(photo: Bowling Green Daily News)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 103-82

Season Best Bet Record: 41-19

1/16 Card:

Michigan State +4

George Washington +8

WKU +4.5

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Michigan State +4 : Purdue will not have a fun time at the Breslin Center today. The students are off for MLK Day, and will be fired up for a mid-day Top 5 win. Purdue walked into East Lansing as the #4 team in the country last year, and lost to a worse version of Michigan State than they will see today. While Zach Edey got his, Izzo had a great game plan to combat the rest of Purdue’s weapons. He should be able to draw up a similar scheme for today. Back to the comparison between last year’s Spartan team vs this current team.. Sparty finally has a reliable point guard. AJ Hoggard is doing it all right now. He had 20 points in Champaign when the rest of the offense was struggling, and was an absolute playmaker in the four games prior to that – averaging 8.3 assists per game. An added bonus for today is that Malik Hall seems to be playing better at home since his return from injury. Will continue to keep an eye on that. I don’t see this more than one possession either way. Michigan State could easily win this game. I will take the 4 points in a matinee home spot.

Score Prediction: Purdue 69 – Michigan State 68

George Washington +8 : Too many points in this inner-DC showdown. The Colonials split this series last season, and were leading at George Mason at the under 4 tv timeout before eventually losing. Both of these games were fantastic last season. With virtually the same rosters, I expect to see another great one today. There is a hatred between these clubs, and the fire will be lit under both of their asses. We won’t have to worry about effort or intensity from George Washington. Ricky Lindo Jr. (former Terp) is as good of a matchup as you can throw at Oduro in the A-10. Also, James Bishop and Brendan Adams are elite scorers and should keep us in this one throughout. Their offensive game doesn’t slip on the road. They average 75.6ppg at home, and 73.9ppg on the road. The Colonials will score enough to keep us under this number in a rivalry game.

Score Prediction: George Mason 76 – George Washington 71

WKU +4.5 : Best Bet of the day. The Hilltoppers will upset the Owls tonight. Sprinkle the ML. This is the perfect buy-low/sell-high spot for these two ball clubs. The Owls have the nations 2nd longest win streak at 15 games in a row, but they have been playing with fire lately. They have won their last five games by less than 5 points. Including, heading to OT with a very inferior FIU team last time they were on the road. This has risen them to 26th in the country in KenPom’s Luck rating. Their luck will run out tonight. This Hilltoppers team is finally playing the way we thought they could in the preseason. Dayvion McKnight has been an absolute force all season, but now his senior teammates are joining in on the fun. Jordan Rawls has been pretty awful for the majority of the season, but he has come alive in the last two contests. He scored 16 points in Birmingham and was the reason why the Hilltoppers upset UAB on the road. Jarius Hamilton could get the same praise for their win over FIU. He had 12/7/3 in that outing. Lastly, Luke Frampton is an absolute sniper this year. His three point percentage has risen to 47.8%. He has 43 makes in 17 games. Try to grab this number as early as you can. I think the Hilltoppers cover tonight with/without Emmanuel Akot (questionable – concussion), but he is a game changer and will definitely alter the line if he becomes active. While I think WKU wins, I would play this to +3.5 and nothing less. Inside of one possession is not valuable in my opinion in this matchup. If my W9 had to end yesterday, FAU’s W15 is the sacrifice today to get us back on track!

