Cappers Sports Picks

*3 Star Play Under* I love taking unders with Virginia, and I'm taking the under in this one. Georgia Tech has been slowing down their tempo dramatically in ACC play, and Virginia's defense is going to make them slow it down here. The Yellow Jackets can't score other than getting offensive putbacks, and Virginia's defensive rebounding is very good. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* Two teams that like to play fast. Neither is any good on the defensive end of the floor. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* Rhode Island is one of the most underrated defensive teams in the nation. They have a coach who is teaching defense before everything else. The Rams will slow the tempo of this game down, and LaSalle isn't the type of team to speed the game up either. I had this one at 121 points myself. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The DePaul Blue Demons have been playing much better in the past few weeks, and it has been because their defense has improved immensely. Seton Hall is still without their top scorer (Whitehead) and the Pirates are winning with defense right now. This number is inflated based on the past history of both of these teams. Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* If Rider knows what is good for them, they'll slow this game down. With the way they have been playing defense and slowing down of late, I'm pretty confident they'll do exactly that. Iona is a great offensive team, but they have actually been slowed down by a few opponents in the past couple weeks. Rider's defense slows them down here. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Mercer is great at controlling the tempo and Western Carolina has shown signs of slowing down of late. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA on ESPN CASH* The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets meet tonight at Golden State. These two teams met less than a week ago. I was on the under in that game and I lost as the final score went to 131-106. The posted total in that game was 214 points. We get a number 4.5 points higher today.

It is well worth mentioning that there were 67 free throws taken in this past weekend's game between these two teams. In their two earlier meetings this year, the total number of free throws taken was in the 30's. That was a huge reason why this most recent game was much higher scoring. If we subtract about 20 points from last weekend's game based on a more normalized amount of free throws we are already under this total. Golden State shot 55% from the floor in the last game as well. These two teams rank number one and number two in the league in defensive efficiency. With this elevated total, I'm taking the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Oklahoma State Cowboys are terrific defensively, and Texas Tech is the worst offense in the Big 12. The Red Raiders will look to slow this game down, because that is their only chance of sticking around. Oklahoma State's tempo has slowed down a lot compared to last year because they don't have an elite point guard like Marcus Smart pushing the tempo of the game. Look for a low scoring contest. Take the under here. 

*5 Star Hidden GEM TOP Play* The Northern Illinois Huskies have been a team that plays sloppy basketball for the last few years. What do I mean by that? They play some relatively good defense and keep the opponent in the 60's or even below, but they can't seem to get their act together on the offensive end. Akron is a very good defensive team, but they lack scoring this year. Both of these teams have played a bunch of games that went well under this posted total. While this total is set relatively low, I don't think it's set low enough. I had this one at 120 points. Take the under big! 

*5 Star NCAA BB TOP Play 100% CRUSHER* The Missouri State Bears are very short-handed right now. This is an offense that wasn't exactly lighting it up before, but now they are without their star. Marcus Marshall left the team last week. Marshall was leading the team averaging 20 points per game so far this year. He was the one the entire offense ran around. It's hard to imagine this Missouri State team putting up more than 50 points in this game. In Wichita State's last 4 games they have allowed: 43, 53, 55, and 41 points. None of those four games have gone over this posted total. Missouri State will play stall ball here knowing that's their only chance. Wichita State prefers to play very slowly. 

The under is 6-0 in Missouri State's last 6 home games. The under is 7-0 in the Bears last 7 Wednesday games. The under is 5-0 in Missouri State's last 5 vs. a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. An 18-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Denver Pioneers are consistently one of the slowest paced teams in the country. Denver plays the ultimate stall ball game. Oral Roberts has shown that they tend to play at the tempo of their opponent, which means this one should be a halfcourt game all the way. Denver plays better defensively at home, and Oral Roberts isn't used to playing in elevation like they will have to here. Look for a game that stays in the low 120's. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Northern Iowa Panthers are terrific at controlling the tempo of the game. It seems like no matter who they play against, Northern Iowa is the team that gets the tempo to their liking. That's difficult to do, but when you are really good at it, it shows how disciplined you are as a team. The Panthers should get a lead here and then use up the shot clock on a consistent basis through the entire game. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Central Michigan Chippewas shoot it well and score efficiently a large percentage of the time. Buffalo is the fastest paced team in the Mid American Conference, and they have had some very high scoring games this year. The tempo here should be quick all the way, and both teams are good at getting to the free throw line. Look for this one to get into the mid 150's. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Marquette Golden Eagles and St. John's Red Storm are both teams that win with defense. Marquette has decided to slow the game down in a big way in conference play. Marquette doesn't have enough firepower to keep up with the rest of the league, but they can play relatively good defense. St. John's is fourth in the nation in blocked shots, and they are inefficient on the offensive end. I had this one lined at 124.5. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Bowling Green Falcons and Eastern Michigan Eagles both like to play at a very slow tempo, and they are the two best defensive teams in the Mid American Conference. I think we'll see some poor shooting numbers in this matchup. Eastern Michigan's zone copies the matchup zone that Syracuse runs, and Bowling Green doesn't have good outside shooters. The Eagles struggle to score as well. Take the under. 

