Huge Hump Day Card has the NCAAB North East Conf. Play of the Year and a Big Tier 1. In the NBA a Perfect System dating to 1995. Finally another Top NHL System that is 16-1 Since 2005. Comp Play below.
The NHL Comp play is on the NY. Rangers at 7:10 eastern. The Rangers fit the undefeated system play that plays on certain home teams off a home loss scoring 2 or less goals and a previous road loss where they were shutout, provided the opponent is in off a road win scoring 3 or more like the Blues. NY is ranked 3rd in total defense and #4 on the Power play. They are 5-0 off a loss of 3+ goals and 4-1 after allowing 5 or more. They have won 9 of 12 with 2 days rest. St. Louis has lost 7 of 9 as a road dog. Look for the Rangers to bounce back. On Wednesday a Huge Card is up with the North East Conf. Game Of The Year and a Tier 1 Going late, Also a Perfect System NBA and a 16-1 NHL Top play. See us at goldencontender@aol.com or on twitter/facebook to Jump on now and cash big on Hump Day. For the NHL Comp Play. Go with the Rangers. Rob V- Golden Contender Sports.
Not the Premier League, but still the familiar teams on an idle Wednesday, LFG!
Current Soccer record:8-9 +1.36 Unit
SOU/WHU: Draw, 1 Unit (+245) and Under -2.5 (-105)
Potential for great value here with two teams that match up well. Sou won the last go around 3-2 as heavy dogs near the end of December. Since then they have only had 1 loss coming into March. They are a very capable club that has now shown to be consistent and go toe-to-toe with anyone. WHU on the other side has showed poise as well since these two clubs squared off. Having only 2 losses since then, one of them to MU and an atrocious off day to Leeds. I think these two teams will come out tight, focus on maintaining possession, and middle of the field soccer play will ensue. I think this match has every opportunity to seek phenomenal value with a low scoring affair. My match prediction is a 1-1 draw in regular time.
LVP: -2.5 1 unit (-101) and Over 3.5, 1 Unit (-102)
LVP faces off with Norwich City in the English FA cup. Two teams that recently matched up 2 weeks ago in Premier League play. Obviously LVP is a heavy favorite, but Norwich gave them a slight scare last go around. In the 48’ minute Norwich actually struck first going up 1-0. It wasn’t until the 64’ mark that LVP finally showed up and poured it on, making it a final of 3-1. The disparity in talent is great between these two clubs; LVP didn’t show up on the score sheet for over 65% of the match and still came away with a 2-goal lead. With the recent turnaround, I do not believe they will be caught sleeping this game and will give a 100% from the start. This game has potential for a serious blowout, LVP greatly controlling possession, putting shots on target, and breaking through early leads to covering 2.5 and over 3.5. LVP hammers Norwich match prediction 4-0.
Of course AS SOON as I gave out the Philly/NYK total, it moved up (are we moving lines?….). So to clarify, I would take that total up to 226.5. I think it reaches 230.
Also, don’t show this to old betting heads who can’t handle a fun parlay here and there, but I’m sprinkling on this ML 5-leg parlay tonight. Nothing wrong with a little loose fun sometimes.
UCONN
Arkansas
Maryland
Pelicans
76ers
1 unit wins 4.27 units – I put 0.5 units on it. FarleyBets, out!
Less than ideal performance yesterday but in retrospect, probably some bad beats:
Scoring came to a halt for TOR/BRK in the 4th quarter, in a game that easily should have eclipsed 220.
The Hawks had 65 at the half… credit to Boston’s defense, but a 13 point 3rd quarter from one of the NBA’s best offenses? C’mon man.
And the Lakers, if we had them at +5.5, would have covered.
Can’t overly question ourselves after 1 down night, onto Wednesday!
NBA Picks:
Knicks/76ers over 222, to win 1 unit
We played on this Sunday and I see no reason why we shouldn’t again. Philly runs a little faster with Harden and loses a little defense, too. We’ve seen what this 76ers offense can do if Harden and Maxey and Embiid are in-sync, and it looks like NYK has no idea how to stop it. Gotta hit theover again.
Heat +4, to win 1.5 units
If Miami’s interior defense is as good as we think it is, they should be able to keep this game close or win outright. The Heat are one of the most unheralded teams in the NBA week to week. All they do is win and play great on both sides of the ball. Lowry out isn’t great but it didn’t hurt them too much against an explosive Chicago offense. Gotta go with the Heat to cover tonight; this should be a fun battle.