Score Prediction: WKU 72 – FAU 70

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: Butler University Athletics)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 99-79

Season Best Bet Record: 39-18

1/13 Card:

Villanova/Butler o133.5

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Villanova/Butler o133.5 : One play today. The Best Bet. I have a nice edge on this total I believe, so I am happy we were blessed with this game on a short card. I have this number at 139.5. There are many paths for both teams to score tonight. First, we will start with the dreadful defense these two teams have played in their last three outings. Shockingly enough, they have the same defensive efficiency rating in those last three at 1.040. That is good for 237th in the country. Butler allowed 74.3 ppg to St John’s, Seton Hall and DePaul .. and Nova allowed 73.3 ppg to DePaul, Xavier and Georgetown. Butler has played decent defense up until this skid this season, but this has been the story of the year for Nova under Neptune. They are 219th in the country in defensive efficiency for the season. Butler should have their way on the offensive end tonight. Their offensive rating and ppg output is not strong this season, but that is due to their drastic home/road splits. Butler is averaging 75.1 ppg at Hinkle. I see them nearing that clip against the bad Wildcat defense. Another feather in our cap is Villanova’s offense does not take a huge slide when they hit the road. They only drop from 72.4ppg at home, to 70.1ppg on the road. The teams are playing very similarly in pace as they did last year. Very methodical and slow. However, these two bring out the worst in each other recently in regards to getting out of their game-plan and running. The game at Hinkle last season got a little bit up and down and the total ended on 137. That was with Butler shooting 36% from the field and 5-25 from three. Butler’s offense has improved from last season, and Nova’s defense has taken a sharp decline. I love the over tonight. Book it.

Score Prediction: Butler 72 – Villanova 68

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: Loyola Marymount University)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 98-77

Season Best Bet Record: 38-18

1/12 Card:

Loyola Marymount tto 57

Gonzaga -6

Arizona -15

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Loyola Marymount tto 57 : I love this Lions offense. We are seeing a low team-total tonight due to the fantastic defense of the Gaels, but there are paths for us to clear 60. We will start at the point guard position. Cam Shelton is playing as the best point guard in the WCC. It’s not debatable. As you can see below, he is one of only 11 players in the nation to average at least 17/4/4. With the Gaels forcing their opponents into half-court sets, I think Shelton will have a phenomenal night in the pick & roll. The Lions rate very highly in those sets, and that is from Cam’s ability to finish going to his right off of them (as displayed below). Also, his play has risen immensely since the start of conference play as well. In his last 5 outings, he is averaging 16.8ppg / 7.4 reb / 7.2 ast. He has also turned it up on the defensive end which is leading to fast breaks for his teammates. He is averaging 3.4 steals in those last 5 games. Just phenomenal stuff. Saint Mary’s has struggled a bit with dynamic point guards this season. They allowed 70 points to an Oral Roberts team led by Max Abmas, and allowed 68 to a Jaelen House led New Mexico team. The Lions have another elite scorer in the fold as well. Keli Leaupepe is having a phenomenal senior season. He is averaging 14.6ppg, and I think his physicality against the Gaels could get him a lot of looks from the stripe tonight. When backing a team on the tto, you love a good three point performance. The Lions have delivered that often this season. They have 170 makes in 18 games. That is good for 24th in the country in threes made per game. Keep an eye on Ohio State transfer, Justin Ahrens. 10 made threes in his last four games. He is finally finding his footing with LMU. The Gaels will definitely try to slow the pace in this one, but Loyola will not give up on trying to run when they have the ball. They rank in the top 100 in pace in the country, and that will be a big factor in keeping them in this game. I like LMU to cover, and like the over as well. I took them small on the side. However, the Lions tto will be the only official play.

(Credit: CBB Analytics)

(Credit: Shot Quality)

Score Prediction: Saint Mary’s 72 – Loyola Marymount 63

Gonzaga -6 : BYU cannot compete on the offensive end tonight. The Cougars enter tonight’s game at 242nd in offensive efficiency. Yes, Gonzaga has had a slow start to the season in the WCC.. but, Santa Clara and San Francisco pack a nice offensive punch. Santa Clara is in the Top 100 in offensive efficiency, and San Francisco is right on the outside of it. I think tonight is the night where Gonzaga makes you remember that they still have an All-American surrounded by quality players. I see this being a double digit affair from jump street.