*3 Star NCAA BB Total PERFECTION* The Boston College Eagles have a new coach this year, and he has this team playing much better defense than they have in recent years. Boston College has been a team that prefers to slow the game down for quite a few years, but their poor defense has always been a concern. They still prefer a halfcourt type game, but now they play more defense. Syracuse's defense is very good once again this year with their strong matchup zone, but the Orange have been very inefficient on offense. Syracuse likes the slow pace as well, and I think it will take some impressive shooting numbers to push this one over the posted total. Value on the under. 

The under is 3-0-1 in Boston College's last 4 games. The under is 3-0-1 in their last 4 vs. a team with a 60% win percentage or higher. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 following a loss. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two teams. An 18-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Play of Day* The Michigan Wolverines were already struggling on offense, and they just lost leading scorer Caris Levert last game. Levert was the team's best overall player, and was averaging 15 points per game. Levert also led the team in assists and rebounding. The Wolverines are really short-handed now, and I expect them to slow the tempo down even more without Levert on the court. Rutgers isn't a good offensive team, but they do play solid defense. The Scarlet Knights have played some very low scoring games at home this year, and I think this will be another one of them. I had this number at 115 points. Take the under here. 

*4 Star NBA Play of Day* The Portland Trail Blazers are often known for their offense, but it has really been defense that has gotten them to their hot start this year. Portland is fourth in the NBA in total defense. Sacramento has two stars listed as questionable here (DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay). Cousins isn't listed on the team's home page as a probable starter, so I'll consider him doubtful for this game. Even with Cousins playing, I think this total is too high, and without him it is certainly too high. J.T. Orr is the lead official in this game and the under is 20-9 in his 29 games this year. The under is 4-0 in the Kings last 4 vs. the Western Conference. The under is 3-0-1 in the Blazers last 4 home games. The under is 3-0-1 in the Blazers last 4 when their opponent has allowed 100 or more last game. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* This game is going to be the ultimate pace war. Louisiana Monroe is one of the best teams in the nation at slowing the game down, while Lafayette loves to run. Typically I stay away from these types of games, but this number was too high for me to pass up. My number for this game was 134. With a 5.5 point difference, I would usually make this a higher rated play than 3 stars, but with the pace war in full effect here I'll keep this at a regular 3 star rated play. Too much value to pass. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under*  The TCU Horned Frogs were certainly a paper tiger when they started 13-0. TCU played a really weak schedule, and now they have only beaten one team in the Big 12. TCU does play good defense though, and the Horned Frogs are great at slowing down the pace of the game. Texas has one of the best defenses in the nation too. Look for some poor shooting numbers and a game played in the halfcourt here. I had this one at 116 points. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The Monmouth Hawks and Fairfield Stags have both slowed their tempo down drastically since last season. Both teams are playing about four possessions per game slower than they did last year. Even with their fast pace last year, the total scores in their games were 123 and 116 points. I expect a lower scoring game here. Both teams have played some very low scoring games of late. Monmouth has improved immensely on defense with Brice Kofane on the interior blocking shots. Kofane transferred over to Monmouth from Providence. Both of these offenses have been really inefficient all year. The under is 5-0 in Monmouth's last 5 games vs. a team with a win percentage of 40% or lower. The under is 12-4 in Monmouth's last 16 overall. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night BAILOUT* The San Jose State Spartans have a couple of their top players back after a recent suspension. Both Muhammad and Williams are two of their top scores, and these guys can hit some shots from long range. I expect San Jose State to get beaten badly here though, because the Spartans defense is atrocious and they cannot rebound. Colorado State's offense is firing on all cylinders right now, and Colorado State is a great offensive rebounding team. Look for tons of second chance points for them as well as free throw attempts. I had this game at 133 points.