Jazz -12.5, to win 1.5 units
Ugly, inflated, not a great price, sure. But the Jazz are completely healthy and look like they’re ready to go on a pre-playoff run to position themselves well, like they usually do. Utah dominated Houston recently in a game that showed all of their strengths. I’m betting that it happens again, and it’s way more likely it does than it doesn’t.
Jonas Valanciunas 12+ rebounds, to win 1 unit (-124 on Bovada)
Jonas has averaged 10.6 rebounds and 14.4 ppg against Domantas Sabonis in 7 previous matchups. Since we can’t always count on Valanciunas to score, we’ll take Jonas’ rebound prop tonight. The Pelicans are in a bit of a flow state- I also like their side tonight- and Valanciunas is much stronger and thicker than Sabonis. I expect the big man to clean up at the rim all game. Your book should offer a similar line.
CBB Picks (all 1 unit):
UCONN/Creighton 1H under 63
Arkansas -5.5
Maryland -5.5
If you ever have any questions, message me here, on Twitter, or on Instagram. I will make myself available from 9am to 5pm every day, but please don’t expect an answer outside of those hours. I gotta shut it down sometimes. All picks are 1-5 stars based on unit size and confidence. 3 star picks are rare, 4-5 star picks are VERY rare. -Chris
What a run we’re on right now, Sepp Straka (125-1) captures The Honda Classic to give us our third outright winner in four tournaments. In addition to cashing on Straka we also hit on Billy Horschel (+150) Top 20 and Sam Ryder (+175) Top 40. In the last four weeks were up a combined 25.16 Units. This may not seem like a lot when hitting three outrights but, my unit scale is slightly different than others. This is only my second year of covering golf fulltime so I’m continually learning as I go but, any feedback is always appreciated, positive or negative. I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has recently followed me on all social media platforms. Hopefully you enjoy the articles and I can provide you with some winners.
The PGA Tour stays in Florida for the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week. Last year we saw Bryson Dechambeau win this event highlighted by his incredible drive on the Par 5, 6th. Unfortunately we won’t be able to watch Bryson try and defend his title, as he withdrew earlier this week. We have a much stronger field than last week as it’s an invitational and a larger purse at stake. Let’s get into the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and see if we can stay hot.
Tournament Information:
Dates: March 3rd, 2022- March 6th, 2022
Location: Orlando, Florida, United States
Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Course Type: Florida/ Southeast
Par: 72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
Length: 7,466 yards
Format: 72 hole stroke play
Field/ Cut: 120 Players | Top 65 and Ties after 36 Holes
Greens: TifEagle Bermudagrass
Fairways: Celebration Bermudagrass
Rough: Celebration Bermudagrass overseeded with Perennial Rye 3.00″
The Arnold Palmer Invitational was founded in 1979 as a successor to the Florida Citrus Invitational. The event went through several different names, but has played under the current name since 2007. In 2004, MasterCard became the main sponsor of the tournament and has retained the rights ever since.
Bay Hill Club & Lodge has hosted this event since its debut. Arnold Palmer, bought the club back in 1970 and then renovated the course in 2009. The renovation included an overhaul of all 18 greens, the reworking most bunkers, additional yardage being added which changed the Par from 71 to 72. It’s known as one of the toughest courses on the Tour and continually attracts a very strong field.
The purse was increased to $12 million dollars this year, which is $2.7 million more than was offered in 2019. With the additional purse money, the winners share is also increased to $2,160,000 from last years $1,674,000.
Tiger Woods holds the record for most wins at this event with 7; 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013.
To read more about the history of Bay Hill, you can click the following link.
Course Guide/ Scorecard:
Just like last week at PGA National, Bay Hill is an extremely difficult course. Over the past five years, the scoring average has been above par every year. In 2021, only six holes played under par (#4, #6, #10, #12, 13, #17), which includes all four of the Par 5’s.
It plays 7,466 yards which makes it one of the longest courses on the Tour. In addition to the length, the fairways rank 19 out of 54 in terms of width. Driving Accuracy is a crucial stat this week as the rough, that’s 3″ thick, can be extremely difficult to play out of.
The greens are some of the largest that players will be on see Tour as they rank 7th out of 54. While the greens are some of the biggest, they roll very fast making approach shots very difficult as players will most likely be hitting long irons into them given the distance. As if the distance and fast bermudagrass greens isn’t enough, Bay Hill has the 15th most bunkers on Tour and the 11th most water danger holes.
