Service Plays Saturday 2/3/18

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy

3-Unit Play. #616. Take Mississippi State -3 over Georgia Bulldogs (Saturday @ 6pm est)
This game is interesting for a variety of reasons. The first of which is that Miss State has revenge from a 9 point loss to Georgia last year and this is a Ben Howland team that won 16 games all of last year and has already won 16 games this year. This team still is not getting much respect but they are a team on the rise and note that Georgia come off a huge and much needed win against Florida after having lost 3 straight games. But, Georgia has consistently been the same under Fox who is now feeling the heat given the quick success of Tennessee, Auburn, Missouri and others as this team with all the resources in the world is not getting better. Mississippi State is an elite defense that is top 15 in the nation, their offense is getting more stout including dropping more than 80 at South Carolina and with revenge, playing well right now and given how well Miss State dominated Vanderbilt and Missouri at home, let's roll with the short line and the Bulldogs to get it done today.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ROBERT FERRINGO

1-Unit Play. Take #546 East Carolina (+8.5) over Memphis (2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
Tubby Smith is just doing what he does: find ways to win games. But I don't think that this team is going to sweep this road trip. They are coming off an easy win over pathetic South Florida. They are now facing an equally pathetic East Carolina team. But it has to be hard to concentrate on this game coming off an easy win and with a home date against Wichita State on deck. There is nothing to like about ECU. This one is just a play against Memphis, as I don't think that this team can consistently cover as a thick road favorite.

3-Unit Play. Take #554 Texas A&M (-6) over South Carolina (2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
I just can't quit this Texas A&M team. They came through with a dominating second half against Arkansas on Tuesday and cashed a ticket for us. Can they do it again? South Carolina has not played many road games. Four of their last five have been at home and they have played just five of their last 15 games since Thanksgiving away from home. They have been boom or bust away from home, getting rocked at Clemson and Alabama but winning outright at Georgia and Florida. So if we lose this game it might be because USC wins outright. But I don't think that will be the case. The Gamecocks are coming off back-to-back home losses where they blew leads and this is just not even close to the same caliber team that went to the Final Four last year. A&M is better than their record. Of that I'm sure. And this team needs every win it can get if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. I think they get this one.

1-Unit Play. Take #572 Northern Iowa (-3.5) over Indiana State (4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
Home teams have been dominating The Valley again this year and Northern Iowa is kind of a nice avatar of that. They are 9-3 at home and 0-7 on the road. The home team has won five straight in this series, and UNI already lost at Terre Haute this year. Indiana State has dumped three straight (two straight on the road and they are just six of seven road games) and they are not playing well. I have no idea why I think that Northern Iowa is better than their record when they haven't really done much to back that up. But this team has been excellent in Cedar Falls for two decades and I think they can steal a win here.

1-Unit Play. Take #576 Rutgers (+15.5) over Purdue (4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
Well, there's no value in betting on Purdue so we might as well go the other way. The Boilermakers beat Rutgers by 31 in the first meeting so they are only going to take this game so seriously. Especially with Ohio State and Michigan State on deck. Rutgers stinks. But they have tripped up some other teams at home, playing within this number against Florida State, Michigan State, and Nebraska. We will see if they can come to play here.

1-Unit Play. Take #586 Louisville (-5) over Florida State (4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)

3-Unit Play. Take #587 Virginia (-5.5) over Syracuse (64 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
I have been saying it for weeks: this is a BAD Syracuse team. They are undermanned and overmatched. Frank Howard is one of the worst point guards in the country. Ty Battle is doing what he can, but he has nothing else to work with offensively. The Orange are down to just seven healthy scholarship players, and that is being generous because freshman forward Matt Moyer isn't fully healthy. They aren't any good and I don't see how they are going to score - at all - against the Virginia defense. The Cavaliers are getting overvalued. They will have their comeuppance, of that I am certain. But UVA has just one loss on the year, they have won four straight conference road games, they have won 13 straight, and they already beat Syracuse in a game they slept through back on Jan. 9. This line is short. The Orange are going to come back to reality over the next month and I think they will let this one get away from them here.

1-Unit Play. Take #591 Western Kentucky (-6.5) over UT-San Antonio (4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
This WKU team is legit. And San Antonio doesn't play any defense. I have a hard time seeing an upset here. If the Hilltoppers are capable of beating Purdue and SMU and winning at Old Dominion I think they can find a way to run past the Roadrunners here.