The over is 10-2 in Colorado State's last 12 Mountain West games. The over is 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing record at home. A 15-2 angle. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Cal Poly Mustangs have been one of my favorite teams to play the under with for several years. This team has certainly made me a lot of money in the past by slowing the game down and playing low scoring contests. Northridge will attempt to speed this game up, but the Matadors offense isn't efficient at all. They generally need a lot of points from the line to be successful, and Cal Poly doesn't foul very often. Both games went well under this total last year. Take the under in this one. 

*3 Star NCAA BB 100% Angle Total* The Arkansas Razorbacks are one of the best in the nation at pushing the pace of the game thanks to their "40 Minutes of Hell" style of play. This year, Arkansas is still very good at forcing turnovers, but they are much more efficient on the offensive end. They have a ton of good long range shooters. Ole Miss likes to play zone, and Arkansas has the shooters to beat that zone. In fact, last year Arkansas scored 110 points on Ole Miss (they had 97 with 10 minutes left)! The Rebels offense is better this year, and both teams are terrific from the line. 

The over is 6-0 in Ole Miss last 6 road games. The over is 6-0 in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning record. A 12-0 angle. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* Montana's offense is one of the most efficient in the Big Sky Conference. They have been scorching the nets of late. Montana State's defense has been known to make a lot of offenses look really good in the past. The tempo won't necessarily be fast here, but it doesn't really need to be when the total is this low. Look for Montana to pull a lot of the weight here and get this one past the posted total. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* It's all about tempo in a game like this. Louisiana Lafayette ranks as the fourth fastest team in the nation out of 351 teams. South Alabama plays very quickly as well. These two teams had two very high scoring games against each other last year. Both teams are playing much quicker this year. Lafayette will press and get a lot of easy scores here, and since their defense isn't good I do expect South Alabama to get their fair share of points too. Take the over. 

*4 Star NBA Play of Day* Guess who the top two defensive teams in the NBA are right now? In terms of defensive efficiency the number one ranked defense is the Golden State Warriors. The number two ranked defense is the Houston Rockets. A game between the top two defenses in the NBA being lined at 214 points just seems ridiculous to me. I realize that both of these offenses are good and both teams like to play fast, but 214 is a lot of points. Both meetings this year have gone well under this posted total (185 and 198), and there's no reason to believe this one will suddenly be far higher scoring. The under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these two teams. The under is 16-5 in Houston's last 21 home games. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Murray State Racers have a tremendous offensive team. There are so many guys on their team who can put up big numbers on any given night. Cameron Payne is one of the most underrated players in the country. Tennessee State has the worst defense in the Ohio Valley Conference, and they won't be able to contain Murray State. I think Murray State gets into the 80's, and they might even get up to around 90 points here. The tempo should be quick enough to get this one over. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Creighton Blue Jays have been a good under team for me this year, and I'm going to stay on the side of the under with them. Creighton is a far different team than they were last year. Their offense is much less efficient without Doug McDermott and other key scorers. They have also slowed the tempo down in a big way. Providence generally plays to the pace of their opponent, and the Friars defense is underrated. The first game between these two finished at 118. Expect a game in the 120's. Take the under. 

*5 Star TOP Play Over* The Eastern Kentucky Colonels make games higher scoring than most people realize. This is a team that plays very bad defense, but they are good on the offensive end and they get to the line a lot. SIU Edwardsville is the most improved team in the Ohio Valley Conference, and they shoot it extremely well from three point range. Matched up against an Eastern Kentucky team that doesn't guard well beyond the arc, Edwardsville should score plenty here. Both teams like to run when they can. I had this number at 134 points. Take the over big! 

*4 Star Play Over* The Toledo Rockets and Western Michigan Broncos played three times last year. All three of their games easily surpassed this posted total. Both of these teams prefer to get out in transition when they can, so the tempo should be quick here. In addition, the strength of both teams is their ability to score and their weakness is their ability to defend. We should see a lot of easy buckets throughout this game. I had 150 here. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Wright State Raiders and Valpo Crusaders have played a lot of tight contests against each other in the last few years. Both of their contests last year went well under this total as both defenses had the upper hand. I see more of the same in this game. It should be close all the way to the end, and I believe that both offenses will struggle to find open looks. A slow tempo and strong defense. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Air Force Falcons are playing without both Max Yon and Kam Williams. These are the team's two best scorers. Air Force's offense is in a bunch of trouble without these guys. They have no one left who is good at creating their own shot. The Falcons should struggle to get to 50 points against a Utah State defense that is tremendous. Utah State won't push the tempo, and the Aggies aren't very good on offense this year. I had this one at 121 points. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The tempo should be slow all the way with these two teams. Little Rock has shifted to playing much slower this year. LA Monroe has been the most consistent low scoring team in the conference. Take the under. 