The weather will also be a crucial factor this week with the Florida winds. The early forecast doesn’t look too bad but we’ve seen the effect they can have, especially in the 2020 API.
To see the hole by hole strokes average last year, you can click the following link.
For a hole by hole overview of the course, you can click the following link.
Key Statistics:
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermuda)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Strokes Gained: Approach
Par 4 Scoring: 450-500
Driving Distance & Accuracy
Greens in Regulation %
Bogey Avoidance
Birdie to Bogey Ratio
The Field/ Odds:
The World Number 1 Jon Rahm makes his first appearance in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He’s currently listed at +850 on most books. Rahm has yet to win a tournament this year with his best finish coming back in the Sentry Tournament of Champions (2nd). He’s been in great form as of late finishing 2-T14-T3-T10-T21 in his last five appearances. We’ll see if he can finally break through here at Bay Hill and capture a win in 2022.
After Rahm, in terms of betting odds, is the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner, Rory McIlroy. On most books, he’s currently listed at +1200, which makes sense given his course history. Besides winning in 2018, he had four other Top 10 finishes at this course (’17,’19,’20,’21). In addition to the great course history, McIlroy is playing some great golf right now capturing two Top 10 finishes in his last two tournaments. He’s currently +185 on FanDuel for a Top 10 finish, which is definitely worth a look.
Next in line, is Viktor Hovland, who’s coming off a T4 finish in The Genesis Invitational two weeks ago. Hovland is currently listed at +1700/1800 on most books. While he’s been playing some great golf as of late, he’s struggled here at Bay Hill. He finished 49th last year, 42nd in 2020, and in 2019 when he made his tournament debut, he finished 40.
Some other popular plays this week will most likely be:
Will Zalatoris (+2500)
Finished 10th last year in the API and is playing some great golf right now is
Sungjae Im (+2900)
Finished 3rd at the API in 2019 and 2020, missed the cut at The Honda Classic but has been playing some good golf besides that
Tyrrell Hatton (+2800)
He won the API back in 2017 and has three Top 10’s in his last four events
Other previous winners in the field include Marc Leishman (’17), Jason Day (’16), and Martin Laird (’11).
Max Homa has finished inside the Top 20 in three of his last four starts. Last year he finished 10th in the API and 24th the year before, in his tournament debut. He’s got the distance off the tee which we saw last year can be very beneficial. At Bay Hill, when compared to the field since 2016, he ranks 2nd in SG: Putting, 18th in SG: APP, 17th in SG: BST, and 13th in SG:TOT. Homa does struggle around the green a bit, but did gain strokes in that category at the Genesis. Besides that minor flaw, which isn’t a key category this week, I think he’s in great form and clearly feels comfortable at Bay Hill.
Chris Kirk (+240) – DraftKings (+300 at BetRivers)
Risk 0.50 to win 1.20 Units
Kirk’s gathered two Top 20’s in his last two tournaments, finishing T7 at The Honda Classic last week and T14 at the WM Phoenix Open. He’s also finished inside the Top 20 four of his last five starts at Bay Hill. So when you combine his recent performances, with his results at Bay Hill, I really like him to Top 20 this week. Kirk is great off the tee, ranking 41st in strokes gained and 18th in SG: T2G. His putting is always a little wary as we know but he has gained strokes putting in his last two events (The Honda Classic +0.81, WM Phoenix Open +0.63).
Christian Bezuidenhout (+240) – FanDuel
Risk 0.50 to win 1.20 Units
Bez is coming off a T25 in The Honda Classic last week. He gained strokes in every category besides approach (-0.87) which is a little unlike him given his numbers in his previous tournaments. While Bezuidenhout isn’t a long hitter by any means, ranking 198th on Tour in Driving Distance, he is very accurate ranking 45th. Last year at the API he finished 7th and in 2020 he finished 18th. At Bay Hill, when compared to the field since 2016, he ranks 1st in SG: Putting, 6th in SG: Around the Green, and 5th in SG: Total. He’s great on the bermudagrass so I like his chances this week, given his recent finishes at Bay Hill to grab his third consecutive Top 20 here.
