2/21 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Virginia Tech 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: 174-142

Season Best Bet Record: 61-35

2/21 Card:

Virginia Tech -2

Tennessee +1.5

GT/Pitt o136

Tulsa +1.5

Utah St/Wyoming u146

————————————

Virginia Tech -2 : This is my Best Bet. The Hokies are 4-1 straight up and ATS since the return of Hunter Cattoor at The Castle. This includes wins over Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Pitt. The Hokies are probably a little too far out of the bubble to make the tournament outside of an ACC tournament title, but Mike Young will be relaying a different message to his players. There will be belief in that locker room that if they keep winning then they will have a chance at an at-large. I personally think this team is talented enough to be a tournament team. They just stumbled too much during the injury to Cattoor. However, he is back now and I think they are poised to upset #13 Miami. Cattoor has made three or more three pointers in 6 out of the 8 games in his return. Miami is susceptible to allowing a big night from distance as they only rank 191th in opponent made three pointers per game. The improved Hokies deep threat is stretching defenses and allowing Mutts more room to operate slashing to the rim. Mutts has scored in double figures in 7 out of the 8 games in Cattoor’s return. It cannot be understated just how much he means to this offense. Behind a big time home court advantage, I think this Hokie offense does enough to upset Miami. This bet is also Shot Quality approved. Here is a quick preview of their Matchup Breakdown:

Score Prediction: Virginia Tech 78 – Miami 72

Tennessee +1.5 : The entire market is loading up on A&M tonight. I love the Aggies as well, but this spot has been baked through the roof by Vegas. They have baited the market into giving the books a Volunteer handle while getting points. This line has risen to even +2.5 at some places. As of now, I am seeing 81% of bets, and 78% of money on Texas A&M. This is per Vegas Insider. I am riding with Vegas. I don’t get the disrespect to the Volunteers in this matchup. I had this game predicted as a Tennessee 3 point victory, and I assumed we would have seen a -2.5 Tennessee line. I will take the points here. The Vols are still one of the better defensive teams in the country despite their recent skid. They are only allowing 59.3ppg in SEC play. They will always give themselves a chance to win with that defense. The Aggies have a 12-2 SEC record, but have yet to play Tennessee or Alabama. I am trusting Rick Barnes to get the best out of his team tonight. Vols get a big road win. This is a major edge per the SQ model. It has Tennessee as a 7 point favorite.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 66 – Texas A&M 63

GT/Pitt o136 : I do not understand the buy back on this total compared to the first matchup in January. That total closed on 144 and the game ended on 131, but Pitt shot 43% and GT shot 36% from the field. Also, Georgia Tech made zero free throws. Literally, zero. This game was on 72 points at the half, and both offenses just went ice cold in the 2H. The amount of possessions were there for an over in that game, and I think we will see an over tonight. We also have Georgia Tech playing their best offensive basketball of the season in our favor. They are 3-1 in their last four games while scoring 74 ppg. Pitt has also been scorching on offense in their last four while averaging 80.8 ppg. We will have the pace based on the last matchup and recent performances. I am trusting the hot offenses to take care of the rest. Give us points.

Score Prediction: Pitt 76 – Georgia Tech 65

Tulsa +1.5 : I cannot in good conscious give you a write-up on Tulsa. It would be half-hearted. This is purely a play based on years of doing this. A 5-21 (1-14 C-USA) team is less than a possession underdog at home. The Golden Hurricanes will find a way to win this game.

Score Prediction: Tulsa 71 – ECU 70

Utah St./Wyoming u146 : The Cowboys want this game to be a crawl. They are 311th in the country in possessions per game. It would be in their best interest to play even slower tonight. The PAC-12 trio leaving the program has this Cowboy team extremely thin. They cannot afford foul trouble or a high possession game. I firmly believe that they will do everything in their power to control the pace tonight. We are seeing a high total due to the amount of possessions in the first game, but as I said Wyoming had Agbonkpolo, Anderson and Kyman in that game. Things are much different in Laramie now. Wyoming has a better shot of controlling the pace at home as well. Trusting them to take the air out of the ball.

