Iowa is an impressive team with its offensive efficiency and hard-nosed defense. But the Huskies are turning things around under Danny Sprinkle. They've gotten healthier and have covered four straight. They're 4-2 in games in which they've had their big three scorers fully available. Iowa 6-7 senior Tavion Banks is dealing with an undisclosed injury but will play. If he is not effective, however, the Huskies' big men should feast on the glass. It's also not a good start time for the Hawkeyes' body clocks (10 p.m. Central time). Grab the points in a game that should go down to the wire.
Georgetown took Creighton to overtime in Omaha, losing 86-83. I like the Hoyas to get payback at home and earn their fourth straight win. Vince Iwuchukwu missed 10 games earlier this season, and his return has sparked the Hoyas. The 7-1 center is 15 of 22 from the field during the win streak, with 44 points and only three turnovers. The Blue Jays are 2-5 SU on the road and come in off two blowout losses in which they averaged just 60 points.
Wright State has won three straight and 10 of 11, and the Raiders lead the Horizon. But I like the Colonials, who are 9-3 at home, to potentially pull the upset. Robert Morris has covered three straight in the series and ranks third in the conference in field-goal defense (44.7 percent). The Colonials also are the Horizon's top rebounding team, with a margin of plus 7.5 per game. Grab the points.
UNLV won the first meeting 84-72 with 6-9 freshman Tyrin Jones dominating. He had 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Jones is out with a shoulder injury after being listed as questionable. He missed the previous two games, part of the Rebels’ three-game skid. Fresno State has played tough at home (losing by one to Nevada, for instance) and comes off a confidence-boosting shooting performance against Air Force.
Virginia has been shaky in its last three games, losing to UNC and then eking out wins over Notre Dame and Boston College. In the past two games, the Cavaliers shot 16 of 52 from deep. Look for the offense to come alive at home against lowly Pitt, the ACC's 16th-ranked defense (45.2 percent field goals allowed).
The Orange are coming off an 86-72 win over Notre Dame. And this is a lookahead spot for UNC, with the Duke game coming up Saturday. But I still bet the Tar Heels to win convincingly, based on their current form. Syracuse's last two road games have resulted in a 20-point loss at NC State and an overtime loss at Boston College. In ACC play, the Tar Heels lead the conference in scoring (84.7), field-goal percentage (49.2) and effective field-goal percentage (56.7). They just blew out Georgia Tech despite shooting 8 of 31 from deep. The Orange have only had one Quad 1 matchup in the ACC, a blowout loss in Raleigh, N.C. Back UNC to cover its fourth straight.
Oregon has lost seven straight, the last six coming by double digits. The Ducks are missing their two leading scorers; two other key players are dealing with injuries that could sideline them as well. Iowa should not have trouble stifling an Oregon offense that will be heavily reliant on one player, Kwame Evans Jr. Back the Hawkeyes to win their fourth straight, and cover.
Samford has lost four straight road games and now visits a Western Carolina team that has won and covered two in a row, putting up 178 points in the process. The Catamounts covered the first meeting, falling 82-77 as 7.5-point dogs at Samford. Western Carolina leads the SoCon in rebounding and has averaged 81.8 points since Dec. 2. Back Western Carolina to avenge that Jan. 7 loss and cover the small number.
Rhode Island is coming off a massive upset overtime win over Dayton. Now it faces another road game at Duquesne, which has covered four straight in this series. The Dukes had covered three straight before an extremely disappointing home loss to St. Bonaventure. This is a great bounceback spot for the Dukes, who should force turnovers and get their transition game going.
New Mexico won the first meeting by 23, and I like the Lobos to complete the sweep in convincing fashion. In that 88-65 New Mexico win, San Jose State shot 41 percent from beyond the arc (11 of 27) but got dominated in the paint (36-20). New Mexico has won seven of eight (6-2 ATS), the lone loss coming to San Diego State. When the Spartans have faced the Mountain West's upper echelon, they've usually lost big. They just got outscored 56-24 in the paint by Boise State. Lay the points.
McNeese has won three straight and seven of eight, a stretch that started with an 82-70 home win over Lamar. The Cardinals will be fired up for this Battle of the Border rivalry game. They've won four of six and scored 80-plus points in three of their last four. The Cowboys are in a lookahead spot, with Monday's showdown at conference leader Stephen F. Austin on deck. Grab the points.
The Bruins are 12-0 at home and hopefully catching Indiana at the right time, as the Hoosiers come off a monumental win over rival Purdue. Donovan Dent is starting to resemble the player he was at New Mexico; he scored 51 points and dished out 22 assists in UCLA's current three-game win streak. DraftKings is offering a better number than other books, so I'm jumping on it now.
The Red Raiders have won five straight and come in with a full week of rest. While UCF is a solid team that has pulled off some impressive upsets at home, the Texas Tech duo of JT Toppin (22.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and Christian Anderson (19.8 ppg, 7.5 apg) isn't going to let that happen. The Red Raiders just put up 90 points against Houston's Top-10 defense. Back them to improve to 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
Princeton is 0-8 on the road. But since junior guard Dalen Davis (16.4 ppg) returned from injury on Jan. 5, the Tigers lost in overtime at Harvard and fell by two at Dartmouth in their only road games. The Big Red have yet to cover a home game. Despite Cornell coming off back-to-back road wins, I bet the Tigers to keep it close.
Hawaii won the first meeting 67-66 on Jan. 10 when Hunter Erickson swished a fadeaway foul-line jumper as time expried. This should be another tight battle between the Big West's top two teams. I'll back the Anteaters, who are 3-0 at home in Big West play and have won six straight home meetings with Hawaii. This is UC Irvine's first home game in three weeks, and it will be nationally televised. Both teams are excellent defensively; UC Irvine leads the nation in 2-point field goal defense, with 6-10 senior Kyle Evans leading the nation in blocks (3.2 per game). The Rainbow Warriors have faced two other Top-4 teams in the Big West on the road, losing by 15 at UCSB nd by 10 at UCSD.