Score Prediction: Gonzaga 83 – BYU 72

Arizona -15 : This was close to a Best Bet. I have the same unit size on this as I do with the LMU tto. This will be an absolute bloodbath in Corvallis tonight. The Beavers have lost their last three conference games by an average of 16 points. We will be well over that average of loss tonight. Arizona is one of the most talented teams in the country and they are hungry for a beatdown tonight after they suffered an upset loss in Tuscon over the weekend. Arizona is 9th in the country in offensive efficiency, and Oregon State is 301st. That is all you need to know in this one tonight. Massive “get right” spot for the Wildcats. Zona BIG BIG.

Score Prediction: Arizona 84 – Oregon State 62

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: James Gilbert)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 96-74

Season Best Bet Record: 37-18

1/11 Card:

Arkansas PK

Richmond/Davidson o133

Mizzou/Texas A&M u151

FSU +7.5

TCU +6.5

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Arkansas PK : Bud Walton is going to be jumping tonight! I am giving a massive home edge to Arkansas tonight. I have them as a 2 point favorite, so I will take the PK line. I think Mark Sears will really struggle in this matchup tonight. Whether he is on Council or Black, it will be a major advantage for the Hogs. Both of the Arkansas guards are elite and driving to the rim, and Sears is just too small for that smoke. I am also excited to see if Jordan Walsh takes on the Brandon Miller assignment (trusting he will). I believe that his length and athleticism could really bother Miller in a way that Houston did earlier this season. He will just need to stay out of foul trouble. I also like Devo Davis to have a big night. He is an electric player with the home atmosphere behind him. Hogs in a close one.

Score Prediction: Arkansas 79 – Alabama 77

Richmond/Davidson o133 : There are incredible paths for both teams to score here IMO. Tyler Burton is going to have an absolute field day against this Wildcat defense. Davidson comes in ranked 193rd in defensive efficiency, and just got exposed by an athletically superior team in VCU. Burton’s athleticism will give him many, many looks at the rim tonight. I also think Davidson can get what they want offensively in this matchup. Richmond’s home/road defensive efficiency splits are some of the craziest in the country. They rate out at 0.879 at home, and fall to 1.050 on the road. That 1.050 is good for 253rd in the country. Abysmal. There will be a lot of trading of baskets tonight. Davidson plays at a decent pace, and Richmond actually plays a faster pace on the road. I like this over spot.

Score Prediction: Davidson 71 – Richmond 67

Mizzou/Texas A&M u151 : Best Bet of the night! You must think I am crazy taking an under in a game featuring the highest scoring offense in the country, right?? Well, Buzz Williams has something special cooking in College Station. This Aggie defense is healthy, and hungry for stops. In their last five outings they are allowing 60.8ppg. Included in that sample size was a 2-0 start to SEC conference play. They beat UF on the road while only allowing 63 points, and then followed that up at home with an absolute beat down of LSU where they only allowed 56 points. A&M has the 38th best home defense in the country at a 0.856 efficiency. On the other side of the court, Missouri is a completely different team when they leave Columbia. Fortunately for them, they haven’t had to do it often this season. They scored 75 in regulation at Wichita early this season before OT, and then in the last month they have scored 68 against UCF (neutral in FL) and 68 at Arkansas. I also think we see a slow pace tonight. A&M is 175th in the country in pace, and that gets slowed down even further at Reed Arena. They are ranked 254th in the country in home pace. With Buzz having the defensive screws tightened & the Aggies wanting to play at a crawling pace .. I think we are in for something special here. My favorite play of the night. Book it.

Score Prediction: Texas A&M 73 – Mizzou 69

FSU +7.5 : Florida State is feeling healthy and scrappy as of late. That is bad news for a Wake Forest team who is coming into this game struggling big time on the defensive end of the court. They are allowing 77.2 ppg in their last five outings. That is just horrific. Their defensive efficiency rank is now 216th in the country. I really worry for them in the post tonight. Can Carr and Marsh bang with the athleticism and toughness that a Coach Hamilton team brings? I don’t think so. I trust that Wake Forest will continue to be great on offense, but I know that FSU will get theirs tonight as well. Too many points to lay with the underdog on an upward trajectory, and the favorite having defensive struggles. Give me the Noles.

