Today's top picks: Ohio State vs. Illinois among best bets, plus more college basketball, golf, NBA and NHL predictions for Thursday

Host Jonathan Coachman is joined by Allie O'Neill, Chip Patterson, Mike McClure and Larry Hartstein on the Early Edge podcast, powered by SportsLine. Get highlighted plays for college basketball, golf, NBA and NHL for Thursday, Feb. 24, and you can stream the show live every morning on the SportsLine YouTube page.

Mike kicks off the betting story lines with the return of the NBA from the All-Star break. He is eager to see what happens to the league-best Suns with Chris Paul likely out for the rest of the regular season with a thumb injury. Phoenix added Aaron Holiday, but the team typically gets a boost from Cameron Payne, and he also is out tonight. McClure is looking for value on Suns props tonight against the Thunder (8 p.m. ET), with Devin Booker and players like Jae Crowder likely to be relied on more.

Allie wants to discuss how goaltenders moving in and out of lineups affects betting in the NHL. She says the return of backup Kevin Lankinen for the Blackhawks will make them a more reliable option for bettors. Lankinen isn't a stellar goalie by any means, but he will provide stability and take some pressure off Marc Andre-Fleury and the team as a whole.

College basketball is heading for its long stretch run, and Chip discusses Gonzaga's 33-game West Coast Conference winning streak. The Bulldogs are covering the spread 70 percent of the time, by an average of four points per game, in conference matchups. They are 10-point favorites Thursday against San Francisco (9 p.m. ET). If Gonzaga wins by just 10, that would be its smallest margin of victory in WCC games this season.

Larry has some thoughts on college basketball, as well, and he is talking about Memphis. The Tigers have been tough to predict and are looking like a First Four team for the NCAA Tournament. "This is a crazy team that has a crazy resume," Hartstein says, as it has wins against Alabama and Houston but bad losses to teams like Georgia and East Carolina. The Tigers host Temple on Thursday (7 p.m. ET), and the Owls have covered seven of nine, the last two being convincing wins as an underdog. The line on Memphis -11 and rising, and the Tigers have won their past three home games by double digits, so Larry is eager to see how it plays out.

Then it's on to the picks, and Coach gives the SportsLine Play of the Day, courtesy of "Buckets" Jon Eimer, who is playing Lazio Draw No Bet (-160) against Porto (12:45 p.m. ET). "Lazio is an absolute monster at home," Eimer says on the site, where he offers three more picks for the UEFA Europa League matchup.

Mike and the SportsLine members love the golf picks, and the Honda Classic starts Thursday at PGA National as the Florida Swing tees off in Palm Beach Gardens. McClure is backing Louis Oosthuizen +105 in a first-round matchup with 2020 Honda winner and tournament favorite Sungjae Im. Oosthuizen is a strong player in terms of strokes gained approach and around the green, while Im has been losing strokes around the greens. "This is not a course where you can afford to lose strokes around the greens," Mike says. The South African also is in the top 10 in first-round scoring average. "At plus-money here, I have to take Louis Oosthuizen over Sungjae."

In the NHL, Allie is going Over 6.5 goals on the Panthers vs. Blue Jackets matchup at 7 p.m. ET. She says Florida's games have gone over this number in nine of its last 10 in Sunrise, and Columbus matchups have gone over in seven of its past 10 on the road. In the two previous meetings this season, the Panthers won 9-2 and 8-4. "The way that both of of these teams have been playing, I think you'd have to be crazy to take the Under for tonight," O'Neill says.  

Chip has three college basketball picks, and he is excited about the Ohio State at Illinois matchup in the Big Ten at 9 p.m. ET. He is on the Buckeyes +6, pointing out that they are 7-2 ATS in their past nine. Freshman Malaki Branham is starting to flourish for OSU, and he could make a big difference. "I think Illinois ends up winning, but as I just look at this matchup ... it's going to come down to those final moments," Patterson says. "So when I've got six points, multiple possessions, I will be taking the dog."      

Patterson also likes the UCLA vs. Oregon matchup (9:30 p.m. ET) to go Over the total of 138.5 and is taking Gonzaga -10 against San Francisco. The up-tempo game preferred by the Dons will give the Bulldogs plenty of opportunities, and Chip expects a 14- or 15-point win.

The Maestro wraps things up with an NBA prop pick, with Larry taking Chicago's DeMar Derozan Over 28.5 points (-112) against the Hawks (8 p.m. ET). Derozan has been on a historic run, scoring 35 points more while shooting 50 percent or better for seven straight games. "That has never been done before," Hartstein says. "Wilt Chamberlain did it twice for six games." Atlanta will be without one of its better defenders in John Collins, and Larry is banking on the All-Star break failing to cool off Derozan.          

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