Total Risk on Top 20: 1.50 Units
Picks (Top 40):
Andrew Putnam (+190) – FanDuel
Risk 1.00 to win 1.90 Units
Andrew Putnam finished 4th last year here at Bay Hill. He’s coming off a T48 finish in The Genesis Invitational where he struggled a bit, losing strokes off the tee and in putting. Prior to The Genesis, Putnam missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open but finished T6 at Pebble. While he’s not great distance wise off the tee, he is fairly accurate, which is a key factor this week. He is a great approach player ranking 29th in SG: APP and a solid putter ranking 54 in SG: Putting. When looking at his SG here at Bay Hill when compared to the field, he does rank in ATG and Putting which I think can sneak him into the Top 40 this week.
Total Risk on Top 40: 1.00 Units
Total Risk on The Arnold Palmer Invitational : 3.62 Units
Solid start to the week as we go 1-0 cashing on the TOR/WSH Over 6.0. I received a few DM’s after the article was posted notifying me the line on Pointsbet had changed to 6.5, so I apologize if you weren’t able to grab it at 6.0.
We have a great slate of NHL games today. I’ll breakdown the matchup between the red hot Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild. In addition to that, I have one other pick which will be at the end of the article. Lets get into it!
Minnesota Wild: 31-16-3, 3rd Central (16-4-1 Home)
Team
Opening ML
Current ML
Spread
Total
Calgary Flames
-105
-125
-1.5 (+200)
o6.5 (-105)
Minnesota Wild
-120
+105
+1.5 (-245)
u6.5 (-115)
Trends:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Calgary’s last 8 games.
Calgary are 11-1 SU in their last 12 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 7 games.
Minnesota are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
Previous Matchups:
February 26, 2022: Minnesota 3 @ Calgary 7
MIN (+135), CGY (-160), O/U 6.0 (-120/+100)
Preview:
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are the hottest team in the NHL with a 9-1 record in their last 10 games.
Offensively Calgary averages 3.43 Goals For per game on the season, ranking 17th. However, in their last 10 games they’re averaging 4.50 Goals For per game. Despite the major uptick in goals, they’ve actually been averaging less Shots on Goal For in their most recent 10 games when compared to their season average. The Flames have the best xGoal % in the NHL with a 56.73%, which is truly incredible. They’ve been clicking on all cylinders up front lately and haven’t really shown any signs of slowing down. They rank 11th in terms of Power Play Percentage with a 22.3%. In their most recent game, which was against the Wild, they converted at a rate of 40% on the man advantage.
If you’re looking to target some player props tonight, I would start with Elias Lindholm. He’s been incredible lately with 18 points in his last 12 games. Other players to consider targeting for the Flames tonight include Matthew Tkachuk and their leading goal scorer Johnny Gaudreau.
Defensively, the Flames have also been great recently, allowing an average of 2.20 Goals Against per game in their last 10. On the season they rank 2nd in Goals Against per game with an average of 2.43. They do a great job of limiting shots from their opponents and are averaging 28.20 Shots Against per game in their last 10. Their Penalty Kill ranks 6th with a 84.5% success rate. In their last 10 games, they have only allowed three power play goals against in 28 attempts.
Jacob Markstrom is expected to get the start in net tonight for the Minnesota Wild. He’s been great on the season with a +10.7 Goals Saved Above Expected, but struggled in his last two starts. He finished with a .880 SV% against Minnesota in his last start and a .857 SV% in the game prior against Vancouver.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are going through a bit of a rough stretch as of late going 4-6 in their last 10 games. Goaltender Cam Talbot has yet to provide consistency in net for them so they’ve turned to Kappo Kahkonen in their most recent games. They only issue is that he hasn’t been great either. Minnesota returns from a four game road trip to take on a team that they were embarrassed by just three days ago.
On the year the Wild rank 3rd in terms of Goals For per game averaging 3.72. In their last 10 games, that number has dropped a bit to an average of 3.40. They’ve failed to generate a ton of shots in their most recent games and average three less shots on goal for in their last 10 when compared to their season average. If they want to turn things around they need generate more scoring chances as their shooting % has dropped. They only issue is that they face off against the Flames tonight who do a great job of limiting shots. Their Power Play ranks 18th but has failed to score on their last 9 attempts.
Just like their offense, Minnesota’s defense has been sub-par as of late. They’re averaging 3.70 Goals Against in their last 10 games. This is a drastic decline from their season average of 3.08 Goals Against per game. Even with the increase in goals against in their most recent games, they still average around the same number of shots against as their season average (32.60).
It looks like Cam Talbot will get the start in net for Minnesota tonight. His last start was on February 22nd against Ottawa where he allowed 4 goals on 34 shots. In his last three starts, including the game against Ottawa, he has allowed at least 4 goals against in those starts. Talbot has a -1.2 GSAx in 31 games played this year.