Score Prediction: Wake Forest 78 – FSU 73

TCU +6.5 : I was wrong fellas. The market is just going to keep discounting the Horn Frogs on the road. We will jump on it again! This scrappy bunch is full of road warriors. They love walking into an opponent’s arena and silencing the crowd. We backed them in Salt Lake City and Waco, and we aren’t stopping now. Especially, against Texas under Rodney Terry. The Longhorns do not have anywhere close to the same defensive intensity as they did before the Beard firing. The Horn Frogs will score with Texas tonight. I see this being a close affair throughout. If you are going to give me TCU with two possessions of cushion, I will take it every time. Sprinkle a little on the ML if you got burned by Duggan and the boys the other night in LA.

Score Prediction: Texas 72 – TCU 70

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: USA Today)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 92-73

Season Best Bet Record: 36-18

1/10 Card:

USC/UK o131

KState -4.5

Dayton/Fordham o125.5

Nova/DePaul u141

UNC +5

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USC/UK o131 : Best Bet of the night! Kentucky has a very clear path to a lot of points tonight. I truly see them touching 80 points. I lean them on the spread, but I have a higher edge on this total. This game is reminding me of the Louisville spot from a few games ago when UK got an 86-63 blowout win over the Cardinals. Oscar Tshiebwe was 10-13 from the floor, and finished with a 24 & 14 stat line. He will have another dominant performance in the post tonight. South Carolina’s interior defense is as bad as Louisville’s. As an alum that catches all of the games, I promise you this is true. This is a Gamecock team that just got humiliated on their home court by 43 points. The defense is non-existent this season under Lamont Paris. Kentucky is averaging 83.4 ppg at Rupp, and South Carolina is averaging allowing 76.9 ppg on the road. All signs point to UK getting 80 points tonight. The Gamecocks can take care of the rest.

Score Prediction: UK 82 – South Carolina 60

Kansas State -4.5 : Got a good number here last night. Will have some CLV. I see 5-5.5 at most places now. It is time for the market to face the music. Kansas State is just awesome. Jerome Tang has this team firing on all cylinders. The Wildcats have the 5th best offensive efficiency in the country through the last three games, and that has risen their rank to 27th for the season. Moussa Cisse is doubtful for this game for the Pokes after not returning to practice before today. That would be a massive absence in this matchup. He is an elite interior defender that could potentially halt this high powered KState offense, but without him I do not see a path for Oklahoma State keeping this within two possessions. I like K State by 8 tonight. I would play the current number.

Score Prediction: Kansas State 74 – Oklahoma State 66

Dayton/Fordham o125.5 : Dayton is playing some of the best defense in the country currently, but I like this over with them traveling on the road. Dayton is 11th in the country in ppg allowed at UD Arena at 55ppg. However, that number rises to 62.5 ppg allowed when they leave the comfort of home. Fordham plays a pretty fast paced game. They are 64th in the country in pace. I think that Dayton will play into this one the road. The Flyers are finally healthy and should score at a nice clip tonight. They will be dominant in the paint, and I think they cover as well.. However, I will only be on the over tonight.

Score Prediction: Dayton 70 – Fordham 61

Villanova/DePaul u141 : Nova will control this place tonight. With a 311th ranked pace, and an impressionable offense on the other side, I am confident this game will be a crawl. Low possessions will be our friend. Villanova’s strength this year has been the three ball. The good news is DePaul is not completely inept in stopping their opponents from getting hot from three. They are 130th in the country in opponent percentage of points from three. I fully expect Villanova to win tonight, and their road ppg average for the season is at 71ppg. I think they are right around that number tonight, and we slide under the total.