Score Prediction: Utah State 74 – Wyoming 67

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

2/20 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Tony Gutierrez – AP)

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: 174-141

Season Best Bet Record: 61-34

2/20 Card:

TCU -1.5

————————————

TCU -1.5 : Best Bet! The Hornies are taking down the Jayhawks tonight. The only piece of this matchup that scares me is the revenge factor. It is hard to beat a Bill Self coached team twice in a season. It very rarely happens. However, this is such a great spot for TCU. The Horn Frogs took a big step forward over the weekend with the return of their leader and best player, Mike Miles Jr. TCU blew out a quality Oklahoma State team by 25 points while reaching the century mark. TCU is 13-7 ATS with Miles in the lineup this year. Including, 5-1 in the last 6. However, TCU is only 1-6 ATS when he has missed. That has caused their analytical rating to be much lower than they actually are with Miles healthy. I see TCU as a Top 10 team when healthy, and so does Vegas. That is why we see the Horn Frogs as a favorite tonight. Kansas isn’t a road dog very often. It has only happened 4 times in the last two seasons. They are 1-3 ATS in those games. The books don’t rate Kansas highly on the road in the Big 12. Vegas took a bath recently by making Kansas -2.5 @ OU & -1.5 @ Oklahoma State in their last two road contests. There was a heavy public handle on the Jayhawks in both of those games. However, by making the #3 Kansas Jayhawks an underdog tonight.. they are not changing their stance. TCU is 9-4-1 ATS as a home favorite this season, and they will get a massive win behind a rowdy crowd in Fort Worth. Here is a bonus stat from Shot Quality: TCU’s Cut Frequency is 57. Since 2022 they are 13-5 ATS against teams ranked worse than 280 at defending this play-type. Kansas is ranked 286th. If you want access to more stats like this and the incredible models at Shot Quality, use promo code: “SNIPER” for 30% off of all packages.

Score Prediction: TCU 77 – Kansas 71

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

2/19 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Trevor Ruszkowski – 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: 174-139

Season Best Bet Record: 61-33

2/19 Card:

Belmont +7

Iowa -1.5

————————————

Belmont +7 : The Bruins are having a fantastic late season charge. Casey Alexander is a phenomenal coach, so we knew this was certainly possible. The Bruins are now 12-5 in The Valley, and only one game back of first-place Drake & Bradley. They get a shot a Drake today, and I think we will see one of their best punches. Drake rolled Belmont in Nashville earlier this season. However, this was an anomaly type of shooting performance for Belmont. They were 1-16 from distance. That is certainly not their norm. The Bruins are 12th in the country at 9.8 threes made per game, and they are 3rd in the country in three point shooting percentage at 40%. Another reason why this was an anomaly is that Drake is horrific at defending the three point line. The Bulldogs are 273rd in the country in opponent percentage of points from threes. This is is a stat that I believe will swing heavily in Belmont’s favor today. Another key piece to this handicap is the superb play of late from a Bruin freshman. Cade Tyson (brother is Clemson’s Hunter Tyson) is really coming on strong for Belmont. He has scored in double figures in 9 straight, and is a matchup nightmare on the wing with his ability to shoot. I like Belmont to keep this one very close. I definitely could see them winning this game, but officially will have Drake winning by 3.

Score Prediction: Drake 75 – Belmont 72

Iowa -1.5 : Best Bet!!! I think this could be a wire-to-wire victory for the Hawkeyes. This is just a really poor matchup for Northwestern. I know they are playing well of late, and that Iowa has already beaten them this year, but the matchup is just not great for them. The Wildcats are even worse than Drake in defending the three point line. Northwestern is 340th in the country in opponent percentage of points from threes at 36.7%. Iowa took full advantage of this in the first matchup shooting 10-21 from distance, and I believe they will do the same today. Also, Northwestern just does not have the interior defense to compete with Rebraca and Murray. They combined for 36 points on 14-24 shooting in the first matchup. Lastly, Fran McCaffery has owned Chris Collins. 5-0 and 5-0 ATS in the last five in favor of the Fran. I like the Hawkeyes to win comfortably in Chicago today. This matchup is also heavily approved by the Shot Quality model. We virtually have the same predicted score. That is normally a great recipe for success.