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*3 Star NCAA BB Total DOMINATION* The Niagara Purple Eagles have been a team that likes to run for many years. While they have slowed down a bit this year, I don't see them playing stall ball here. Iona is one of the fastest paced teams in the country, and the Gaels are terrific at dictating pace. Look for Iona to score in bunches against a Niagara defense that is just awful. Iona is number one in the nation shooting better than 43% from beyond the arc. If Niagara wants to hang around in this game, they'll need to put up quite a few points. In the two meetings last year, the scores were 118-92 and 90-89. I'm not forecasting anything like that, but I do think this number is too low. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night BAILOUT* The Cal State Fullerton Titans were totally dominated by UC Irvine both times they played them last year. I'm not sure they'll dominate here, but Irvine is definitely likely to win this game. UC Irvine just got back their 7'6 center Mamadou N'Diaye. N'Diaye is a defensive force in the paint, and because of him being in the game the Anteaters games should be much lower scoring from here on forward. The under is 19-7 in Irvine's last 26 road games. The under is 36-16 in their last 52 overall. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Cal State Northridge Matadors don't have a true identity this year. They are playing to the style of their opposition, which is one of the reasons they have done so poorly. UCSB is one of the best teams in this conference, and they should control the tempo here and win this game. UCSB has one of the best defenses in the conference and they slow the game down and get it to Williams on the inside. I had this one at 134. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB 100% Angle Total* The Arizona State Sun Devils have been slowing down their tempo in the last couple weeks. Utah has been playing at a slow tempo all year. The Utes defense is ranked in the top five in the nation. Arizona State's young scorers will have a hard time getting open looks in this game. Utah doesn't shoot it nearly as well on the road. I had this number set at 122.

The under is 4-0 in Utah's last 4 games following 3 or more consecutive home games. The under is 4-0 in Arizona State's last 4 vs. a team with a 60% or higher win percentage. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. the Pac-12. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 overall. A 16-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Murray State Racers and Belmont Bruins played to a 99-96 final score last year. While I certainly won't predict a score like that, it is indicative of what these two offenses can do. Murray State is playing tremendous basketball right now, and the Racers are likely to win this game. Belmont can stay in it though with their long range shooters. Both offenses are great and the tempo will be quick. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* Louisiana Monroe has a tremendous defense and an awful offense. That's always a nice combination for an under bettor. The Monroe Warhawks also do their best to stall and make it a very low scoring game. Troy allowed them to do that last year, and I think they'll do the same again today. Both defenses should have the upper hand. I had this one at 122 points. Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* Expect a really sloppy game here. This is the type of game that virtually no one would want to watch. This is a battle of two teams who are just dreadfully bad this year. Tennessee State often struggles to get to 50 points. Austin Peay is a little better, but not much. Even with a relatively quick tempo, we should see some ugly shooting numbers and a low scoring game. I had this one at 122. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* Marshall has been consistently running and gunning all year long no matter who they play. FIU is one of those teams that typically takes on the style of the team they are up against. A total set this low is a good value based on the tempo we should see in this game. I had this one set at 134 points. Look for an up and down game. Take the over in this one. 

*3 Star Play Under* The George Washington Colonials play some tremendous defense. That is the primary reason they have been able to win some big games this year. George Washington was competitive against Virginia and pulled off a big upset over Wichita State. Richmond is one of the slowest paced teams in the nation. The Spiders are going to do their best to slow the game down, and I don't see Richmond putting up many points here. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Western Carolina Catamounts and Eastern Tennessee Bucs have both been showing signs of slowing down their tempo in recent weeks. They had a very high scoring game against each other earlier this year, which made this total be set at a high number. I think the value is with the under in this one as both offenses slow things down. Look for a game that stays in the 140's. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA Late Night BAILOUT* The Portland Blazers are the third best defense in the NBA in terms of efficiency. Many see them as a run and gun team because they have a couple great scorers in Lillard and Aldridge, but that really isn't the Blazers style this year. Portland and Los Angeles both play at the NBA league average tempo, and this total is set at 208 points, which is a number we usually only see when two teams who really push the tempo play against each other. 

