Expert Sports Picks and Analysis from Al McMordie

Conference Tourney Time!

Monday, Feb 28, 2022

Conference Tournaments are set to get underway this week and the brackets are set in the Ohio Valley, Big South, Missouri Valley, Sun Belt, SoCon (Southern), Atlantic Sun, Horizon League, NEC, Summit, WCC and Patriot League. Here are a few tidbits that can hopefully enable you to make smarter wagers. Ohio Valley - This tournament takes place in Evansville, IN and the top two teams (Murray State, Belmont) both get double-byes to the semis. So it’s heavily-weighted to the favorites. I don’t think that there will be a ton of value in this particular tournament, but the interesting thing is that Murray State probably does not need to win it. Belmont is a good team and it would be interesting to see the line in a potential tournament final where Murray State had nothing on the line.Big South - Here the top seeds don’t get the double bye. The top three (Longwood, Winthrop and Gardner Webb) seem a cut above the rest. Gardner Webb, the 3-seed, is the highest rated team at KenPom. The team to target may be 4-seed USC Upstate as several teams seeded lower than the Spartans are rated higher at KenPom. This tournament takes place in Charlotte.Missouri Valley - “Arch Madness” (tournament is always held in St. Louis) was turned upside down on the final day of the regular season when Northern Iowa upset Loyola Chicago to claim the top seed. Loyola, who would have been an overwhelming favorite as the top seed, actually fell to the 4-seed! Don’t be surprised if it’s Loyola vs. Missouri State playing in the Final. Loyola probably now needs to win this in order to make the Big Dance.Sun Belt - Texas State is the top seed, but don’t rule out South Alabama (the 5-seed) making a run in Pensacola. The Jaguars have a tough road ahead as they would have to win four times in five days. If they win the first game, they would likely be a favorite over 4-seed Troy and a game with Texas State would be close to a pick ‘em. In the bottom half of the bracket, Coastal Carolina could be a dark horse. This is a wide open tournament.SoCon - Chattanooga and Furman, the top two seeds in Asheville, are both strong. The 3-seed Samford could be prone to getting knocked out early and will probably be a slight underdog in the quarterfinals against 6-seed UNC Greensboro. Compared to Chattanooga, Furman seems like they may have an easier path to the Final. Chattanooga was 2-0 vs. Furman in the regular season. Atlantic Sun - Two of the unluckiest teams in America, Kennesaw State and Eastern Kentucky, will meet in the first round. I am very interested to see if the winner of that matchup can pull an upset over the Western Division winner, Jacksonville State, in the quarterfinals. I think Liberty is the team to beat here. Every game in the A-Sun Tournament takes place at a campus site (of the higher seeded team).Horizon League - Not until the semifinals will the remaining Horizon League teams head to Indianapolis. The first two rounds are played at campus sites (of the higher seeded team). Cleveland State is the top seed here, but recall I played Oakland against CSU last weekend and the Golden Grizzlies (the 5-seed) ran out to a 65-57 win. I happen to think Oakland is the best team in the Horizon, but they are at a severe disadvantage having to play in the first round, then (if they win) going to Cleveland State for the quarterfinals. The bracket is re-seeded in the semis with the highest remaining team playing the lowest-remaining team.NEC - Bryant nabbed the top seed on Saturday, but Wagner is the team to beat in my eyes. Last year, as the top seed, Wagner got upset by Mount St. Mary’s. Now as the 2-seed, the Seahawks are thinking about revenge. All games in the NEC Tournament are played at campus sites (of the higher seed) and there is reseeding (highest seed plays lowest remaining seed) for the semis. Summit - South Dakota State is the only team in the country besides Murray State that did not lose a single conference game all season. That makes the Jackrabbits the runaway favorites in Sioux Falls this weekend. They will have to win three games in four days to do so. But given that they outscored Summit League opponents by 15.5 points per game, maybe that’s not so difficult? WCC - Finally some teams you may be aware of! Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and San Francisco are all likely to get in as at-large teams, though San Francisco is very much on the bubble and cannot afford to be upset in its first game and they could be playing a good BYU team. Not that Gonzaga or St. Mary’s needed the help, but this tournament in Las Vegas greatly favors the top two seeds, who get byes to the semifinals. The third and fourth seeds (Santa Clara and San Francisco) get byes to the quarters. The bottom four teams are at a major disadvantage and have no hope here. There is a massive divide between the top five and bottom five. Patriot - Colgate, the top seed, is a pretty big favorite here and they’ll get to play at home as every game is held at campus sites (of the higher seed). The Raiders won the Tournament last year.

NFL Draft Futures: Who Will Be The First Pick in the 2022 Draft?