Score Prediction: Iowa 77 – Northwestern 69

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

2/17 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Kylie Cooper)

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: 167-135

Season Best Bet Record: 60-32

2/17 Card:

Penn +3

————————————

Penn +3 : Best Bet! This is the only play of the day, but is very worthy of a Best Bet nod. Yale’s inability to stop Jordan Dingle will be a huge issue for them tonight on the road at The Palestra. Dingle has scored at least 27 points in 3 out of the last 4 matchups against the Bulldogs. This includes a 31 point outing in a win over Yale on the Quakers’ home court last season. I am putting a lot of emphasis on one player because Jordan Dingle is the 2nd leading scorer in the country. When he goes, the Quakers go. Dingle was a big reason why the Quakers were in the game in New Haven all of the way until the very end earlier this season. He had 27 points on 10-17 shooting in the 7 point loss. The Quakers have a great chance to even the season series tonight. The are on a five game win streak since that Yale loss, and a big reason for that is the improved play of two key role players. Max Martz has taken a big step forward scoring the basketball recently. He is averaging 13.4 points per game in that 5 game win streak. Nick Spinoso is coming on strong as well. He averaged 13ppg/5.5rpg/5apg in the last two Quaker wins against Cornell and Harvard. Two of Yale’s three conference losses have come on the road, and Penn has been great at The Palestra. Out of conference wins against Temple and Colgate, and a 3-1 record in the Ivy. It is also worth noting that Yale has not won at The Palestra since the 16/17 season despite having the better program for that entire time period. I had Penn winning this in a one possession game, so I will gladly take the points. This bet is Shot Quality approved. Their model predicts a very similar final score to what I have. See below for a preview of their Matchup Breakdown. For a 30% discount on all Shot Quality packages, use Promo Code: SNIPER

Score Prediction: Penn 73 – Yale 71

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

2/16 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Jeff Faraudo)

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: 165-134

Season Best Bet Record: 59-32

2/16 Card:

Purdue/Maryland o132

Western Kentucky +4.5

Gonzaga -7.5

————————————

Purdue/Maryland o132 : This total closed at 132 as well in the previous matchup between these two teams. That game ended on 113 points. However, this wasn’t a “true” 113. There were only 6 combined points scored in the last 4 minutes of this game, and both teams shot under 40% from the field. The two teams combined for 5/34 from distance. We are due for some positive shooting progression in this matchup. Also, I see this as another close game. So does Vegas. The likelihood that there are 6 combined points again in the last 4 minutes again is not high. Hopefully, a lot of late game fouling will be added to our arsenal for the over. Edey will get his, and the Maryland backcourt always plays better at home. I had a hard time not pulling the trigger on Purdue, but the line spooked me. Will just be on the over here.

Score Prediction: Purdue 70 – Maryland 67

Western Kentucky +4.5 : There is a VERY large difference in this C-USA rematch. 7 feet 5 inches large. Jamarion Sharp is healthy and is sure to impact this 2nd game vs Charlotte. He missed the first one, and the Hilltoppers lost 75-71. Sharp leads the nation in blocks, and has 17 blocks in his last three games. He is as big of a difference maker as there can be defensively. Literally. I think Charlotte will find it much more difficult to find easy buckets tonight. Also, our Hilltoppers are still scorching hot. We backed them last time out against MTSU, and they are riding a 3-game win streak into tonight. Dontaie Allen continues to be a difference maker in the starting lineup. This team is turning the corner at the right time. I think they are in this game until the very end, and I honestly have them winning by a point. I would not advise against throwing their ML in a parlay if you want to get frisky tonight.

