Hey all. Took some time away from the blog to be more present with family over Thanksgiving. Picks over that time had mixed results.

Excited for today as there is an awesome slate around 3.

Lock: Fullerton/North Dakota o135.5

Surprised by this number not being higher. ND has struggled on the defensive end this year and Fullerton can get hot. Weird time for a game for these two teams so expect offense to come easier then defense.

Saint Louis +6.5

Saint Louis has had mixed results this year but overall have looked good. Auburn hasn’t been tested too much until now. We’ll see how their defense stacks up with the Billikens ability to score at every position. St Louis could win this game if Auburns shot isn’t falling.

UNC +1.5

UNC had a tough outing vs Iowa st. I think they’re athletes are better and more experienced than Alabama and am not sure why the line isn’t reversed. Give me the Tar Heels.

Duke/Purdue o135.5

The game everyone’s interested in today. Purdue smacked Gonzaga and Duke has looked good under the new regime. Both teams have some serious play makers. I like the over.

3-1 yesterday, however the lock Temple was a loss. They just couldn’t get anything going against Richmond.

I like all these plays today but am too tired to write more. Call me lazy I don’t care but here they are:

Southern Miss +1.5

Lock: Denver -12

Kent St/Charleston o160

Auburn -6.5

Tough night last night. Maldonado gets hurt in the first half to ruin Wyoming, Ohio St and SDSU score 100 in the second half, and Arizona couldn’t quite cover.

Here’s how today look:

LSU -5.5

LSU has played decent basketball this year. Akron already played an SEC team this year and the athleticism was too much for them. Like LSU by double digits.

Lock: Temple +1

Temple battled hard against a decent St John’s team while Richmond took Cuse to OT. This Richmond team is still fairly young but have some core pieces. Damien Dunn and Khalif Battle are tough Philly guards who I think will be too much in this one.

Creighton/Arkansas o143

Maybe the Maui rims are soft. Creighton has 5 guys who can score at all levels and Arkansas is as athletic as they come. I think this will be a fast paced game with lots of highlights and scoring plays.

FGCU -1.5

FGCU has had some good moments this year, like beating USC. They’ve brought in a lot of experienced transfers and can score the ball. DREXEL will look to slow them down but may struggle too.

Locks have been on fire last last. 5-0-1 over a 6 day span back to almost 5 units up. 2-2 overall yesterday, had a completely bad read on Maryland. That team has the horses to score and score quick.

Today – Bryant already started but had it out on twitter this morning:

Bryant -4

Game already started but Bryant is the better team here. Hopefully they pull away in the second.

Wyoming -2.5

Wyoming was a completely different team with Maldonado going in the second half. BC has really struggled defensively and the Cowboys will make you defend all 30 seconds. Like Wyoming to bounce back here.

Lock: Ohio St/SDSU u143.5

Listen I know they say the rims in Maui are soft. But these are two tough teams that will make you work on offense. SDSU has been more efficient so far on the offensive end but I feel like this will be a rock fight similar to what we saw in Houston and Oregon last night.

Arizona -9.5

Cincinnati has been a real disappointment so far this year. This will basically be a home game for Arizona as they’ll back the Maui gym. Arizona by 15+.

2-2 night yesterday with SLU getting waxed by Maryland and Detroit struggling to keep pace. The lock did hit, pushing us over 2 units and being 4-0-1 over the last 5 days.

Let’s see if we can keep that going today and get a parlay sweep.

Miami/Maryland u143

Both these teams had impressive wins yesterday. Miami is a smaller team that will use their guards and wings to switch a lot. Maryland likes to work through big man Donta Scott and Hykeem Hart stepped up big time yesterday. Back to back with two tough coached team this number seems way too high.

Youngstown St/Navy o139.5

Youngstown St overs are always a play in my eyes. Thought this number would be closer to 150. Navy can shoot the ball and will have to in order to keep up with the Penguins fast pace up and down style.

Lock: Virginia +1

Virginia looked like a national contender again after their win vs Baylor. Armin Franklin has been electric so far this year and transfer Ben Vander Plas is a great spark off the bench. Meanwhile Illinois has also looked good with a newish squad. I think UVAs experience helps them here.

Kentucky/Gonzaga u156

Gonzaga will meet a Kentucky team that is still trying to figure things out. Both sides have guys that can score and make plays but Kentucky has the size in Oscar Tshibue to match up with Drew Timme. High 60s low 70s for this one.

3-1 for the second straight night. However FSU had a historic collapse to end up not covering. After being up 17 the Noles lost by 9. SE Louisiana got the win to get our locks back to positive units.

Let’s look at toady:

St Louis -3

St Louis offense has been great so far this year against some decent opponents. Maryland under Willard for the first time will play good defense. However same as against Memphis I think Jimmerson, Collins, Perkins and SLU will be too much for Donta Scott and Co.

