-2 ATS log in games when sporting a losing record, including 1-5-2 ATS in conference play. Look, we’ll be the first to admit it’s not often you’ll find the Bluejays dressing up as favorites against the Wildcats (just 3 times in 20 meetings since they joined the Big East) but when they do, there is certainly provocation. It starts with last year’s 54-48 loss to Villanova in the finals of the Big East tourney, and with that Creighton brings a 5-1 SUATS record into tonight’s affair when looking to exact LTKO revenge, including 5-0 SUATS when they face sub .900 opponents. Greg McDermott’s troops have been a tough out at home this season, going 10-1 SU and scoring an average of over 81 points per game, and we think they’ll heap a little more misery on Nova here.

Rating: 3 Units

Miami is 0-12 SU on this floor since entering the ACC. Folks, that’s some bad ju-ju, made even worse by the fact that when the Hurricanes lose a game under head coach Jim Larranaga, they usually don’t cash a ticket. The offi cial results are 84-724 ATS in outright conference losses with the Canes, including 7-41 ATS versus avenging foes. Did that shift your perspective? How about Clemson’s perfect 12-0 record this season at Littlejohn Coliseum, where the Tigers average a 12.7-point win? Brad Brownell’s boys have not lost back-to-back games this campaign and we don’t look for it to happen here. Finally, Clemmie stands 5-1-1 ATS in this series when coming off consecutive ATS losses – which blends in with the fact that Clemson is 16-5 SU and 14-7 ATS as single-digit home chalk off a SU favorite loss, including 6-0 SUATS when coming off consecutive point spread losses.

Rating: 2 Units

ISU looks to get even for their recent 2-point setback to KU. We like the Cyclones’ chances to do just that: they own a 5-0 ATS series record versus Kansas when playing with same season revenge from a loss of fewer than 20 points, plus the Jayhawks have cashed just a single ticket in their last six games after clashing with K-State. Keep a close eye on the line today, too, as Iowa State stands 5-0 ATS as home dogs of 7-plus points if .666 or greater. Also keep in mind that Iowa State has won the rebound battle in its last 8 straight contests and won’t be overpowered here. With Kansas possibly looking ahead to a bigger game at Texas on Monday, we expect the Cyclones to keep their fans satisfied in this high-noon showdown

Rating: 2 Units

Butler is going the wrong direction with six losses in seven games and their offense has been stuck in neutral for the most part. The Bulldogs have scored more than 61 points just once in their last seven games and have hung 58 or less in five of those matchups. That doesn’t bode well against a Marquette team that is in the top 20 in the nation in scoring offense and who leads the nation in two-point shooting. Butler is a decent defensive team but their inability to scare anyone on the offensive end, coupled with their road woes, is too much to ask for in this one. Take Marquette at home as they prevail in this contest.

Rating: 2 Units

This has the makings of a fantastic matchup, as Texas is atop the Big 12 (7-2) with Kansas State right behind (6-3). This means a lot is on the line, especially for the Wildcats, who want to keep their home winning streak alive while also ensuring that Kansas, TCU, and Iowa State, who are also 6-3, do not have a chance to jump over the Wildcats in the standings. So, look for Kansas State to play this game like it is a tournament game. They have been absolutely dominant at home while Texas is just 2-3 on the road. The Wildcats have covered the spread it in four of their last five games and eight of their last 10.

Rating: 2 Units

When diving into KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, there is a large difference between these programs as San Jose State is 113th in the country with a +4.84 rating while Wyoming is 153rd in college basketball with a +1.11 rating thus far. A huge reason is the ability to grab rebounds as there is a massive difference with the Cowboys being 275th in the sport with 32.5 total rebounds per game while the Spartans are 116th in the nation with 35.7 total rebounds per game thus far. All in all, go with the better program that covers the spread more effectively to do just that.

Rating: 3 Units

The Hoosiers have won five of their last six games and four of their last five home games. They are very good offensively, especially at home where they are scoring more than 83 points per game while making over 53 percent of their shots. They do a good job finding the open man and they were very aggressive on the offensive glass in their last three games, grabbing more than 10 offensive rebounds per game in their last three games, which will give them more scoring opportunities. They also do a good job protecting the ball and won’t give the Boilermakers a lot of easy-scoring opportunities. The Boilermakers have played well defensively, but they aren’t as efficient on the road and will have a hard time slowing down the Hoosiers in this game. The Boilermakers have won nine straight games. They have played well offensively, but they’re not as good on the road where they are scoring more than 72 points per game. They struggled at the free throw line in their last three games, making less than 68 percent of their shots. They also didn’t rebound the ball as well as the Hoosiers in recent games and won’t get a lot of extra-scoring opportunities against the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers are very good defensively and do a better job at home where they are holding opponents under 65 points per game and will keep Purdue’s offense in check. Go with the Hoosiers to cover the spread.