Score Prediction: Villanova 71 – DePaul 64

UNC +5 : I luckily grabbed this number at the full 5 earlier today before it dropped back down to +4.5. I am not sure that UVA would be favored on a neutral court in this matchup, so I will certainly not be giving them 5+ points of home court advantage. The Tar Heels completely eviscerated the Cavs both times last season. They had no answer for Armando Bacot. Shedrick has improved this season and may provide some pushback tonight. However, I think the Heels stay in this game due to their backcourt production. Carolina’s guards are in another league from UVA’s in my opinion. The emergence of Seth Trimble has been huge for this club. He is another elite on-ball defender at the guard position that the Heels can rely on. They have gotten in trouble in years past when Leaky Black has gotten in foul trouble or had to guard the wing. I see this as a one possession game either way. The Heels have a great chance to win outright. Give me the points.

Score Prediction: UVA 69 – UNC 67

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: Army West Point)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 91-71

Season Best Bet Record: 35-18

1/9 Card:

Army +8

Howard PK

Oral Roberts +5

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Army +8 : Best Bet of the night! The Black Knights could win this outright. Jalen Rucker is HOT right now. He scored 35 points last time out, and is averaging 22ppg through a 3-0 Patriot start. I like that this game is at Christl Arena. Army didn’t pull out a win against Colgate at home last season, but they scored 90 points on them and shot 55% from the field. Colgate’s defense is horrific this season, so we may see another offensive outburst from Army this year. The Raiders rank 267th in the country in defensive efficiency. Army will be in this game throughout, and may even win outright.

Score Prediction: Colgate 77 – Army 75

Howard PK : I like Howard to outscore MD Eastern Shore tonight. The Hawks are rated out as one of the worst offenses in the country. They are 346th in offensive efficiency. The Bison are finally fully healthy, and scored 84 points in route to a 20 point conference opening win. Howard’s problem comes on the defensive end where they rank 249th in the country. However, MD Eastern Shore is actually rated behind them on that end of the court as well (258th). The Bison will win this game behind the prowess of their offensive ability.

Score Prediction: Howard 70 – Maryland Eastern Shore 67

Oral Roberts +5 : My Golden Eagles have been fantastic this season. They have also been good to us ATS. 3-0 in games where we have taken them. I think tonight is a great spot. New Mexico is crashing back down to their baseline after an incredible 14-0 start, but the market is still grading them out highly. I think it is due to Vegas trying to trap people into catching a falling knife – “Surely, New Mexico wins and covers tonight after losing two in a row”. This ORU team is on a 10 game winning streak, and still carry a lot of the pieces from their 2021 NCAA Tournament run. I think Kareem Thompson could be a great defensive matchup to throw at Mashburn. If you can limit Mashburn, you can beat the Lobos. Also, the Lobos only had 6 guys play meaningful minutes last time out. Oral Roberts is deep. That could play a major factor. This will be a one possession game either way. I locked this in at 5 last night, and I might actually grab another unit at +6. I don’t like this as much as Army, but it’s pretty close.

Score Prediction: New Mexico 80 – Oral Roberts 78

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: Penn Athletics)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 82-65

Season Best Bet Record: 32-18

1/6 Card:

Oakland/NKU o133

Quinnipiac/Rider u142.5

Penn/Cornell o154

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Oakland/NKU o133 : I am not sure how fast the pace will get tonight, but I still love the over nonetheless. The Norse certainly do not play with a high pace, but the disastrous defense of Oakland could entice them to just run and take advantage of easy buckets. Oakland loves to run and their only concern is on the offense end. Which has been pretty good to start conference play. They are averaging 75.3 ppg in the Horizon. Townsend and Moore are elite on that side of the floor. Now, back to the Golden Grizzlies’ defense. Oakland ranks 351st in the country in defensive efficiency. Northern Kentucky will have a free open lane to the basket many times tonight. I see a great opportunity for points here. Give me the over.