The under is 4-0-1 in the Clippers last 5 Wednesday games. The under is 4-0 in the Clippers last 4 following an ATS loss. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 after allowing 100 points or more. The under is 3-0-1 in the Blazers last 4. A 15-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans both like to push the tempo at every opportunity. These two teams played two really high scoring games that went far past this total last season. USC is a little better than last year, and UCLA can still score against poor defenses like USC's. Look for a relatively close game where both teams get to the line often. I had this one set at 147 points. Take the over in this battle for Los Angeles. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Creighton Blue Jays are a totally different team this year. Without Doug McDermott and most of their elite scorers from last year, Creighton is slowing the tempo down in a big way this year. Marquette is short handed and likes to slow the game down as well. The tempo of this game should be very slow. My numbers made this total 126 points. Look for a lot of the shot clock running down in this one. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA Totals TKO* The Orlando Magic played a very high scoring game in Chicago, but if you look at the long-term trends for this team, Orlando is not a team that is involved in many high scoring contests. Houston has the second ranked defense in the NBA. Orlando's offensive efficiency is near the bottom of the NBA. The referee crew here is a very favorable one. Two of the three here are terrific under refs, and Haywoode Workman has consistently been one of the very best every year. The under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Western Michigan Broncos have a good offense and a really bad defense. They also get to the line a lot and can rack up the points very quickly at the line. Ball State is one of the fastest paced teams in the MAC, so they'll push the tempo here. The Cardinals defense is also bad. When I see two bad defenses and a pace that should be quick, I want the over. I had this number at 139 points. Take the over in this one. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Boston College Eagles have wanted to slow the tempo down for the past few years, but this is the first year they have put forth much effort on the defensive end. Harvard is a terrific defensive team, and the Crimson certainly prefer a halfcourt game as well. These two are rivals and I think the defenses will be in prime form tonight as they bring their best effort to try to knock off a hated team. I had this number at 118. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The VMI Keydets play faster than any other team in the country. They are number one ranked in tempo out of 351 teams, and second place isn't very close to them either. UNC Greensboro has always been a team that prefers to run under Coach Wes Miller. The Spartans defense is among the very worst in the country. VMI should put up a really big number here, and the pace of the game will allow the Spartans to put up a relatively big one too. Take the over. 

*3 Star NCAA BB Totals TKO* The Bradley Braves are a bad basketball team, but winning on the road in the Missouri Valley Conference is very difficult. Northern Iowa has struggled on offense in some of their road tests this year. Bradley's offense is one of the worst in the country. Northern Iowa plays at a pace of 59 possessions per game, third slowest in the nation (out of 351 teams). Bradley isn't much faster. This game should be played at an extremely slow tempo. While this total is set low, I had the number at 108. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA Play of Day* The Indiana Pacers are finally getting back to what they do well, and that is play some terrific defense. Indiana started the season with a bunch of injuries, and that seemed to mess with their defensive chemistry. Lately, this team has been much better on the defensive end. Indiana likes to slow the tempo down, and Minnesota's offense is just dreadful. In fact, these two teams are two of the four least efficient offenses in the country. With two inefficient offenses and one very good defense, this total is a bit high. Marc Davis is one of the best under refs in the business, and he's one of the refs in this game. Take the under. 

*4 Star NBA Play of Day* The Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat tip off at 12:35 pm local time for this one. I've always liked playing the early Sunday unders. These players aren't used to starting early in the day, and on a Saturday night in Los Angeles there is certainly a chance some of these players were out late. You'll often see less than 100 percent effort in these types of games. The referee crew here is favorable for the under. Miami plays at the slowest pace of anyone in the NBA. The under is 6-0 in Miami's last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The under is 5-0 in Miami's last 5 Sunday games. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Pacific Tigers have an awful defense. Every decent opponent that has squared off against them has shot a good percentage. St. Mary's always has some good outside shooters, and this year is no different. I look for St. Mary's to have an extremely efficient offensive performance here. Both meetings between these two last year were more than 20 points above this total. Take the over. 

*4 Star NBA Total DOMINATION* The Portland Trail Blazers are playing great defense this year. It would surprise most people to learn that the Blazers are currently the third best in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Portland also has slowed down their pace of play. They rank 15th out of 30 in the league in tempo. Orlando is one of the 5 slowest paced teams in the league. Orlando also has the second least efficient offense in the league (only the 76ers are worse). The Magic's terrible offense combined with Portland's strong defense should mean the Magic don't put up many points here. The Blazers are dinged up right now and likely just want out of this one with a win. 