by Oskeim Sports

Monday, Feb 28, 2022

The 2022 NFL draft gets underway on Thursday, April 28, in Paradise, Nevada. The Las Vegas suburb was supposed to host the 2020 selection show, but the coronavirus pandemic forced that year’s draft to be held virtually. This year, it all begins with the first pick held by the Jacksonville Jaguars who finished a league-worst 3-14. The Jags have a new head coach, former Super Bowl champion Doug Pederson, and will pick ahead of Detroit which finished 3-13-1. Houston, the New York Jets, and the New York Giants round out the top five overall picks. In the past two seasons, quarterbacks were the focus of the draft. Last year, the top three picks were all signal-callers. This year, only one quarterback is among the top five favorites to go No. 1. The Jags actually got their quarterback last year drafting Trevor Lawrence with the top pick. The Jags have plenty of needs, including one very vital position. Barring a trade then, who will the Jaguars select with the first pick? Edge Rusher It’s arguably the most important position in football after the quarterback. Teams with outstanding edge rushers are teams that make postseasons. Look at Super Bowl LVI for proof. The Rams sacked Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow nine times. In this year’s draft, there are two outstanding edge rushers – Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. Either could go first and both fit an immediate need for Jacksonville. Both players are at or near the top of almost everyone’s draft board and they are among the top five betting favorites to go No. 1. Hutchinson is a 6-foot-6-inch, 270-pound ball of relentless energy. His father played defensive line at Michigan and the younger Hutchinson is even better than his old man. He has a great burst and can line up anywhere on the defensive line. He also has experience as a standup linebacker. That is why he is the overall favorite at +160 to be drafted first this year. Thibodeaux is just as big at 6-5 and 280 pounds. He is a fluid athlete that can wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He had to fight through some injury issues last season, but Thibodeaux is an amazing talent. Several NFL teams, including Jacksonville, are interested which is why he could be the first overall pick. Thibodeaux is listed at +250 to go first. Protectors After quarterback and stud pass rusher, the next position franchises look for is either cornerback or offensive tackle. There are two of the latter worthy of the first pick this year. Eric Fisher was the last OT to go first overall to Kansas City and now Alabama’s Evan Neal has the chance to do the same. Neal is huge at 6-7 and 350 pounds. As a run blocker, there is no question he is outstanding. He will need to hone his pass blocking skills at the next level, but several teams are sold on Neal’s ability. The Jags could use a solid left tackle to protect Lawrence’s back side. Neal is given +185 odds to be selected first. The other offensive tackle high on everyone’s board is NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu. He is 6-4, which is a bit on the short side for an offensive tackle, but he is an amazing athlete. He comes from a family full of college athletes and it shows in his play on the field. He has great feet and excels in zone blocking schemes. At +550, he’s a bit of a longshot to go first overall. The Lone QB There is one quarterback among the top favorites, but he is listed at +3300. That would be Pitt’s Kenny Pickett. He led the Panthers to an ACC title while throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns. He is extremely confident and possesses the skills to be an NFL starter at some point. The bigger question is who would draft him first. Jacksonville already has their franchise quarterback. It would take a major trade and a team sold on Pickett for him to go first overall.

NBA Stock Rising and Falling

by Sean Murphy

Monday, Feb 28, 2022

With the calendar about to flip over to March, it's a good time to take stock of where teams stand in the Association. Another wild trade deadline period is well behind us and the cream has certainly risen to the top as we head into the stretch run. Here's a look at two teams on the rise and two on their way down entering the new month.Stock risingMiami HeatWhile the Heat are just 1-4 ATS over their last five games they enter the week on an 8-1 SU tear and will have the benefit of playing 12 of their next 15 games at home, where they're 20-7 SU and 14-12-1 ATS on the season. Having allowed 100+ points in five straight games I would expect to see a defensive turnaround sooner rather than later as I do rate the Heat as having one of the league's top-10 defenses. While they will have to deal with a back-to-back set in Milwaukee and Brooklyn later this week, the Bucks have looked vulnerable lately while the Nets won't have the services of Kyrie Irving on their home floor. New Orleans PelicansThe Pelicans were buyers at the trade deadline as they acquired C.J. McCollum to bolster their offense with Zion Williamson still on the shelf and apparently nowhere close to returning to the team. Sunday's rout of the Lakers made it two straight wins coming out of the break and in convincing fashion in Phoenix and Los Angeles. McCollum has proven to be a tremendous fit and the duo of Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas have been underrated to be sure. New Orleans will play six of its next eight games at home, beginning with another winnable contest against the lowly Kings on Wednesday night.Stock fallingCharlotte HornetsThe buzz has gone quiet in Charlotte as the Hornets have dropped 10 of their last 12 games overall, going 4-7-1 ATS over that stretch. To prove just how far they've fallen, they lost at home against the Pistons on Sunday - a team they had previously hung 140+ points on in two other matchups this season. Unfortunately the Hornets schedule only gets tougher from here, with consecutive road games this week followed by a difficult three-game homestand against the Spurs, Nets and Celtics. Note that Charlotte enters the week having been torched for 111+ points in six of its last seven contests.Los Angeles LakersThis season has been a complete disaster for the Lakers and Sunday's blowout loss against the Pelicans on their home floor might serve as rock-bottom. At least they hope so. At 6-14 SU over their last 20 games and showing no signs of turning things around anytime soon, it's difficult to envision where the Lakers can turn for a spark at this point. This week's schedule features three games in five nights against the Mavericks, Clippers and Warriors so things could very well get worse before they get better. After that they'll play 10 of their next 13 contests on the road. While Los Angeles still sits well within playoff contention (3.5 games behind the Clippers with three games in hand), that may not still be the case when we check back in a couple of weeks from now.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, and NCAAB Previews and Odds - 02/28/2022