Score Prediction: Western Kentucky 67 – Charlotte 66

Gonzaga -7.5 : Best Bet! Revenge is a dish best served cold. Gonzaga is going to be very mean to our LMU Lions tonight. Marymount snapped Gonzaga’s 75 game home winning streak at the Kennel a few weeks ago. However, there is a glaring stat that has convinced me that it was indeed a fluky performance. The Zags are 3rd in the country in points from 2 pointers. A lot of this is Timme, but the Gonzaga backcourt finds the majority of their success driving to the rim. LMU is 314th in the country in opponent percentage of points from 2’s. It is going to be a field day inside the arc for the pissed off Zags. Mark Few made some coaching mistakes in guarding Cam Shelton in the first matchup, but that won’t happen again. You are not going to burn Mark Few twice in a row with one player. There is also incentive here for Gonzaga to hang a large number on LMU. They are only one game back from SMC for the co-lead in the WCC. The tie-breaker for the WCC title goes to the NET rating. The Gaels are currently 6th in the NET, and Gonzaga ranks 12. LMU is currently 82nd in the RPI right now. This would be a firm Quad 2 win, with an outside chance of potentially becoming a Quad 1. It would certainly help the NET of the Zags to blowout LMU. Trusting them to do so. This bet is Shot Quality approved. See below for a preview of their Matchup Breakdown:

Score Prediction: Gonzaga 85 – LMU 70

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

2/14 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: James Bessette)

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: 162-131

Season Best Bet Record: 57-32

2/14 Card:

Providence +2

DePaul +1.5

Wisconsin -1

————————————

Providence +2 : This is a Providence game. No doubt about it. Creighton is coming into this game as one of the hottest teams in the country. 8 wins in a row. Yet, the line now sits as Creighton as a -1.5 favorite. For a casual, this would be an easy Creighton play. However, I have the Friars winning this game tonight. Providence is elite at home. ELITE. They are undefeated on home court this season, including wins over UConn and Marquette. Also, Ed Cooley is 26-16 ATS as home dog. This home court advantage is real. Cooley has prepared his teams well for the Creighton offensive attack over the years. He is 15-7 ATS against Coach McBuckets & the Jays in his time at Providence. Creighton won the first matchup by 6 points, but Jared Bynum missed that game due to injury for Providence. He had 10 assists over the weekend against St. John’s, and is crucial for the Providence offensive attack. Having him in this matchup will be huge. Also, the Jays were not able to contain Bryce Hopkins in the first matchup. He had 20 & 10, and should be in-line for another big night tonight. The 1 seed in the Big East tournament is still up for grabs, and I think the Friars will pull a step closer to that tonight.

Score Prediction: Providence 74 – Creighton 70

DePaul +1.5 : The Johnnies beat Providence over the weekend. One of their biggest wins of the season. While I think Providence is in line for a huge bounce back performance tonight, I think St. John’s is due to regress back to their mean. St. John’s would not be laying points in this matchup had they not pulled the Providence upset. The Red Storm are 1-6 on the road in conference this season. They should not be favored over anyone on the road. DePaul has knocked off Xavier and Nova in Chicago this season, and I think they can pack enough punch to knock off a St. John’s team that is probably due for a down effort. No real analytics to point to here. Both teams play fast and inefficiently. There will be a lot of points. This is just a spot play for me more than anything.

Score Prediction: DePaul 80 – St. John’s 77

Wisconsin -1 : Slap Game. The Madison faithful will be hostile out of the gate tonight in what is the first matchup between these two teams since the infamous Juwan slap. I think that Michigan’s depth could be a problem for them in this game. They lean very heavily on their starters, and I do not see the likes of Joey Baker and Tarris Reed faring well in the Kohl Center should one of the starters go down or get into foul trouble. The Badgers have some of the best home support in the country. They have lost two in a row at the Kohl Center, and I just do not see them losing a third with that advantage behind them. Also, Tyler Wahl is starting to impact the game in other areas outside of scoring. He is averaging 6.5 reb & 6.5 ast in the last two outings. If he keeps putting in the effort in these areas, the scoring will come. He just needs to relax to find his offensive form. Similarly to DePaul, I just love the spot here. The Badgers get right tonight behind the home faithful.