The under is 39-16 in the Magic's last 55 road games. The under is 4-1 in the Blazers last 5 home games. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Tempo Total* The Hofstra Pride have picked up the pace a lot under their new coach from last year. He has a long history of forcing the tempo and Elon won't want to slow it down. In fact, Elon uses a full court press to try to create easy opportunities. These two teams push the issue more than anyone else in the conference, so this one sets up well for an over. Look for the tempo to lead this one over the posted total. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* SIU Edwardsville is a much improved team. They showed me a lot in their close loss to Belmont earlier this week. Edwardsville has a lot of good athletes who can shoot it well from long range. Tennessee State is a really bad team, and they have typically just been playing to the pace of their opponent. Look for Edwardsville to put up a pretty big number here. The pace should be quick enough to get this over a low total. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Valparaiso Crusaders and Cleveland State Vikings played twice last year and the final totals of those games were 119 points and 115 points. Both teams are very similar to last year, and their pace of play has actually slowed just a bit. These are two teams who generally play pretty solid defense. I had this total at 123 points. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB TV Total* The West Virginia Mountaineers and Iowa State Cyclones should put on quite a show on Saturday night. Both of these teams have a very high upside, and they both have tremendous offensive firepower. The Mountaineers are using full court pressure to get easy buckets in transition. Iowa State has a force on the inside in Niang and the Cyclones have several outside shooters as well. I had this one at 153 points. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Dayton Flyers lost their big men a few weeks ago after they were kicked off the team for off the court problems. Since that time, Dayton has picked up the tempo because they need to utilize their speed and skill in the backcourt. Fordham is always willing to run and gun, and Fordham is terrible on the defensive end. Jon Severe is back for Fordham and he'll help their offense run more smoothly. I had 135 here. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* Getting some value on the over here because IPFW played such a low scoring game last time out. That was against the Denver Pioneers though, and Denver plays slower than any other team in the league. South Dakota likes to run, and I expect the tempo here to be pretty quick. Both teams have a couple very good scorers. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* These two teams just played a week ago, with the final score going four points over the posted total. I think that game was a good indicator of what should happen here as far as the total. These two teams both play bad halfcourt defense, so there should be a lot of easy buckets on both ends. Manhattan presses full court and gets a lot of turnovers and also fouls out. Plenty of scoring opportunities. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Davidson Wildcats are great at pushing the pace and scoring efficiently. They are even better offensively on their home floor, and they are home for this game. Davidson should outclass a St. Louis team that is far worse than they have been in recent years. The Billikens will attempt to slow the game down early, but once they get behind they'll be forced to play more at Davidson's tempo. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Arizona State Sun Devils and the Oregon Ducks are both teams built around their offenses. Both teams can bomb away from long distance, so expect to see a lot of made three-point field goals in this one. The tempo should be quick as both teams prefer to run when given the opportunity. I had this number at 141 points. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The William & Mary Tribe are a team I like to back the over with because they are so efficient on offense. Their totals are usually set low because they play relatively slowly, but their efficient offense and poor defense usually make up for that. James Madison doesn't have a good defense, so they will likely give up a lot of easy buckets here. This number is too low. Take the over. 

*3 Star Louisville/UNC Total* The North Carolina Tar Heels and Louisville Cardinals both love to run. The only reason this total isn't higher is because both teams also play excellent defense. The reason I like this play is I believe both coaches know their offenses aren't very good in the halfcourt, and we'll see a lot more transition baskets in this one. The tempo here should be lightning quick. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Towson Tigers and Northeastern Huskies are both teams that like to slow the game down and win with ball control and defense. Towson's offense is atrocious this year. The Towson Tigers have consistently only been able to score in the halfcourt when they get offensive rebounds, unfortunately for them the strength of this Northeastern team is grabbing defensive boards. Without second chance opportunities, I can't see Towson scoring many points here. The tempo of the game makes this a strong play. I had this one at 118 points. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Buffalo Bulls have done a really nice job getting their opponents to play at their pace of late. Buffalo is running and scoring in transition as often as possible. Western Michigan's offense is very efficient, and their defense is among the worst in the league. I had this one at 147 points. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Under Radar Total* The Wagner Seahawks and Robert Morris Colonials get a rare national TV game tonight. It's always nice for programs like this to get some television time, and I think both teams will be excited for this one. Wagner and Robert Morris both like to play with lots of tempo, and this should be an up and down type of game. Wagner has also fouled more than any other team in the nation (351 teams). Robert Morris has an efficient offense, and the Colonials haven't been good on defense this year. Wagner's defense is terrible in the paint, which should allow for plenty of layups. Bad defense and lots of tempo. Take the over. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night MONEY* The UTEP Miners have typically been a team that slows the game down a lot, but this year they are playing much faster than they have been. Louisiana Tech is a team that wants to play fast all the time, and the Bulldogs will absolutely want to use their full court zone press to speed this game up. This number is set as if UTEP was still playing the stall ball method that they used a couple years ago. I set this one at 145 points. 