Score Prediction: Northern Kentucky 72 – Oakland 66

Quinnipiac/Rider u142.5 : Best Bet of the night! We are not dealing with efficient offenses tonight. Quinnipiac ranks 129th in the country, and Rider ranks 150th. The shooting percentages are pretty horrific. 44.3% from the floor for Quinnipiac, and Rider comes in at 43.3%. I think the free throw line could also be our favor tonight. Rider is 209th in the country in percentage of points from opponents at the line. However, Quinnipiac is 350th in the country in free throw percentage at 62.8%. If Rider isn’t allowing points at the line, they are actually a pretty decent defense. Quinnipiac is also trending higher on that end of the floor. They have moved into the Top 100 in defensive efficiency. Lastly, and most importantly .. I think we get a very slow pace tonight. Rider is the home team and will try to dictate their slow tempo. They rank 268th in the country in possessions per game. Quinnipiac will likely welcome that as they rank 150th pace. I think we see a tough and competitive mid 60s nail biter. We easily go under the total here.

Score Prediction: Rider 68 – Quinnipiac 65

Penn/Cornell o154 : All of the numbers are pointing to a shootout here. I will gladly jump on for the entertaining ride. Cornell comes into this game at 52nd in the country in pace, and the Quakers will 1000% run with them. The Big Red rank 19th in the country in offensive efficiency. Just incredible stuff this season. A big reason why is their unselfish offensive attack. They rank 3rd in the country in assists per game at 20 per. Penn is not too far behind them at 36th in the country with 15.6 assists per game. These are two elite mid major offenses. However, their defenses are not on the same level. Cornell ranks 184th in defensive efficiency, and Penn ranks 267th. Points, Points, Points tonight.

Score Prediction: Cornell 82 – Penn 78

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: Yahoo! Sports)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 79-60

Season Best Bet Record: 32-16

1/4 Card:

Duke/NC State o144

Drake +1

TCU +6

Illinois -2.5

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Duke/NC State o144 : First Best Bet of the night! I think we see a shootout in Raleigh tonight. 161 points in Durham last season, and 9 out of the last 10 matchups between the two in Raleigh have gone over. The Wolfpack are 29th in the country in points per game at home at 84.4 per. They love to get out and run behind their great home court advantage. Duke will welcome this pace. They will run with anyone that wants to run. I think that NC State’s backcourt can score at will tonight. Duke’s defense drops significantly on the road. They are 98th in the country in road defensive efficiency. At the same time, I think Duke will have a field day in the post. NC State ranks 296th in the country in opponent percentage of points from 2. Filipowski, Mitchell, Young, Whitehead and Lively should eat. Both teams have a BIG path to scoring points tonight. I will trust my gut + analytics on this one.

Score Prediction: Duke 78 – NC State 74

Drake +1 :  My number has the wrong team favored tonight. I had this as Drake -2.5. I will have to jump in for the 3.5 points in perceived value. The Salukis are on an L5 to Drake, and lost all three affairs last season. Drake just has their number. A big piece of this is the inability of Southern Illinois to compete on the glass with the Bulldogs. Drake won the offensive glass in all five of those affairs. With Drake having the large majority of their pieces back for this season, I think they will take advantage of little brother tonight to improve on their bleak 2-2 conference record.

Score Prediction: Drake 66 – Southern Illinois 63

TCU +6 : Good news! We still are receiving a discount on the Horn Frogs in the market. I am not sure why. We were all over their win in Utah, and they followed that up with big win over Texas Tech this past weekend. I think Baylor can squeak out a close home win here, but there is so much value on getting 6 in this affair. TCU has a decent chance of winning this game. The Horn Frogs are bringing it on the defensive end this season. They rank 7th in the country in defensive efficiency. Their backcourt pressure is going to really hamper Baylor’s ability to score. The Bears are heavily reliant on guard scoring. I think that TCU has the size to compete on the boards, so I don’t see many cheapies going down for Baylor that the Horn Frogs can’t counteract on the other end. I think this will be an awesome game. I will gladly take the points.