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Feb 28, 2022

The Monday sports card features NBA, NHL, and NCAAB action.The National Basketball Association has seven games on its docket. Two games tip-off at 7:10 PM ET. Minnesota visits Cleveland as a 2-point road favorite with the total set at 202.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Orlando hosts Indiana as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 229.5. Two more NBA games start at 7:40 PM ET. Miami plays at home against Chicago as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 225.5. Toronto travels to Brooklyn as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 222.5. The NBA card concludes with three games beginning at 8:10 PM ET. Memphis is at home against San Antonio as an 8.5-point favorite with a total of 235. Milwaukee hosts Charlotte as a 10-point favorite with an over/under of 241. Sacramento visits Oklahoma City as a 4.5-point road favorite with a total of 222.5.The National Hockey League has three games on its slate. Two games drop the puck at 7:35 PM ET. New Jersey hosts Vancouver as a -125 money line favorite with an over/under of 6. Toronto travels to Washington as a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 6. Boston plays at Los Angeles at 10:35 PM ET as a -135 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Monday college basketball card includes eight games on national television. North Carolina hosts Syracuse on ESPN at 7 PM ET. The Tar Heels won their third-straight game with an 84-74 victory at North Carolina State as a 4-point favorite on Saturday. They raised their record to 21-8 with the win. The Orange have lost two in a row with their 97-72 loss to Duke as a 7.5-point underdog on Saturday. Syracuse’s record fell to 15-14 with the setback. North Carolina is a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 157.Baylor visits Texas in the nightcap of the ESPN doubleheader at 9 PM ET. The Bears won their third straight game with an 80-70 victory against Kansas as a 3-point favorite on Saturday. They improved their record to 24-5. The Longhorns are on a two-game winning streak after an 82-81 win at West Virginia on Saturday. Texas now has a 21-8 record. Baylor is a 1.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 139. Texas Tech plays at home against Kansas State on ESPN2 at 9 PM ET. The Red Raiders had their four-game winning streak end with a 69-66 loss at TCU as a 4.5-point favorite on Saturday. They have a 22-7 record. The Wildcats are on a three-game losing streak after their 74-73 upset loss to Iowa State as a 2.5-point favorite. Kansas State has a 14-14 record. Texas Tech is a 12.5-point favorite with a total of 132.5.San Diego State travels to Wyoming on the CBS Sports Network at 9 PM ET. The Aztecs won their sixth game in their last seven with a 77-52 win at San Jose State as a 21.5-point favorite on Friday. They raised their record to 18-7 with the victory. The Cowboys won their second game in their last their last three with a 74-61 victory against Nevada as a 7-point favorite on Saturday. Wyoming’s record rose to 23-5 with the win. San Diego State is a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 129.Jackson State plays at Prairie Valley A&M on ESPNU at 9 PM ET. The Panthers had their four-game winning streak end with a 72-69 loss to Alcorn State on Saturday. They have an 8-16 record. The Tigers are on a two-game losing streak after their 81-66 loss at Texas Southern on Saturday. Their record fell to 8-18 with the loss. Fresno State is at home against New Mexico State on FS1 at 10 PM ET. The Bulldogs were on a four-game losing streak before their 65-40 upset win at Air Force as a 7.5-point favorite on Tuesday. They have raised their record to 19-10. The Aggies lost three in a row before their 69-65 victory against the Air Force as an 8-point favorite on Saturday. Their record fell 12-17 with the loss. Fresno State is 10.5 favorite with a total of 134.5.Washington State visits at Oregon State on ESPNU at 11 PM ET. The Cougars lost their sixth game in their last seven in their 78-70 loss at Washington as a 4-point favorite on Saturday. Their record fell to 15-13 with the loss. The Beavers have dropped 14 in a row with a 94-55 loss to UCLA as a 12.5-point underdog on Saturday. Oregon State’s record is now 3-24. Washington State is an 8-point road favorite with an over/under of 138.UCLA plays at Washington on ESPN2 at 11 PM ET. The Bruins won their fourth game in their last five with a 94-55 victory at Oregon State as a 12.5-point favorite on Saturday. They raised their record to 21-6. The Huskies ended a four-game losing streak with a 78-70 victory against Washington State as a 3.5-point favorite on Saturday. They improved their record to 14-13. UCLA is a 10.5-point road favorite with a total of 139.5.

What's Going On With The Baseball Season?

by Ben Burns

Sunday, Feb 27, 2022

More and more regularly, I find myself being asked: "What's going on with baseball, will the season start on time?" Truthfully, I haven't been paying very close attention. However, I decided that I better get up to speed. Here's what I learned. Why The Lockout?The latest 5-year "collective bargaining agreement" ended on December 1st. Though they've been meeting regularly, the two sides, the owners and the players, haven't been able to agree on a new one since. They'll be meeting again shortly after I finish this article, Sunday at 1:00 ET.What Does A Lockout Mean? It means that the owners have "locked out" the players which means that the teams can have no contact with them. Until resolved, there can be no practices, no free agent signings, no spring training. Nothing. What's The Issue? There are a number of things that the two sides are negotiating. However, when you get to the heart of it, money is always the main issue. Reportedly, their biggest current differences include: the luxury tax rates and thresholds, the min. salary and the (new) pre-arbitration bonus pool.When's The Deadline?It's here. February 28th. If nothing is agreed by the end of the day Monday, then spring training will not start on time. Without enough time for spring training, regular season games will begin to get canceled. Is There Hope? Apparently, while they're still far apart on a few things, progress is being made. Hopefully, today's meeting is a good one. With so much money at stake, you'd sure like to think that they can figure it out. If a deal is reached, it'll be full steam ahead. Things will be moving fast. Opening Day will begin on March 31st and I'll be ready to go. I'll check back in on Tuesday, with an update.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, NCAAB and EPL Previews and Odds - 02/27/2022