The over is 4-0 in LA Tech's last 4 road games. The over is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a win percentage of 60% or higher. The over is 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning record. A 12-0 angle. Take the over. 

*5 Star TOP Play Total* The Texas State Bobcats have a coach that wants to slow the tempo down at all times. How good are they at slowing the game down? Texas State has played a 40-36 game as well as a 57-26 game this year. The Bobcats will control the tempo at home here. Arkansas Little Rock was previously a team that liked to get out in transition, but they are now playing much slower. Neither offense is efficient so I don't think the shooting numbers here will be particularly high. I had this one at a whopping seven points below the total at 116 points. Take the under big! 

*4 Star Play Over* The Elon Phoenix play at the fastest tempo of any team in the CAA. They also use a full court press to do their best to dictate the pace of the game. William & Mary is probably the best team in the CAA, and the Tribe can score points in a hurry. William & Mary shoots the ball very well. Elon does force a lot of turnovers though, and I see them scoring some easy buckets off the press. The fact that these teams have never seen each other in the past (Elon is new to the league) helps this one a lot. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The UTSA Roadrunners do like to play fast as their nickname would imply. Southern Miss is a really bad team this year, and they have typically let their opponent pick the style of play. Southern Miss does have some good shooters though, and UTSA's defense is among the worst in the entire country. Expect plenty of trips to the line for both teams in this one, and with a total set at this mark the value is on the over. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The UIC Flames like to try to speed up the tempo of the game, and they also have a really bad defense. Valparaiso is the best team in the Horizon League, and the Crusaders should be able to score a lot of points here. I don't think this game will be very close, but it's a game where Valpo could put up 75 points or more. With a low total here, I'm taking the over. 

*4 Star Play NCAA BB Totals TKO* The MTSU Blue Raiders have been extremely consistent at keeping the game low scoring this year. None of their games have gone past 126 points in regulation this year. That's an amazing stat this deep into the year. FIU has slowed their pace down by three possessions per game this year. They will be glad to play a slow game that is defense oriented like MTSU does. This looks like a sloppy game all the way with both teams finishing in the 50's. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Mercer Bears are a defense oriented team. Mercer slows the game down and wins with ball control and defense. While Mercer's record this year isn't impressive, the Bears should be very competitive in league play. Mercer scheduled up in non-conference action. East Tennessee State has a good offense, but they have piled up a bunch of points against some very bad defenses this year. Five of the last six meetings between these two teams have stayed under this posted total. I had this one at 135. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Delaware Blue Hens won the CAA tournament and made it to the NCAA Tournament last year. That was then, and now Delaware has what is probably the worst team in the league. Delaware's defense hasn't been able to stop anyone, and UNC Wilmington plays at an extremely fast tempo. I think Wilmington will control the tempo here and in a game with tons of possessions on both sides, I have to take the over at a number this low. I had this one at 137 points. Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Drexel Dragons offense has been downright awful in recent games. Despite the fact they have played against teams who normally give up quite  a few points, Drexel's shooting numbers have been terrible. The Dragons always play at a slow tempo, and this year Towson is playing even slower than them. Towson's only method of scoring in most games this year has been offensive rebounds and free throws. Drexel is good at defensive rebounding and not fouling so that should help keep this one low scoring. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Denver Pioneers play at a very slow pace, but they also shoot the ball extremely well and play virtually no defense. That makes them a unique team that stalls, but still has some relatively high scoring games. IPFW was the league favorite, but they have started the season slowly with their top scorer being dinged up. Steve Forbes, their top scorer, is getting healthy again now, and I think IPFW can put up points on a bad Denver defense that sends opponents to the line a lot. I had this one at 136 points. Take the over. 

*3 Star NCAA BB Total Value* The VMI Keydets have played one game all year that went below 140 points. VMI plays at the single fastest tempo of any team in the nation. While Wofford doesn't exactly play fast, it should be noted that they are playing much faster than they did last year. Wofford's offense is also very efficient, and I think they'll shred up this weak VMI defense. Take the over here. 