1-Unit Play. Take #618 North Texas (-10) over Rice (6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)

5-Unit Play. Take #629 St. Bonaventure (-4) over Duquesne (6:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
Look, Duquesne had its fun this year. But they are coming back to earth. The have played one of the easiest schedule in the country! They have played exactly one team rated in the Top 120 (Rhode Island) and after a surprisingly strong start to league play they have lost three of their last five games. In fact, their last three league wins have all come against bad teams - in triple OT at home against beat-up LaSalle, in double-OT at home against bad George Mason, and by two points on the road against bad GW - and I think that they are swimming way out of their depth here. St. Bonaventure has not been good on the road in league play so far this year. And that is why this number is so low. But they also drew the toughest road schedule in the A-10 to start (at Dayton, at St. Joe's, at Rhode Island and at Davidson, with all four games played back-to-back with a random home game in the middle of that sandwich). This same team won at Buffalo (who is dominating the MAC) and won at Syracuse (who is 12-2 at home this year). So they've already gone on the road and beaten teams a hell of a lot better than the Dukes. The Bonnies are the play here.

1-Unit Play. Take #656 Baylor (-8) over Iowa State (8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)

1-Unit Play. Take #659 Fordham (+10.5) over St. Louis (8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)

7-Unit Play. Take #666 Boise State (-7.5) over UNLV (8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
I like Marvin Menzies. I thought he was a great hire for UNLV and I think he is going to get this program back to the top tier of the Mountain West. But they are not there yet. And I think that they are going to get exposed in this game. The Runnin' Rebels have played one of the weakest schedules in the country. They only played two road games in nonconference play and both came against mediocre teams. Then their road trips in league play have come against the dregs like San Jose State, Air Force and Colorado State. And against those bad teams, on the road, the Rebels were shaky as hell, going 0-3 ATS and winning all three by five points or less or in OT. In fact, this team is just 4-22 ATS in their last 26 road games! This is UNLV's first road game against the top tier of the league. I don't expect it to go well. Boise State already beat UNLV by nine points this year and this is just a bad matchup for the Rebels. Boise State has a great home court advantage and they have a serious experience edge. They have size to counter UNLV's excellent big man Brandon McCoy, and if McCoy gets in foul trouble early then this one is going to be a rout. Boise State is better defensively and the Broncos can play man or zone, with that zone potentially being effective against a Rebels team that can't shoot. The Broncos are just kind of a different animal in Boise. They have three home league wins by 20 or more points. They won't do that here. But I do think they can turn this one into a blowout. Boise has had all week to rest and prepare for this game and I think they will do work. I really just think that there is a wider gap between these two teams than the standing suggest and I think Boise wins by double-digits here.

4-Unit Play. Take #670 Auburn (-11.5) over Vanderbilt (8:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
This line is dropping and I don't really understand it. I know that Vanderbilt has been on a nice ATS run. But this is a killer letdown spot for the Commodores. They were up five with 30 seconds left at Kentucky and they blew it, losing on OT on a last-second score. Now this bad Vandy team has to go back on the road and play an Auburn team that has just been wrecking people. Auburn is legit. And they haven't won a home game by fewer than 10 points since Dec. 10. Their last six home wins have been by 25 (UConn), 21 (Cornell), 11 (Arkansas), 15 (Ole Miss), 14 (UGA) and 25 (LSU). I think all of those teams but Connecticut are better than Vandy, who is without Matthew Fisher-Davis, their best player who went out for the year six games ago. I know the Commodores have played better without Fisher-Davis in the short-term. But that's not going to last. Auburn can absolutely pick its score in this one and I expect a bloodbath.

1-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #666 Boise State (-3) over UNLV (8 p.m.) AND Take #670 Auburn (-6.5) over Vanderbilt (8:30 p.m.)

2-Unit Play. Take #673 Marshall (-4) over UTEP (9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
This is a bounce back game for Marshall, which botched some late-game situations in a loss to UT-SA, and it is a letdown game for UTEP, which put up a game effort against Western Kentucky before running out of steam. UTEP simply doesn't have the horses to play the up-tempo, shootout pace that Marshall will impose. The Thundering Herd aren't very good on the road. But UTEP isn't very good anywhere.

1-Unit Play. Take #683 USC (+1.5) over UCLA (6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3)
I'm not high on this UCLA team. They've lost to just about every good team that they have played this year, home or away. I know they will be psyched for this rivalry game. But I just think that USC is the better team. The Trojans have won six straight and they are finally starting to play like the team I expected them to be at the beginning of the season. USC has the experience edge and I think they have a big edge in the backcourt. I think the wrong team is favored here.

1-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #561 UL-Lafayette (-5.5) over UL-Monroe (3 p.m.) AND Take #591 Western Kentucky (-1.5) over UT-San Antonio (4 p.m.)

1-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #662 Bradley (-3) over Drake (8 p.m.) AND Take #656 Baylor (-3) over Iowa State (8 p.m.)

1-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #606 UT-Arlington (-2) over Coastal Carolina (5 p.m.) AND Take #615 Georgia (+8) over Mississippi State (6 p.m.)
Carpe diem. Good luck.

[x32c]

Oskeim Sports

528 2 Eastern Michigan+2
540 2 Massachusetts +3
672 5 San Diego+10.5
704 2 Western Illinois+3

[x32c]

Logical Approach

248 Loyola Chicago -8
584 St. Joseph +3

[bwj13]

Root!!!