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Feb 27, 2022

The Sunday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and EPL action.The National Basketball Association has eight games on its docket. Philadelphia visits New York in the opening game of an afternoon doubleheader on ABC at 1:10 PM ET as a 7.5-point road favorite with the total set at 216.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Phoenix plays at home against Utah in the second game of the ABC afternoon doubleheader at 3:40 PM ET as a 1-point favorite with an over/under of 227. Boston is at Indiana at 5:10 PM ET as a 7-point road favorite with a total of 223. Two more NBA games tip-off at 7:10 PM ET. Charlotte hosts Detroit as a 10-point favorite with an over/under of 227. The Los Angeles Clippers travel to Houston as a 7-point road favorite with a total of 228.5. Golden State plays at home against Dallas in the first game of an evening doubleheader on ESPN at 7:40 PM ET as a 4-point favorite with an over/under of 218.5. Denver is at Portland at 9:10 PM ET as an 8-point road favorite with an over/under of 230. The Los Angeles Lakers host New Orleans in the nightcap on ESPN at 10:10 PM ET as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 224.5. The National Hockey League has eight games on its slate. Carolina plays at home against Edmonton at 1:05 PM ET as a -205 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Dallas is at home against Buffalo at 2:05 PM ET as a -280 money line favorite with a total of 5.5. St. Louis travels to Chicago at 3:05 PM ET as a -170 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6. Winnipeg plays at Arizona at 4:05 PM ET as a -205 money line road favorite with a total of 5.5. Pittsburgh visits Columbus at 6:05 PM ET as a -225 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The New York Rangers are at home against Vancouver at 7:35 PM ET as a -140 money line favorite with a total of 6. The New York Islanders play at Anaheim at 8:35 PM ET, with both teams priced as a -110 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. San Jose hosts Seattle at 10:05 PM ET as a -125 money line favorite with a total of 5.5.The Sunday college basketball card includes 11 games on national television. Connecticut is at Georgetown on CBS at noon ET as an 11-point road favorite with an over/under of 145. Houston plays at home against SMU on ESPN at 12:30 PM ET as a 10.5-point favorite with a total of 137.5. Illinois travels to Michigan on CBS at 2 PM ET as a 1-point road favorite with an over/under of 141.5. Two more televised NCAAB games start at 2:30 PM ET. Memphis hosts Wichita State on ESPN as an 8.5-point favorite with a total of 140.5. George Mason is at home against George Washington on the USA Network as a 10-point favorite with an over/under of 138.5. Temple plays at home against Tulane on ESPNU at 3 PM ET as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 137.At 4 PM ET, two more NCAAB games tip-off on national television. UNC-Greensboro hosts East Tennessee State on the CBS Sports Network at 4 PM ET as a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 130.5. Ohio State visits Maryland on CBS as a 4-point road favorite with a total of 142.5. Two more televised NCAAB games begin at 5 PM ET. Seton Hall is at DePaul on FS1 as a 1-point road favorite with an over/under of 150.5. Montana State plays at Montana on ESPNU as a 1.5-point road favorite with a total of 135. Indiana travels to Minnesota on ESPN2 at 6 PM ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 131.5. Matchweek 27 of the English Premier League continues with one match at 9 AM ET. West Ham United hosts Wolverhampton on the USA Network as a -0.5 goal line favorite at PlayMGM with a total of 2.5.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, NCAAB and EPL Previews and Odds - 02/26/2022

