Matt's Picks (10 Live)
Iowa has won four straight at home vs. Iowa State. ...
The Blackhawks are struggling offensively. ...
The Predators may be very short-handed in Dallas. ...
The Niners are getting some reinforcements vs. the Rams. ...
JT Miller is back tonight for Vancouver. ...
The Saints likely will start Jake Haener at QB vs. Washington. ...
Matt's Past Picks
You could definitely say Houston is overdue a win in this series as it has lost 15 straight to the Warriors, the longest active losing streak by one franchise against another. That includes 0-2 this season, but the Dubs enter having lost six of eight and perhaps without Andrew Wiggins and Moses Moody for this NBA Cup quarterfinal Wednesday. Houston point guard Fred VanVleet missed Sunday's win at the Clippers but says he expects to play. In addition, forward Tari Eason has cleared the concussion protocol and should return after missing the past two.
I expect this to approach if not surpass -200 barring some crazy big wager -- and in small games like this, it might only take $100 -- by tomorrow. These are two of the country's worst teams overall, but NJIT has not really come close to a road win, although it has played a very tough schedule to cash checks. Only three players on NJIT's active roster entered this season with previous Division I experience. Delaware State also has played against and lost to some major opponents but is unbeaten at home -- granted, mostly against schools you haven't heard of.
I could make an argument that no "good" team has had worse back-to-back losses this season than the Rangers did on Sunday and Monday in falling at home to Seattle (acceptable if not have blown a 3-1 second-period lead) and Chicago (completely unacceptable). I have to think this is a get-right game. Buffalo has lost seven straight overall and six in a row at home and is without one of the best two-way blueliners in the league in the injured Rasmus Dahlin (6G, 13A, +4). NYR's Igor Shesterkin is 9-2-2 career vs. the Sabres with a 2.29 GAA and .921 SV.
This feels personal for the Thunder after being eliminated by Dallas in last season's playoffs and then losing the first matchup this season at home. This is an NBA Cup game, so the loser doesn't advance. The reason I'm playing this now is because there's apparently an illness going around the Mavs' locker room with a couple of fringe rotation guys already ruled out and two key rotation guys in PJ Washington and Naji Marshall as questionable. If they don't play, this number is jumping so that's why playing it now. Obviously the Thunder are more than capable of winning regardless.
Note that this is not a Michigan home game but part of the Jimmy V Classic in New York so I don't think the Wolverines should be at -5 at a neutral site. Good team for sure but so is John Calipari's club. Our model has the Hogs losing by a point and Massey by two points. Seem like a trickier spot for Michigan simply as it already started Big Ten play but Arkansas hasn't opened SEC action yet. The Razorbacks have outscored their opponent in the second half in all nine games thus far.