Pick:
MINNESOTA WILD (+105)
In the NHL it’s very hard to beat a team twice in back to back games. Calgary won handily on Saturday at home, but Minnesota has been much better at home and should rebound here. This is a tough one to predict, but I do like Minnesota in this spot even with how well Calgary has been playing. I also lean the under in this matchup as well but, I didn’t like it enough to put it on the card.
Other Plays on the Night:
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (-120)
New Jersey is coming off a game last night, where they smoked Vancouver. On the year the Devils are 2-6-2 on no days rest and face off against a Blue Jackets team that’s 7-3 in their last 10.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
This game is big in the Big 10 and it has consequences to the loser in their own eyes. Both teams have 7 big 10 losses and both are trying to make it into the NCAA tournament. Michigan State is a team that has faltered this year in big spots. They are a bit weak at holding on to the ball ranking dead last in turnovers in the conference, and they can sometimes go cold shooting the rock on the road only at 43.6% from the field. Michigan on the other hand hasn’t impressed at all after turning over their guards. This team is a 1 trick pony with Hunter Dickenson and if he gets in foul trouble, this Wolverines team tends to falter. You could see that when vs Illinois when Brandon Johns tried to guard Cockburn and got absolutely destroyed. Not even the refs could save them that game. Now both of these teams are not bet on teams for me but this is a rivalry and Michigan State is too much a dog here. Sparty can at least shoot the three ball pretty well ranking number 2 in conference paly at 38% while Michigan only ranks 13th at 32.5%. Michigan’s defense as a whole has been bad allowing 52.1% effective FG ranking 11th in the conference. The kicker here is that Juwan Howard is still suspended here and that lack of leadership could flow down through the rest of the team and they might make some dumb mistakes. This spread is too high. Take Sparty with the 4.5.
Michigan State +4.5 – 2 stars and sprinkle
Bonus Play: Providence +10 – 1.5 stars and sprinkle – Is Providence in a TERRIBLE spot vs Villanova? Absolutely. They just won the Big East conference on Saturday and are probably still hung over. In saying that, this spread is pretty disrespectful going into the double digits here. Providence almost covered their last game vs Nova minus a last few seconds three pointer by Gillespie to seal the deal. Providence might be the Big Eeast champs now, but why would they not try and avenge this loss here so that can at least feel like the best team in the Big Easy? Teams know the line on the game these days and I think that Providence shows up enough to cover.
Welcome into the Madness of March everybody!! I have decided to give out all of my plays out for FREE until Thursday (only at The Oddsbreakers!!). This gives everyone a sample of what to expect for this weekend, next week and the Big Dance! Today, I have 3 premium plays for you below as we cash on regular season matchups and the conference tourneys!! The next 3 weeks will be, arguably, the most exciting and profitable time of the year!!
The Toledo Rockets go on the road to Buffalo to take on the Bulls in a MACtion showdown Tuesday night. Buffalo has a 19-8 record with an against the spread record of 3-6 at home, 4-6 in their last ten games played and are also 7-12 against the spread as a favorite this season. The Rockets are 23-6 with a 8-2 record in their last ten games played, 12-7 against the spread while on the road and are 7-3 against the spread in their last ten games played. This could be a revenge spot for Buffalo, but I am not buying into it. Toledo is playing their best basketball of the season with a +19.7 point differential in their last three games played. The Toledo offense is currently scorching and have been shooting on average 48.4% on offense while holding their opponents to a 38.8% shooting percentage over their last five games played. The Toledo Rockets are packing their defense and bringing it with them on their travels to northwest New York and the Bulls vastly struggled in all aspects against this Toledo team in their last meeting, especially on offense. It is fair to assume that Buffalo is outmatched in their matchups with Toledo, take the hotter team and the higher percentages. Toledo matches Buffalo’s size and physicality. Take Toledo +2.5