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Feb 26, 2022

The Saturday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and EPL action.The National Basketball Association has seven games on its docket. Boston visits Detroit at 12:10 PM ET as a 10.5-point road favorite (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Atlanta plays at home against Toronto at 7:40 PM ET as a 2.5-point favorite. Three more NBA games tip-off at 8:10 PM ET. Miami hosts San Antonio as an 8-point favorite. Cleveland is at home against Washington. Memphis travels to Chicago in a pick ‘em contest. Milwaukee plays at home against Brooklyn on ABC at 8:40 PM ET as a 9.5-point favorite. Denver hosts Sacramento at 9:10 PM ET as an 8.5-point favorite. The National League League has ten games on its slate. The puck drops at 12:35 PM ET for two games. Florida is at home against Edmonton at 12:35 PM ET as a -205 money line favorite with the total set at 7. Washington visits Philadelphia as a -180 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6. Pittsburgh plays at home against the New York Rangers on ABC at 3:05 PM ET as a -160 money line favorite with a total of 5.5. Ottawa is at home against Montreal at 7:05 PM ET as a -170 money line favorite with an over/under of 6. Two more NHL games begin at 7:35 PM ET. Toronto plays at Detroit as a -205 money line road favorite with a total of 6.5. Tampa Bay travels to Nashville on TNT in the Stadium Series at Titans Stadium as a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6. Three more NHL games start at 10:05 PM ET. Colorado travels to Vegas as a -135 money line road favorite with a total of 6. Boston plays at San Jose as a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Calgary is at home against Minnesota as a -145 money line favorite with a total of 6. Los Angeles hosts the New York Islanders at 10:35 PM ET as a -125 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5.The Saturday college basketball card includes 33 games on national television. Five televised games tip-off at noon ET. Purdue visits Michigan State on ESPN as a 5-point road favorite with a total of 146. Oklahoma plays at home against Oklahoma State on CBS as a 4-point favorite with an over/under of 129.5. Northeastern is at home Elon on the CBS Sports Network as a 4-point favorite with a total of 129.5. Toledo hosts Miami (Ohio) on ESPNU as an 11.5-point favorite with an over/under of 155. Florida plays at Georgia on ESPN2 as a 10-point road favorite with a total of 144. Rhode Island is at home against Duquesne on the USA Network at 12:30 PM ET as an 11.5-point favorite with an over/under of 130. Marquette plays at home against Butler on Fox at 1 PM ET as an 8-point favorite with a total of 138.Five more televised NCAAB games start at 2 PM ET. Arkansas hosts Kentucky on CBS as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 148.5. Texas plays at West Virginia on ESPN2 as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 132.5. North Carolina visits North Carolina State on ESPN as a 4.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 152.5. Kansas State is at home against Iowa State on ESPNU as a 3-point favorite with a total of 131.5. Colgate plays at home against Navy on the CBS Sports Network as a 6.5-point favorite at William Hill with an over/under of 127.5. Davidson hosts Fordham on the USA Network at 2:30 PM ET as a 12.5-point favorite with a total of 132.5. Xavier is at home against Seton Hall on Fox at 3:30 PM ET as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 141. Four televised NCAAB games start at 4 PM ET. UCLA visits Oregon State on CBS as a 14-point road favorite with a total of 140.5. Tennessee plays at home against Auburn on ESPN as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 140.5. Drake hosts Southern Illinois on the CBS Sports Network as a 6-point favorite with a total of 129.5. Virginia is at home against Florida State on ESPN2 as an 8.5-point favorite with an over/under of 126. VCU plays at UMass on the USA Network at 4:30 PM ET as a 5.5-point road favorite with a total of 142.5. At 6 PM ET, four more televised NCAAB games begin. Duke travels to Syracuse on ESPN as a 7-point road favorite with an over/under of 152. Texas Tech is at TCU on ESPN2 as a 5.5-point road favorite with a total of 131. Loyola-Chicago plays at Northern Iowa on ESPNU as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 137.5. St. Bonaventure visits Saint Joseph’s on the CBS Sports Network as a 6-point road favorite with a total of 140.5. Three NCAAB games tip-off at 8 PM ET. Arizona visits Colorado on ESPN2 as a 9.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 151.5. Baylor hosts Kansas on ESPN as a 3-point favorite with a total of 149. BYU is at home against Pepperdine on ESPNU as a 17-point favorite with an over/under of 150.5. Wyoming plays at home against Nevada on the CBS Sports Network at 8 PM ET as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 145.5. Providence is at home against Creighton on FS1 at 8:30 PM ET as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 137.5. Four NCAAB games begin at 10 PM ET. Boise State travels to UNLV on the CBS Sports Network as a 1-point road favorite with a total of 130.5. Gonzaga plays at Saint Mary’s on ESPN as a 9.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 143.5. Utah hosts Arizona State on ESPNU as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 137.5. Oregon is at home against USC on ESPN2 as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 138.5. UC-Irvine plays at home against Long Beach State on ESPNU at midnight ET as a 7-point favorite with a total of 136.5.Matchweek 27 in the English Premier League continues with six matches. Tottenham visits Leeds United on the USA Network at 7:30 AM ET as a -0.5 goal line road favorite with an over/under of 3. Five games start at 10 AM ET. Newcastle United plays at Brentford on Peacock in a pick ‘em match up with a total of 2.5. Aston Villa is at Brighton and Hove Albion on Peacock in a pick ‘em match up with an over/under of 2.5. Crystal Palace hosts Burnley on Peacock as a -0.5 goal line favorite with a total of 2.5. Manchester United plays at home against Watford on the USA Network as a -1.5 goal line favorite with a total of 3. Manchester City travels to Everton on Peacock at 12:30 PM ET as a -1.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3.