Score Prediction: Wisconsin 67 – Michigan 64

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

2/10 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Getty Images – Sam Wasson)

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: 152-124

Season Best Bet Record: 56-29

2/10 Card:

Dayton -5

New Mexico -6

————————————

Dayton -5 : I respect the Billikens, but a Friday night home spot at UD Arena gives the Flyers the edge on this 5 point spread. Dayton is 5-1 at home in the A-10 this season. Their form has been pretty Jekyll and Hyde, but after the VCU performance I am comfortable in laying the 5 with them here. Yuri Collins is the heartbeat of this Saint Louis team. Not many teams phase him, but he has had some struggles with Dayton. He scored 4 points & had 7 turnovers in this matchup last season in UD Arena. The Dayton defense is excellent again this season with a ranking of 23rd in defensive efficiency. If you bother Collins, the Billiken offense won’t get it going on the road. We saw that most recently in their road loss to Fordham. Collins had 8 points and only 1 assist. I trust Dayton’s defense to get it done for us in this amped up Friday night home spot.

Score Prediction: Dayton 72 – Saint Louis 64

New Mexico -6 : Best Bet of the night!! Entering “must win” territory for the Lobos after their recent 1-3 skid. Joe Lunardi now has them in the “Last Four In”. A loss to Air Force would have them on the outside looking in entering next week. I understand the optics of a 1-3 slide, but the Lobos really aren’t playing terribly. They actually have been elite on the offensive end just as they have all season. The Lobos currently rank 28th in the country in offensive efficiency. New Mexico lost two of these games in down to the wire nail biters at the hands of Nevada. One in double OT, and the other on a last second winner by the Blackshear. The third loss was on the road in Logan, UT. The Aggies have one of the tougher mid-major home court advantages in the country. I think the Lobos are fine. The matchup edge with Air Force is huge. In the 81-73 win for the Lobos over the Falcons on January 27th, Air Force was unable to stop the three headed monster of House, Mashburn Jr., & Udeze. If you can’t limit even one of those guys, you have not chance to beat New Mexico. The even more concerning part is that Mashburn and Udeze went to the line a combined 19 times. Giving free points to the Lobos is a recipe for disaster. As you can see below, Shot Quality shows that New Mexico is elite at driving to the rim. The Falcons are just outmatched athletically and the success from the free throw line will continue tonight. Air Force is ranked 222nd in defensive efficiency, and their 135th ranked offense just won’t be able to keep up with the points that the Lobos put up. The number is not as high as I believe it should be due to the market’s perception of Air Force’s home court advantage in Colorado Springs at elevation. However, it just simply has not mattered this season. They are 1-5 straight up, and 2-4 ATS in Mountain West play at home. The only win coming against a completely depleted Wyoming team. New Mexico has a reason to hang a big number on the Falcons due to at-large implications, and I believe they do so. Lobos bring this home for us comfortably.

Score Prediction: New Mexico 77 – Air Force 65

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

2/9 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: KY Today – Chip Hutcheson)

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: 150-123

Season Best Bet Record: 55-29

2/9 Card:

WKU -1

Loyola Marymount +8.5

Stanford -2.5

————————————

WKU -1 : Best Bet of the night!! The Hilltoppers are going to make it a perfect 3-0 homestand with a win tonight over MTSU. Dontaie Allen entered the starting lineup against UTSA on 2/2, and it has paid immediate dividends. He had 22 pts & 7 reb on 38 minutes in that one, and then followed that up with 25 pts & 7 reb on 34 minutes in a win over UTEP last time out. The UK transfer is in the zone and flourishing as a Hilltopper, finally. That completely changes the makeup of this team. The Hilltoppers now have another shot maker to go along with Dayvion McKnight. They also have the defensive pieces to compete with an athletic Blue Raiders team. Emmanuel Akot is an elite on-ball defender as a 6’8 guard (Leon Rice trained), and 7’5 Jamarion Sharp continues to lead the nation in blocked shots at 4.2 per game. The Hilltoppers still have solid home support at Diddle even though they are underperforming from preseason expectations, so I will still give a nice home court edge here. Allen’s recent scoring is the difference maker here, and I am putting my money behind that continuing in the comfort of his home gym.