Score Prediction: Baylor 72 – TCU 69

Illinois -2.5 : 2nd Best Bet of the night! We are going to receive some great CLV on this one. The line is already up to -3.5, and I would not be shocked to see a 4 or 4.5 number before tip. This is such a get right spot for the struggling Illini. After an amazing start to their season, Brad Underwood’s group finds themselves at 0-2 to start conference play. They also wedged a blowout loss at the hands of Mizzou in there as well. There have been a lot of reports about frustrations between players and coach, but hopefully the blowout of Bethune-Cookman got a lot of bad energy out of the locker room. Let’s face it. Northwestern is the best possible road opponent for Illinois to be catching tonight. I heard a great tidbit on Northwestern’s start to conference play from Jim Root today. He pointed out that Northwestern is 5-19 ATS in their last 24 games in January. That is a major indictment on Chris Collins’ ability to get his guys going for the conference grind. I think that Dainja, Mayer and Hawkins will eat on the glass tonight and create a ton of second chances for the Illini. It is also huge that they are getting Skyy Clark back into the fold tonight. He is a major sparkplug on both sides of the floor. I also don’t expect a huge homecourt advantage tonight. I would not be shocked to see 50% Illini fans in Welsh-Ryan for the inner-state matchup. The Illini have a huge alumni presence in Chicago. This is set up perfect for Illinois to get back on track. Trusting them to do so in a big way.

Score Prediction: Illinois 72 – Northwestern 63

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: The State News)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 77-59

Season Best Bet Record: 31-16

1/3 Card:

Mississippi State +10.5

Michigan State -7

Utah State -6.5

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Mississippi State +10.5 : We got a good number last night. This is now sitting at +9.5 in most places. I believe that 10.5 is too many points in a game that I have a hunch will be very low scoring. KenPom has this total at 114, and I believe that under 122 could be a decent look. However, the Mississippi State side is the better play IMO. Chris Jans has quickly brought a toughness to Starkville. The Bulldogs are ranked 4th in defensive efficiency in the country in year one of the Jans regime. He is a coach that always rallies his team around hard nosed/muck it up basketball games. He will have his team relishing a physical matchup with the Vols, and Rick Barnes’ crew will welcome the physicality in this one. Expect a lot of fouls, and a lot of late shot clock situations. Maryland gave Jans a great blueprint earlier this season. They were very physical and forced a lot of contact with Tennessee. 20+ fouls for each team. This really frustrated the Vols and led to a nail biter where Tennessee escaped by 3 points. I think we see a similar affair tonight.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 62 – Mississippi State 55

Michigan State -7 :  Best Bet of the night. I like the Spartans to eviscerate Nebraska tonight. The market is very high on the Cornhuskers currently. I can’t blame them. Their recent resume is decent at the surface level. They took Purdue to OT, and then beat the hell out of Iowa on 12/29. However, both of these games were at home. Nebraska has been very underwhelming on the road this season. Outside of an emotional road performance where they knocked off their limping rival (Creighton), they have gotten absolutely torched on the road. 20 point loss in Carnesecca against St John’s (which is starting to look horrific), 16 point loss on the road in Bloomington, and a 15 point loss at KState. Their defense does not travel, and they get overwhelmed by more athletic teams on the road. Michigan State is very athletic, and now have their best offensive piece back in the fold. Malik Hall scored 11 points in 12 minutes the last time out, and we should see a minutes uptick tonight. I fully expect Sissoko to handle Derrick Walker in the post, and the guard play from Michigan State will overwhelm the Cornhusker backcourt. This will be over quickly IMO. Sparty big at the Breslin Center.