NCAA Tournament Bubble Prospects: Big Ten

by Nelly's Sports

Friday, Feb 25, 2022

Coming off a very disappointing NCAA Tournament last season the Big Ten will be in the spotlight again this season, projecting to lead the nation with as many as nine bids in the Big Dance depending on how the bubble lands. Last season the Big Ten produced two #1 seeds and two #2 seeds, in effect holding four of the top eight spots in the nation at the start of the NCAA Tournament. Only one of those teams made it out of the opening weekend and the conference failed to produce a final four team. The Big Ten did display some depth as Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Maryland all won Round of 64 games from #9 or #10 seeds. Michigan State was a #11 seed in the First Four and lost a very close game to UCLA before the Bruins made an incredible run to the Final Four. This year five Big Ten teams look certain to have spots in the NCAA Tournament at this point in the season (Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa) while four more are likely to be on the right side of the bubble for the moment. The Big Ten will not likely have a #1 seed however and may not even earn a #2 seed depending on how the season shakes out as the overall strength of the conference is considerably lower than last season. The conference rating is the worst for the Big Ten since 2017-18, a season where the Big Ten produced only four NCAA Tournament teams. That season Michigan made it to the national championship game as a #3 seed however and there are teams in the Big Ten this year capable of making a similar run. Here is a look at the four teams sitting on the edge of the bubble and the remaining paths they will face, as each has work to do the next two weeks and could face a high-pressure game(s) in Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament. Michigan State: 18-9 overall, 9-7 Big Ten Best Wins: (N) Loyola-Chicago, (N) Connecticut, (A) Wisconsin, (H) Michigan Michigan State is in the field right now, projecting as high as a #7 seed but the Spartans are on a 1-5 slide in the past six games to fall from 8-2 in conference play to 9-7. The remaining schedule is very difficult facing three of the top teams in the conference in the next three games with two of those games on the road. A realistic scenario is the Spartans falling to 10-10 in conference play with a closing run of 2-8 in the final 10 games. Michigan State’s inclusion in the field was a bit controversial last season but that group put together a 5-2 run to close the season including beating two teams that earned #1 seeds and a team that earned a #2 seed before losing its first Big Ten Tournament game. This year’s team doesn’t have that caliber of wins to fall back on unless they pick them up in the next two weeks. The best win of the Big Ten season came at Wisconsin and that was a bit of a fluke as Tyler Wahl didn’t play for the Badgers and the Spartans had a huge shooting and free throw edge. Michigan State gets credit for playing Kansas and Baylor, but they lost those games by double-digits with uncompetitive second halves. Non-conference wins over Loyola-Chicago and Connecticut are helping the profile but the Big Ten path has bene favorable and losses to Northwestern and Penn State are blemishes. This year’s team has Tom Izzo’s worst defensive efficiency ranking since 2005-06 and this is the worst team in the Big Ten in turnovers on both sides of the ball as this has not been a typical year for the Spartans. Rutgers: 16-11 overall, 10-7 Big Ten Best Wins: (H) Purdue, (H) Michigan, (H) Iowa, (H) Michigan State, (H) Ohio State, (A) Wisconsin, (H) Illinois Rutgers has some bad losses from November to work through and has had mixed results in the Big Ten season, losing to non-tournament contenders Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Maryland. The Scarlet Knights have put together several quality wins however to offset some of those misses and still a great shot to reach 12-8 in Big Ten play, a record that would make it tough to exclude them. Five Big Ten teams are certain to make the field and Rutgers has defeated all five of those teams. Most of the wins came at home but Rutgers did win at Wisconsin to match Michigan State’s best current Big Ten win. Holding home court this weekend to sweep the Badgers would provide a big boost to the resume. After that game, Rutgers is at Indiana in a big bubble comparison game before a finale hosting Penn State. Winning two of the final three should be enough for Rutgers to stay on the right side of the bubble in most scenarios. Early season losses to DePaul and Massachusetts on the road are damaging but the home loss to Lafayette just before Thanksgiving is the real sore spot for Rutgers. Rutgers did beat Clemson in the ACC/Big Ten challenge and has some of the best defensive numbers in the conference while also being a top three 3-point shooting team. Rutgers won its Round of 64 game as a #10 seed last March and had #2 seed and eventual Final Four team Houston on the ropes before a late collapse as this is a group that has shown it can play with anyone. Michigan: 15-11 overall, 9-7 Big Ten Best Wins: (H) San Diego State, (A) Indiana, (H) Purdue, (A) Iowa Michigan has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons after the incident in Madison last week, leading to Juwan Howard’s suspension for the rest of the regular season. Michigan picked up a big win hosting Rutgers on Wednesday in a key battle of likely bubble teams, offsetting a loss at Rutgers from earlier in the Big Ten season. The Wolverines are still trending upward late in the season going 8-4 in the past 12 games including wins over Purdue and Iowa, but the remaining schedule is difficult. Michigan is at home for three of the final four regular season games, but they draw Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa, and Ohio State in those games as finishing 10-10 in the Big Ten might be a realistic outcome. Michigan doesn’t have any terrible losses with defats against Minnesota and UCF being the worst, but the only non-conference wins of note came against UNLV and San Diego State. Michigan also doesn’t have the depth of quality wins in conference play of some of the other Big Ten teams, getting two wins against Nebraska among the current nine in the win column. Head-to-head wins in the only meetings with Indiana and Rutgers could be critical for the Wolverines but they also may need to even the series with rival Michigan State next week. Michigan is going to need a strong finish to the season to stay on the right side of the bubble, likely needing to win at least two of four in a very difficult closing two weeks before the Big Ten tournament, even while dealing with the recent drama while now being led by Phil Martelli. Indiana: 17-10 overall, 8-9 Big Ten Best Wins: (N) Notre Dame, (H) Ohio State, (H) Purdue Indiana broke a five-game slide this week beating Maryland at home and the Hoosiers may need to win out to hold a NCAA Tournament spot, barring a great Big Ten tournament run. Indiana has only two wins against Big Ten teams that will make the tournament and while Notre Dame is one of the ACC contenders, the Irish don’t even qualify as a top 50 team in the win column as the best win from a very weak non-conference schedule. Indiana has lost several close games and has a well-regarded defense but even through one of the weakest paths in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers are still below .500. Upcoming games against Minnesota and Rutgers will be critical for Indiana unless they can upset Purdue for a second time this season in the regular season finale. Six of eight Big Ten wins for Indiana came against Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, and Minnesota as there is not much quality depth in the win column but they did defeat both Ohio State and Purdue in Bloomington for two high-end results that are currently stronger than the top two Big Ten wins for either Michigan State or Michigan. Indiana last made the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16, delivering a Sweet 16 run as it has been a long absence for the storied program. With the top-rated defense in the Big Ten the Hoosiers are capable of a March run. Mike Woodson’s team has rarely looked out of place in tough games but having double-digits losses may be difficult to overcome. Getting a head-to-head win vs. Rutgers next week in the home finale will be critically important to keeping hopes alive for a bid.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAB, NBA, EPL and NHL Previews and Odds - 02/25/2022