Lock: Mercer -3.5

Mercer has some serious size that proved difficult for Winthrop against Auburn. This is also Mercer’s first D1 home game so expect a nice crowd. Mercer is very effective in offense and if they’re getting to the line will win going away.

Kent St -20.5

Kent st has been one of the best Mid Majors so far this year. Chicago St has played better so far this year but just don’t see them being able to compete with the Flashes size and athleticism. Blowout.

Detroit Mercy +10.5

FAU has been getting a lot of love for wins over Florida and Bryant, deservingly so . However Detroit has also been playing good basketball. If Detroit can put together some stops along the way they have the guys to score at the other end. I like Detroit to shock FAU a little here.

3-1 last night. Elon had a slow start and didn’t have enough time to come back. Monmouth held on for the lock bringing us under 1 unit down.

Dogs look good today, here’s the plays:

Lock: SE Louisiana +7

Keennesses St plays good offense led by Chris Youngblood and and Terrell Burton. however Southeastern Louisiana is a tough team with Seniors at the helm. The Lions went into Laramie and beat a backed up Wyoming team and held tough with Colorado St. I like them to keep this close or potentially win.

Colorado St/Charleston u155

No secret these days that Charleston wants to push the pace and get close to 80 possessions. However this number seems a little high as the Rams can be a bit more physical and rebound well. Second game of back-to-back, both teams might come out slow.

Texas Southern +25

Texas Southern is a good SWAC team that has had a tough schedule to start. However they have the size to keep a game like this somewhat competitive. Auburn is streaky and if they have a tough night may be in a dog fight. Take the points.

Florida St +7

Listen FSU has been a disaster this year so far, but Florida hasn’t been much better. Leonard Hamilton has a perfect opportunity at home to get his team back involved in this season. Seminoles can win this one and get back on track.

Our lock pushed last night, while everything else lost. Wasn’t close on a couple just some overall bad reads.

Bouncing back today and starting with an early one:

Penn St -2.5

Penn St has been rolling early. Some key transfers in Andrew Funk and Cam Wynter have been good so far for the Nittany Lions. Firman has been playing well but I think Penn St experience and athleticism will be too much down the stretch.

Towson -1

Towson is one of the most slept on teams in the country. Timberlake leads the way and can knock down just about any shot. UNCG will be a tough test at home but look for the Tigers to continue to dominate.

Lock: Monmouth +8.5

Norfolk St is a good team that has played Baylor and UCLA tough. Monmouth is young and has played some tough competition. I think Monmouth can use home court here to stay in this game and keep it close.

Elon -6.5

Listen this one is pretty simple. North Dakota has one of the worst defenses in the country l. Elon isn’t a great team but should be able to hold their own at home.

3-1 last night, however Auburn and Winthrop were at 149 total points when Auburn got a rebound under 30 seconds. Instead of dribbling out the clock Auburn decided to throw an alley oop. All class from Bruce Pearl’s squad.

Anyway, the lock hit and we’re starting to gain momentum. Here is todays picks:

Cincinnati -6.5

Cincinnati has had an interesting year so far, barely getting by Cleveland St than winning big on Sunday. They’re top 50 in offensive Efficiency and David Dejulius can score at all levels. Northern Kentucky is not great on defense and will struggle to keep up with the Bearcats.

Lock: Canisius +1

Canisius is coming off a big OT win vs St Bona and battled hard against a good Youngstown team. Cleveland St on the other hand hasn’t played great basketball. This line should be favoring Canisius by 2-3.

Valpo -10.5

Chicago St is one of the worst teams in the country. Got a win after playing IUPUI and are home in this one. Unfortunately I think Valpo is just stronger offensively and will blew it open down the stretch.

Gonzaga/Texas u144.5

This game will be on everyone’s radar. The number one offense vs the number one defense. Texas has the bugs who can play with Timme. There will be shots made in this game but both teams will have to work for their points. Mid 60s on each side will probably be where this game ends. Take the under.

2-2 again last night. Portland had 27 TOs and lost by 11 to Kent St. Never going to win that way. So our parlays are now up 5 units and locks down 4.49 units.

Here’s todays plays:

Oral Roberts/Texas Southern u152.5

Oral Roberts played Houston and got crushed last night. They’ve struggled to shoot the ball and will have some tires legs. Texas Southern is decent on defense. We have this game played in the high 130s low 140s.

San Diego St -5

The Aztecs are one of the best teams on both sides of the ball in the country. Stanford has been turning the ball over at a high rate and San Diego St turns people over. The Aztecs could be double digit winners here.

Winthrop/Auburn u150.5

Auburn has been tight on defense this year, part of that is the teams they play. But, Brooke is back for Auburn and will play a factor inside. Auburn is going to score a ton of points as they are only shooting 13% from 3. Only way this goes over is if they get hot.

Lock: Memphis/St Louis o144

St Louis has been known for their defense the last few years but this years team can really score it. Jimmerson, Collins, Perkins and Thatch are a balanced attack. Memphis has also been highly efficient on offense and Penny Hardaways team will get in your face and push the pace.