Millionaire - Iowa St
No Limit - Arizona
Perfect - Penn St
Inner Circle - Stanford
Pinnacle - Indiana

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Strike Point Sports



3-Unit Play. #529 Take Houston (-2.5) over Central Florida (12 p.m., Saturday, February 3)
The Cougars had Cincinnati right where they wanted them but choked up a double digit lead and lost a chance to score a Top Ten resume win. But here they bounce back because UCF simply isn't good enough. Yes they play defense, but the Knights aren't good enough scoring the basketball to keep up with Rob Gray and a talented Houston offense. UH hasn't lost back-to-back games all year, and it won't be here either.

3-Unit Play. #540 Take Massachusetts (+2.5) over Dayton (2 p.m., Saturday, February 3)
UMass has been stuck in a slump the last half month, but here is a great spot to get rid of their losing streak. The Minutemen have nine of their ten wins this year at home, while Dayton is just 1-5 on the road. The Flyers are scoring just 65 points in road games, and we're backing a hungry UMass team to get its first win in six games.

5-Unit Play. #590 Take La Salle (-5) over St. Joe's (4 p.m., Saturday, February 3)
The Hawks have been undermanned all season without junior guard Lamarr Kimble, who averaged 15.5 points for St. Joe's last year. Today they could also be minus their best player and top scorer in James Demery, and if that's the case this one is going to be a blowout. Even if he does play he won't be fully healthy, and La Salle will offer too much. The Explorers have two the best scorers in the A-10 in B.J. Johnson and Pookie Powell. So while this La Salle team has been quite medicore all season, this is a spot that stands out for them against another average team who doesn't have all its talent. The Explorers are a very strong 7-2 at home while St. Joe's is 1-7 on the road. The home team in this series has won five of the last six, and with the respective home and away play of each, it will be more of the same. The Explorers have home wins over UMass by 15, Fordham by 8 and Saint Louis by 23. They'll get St. Joe's here by nine.

3-Unit Play. #629 Take St. Bonaventure (-4) over Duquesne (6:30 p.m., Saturday, February 3)
We've gotten behind both these teams quite a few times this year, so we feel pretty confident being able to dictate the play when they meet up. And it's the Bonnies, who have turned things up in A-10 play after a poor 2-4 league start. They've put together three straight conference wins, while Duquesne are 2-3 in their last five. The scoring duo of Matt Mobley and Jaylen Adams will be a big reason why the Bonnies start to pull away in the second half and prove to be too much as a road favorite here.

3-Unit Play. #659 Take Fordham (+10.5) over Saint Louis (8 p.m., Saturday, February 3)
We've made this type of play a bunch of occasions this season. Two mediocre teams and one laying a hefty number. Get on the underdog. Saint Louis is 12-11 and has only laid double figure points once this season, and that game they lost outright. Both these teams score in the mid 60s, so I don't think enough points will be scored for one to run away from the other. This is a back-and-forth game with both sharing chances to win late in this contest.

6-Unit Play. #673 Take Marshall (-4) over UTEP (9 p.m., Saturday, February 3)
The Thundering Herd had positioned themselves quite well at 5-2 in league play, however back-to-back road losses to UTSA and Western Kentucky now has them needing a win here. But the thing about those two losses, it was against two teams that score the ball very well. UTEP can't do that. Marshall of course ranks first in Conference USA with 85.8 points per game. UTSA is second at 81.2 and Western Kentucky, the best team in the league, are fourth at 78.1. UTEP rank 13th with 68.5, so this is quite a different story. And not only is this the final game of a three-game road trip, but tonight's game against the Miners begins a four-game stretch against C-USA bottom feeders. I'm not saying this team is NCAA Tournament worthy, but if they can take care of business here and against the next string of opponents, the Herd will put themselves in position for a 20-win season and that's huge for this program. Tonight they handle UTEP. Marshall shoot better from the field, better from the three, better from the line and average seven more assists as a team. Deservedly favored, Marshall has covered five of their last six as a favorite. They do so here as well in El Paso.

Best of Luck - Strike Point Sports

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Oskeim Sports

528 2 Eastern Michigan+2
540 2 Massachusetts +3
672 5 San Diego+10.5
704 2 Western Illinois+3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bondi 10* CBB LOY

Florida-7.5 / AlaBama

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gavazzi

---

5% loyala chicago

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ultra Sports 2/3

North Carolina St
Ball St
Clemson
Kansas St
Louisville
BYU OVER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dwayne Bryant

4*
UNDER 141 (-110)
[635-636] Louisiana Tech at Florida International

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jack jones

(25*)west virginia
(20*)northern iowa
(15*)stanford
(15*)pittsburgh
(15*)san diego
(15*)tcu
(15*)illinois state

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Inside info


iowa state over 142.5

[IronCity]

Steve Merril

TCU over TT

[batjag]

Executive 600%/5% Top play Baylor -8-