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Feb 25, 2022

The Friday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and EPL action.The National Basketball Association has nine games on its docket. Four games tip-off the card at 7:10 PM ET. Toronto visits Charlotte as a 2.5-point road favorite with the total set at 225.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Indiana is at home against Oklahoma City as a 7-point favorite with an over/under of 216.5. Orlando plays at home against Houston as a 4-point favorite with a total of 228.5. San Antonio is at Washington as a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 224.5. Miami plays at New York in the opening game of a doubleheader on ESPN at 7:40 PM ET as a 4.5-point road favorite with a total of 211. Philadelphia travels to Minnesota at 8:10 PM ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 228. Two more NBA games begin at 9:10 PM ET. Phoenix is at home against New Orleans as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 224.5. Utah plays at home against Dallas as a 6-point favorite with an over/under of 216.5. The Los Angeles Clippers are the technical home team at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers in the nightcap on ESPN at 10:10 PM ET as a 1-point favorite with a total of 223. The National Hockey League has six games on its slate. Carolina hosts Columbus at 7:05 PM ET as a -330 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. St. Louis is at home against Buffalo at 8:05 PM ET as a -310 money line favorite with a total of 6. Chicago plays at home against New Jersey at 8:35 PM ET as a -140 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Colorado is at home against Winnipeg at 9:05 PM ET as a -275 money line favorite with a total of 6.5. Vegas visits Arizona at 9:35 PM ET as a -260 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Los Angeles Kings are at Anaheim at 10:05 PM ET in a game where both teams are priced as a -110 money line favorite with a total of 5.5. The Friday college basketball card includes eight games on national television. Ohio hosts Akron on the CBS Sports Network at 6 PM ET as a 7-point favorite with an over/under of 133. Four more televised NCAAB games start at 7 PM ET. Penn State is at home against Northwestern on FS1 as a 1-point favorite with a total of 129. Richmond plays at home against Saint Louis on ESPN2 as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 143.5. Princeton hosts Harvard at ESPN News as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 142. Marist is at home against Manhattan on ESPNU as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 141.5. Two more televised NCAAB games tip-off at 9 PM ET. Texas State travels to Troy on ESPN2 as a 1-point road favorite with a total of 128.5. Iowa is at Nebraska on FS1 as an 11.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 161.5. San Diego State plays at home against San Jose State on FS1 at 11 PM ET as a 22-point favorite with a total of 125.Matchweek 27 in the English Premier League begins with one match on Friday. Southampton hosts Norwich City on the USA Network at 3 PM ET as a -1 goal line favorite at PlayMGM with an over/under of 2.5.

NCAA Tournament - A Few "Longer" Shots to Consider

by ASA, Inc.

Thursday, Feb 24, 2022

Looking for a few "longer" shots to win the Big Dance? Here are a few we're looking at...UCLA +2000 (current odds at PointsBet) The Bruins are currently 20-5 on the season and 3 of their 5 losses have come by 3 points or less. The other 2 losses were both on a neutral site vs Gonzaga (#1 team per Ken Pom) and @ Arizona (#2 team per Ken Pom). They are one of only four teams in the nation ranked inside the top 15 in offensive and defensive efficiency on Ken Pom’s list. The others are Gonzaga (+350), Arizona (+800), and Baylor (+1400) and each of those 3 teams have much shorter odds to win it all than this UCLA team. They are an experienced team that returned 93% of their minutes from a team that made the Final 4 last season. Not only did they make the Final 4, they nearly went to the National Championship game but lost to Gonzaga in OT in the semi finals. UCLA returns all but 14 minutes from that 6 game tourney run so we’re getting a team that won’t be out of sorts once the tournament hits. Been there, done that. They are deep, have good size, and have very solid guard play (5th nationally in lowest turnover rate). This team is definitely worth a strong look with their current odds sitting at 20/1. HOUSTON +3500 (current odds at PointsBet) Another team that has plenty of NCAA experience. The Cougars were also a Final 4 team last year and were upended by eventual National Champion Baylor. They brought back some key players from that team and added some high level transfers from Texas Tech, UConn, and Cal State Bakersfield. Houston is 23-4 on the season and 3 of those 4 losses have come by 2 points or less including setbacks vs Wisconsin and Alabama. They did lose 2 key players, Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, to season ending injuries in December but they’ve had plenty of time to adapt and only lost 2 games since they went out two and a half months ago. We spoke above of UCLA’s efficiency rankings and Houston is right there with the best in the country. They are one of only five teams that rank inside the top 16 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The Cougars are winning games by an average of 17 PPG and they are stellar on the defensive end ranking 1st nationally allowing opponents to hit only 36% of their shots while allowing just 59 PPG (9th nationally). They are led by a veteran head coach, Kelvin Sampson, who has over 600 career wins and has taken two different teams to the Final Four (Oklahoma & Houston). We’re taking a shot with Houston at 35/1.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, EPL, NHL and NCAAB Previews and Odds - 02/24/2022

