Neither one of these teams has been wearing out the scorekeepers. Samford has averaged a moderate 68 points over their last three lined games while South Carolina has averaged a feeble 61.5 points over their last four lined games. These two scored 62 points a piece in regulation in a meeting last season and see a number in that range this time around.

Rider has a size edge in this game and they should be able to control Drexel’s F Rodney Williams putting the pressure on G Kurk Lee to do it all by himself. The Broncs haven’t proven that can score consistently and until they can improve their shooting from the charity stripe, they’ll be hard pressed to score into the mid-seventies.

East Carolina is 6-0 at home this season, but they haven’t beaten anyone with all six of the games unlined. Charleston has played two road games this season beating Coastal Carolina 71-64 and losing 63-47 to Villanova but covered both games. They come into this game on a four game winning streak and while only one of those victories was in a lined game it was a good one beating a decent Davison squad 76-61 as a five point home dog. The visitor offers the point spread value here.

Situational betting is paramount and this is the perfect case for a classic overreaction. The Knights opened as a favorite not by mistake but by virtue of the fact this team has plays a more robust and physical brand of basketball. Nevertheless, as direct result of public perception and recent results, UCF has moved from a favorite to an underdog and this can be a most favorable position for any UCF takers. This phenomenon can be blamed on the Knights losing recently at home against Penn where they were beat by nine points despite spotting double-digit points to the Quakers. Before this, the Knights had won five in a row and as a result the price was due to eventually be a bit steep. Overall UCF had won eight of nine with their only shortcoming at the hands of a then #1 and undefeated defending champion Villanova. On a side note, UCF covered impeccably in the aforementioned contest. Against Pennsylvania, the Knights had their worst shooting performance of the 2016-17 campaign. George Washington’s shooting was marvelous against Temple and Harvard which on paper were their most impressive victories. UCF will force GWU’s hand and there will be no concessions given to aid their shooting. If this contest is played on the Knights’ terms it can actually get ugly very quick for the Colonials.

The Ragin’ Cajuns have put up 86.2 points per game this season and while most of the games came against low level competition all four of their lined games went over the total averaging a combined 163.2 points per game. The Bulldogs haven’t been lighting it up, but they shoot a a solid 47.3 FG percentage and the Louisiana-Lafayatte defense hasn’t been putting up much of a resistance allowing their opponents to shoot a ridiculous 48.6 from the field.

Nothing to write home about with both teams a mediocre 4-4 on the season and neither team has had much success shooting this season with St. Joes averaging 41.8 and Princeton 42.8. That said neither team has excelled on the defensive side of things with the Hawks allowing 44.8% and the Tigers 45.9% from the field. I believe that both teams will be able to surpass their seasonal scoring numbers making the total play on this game where the value is.

Memphis is bound to the more recognizable name here be that they were a stalwart in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and have gone as far as Championship Game during the Derek Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts era. The Monmouth Hawks may seem like another drop in the bucket to the casual college hoops enthusiast but this team is anything but that. Monmouth was a breath away from qualifying for the 2016 Men’s Basketball Tournament had Iona not had other ideas in an absolute thriller for the MEAC Championship. Monmouth seemed to be unstoppable against mid-major opponents and some bracketologists had this Monmouth team pitched as a dark horse with the potential of wreaking havoc on the tournament field. This team was primed to torpedo one of the game’s top-tier outfits and instead they had to settle for the NIT by virtue of falling short at the worst time imaginable. Now, the Hawks seem to be back with a vengeance as they have won their last seven in a row by decisive margins. This is a team that nearly handed an undefeated South Carolina team their first loss on the year on the road where overtime was required to declare a winner by a margin of just one point. Memphis has yet to win a game against any opponent of consequence outside of Iowa and even then Monmouth may be the best team they have faced up to this point. Do not be surprised if the Hawks swoop in and take the Tigers by surprise on their own court.

When the public jumps on a road dog there is a good chance that they’ll be tearing up their ticket when the buzzer goes. Villanova beat Temple last season by 16 and the defensive shooting advantage they hold has me believing that they can extend the lead and get the point spread cover.

Neither team has played great defense, but they haven’t lit up the scoreboard either. Four of Auburn’s lined games have gone under the total and the Boston College has scored 66 or fewer points in four of their last five.

The Gamecocks didn’t seem to miss G Sindarius Thornwell in their last two, but it’s a big step up in competition to the Pirates. South Carolina has been playing exceptional defense, but I think that Seton Hall has been shooting nearly 50% from the field and should get their share of points tonight. Lay the small point spread on the host.