Score Prediction: Western Kentucky 75 – Middle Tennessee State 69

Loyola Marymount +8.5 : Going back to our Lions! They have been good to us this year, and we are going to catch Saint Mary’s in a sleepy road spot after their thrilling comeback win over Gonzaga. The Lions are 4-1 at home in the WCC this season. They have also shown that they can compete with anyone in the country on their day. They have wins over Wake Forest, Nevada, BYU and Gonzaga this season. Cam Shelton’s aggressiveness going to the rim should prove fruitful tonight. The Gaels have been a little foul happy as of late. They committed 18 fouls against San Francisco, and then followed that up with 20 against Gonzaga. Shelton has gone to the line 18 times over this last three games, and went to the stripe 9 times in the first meeting with SMC. They Lions also have the three ball edge at their disposal. The Gaels are really struggling to shoot the ball right now, and LMU is 23rd in the country in made threes per game. I think they can pack a punch long enough in this game to cover the 8.5. This is now down to 7.5 at most books. I would not play it below 7.

Score Prediction: SMC 67 – Loyola Marymount 62

Stanford -2.5 : Stanford has been a major disappointment this season, but the majority of their struggles have come on the road/neutral site. They have actually been pretty good at Maples outside of a beatdown from UCLA. I can excuse that. They have won four in a row at home outright, and Shot Quality graded their two close losses at Maples before that as wins based on their looks (see below). The Sun Devils are also dipping in form. They have lost 5 of their last 6, with the only win coming against Oregon State in Tempe. I think that Arizona State will have a lot of trouble with Spencer Jones and Harrison Ingram tonight. The Cardinal took 2 out of 3 last season from ASU, including a W at Maples. They could not keep Ingram off of the glass, and could not guard Jones from the perimeter. A casual gambler will look at this game and take the three points with a 16-8 team vs a 10-13 team. We know what to do.

Score Prediction: Stanford 72 – Arizona State 66

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

2/7 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: AP – Chris Seward)

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: 146-121

Season Best Bet Record: 54-28

2/7 Card:

Texas A&M -3

UNC PK

NC State/UVA o133.5

————————————

Texas A&M -3 : Texas A&M beats Auburn for the 2nd time the season tonight. I just think this is a really bad matchup for Auburn. Auburn is a really aggressive defense, and due to that they foul at an exponential rate. They foul on 26.5% of their opponent’s possessions. That is good for 298th in the country. The Aggies are THIRD in the country in percentage of points from the free throw line at 24.4%. They shoot them at a 74% clip. This is just a dominant matchup edge that I cannot overlook. The Aggies were 20-24 from the line from the first matchup, and I think they will make 20 free throws again tonight. This Texas A&M team is hot, and are 11-1 at home this season. I do not foresee a scenario where Auburn can pull an upset here due to success I believe A&M will have at the line. Rolling with the Aggies.

Score Prediction: Texas A&M 72 – Auburn 66

UNC PK : Best Bet of the night! Similarly to the Aggies, I believe Tar Heels will run the regular season double on Wake Forest. While we saw an emotional let down from Duke last night (and profited from it!), I expect the opposite reaction from Carolina. I believe that they will be hungry to come out and win this important Q1 game to erase the memory of Saturday in Durham. This is about the time in the season last year when they turned it on, and Wake Forest is the perfect matchup for the Heels offense to let out their frustrations. Wake Forest’s defense continues to struggle as we have made our way to February. They are 207th in defensive efficiency. They also have zero post resistance to combat the threat of Bacot. Armando was 7-11 from the field, and 7-10 from the free throw line in the Heels 88-79 win over the Demon Deacons a few weeks back. Duke was able to find success against Carolina through their interior defense. They had 11 blocks against the Tar Heels. The Deacs do not have a similar threat. Their rim protection is some of the worst in the country. They are 291st in the country in block percentage (4%), and 230th in the country in opponent two point percentage (51.2%). The over is also worth a look because I think Wake Forest can find some success from the perimeter, but the Heels will walk away with this victory. This bet is also Shot Quality approved. Here is a preview of their Value Finder:

Score Prediction: UNC 82 – Wake Forest 76

NC State/UVA o133.5 : UVA should get whatever they want on the offensive end tonight. The Wolfpack are 143rd in the country in road defensive efficiency, and the Cavs offense has been clicking over their last 5 conference games. They are averaging 73ppg. That is impressive for an offense that likes to play a low possession game. I also think that NC State can keep up with the scoring pace that we will need. The Wolfpack are 17th in the country at 79.6 points per game, and have four scorers that average double figures. Including, UVA transfer Casey Morsell. He is having the best season of his college career, and will be ready to show his former team what they are missing. The way to score against UVA’s pack-line defense is to shoot over it. The Wolfpack have been successful at that this season. They have 201 makes from distance in 24 games, and are shooting them at a 35.2% clip. It is also worth noting that UVA’s defense is not as elite as you would expect for a Tony Bennett team. They just slid outside of the Top 50 in defensive efficiency. Go points!