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Feb 24, 2022

The Thursday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and EPL action.The National Basketball Association returns after the All-Star break hiatus with seven games on the docket. Cleveland visits Detroit at 7:10 PM ET as a 7.5-point road favorite with the total set at 209.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Boston plays at Brooklyn in the opening game of a doubleheader on TNT at 7:40 PM ET as a 7-point road favorite with an over/under of 213.5. Three more NBA games tip-off at 8:10 PM ET. Chicago hosts Atlanta as a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 234.5. Memphis travels to Minnesota as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 239. Phoenix is at Oklahoma City as a 10-point road favorite with a total of 215. Two games conclude the NBA card at 10:10 PM ET. Denver plays at Sacramento as a 4.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 231.5. Golden State visits Portland in the nightcap on TNT as a 9-point road favorite with a total of 223.5. The National Hockey League has eight games on its slate. The puck drops at 7:05 PM ET for four games. Toronto plays at home against Minnesota as a -155 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Florida is at home against Columbus as a -390 money line favorite with a total of 6.5. Pittsburgh hosts New Jersey as a -330 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The New York Rangers play at home against Washington on ESPN as a -125 money line favorite with a total of 6. Nashville is at home against Dallas at 8:35 PM ET as a -150 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Two more NHL games start at 10:05 PM ET. Boston plays at Seattle as a -230 money line road favorite with a total of 6. Calgary travels to Vancouver as a -170 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The NHL card concludes with the New York Islanders playing at San Jose at 10:35 PM ET as a -120 money line road favorite with a total of 5.5. The Thursday college basketball card has 12 games on national television. Wagner visits Farleigh Dickinson on the CBS Sports Network at 6 PM ET as an 11-point road favorite with an over/under of 142.5. Three televised NCAA-B games tip-off at 7 PM ET. Memphis is at home against Temple on ESPN2 as an 11-point favorite with a total of 137.5. Winthrop plays at home against South Carolina Upstate on ESPNU as a 10.5-point favorite with an over/under of 147.5. Indiana hosts Maryland on FS1 as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 135.5. DePaul travels to Georgetown on the CBS Sports Network at 8 PM ET as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 146.5. Three more televised NCAA-B games begin at 9 PM ET. Gonzaga plays at San Francisco on ESPN2 as a 9.5-point road favorite with a total of 156.5. Illinois is at home against Ohio State on FS1 as a 6-point favorite with an over/under of 141. Murray State hosts Belmont on ESPNU as a 3-point favorite with a total of 144. UCLA visits Oregon on ESPN at 9:30 PM ET as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 139. BYU is at home against Loyola-Marymount on the CBS Sports Network on 10 PM ET as a 12.5-point favorite with a total of 142. Two televised games complete the NCAA-B card at 11 PM ET. USC plays at Oregon State on ESPN2 as an 11-point road favorite with an over/under of 140. Arizona is at Utah on FS1 as an 11.5-point road favorite with a total of 150.Matchweek 26 in the English Premier League concludes with one match at 2:45 PM ET. Arsenal hosts Wolverhampton on Peacock as a -1 goal line favorite at PlayMGM with an over/under of 2.5.

NBA: Coming Out Of The Break

by Will Rogers

Wednesday, Feb 23, 2022

NBA: Coming Out Of The BreakEastern ConferenceThe top four teams in the East are Boston, Miami, Cleveland and Milwaukee. I say that based on two things: point differential and net efficiency. That doesn’t match up with the standings where the top four are Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia and Cleveland. In particular, look for Boston to move up the standings. They are only sixth right now, but statistically have the best profile. Over the last 10 games, they held opponents to an average of 95.9 points per game. The only worry I have is whether or not the All-Star Break “came at the wrong time” and will lead to a loss of momentum.Chicago and Philadelphia will round out the top six, who are all currently separated by only 4.5 games. Really, the thing to look for is Boston and Chicago flipping spots in the pecking order.As for the play-in spots, Toronto, Brooklyn (despite the awful losing streak) and Atlanta look to be safe bets. The last spot will go to either Charlotte or New York. Nothing about the other remaining teams - Washington, Indiana, Orlando and Detroit - says “playoff team.” The Knicks have more ground to make up than the Wizards, believe it or not, so right now I’d say they finish as the team on the outside looking in. Charlotte is somehow 0-6 in overtime games this year, an unfortunate record that will probably improve. Western ConferenceThere’s a clear top four here: Phoenix, Golden State, Memphis and Utah. Utah has actually outscored its opponents - per possession and per game - by a larger margin than Memphis, but trails the Grizzlies by four games. I would be shocked if these teams didn’t finish as the top four at the end of the regular season.Dallas, Denver and Minnesota will battle for the last two remaining spots in the top six, who get to avoid the play-in round. Of those three, Dallas is most likely to finish in front. The Lakers and Clippers are going to be relegated to the play-in round. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, the Lakers are projected for only 37 wins right now. The race for the last play-in spot is going to be interesting. I think San Antonio deserves it. They’ve scored more points than they’ve allowed this year, something that neither the Clippers or Lakers can say. Statistically, the Spurs are having a much better season than the Blazers or Pelicans. Best ATS Teams Memphis 39-20-1 Oklahoma City 37-19-2 Cleveland 33-22-3 Chicago 35-24 Miami 33-24-2 Worst ATS Teams Houston 22-35-1 Brooklyn 22-35-2 Washington 22-33-2 Orlando 25-34-1 Atlanta 25-32-1 Best Over Teams Houston 35-21-2 Minnesota 36-23 Chicago 33-24-2 Miami 34-25 LA Lakers 32-24-2 Best Under Teams Dallas 36-21-2 Cleveland 35-21-2 Philadelphia 34-24 Oklahoma City 33-24-1 Boston 34-25-1

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