I think the loss of F Elijah Foster; the Wolf Pack’s third leading scorer and best shooter is big and Nevada doesn’t have the depth to replace him. The Huskies have won three straight at home and after today it will be four as Washington owns the boards and extends the margin.

Florida State has yet to lose at home this season outscoring the opposition 28.2 points per game scoring an impressive 96.9 points per game. Florida has had the tougher schedule with the only blemishes coming on a neutral court against Gonzaga 77-72 and Duke 84-74, so this won’t be an easy game for the Seminoles. Take the team getting points who has a decent probability of getting the straight up win.

UCLA comes into this game as winners of nine straight and six straight versus the line. They’ve had a week off to savour their big upset win over Kentucky. We think that the time off is a bad thing as you can never duplicate game play in practice and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they come into this game a little full of themselves. That makes the visitor a strong play.

The last time these two teams played they crushed the total line by 19 points scoring a combined 154 last season. I don’t think that’s going to happen this time around. The Bearcats defense has been exceptional holding their opponents to 37.8 from the field. Butler loves to slow the game down limiting shooting opportunities which should make hitting on the high 60’s a reach. I believe the loss to Indiana State will help the cause as the Bulldogs defense went missing in the 72-71 loss.

We are going to go ahead and jump in with the consensus on this one as there seems to be opportunity for a true value play on a short-priced option that is the better team. When it is factored in that takers are able to take back a team with a winning record both straight up and against the spread with points against a team on a three-game skid with a losing record that is a great percentage play if nothing else. Potentially, the narrative driving this market is Eastern Illinois’ inability to defeat their arch rivals away from home. The Panthers have not defeated the Leathernecks in Macomb in seven years. Furthermore, the Leathernecks had won five in a row against the Panthers from 2011 to 2015. However, everything changed just a few weeks ago when the Panthers finally defeated the Leathernecks in Charleston. The Panthers beat the Leathernecks significantly, winning by nine while never rescinding the lead after they took it early in the first half. The bottom line remains that EIU finally has expelled this skeleton from their closet. As a result, Eastern Illinois will likely be heading in to this game with enhanced confidence and you have to like their position with points here.

Minnesota has played great defense holding their opponents to 35.7% from the field and while I do think that will help them extend the margin in this game, I prefer the total. Georgia Southern has shot a underwhelming 41.7 overall and was held to 67 points in two of their three lined games. The Gophers have scored just 67.8 points per game over their last 5.

NC-Greensboro has been successful at home with a 5-1 record but only one of the six games was lined and they failed miserably in that contest losing 25 to Virginia as a 14-point dog. Wake Forest doesn’t have a problem extending the margin with decisive wins in six of their victories. It’s a big number, but it’s the right side of the line.

Texas-Arlington is one of the best teams in the country in limiting three-point shooting. The Mavericks are ranked 12th nationally, allowing opponents to hit just 27%. The Mavericks are better than the Gaels in lowering opponent field-goal percentages overall. The hallmark of the Gaels’ success season is their ability to shoot more efficiently than the opposition. The Mavericks come in to this game on a roll and they have taken down some quality outfits along the way. For example, the Mavericks dominated Texas on their own court as a seven point pooch. In this contest, Mavericks held the Longhorns to just 13% from behind the three point line. On their current streak, Texas-Arlington has won every game they were supposed to lose and asserted their will in every game they were expected to win. This is a dangerous basketball team that is a prime suspect of coming in and stealing a win. The Mavericks’ last defeat was at Arkansas where as a twelve-point pup they nearly pulled off the upset straight-up, as the Razorbacks needed to resort to theatrics to get out of Fayetteville with a win. The hosts need to beware the Mavericks as they are coming to town with more than just the idea of keeping this one close. This is a team that can win outright if this becomes a defensive-minded affair.

The Bluejays will be playing their first true road game tonight when they play Cornhuskers in Nebraska and while they g=have yet to taste defeat; they haven’t had the toughest schedule this season. The Cornhuskers have had some tests playing Clemson, Virginia Tech and UCLA this season and while they didn’t come away with a victory keep in mind that none of the three games were at home where they’re 4-0 this season. Some of the value has been lost since the opening line, but I think the home side still has some value at the reduced spread.

The Musketeers have played only one game on the road and their play was atrocious at both ends of the court shooting 31% from the field and allowing Baylor 47.5%in the 15-point loss. I look for Xavier to play much better defensively off of the embarrassing loss. Defense is what Colorado plays at home holding their opponents to 36.1 % from the field. They haven’t faced much at home closing as a +20 or greater favorite in four of the five home games and they’ll be tested tonight. That said I believe that they’ll be up to the task leading me to my wager on the total.