February 9, 2021 Picks:

College Basketball:

#11 Alabama (-6) at South Carolina - Alabama is coming off its first conference loss and now faces a tough test with Frank Martin’s South Carolina squad. While the Gamecocks haven’t been playing as well as years past, you should never take a Frank Martin team lightly. We don’t think the Crimson Tide will, and they will get back in the win column today. Pick: Alabama 81 South Carolina 72

#13 Texas (-14) at Kansas State - Kansas State has lost ten games in a row, while the Longhorns have dropped three straight. This is a “get right” game for Texas, as they should be able to dominate this game. We like the Longhorns to get the victory today in a big way. Pick: Texas 88 Kansas State 71

#14 West Virginia at #7 Texas Tech (-5.5) - The game of the day takes us to the Big 12, where two top 15 teams are ready to duke it out. These two teams have already played in Morgantown, and Texas Tech came away with a one point win. We expect another close game, and again the Red Raiders will take it home. Just not by more than five points. Pick: Texas Tech 83 West Virginia 81

#19 Creighton (-7.5) at Georgetown - These two teams played a week ago and Georgetown pulled off the upset on Creighton’s home floor. We don’t think the Hoyas will go two for two, but we do think they will cover the spread. Expect another close game here. Pick: Creighton 76 Georgetown 73

NBA:

Brooklyn (-6.5) at Detroit - Even without Kevin Durant the Nets should have no problem beating the Pistons. Detroit went 0-4 on their recent road trip to the west coast, so they are desperately looking for a win. We don’t think it comes here. With James Harden and possibly Kyrie Irving, that should be enough for the Nets to cover the spread. Pick: Brooklyn 122 Detroit 111

New York at Miami (-6) - These two teams faced off two nights ago and the Heat won 109-103. Now they square off again in Miami. New York was playing the second game of back to back nights in that one, and now that they have had a day of rest we like them to get the win here. Pick: New York 104 Miami 100

Houston at New Orleans (-6) - This is a tough spot for Houston. They are already missing Christian Wood, and Victor Oladipo doesn’t play in back to back games. That means that the onus is John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins to stop the two game losing streak. It won’t happen. Give us the Pelicans by double digits. Pick: New Orleans 117 Houston 105

Golden State at San Antonio (-1) - A rematch of a game played yesterday, the Spurs and Warriors run it back in San Antonio tonight. San Antonio got a five point win in that game, and we don’t see why they can’t get the win here today. Stephen Curry will get his points, but without any help it won’t matter as the Spurs get the sweep. Pick: San Antonio 108 Golden State 103

Boston at Utah (-5.5) - Utah puts their four game winning streak on the line as they face off against the Celtics in Salt Lake City. We really like the Jazz and Boston has some injuries, but it does look like they are getting Jaylen Brown back. We like the Celtics to pull off the mini upset here and get the win against the Jazz. Pick: Boston 118 Utah 113

Orlando at Portland (-6) - What Damian Lillard has done the last month is remarkable. He is putting the Blazers on his back and carrying them, while they wait for the return of CJ McCollum. Orlando has dropped four of its last five games, and it will be five of six after tonight. Pick: Portland 119 Orlando 109

Philadelphia (-5) at Sacramento - This is where we see what the Kings are made of. Sacramento has won four games in a row, all against good competition, but a rested Philadelphia team is on another level. Both of these teams are playing great basketball right now, but we like the 76ers to cover the spread in this one. Pick: Philadelphia 125 Sacramento 116

Happy picking everyone!