The Gamecocks are hosting the Mizzou Tigers for some of the last bit of SEC conference play of the regular season. Mizzou is 10-19 this season with a 2-8 record in their last ten games played. The Tigers are also 5-17 as an underdog and are 4-9 against the spread as the visiting team. South Carolina is looking for a bounce back after their atrocious effort against Bama, the home Gamecocks are 17-11 this season and very much so on the bubble. SC is also 11-4 at home, 8-2 as a favorite, 11-5 against the spread at home and 7-3 against the spread when favored in their games this season. Mizzou holds a -15.5 point differential on the road over their last three games and have utterly given up on the season, this is a classic case of “Who has more to play for?”. South Carolina is an aggressive defense and ranks 5th in the SEC in terms of turnover percentage. Missouri comes into this game ranked towards the bottom in offensive turnover percentage at 328th nationally while the Gamecocks rank 5th in the SEC in TO% and will take advantage of quick points off breakaway steals (a stat that they rank 43rd nationally). You can expect SC to win and cover this game by approaching the game in a physical way and by creating havoc in transition off of turnovers and collected rebounds. South Carolina can easily win this game by 10+ at home. Take South Carolina -6.5
In potentially the game of the night, Purdue travels to the land of badgers to take on Wisconsin in a stout Big 10 matchup. Wisconsin is currently 23-5 this season with a 11-3 home record and are 16-12 against the spread overall with a 6-2 record against the spread as an underdog. This is the first time this season that the Badgers are an underdog on their home court as Purdue comes in looking for revenge. The Boilermakers are 24-5 this season while going 3-6-1 against the spread in their last ten games played, 12-15-1 against the spread as a favorite and are 4-6-1 against the spread as the road team. Wisconsin won at Purdue earlier this season but nothing in that box score says this outcome should be different in this one. Purdue dropped their last game at Michigan State on Saturday but the Boilermakers are only 1-3 ATS in their next game after a loss this season. The key to this game will be rebounding and second chance points and in the last matchup, it was Purdue with the slight 34-32 edge in rebounding while second chance points were an even 12-12. Home court advantage in Madison will only help the Badgers tonight and Wisconsin is currently the hotter team with a more well rounded defense than that of the Boilermakers squad. Take Wisconsin +3.5
*CBB(1.5u): Ohio State 1H TT OVER 39.5(-120) vs Nebraska–6 PM CT
Ohio State is coming off a total no-show loss at Maryland, but luckily they get a dream matchup with the clear-cut worst team in the Big 10. Nebraska is just 8-21 this year, and not only are they bad on both ends of the floor, but they run at one of the fastest paces in the country. This allows opposing offenses plenty of chances to deliver gut-punches. Looking at comparable road matchups for the Huskers, they allowed 98 points to Iowa, 85 to Michigan, 92 to Purdue, 93 to Rutgers, and 99 to Auburn. Ohio State ranks 11th in offensive efficiency and excels in 2-point FG%, 3-point FG%, and Free Throw%. The Buckeyes can really name their number in this one. However, with a matchup looming vs Michigan State on Thursday, I feel much better trusting them in the 1H. This TT being under 40 is preposterous, so this will be a multi-unit play for me and today’s best bet.
*NBA(1u): Hawks +6.5(-110) @ Celtics–6:30 PM CT
Boston was playing some of the best basketball in the league prior to the All Star Break, but as expected, they appear to be coming back down to Earth. They lost to the lowly Pacers by 21 on Sunday and now face a Hawks team that is really starting to round into form. Atlanta is 1-1 since the All-Star Break, but they lost by just 4 in a tough road matchup at Chicago and then wiped the floor with the Raptors on Saturday in a 27 point win. Atlanta’s defense has been their achilles heel this season, but over their last 3 games, the Hawks rank 4th in defensive efficiency. All season long, this has been one of the best offenses in the league. Coming into tonight’s game off of 2 days rest and catching the Celtics on a downswing, this is a great opportunity to take the points.
*CBB ML Parlay(1u): Villanova 1H, Ohio State 1H, South Carolina(+122)–5:30 PM CT
Villanova catches Providence off a massive emotional high after the Friars clinched the Big East regular season title on Saturday. It has been well-documented that Providence is the luckiest team in CBB over the past 14 years, but that point doesn’t even go into this handicap necessarily. Providence accomplished all there was to accomplish in the regular season, and this sets up as a major emotional letdown. Villanova wins this game from start to finish.
Ohio State pick explained above.
South Carolina has sneakily been playing very well lately. They had won 4 straight SEC games before losing at Alabama on Saturday, but they really caught Alabama at a bad time when the Tide just couldn’t seem to miss. This is the Gamecocks’ final home game of the season, and they’ll get an easy matchup facing a Missouri team that has nothing to play for. The Tigers are 10-19 overall this year and will be playing their second straight road game after losing at LSU by 20 on Saturday night. I really wanted to lay the 7 with SC, but I think the better way to play this game is to trust the Gamecocks to just win the game.