Score Prediction: UVA 73 – NC State 65

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

2/6 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Alex McIntyre)

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: 143-120

Season Best Bet Record: 53-28

2/6 Card:

Miami -3.5

Holy Cross +2.5

Kansas -4

Northern Colorado PK

————————————

Miami -3.5 : The Canes were in a dog fight in Durham with Duke a few weeks ago. They ultimately lost the game 68-66, but there are some key takeaways from this game that points to Miami returning the favor tonight. For starters, Miami won that game based on the Shot Quality analytics (listed below). The model showed that they had an expected 80-73 win that night. Duke did not defend the perimeter well at all, and that is a biiiig problem when facing Miami and their loaded backcourt with shooters. Also, Duke didn’t dominate the boards against the smaller Canes as one would think. Duke gained 16 offensive rebounds, but Miami was able to snag 13 of their own. Miami is also undefeated at home this season, and we all know about Duke’s struggles on the road in conference. There is also an element here of a let-down spot after Duke’s emotional win over Carolina. They have a ton of freshman that play meaningful minutes that definitely enjoyed every second of that win and the celebrations after. The quick Monday turnaround has me questioning what form we will see from them. Canes comfortably.

Score Prediction: Miami 77 – Duke 70

Holy Cross +2.5 : Lafayette shouldn’t be laying point to anyone on the road. I will gladly take the 2.5 with the Crusaders. Also, I think that Holy Cross has the best player in this game in Gerrale Gates. He busted Lafayette’s ass last season at home with a 27 & 14 outing. Holy Cross won that game 79-74. Lafayette does not have a great defense. That is especially true on the road. They are 164th in the country in road defensive efficiency. The Crusaders have been playing better as of late, and I just think that these two teams are neutrals. I give Holy Cross the edge at home, so I will gladly take the 2.5.

Score Prediction: Holy Cross 65 – Lafayette 63

Kansas -4 : I like Kansas in this bounce back spot. I am not going to get super analytical here, but this is mostly a gut feeling. Texas is not fantastic on the road, and Kansas will make you pay for a halftime deficit like they had in Manhattan. They do not let you off of the mat at the Phog. Also, Bill Self will make this one personal to his players. The Jayhawks barely escaped this matchup in OT last season, and got absolutely boat raced the year before. Also, Texas is leading the standings right now. It is the Kansas standard to always win the Big 12. There is just such a massive coaching edge with Bill Self at home, and Rodney Terry on the road as an interim. Great spot to buy back in on Kansas.

Score Prediction: Kansas 76 – Texas 68

Northern Colorado PK: The Best Bet is making its first appearance in the Big Sky this season. I think this is a big night for the Bears. This is an awful scheduling spot for Weber State. The Wildcats played a double overtime thriller Saturday night in Pocatello, Idaho. Jones and Verplanken both played 45 minutes in this affair. Now, they are on a quick turnaround 48 hours later to play at elevation in Greeley, CO. There is a solid chance that we will see some sea legs from Weber State as they rely a ton of their starters to cover their minutes. I also think this is a game where Northern Colorado can expose them from the three point line. The Bears are Top 50 in the country in points from three pointers, and Weber State is 264th in the country in opponent three point percentage (35.4%). Knecht and Kountz will have monster nights for the Bears, and Northern Colorado will have a performance that will remind us of what we thought of them in the preseason. Also, Vegas is giving this one away. A 7-16 team is a PK against 12-11. They are trying to bait the large majority of the handle on Weber. We will roll with the oddsmakers tonight. This is also Shot Quality approved. They give a slight edge to the Bears.

Score Prediction: Northern Colorado 76 – Weber State 69

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