*3 Star NBA Play of Day* The Golden State Warriors are well known for their amazing offense, but not enough people give them credit for the defense they play. Golden State is easily number one in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Steve Kerr has this team very committed on the defensive end of the court. Indiana struggled a bit defensively early this year, but the Pacers have gotten much better as they have gotten healthier in recent weeks. The Pacers won't want to run with Golden State, so they should slow the tempo down quite a bit here. The referee crew for this game is very favorable for the under as well. Expect a strong defensive effort from both teams. I think this game stays below 200 points. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The DePaul Blue Demons haven't been pushing the tempo as much in recent games, and they have actually won two straight contests. They probably won't win this game, but I do think they stay away from running and gunning. Creighton's offense was so efficient last year with Doug McDermott and company, but this Blue Jays team doesn't have the same offensive ability. Creighton is slowing the game down more, and I think this total is lined too much like last year. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Air Force Falcons just lost their leading rebounder and top assists man in Kam Williams. Without him, Air Force will have even more trouble scoring than they have already had this season. Air Force plays at an extremely slow tempo, and San Jose State plays pretty slow as well. The Spartans have some of their players back from a suspension, but not all of them. This is a game where there probably won't even be 60 possessions for each team, and with two inefficient offenses I have to take the under here. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are playing very quickly under new head coach Danny Manning. Manning loves to use full court pressure to speed up the game. Louisville put up 85 points on them in their last game, and this Duke Blue Devils offense is much better than Louisville's. Duke is the number one offense in the nation, and I think they put up a big number here. Duke is more than happy to run with the kind of athleticism and depth they have this year. This one has a good chance of getting to 150, which makes it a nice value here. Take the over. 

*5 Star NCAA BB TOP Play Total* The Eastern Michigan Eagles have picked up the pace considerably the last two years. Two years ago this team was averaging 60 possessions per game, and now they are at 66 possessions per game. Ball State got a new coach last year and he sped the Cardinals up a lot as well. Both games between these two teams went comfortably over this posted total last year. Both teams are great at getting to the line. With plenty of pace and a lot of free throws, a total set this low is a strong play for me. Take the over big! 

*3 Star Play Over* The LaSalle Explorers are a team that typically plays to the pace of their opponent. The pace of their opponent in this game is very quick. UMass has had a couple of rare games where they allow the opponent to slow the game down, but I don't think they make that mistake here. UMass and LaSalle played to a 146 point final score last year, and I think this one gets up around 140 as well. This one is a few points too low. Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Xavier Musketeers started the season out playing quickly, but their tempo has slowed down drastically in the last few games. Xavier put up some big point totals early in the year against teams who were really bad on the defensive end of the court. That certainly isn't the case for Seton Hall. The Pirates are playing excellent defense this year. Seton Hall is without their top scorer Whitehead, and that has made them slow the game down more of late. I had this number at 133. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB Late Night BAILOUT* The San Diego State Aztecs and New Mexico Lobos are actually very similar teams this year as far as their styles. Both teams prefer to slow the game down and win with their defense. This game should be played at a pace of 60 possessions or so, which is 6 possessions slower than the average game in college basketball. Obviously with fewer possessions there are less chances to score. Both of these teams lost their top scorers from last year too, and these offenses have been struggling in a big way. New Mexico has held 5 of their last 8 opponents to 55 points or less. San Diego State has held 5 of their last 8 opponents to 50 points or less. 

The under is 7-0 in New Mexico's last 7 games vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 7-0 in San Diego State's last 7 games vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings between these two teams. The under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these two at San Diego State. A 26-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star NCAA BB NCAA  BB Totals TKO* The St. John's Red Storm have lost their last two games. The Villanova Wildcats lost their last game. These are two good teams who are very hungry to get back on track here. Both teams play at an average tempo, but these are two tremendous teams on the defensive end of the floor. Villanova held VCU to 53 points and Illinois to 59 points, and those are two high scoring offenses. Interestingly, both of those games were played at Madison Square Garden, where this game will be played. Shooting percentages are almost always lower than normal at MSG because of the really difficult shooting backdrops. I made this number 128 points. I like both teams to bring their best defensive effort tonight. Take the under. 

*4 Star NBA Total DOMINATION* It would probably surprise a lot of people to learn that Portland ranks third in the NBA in defensive efficiency. This Portland team is really playing well on the defensive end. Los Angeles has slowed the tempo down quite a bit in recent weeks, and Kobe Bryant will sit out this game for the Lakers. I think Los Angeles will have a lot of trouble scoring in this one. Portland should score a lot early, but they will likely take their foot off the gas later in the game. I think this line should have been 205 or so. Take the under. 

*3 Star NBA Totals TKO* This totally is a bit inflated. Dallas doesn't play particularly fast, and the Brooklyn Nets are all about slowing the game down and trying to win with defense with their new coaching staff. A total of 206 is usually reserved for two teams that will uptempo with very little defense. I don't see that as the case here. Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The William & Mary Tribe are so efficient on offense, and Drexel isn't the defensive-minded team that they used to be. This one should have a lot of points. Drexel has two elite scorers and William & Mary has three. This number is set too low. I had this one at 130. Take the over.