Score Prediction: Michigan State 73 – Nebraska 59

Utah State -6.5 : We got a good number here as well. I am seeing 7.5 to 8 at most places. I am not buying the homecourt Air Force is being touted with in the market. KenPom has them as the #2 homecourt advantage in the country. I just don’t see it. They have suffered losses to Texas A&M Commerce, Portland, and Nevada in Colorado Springs this season. Three non-con losses should probably knock your home court rating. Utah State has been absolutely fantastic this season, and I have them winning this game by 9 points. They have five double digit scorers, and are getting fantastic defensive efforts from role players such as Zee Hamoda and Trevin Dorius. The Aggies should rake on the glass, and I don’t see a good shooting performance from Heidbreder and others being enough to knock us off tonight. Trusting the Aggies in this first conference road spot.

Score Prediction: Utah State 73 – Air Force 64

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

(photo: The San Diego Union-Tribune)

I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!

Season Record: 76-56

Season Best Bet Record: 31-14

12/29 Card:

Alabama A&M +27.5

Iowa -4

San Diego +15.5

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Alabama A&M +27.5 : Alabama A&M has been playing up to their competition the last few times out. The Bulldogs have really ramped up their non-con schedule as we end 2022. They suffered defeats to Illinois and Vanderbilt before Christmas break, but had these games in nail biter territory for the Illini and Commodores deep into the 2H. They can credit that to their improved defense. They held Illinois to 42.1% from the field and forced 18 turnovers. The Bulldogs followed up that impressive defensive performance with holding Vanderbilt to 38.6% from the field, and forcing another 12 turnovers. Also, this team also continues to knock down the three ball. They are shooting 41% on the season after another 40% performance from distance against Vanderbilt. A&M has not lost a game by more than 21 this season, and I had this game at +22. I will take the 5.5 points of perceived value. Ohio State is a phenomenal team, but I like the way that the Bulldogs have brought a toughness to these “step-up” games. We could also potentially see a less intense Buckeyes performance after Christmas break in a game where they will comfortably lead throughout.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 81 – Alabama A&M 59

Iowa -4 :  Best Bet of the night. This team is chomping at the bit to get back on the court and send a message. The Hawkeyes suffered the worst upset in CBB history in the eyes of Vegas last time out. They were 31.5 point favorites over Eastern Illinois, and lost by 9. They were completely embarrassed, and have admittedly seen their names dragged in the press over the last week. They weren’t able to get back out on the court quickly to make the public forget about that performance because that was the last game before Christmas break. We have not seen them since 12/21. I fully expect their best performance of the season tonight. Also, it helps getting your best player back in the fold. Fran McCaffery has said that Kris Murray is healed and ready to go at 100%. Also, his son Connor will be back as well. Kris will bring efficiency and stat production that the Hawkeyes will need, and Connor will bring the intensity and leadership needed to get the best out of this team in a game that Iowa really needs to win to avoid their season unraveling. This is not a knock against Nebraska. They are having a fine season. They will just be on the wrong end of an offensive onslaught from Iowa. They can really hang it out people when they get going. They rank 10th in the country in offensive efficiency, and I fully expect them to play above that level tonight.

Score Prediction: Iowa 81 – Nebraska 70

San Diego +15.5 : This *is not* breaking news, but I have heard some chirping that this is the game that the Toreros plan on bringing Townsend and Delaire back in the lineup. San Diego has been very underwhelming in their absences. While I don’t have 100% certainty that they are back tonight, I had this number at +14 even with those two out. Adjusting for their return, I see it at +10. I am trusting that I have the Toreros covering even without Delaire and Townsend, but this is also a steal to lock in +15.5 now in the event that they are activated. The line will certainly have a sizable shift if so. I think that San Deigo can take a similar approach to Saint Mary’s that Oral Roberts did. We cashed on the Golden Eagles in that one. San Diego can hit the Gaels with an inside/out approach from Seikou Sisoho Jawara and Eric Williams Jr. Oral Roberts did that to great effect to slide under the number with Max Abmas and Vanover/Mwamba. The Toreros will need to use their athleticism to their advantage tonight. That is really the only major edge that they have in this one.

Score Prediction: Saint Mary’s 70 – San Diego 58

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!