January17, 2021 Picks:

College Basketball:

#5 Iowa (-9.5) at Northwestern - These are two teams going in opposite directions. The Hawkeyes have won four games in a row, while the Wildcats are on a four game slide of their own. Those four losses for Northwestern have all come against ranked teams. It will become #5 today, with Iowa winning comfortably. Pick: Iowa 83 Northwestern 67

UCF at #11 Houston (-14) - Houston hasn’t played a game in eight days, which means they will be well rested when they take the floor against UCF today. Central Florida has only played two games this calendar year, and hasn’t looked good in either one of them. Houston will shake off the rust early and will dominate this game. Pick: Houston 74 UCF 58

#20 Virginia Tech (-7) at Wake Forest - Wake Forest is still looking for it’s first conference win, and it won’t come today. Virginia Tech has won three out of four in conference, and are trying to prove they belong in the conversation for best team in the ACC. That will continue today with an easy win over the Demon Deacons. Pick: Virginia Tech 76 Wake Forest 62

NBA:

New York at Boston (-7) - Boston is on a five game winning streak and looks to make it six against the Knicks in Boston. Even without Jayson Tatum the Celtics have too much firepower against the Knicks. Jaylen Brown will have a huge game, and Boston will cover. Pick: Boston 114 New York 103

Chicago at Dallas (-7) - The Bulls have lost four games in a row and now they play a Mavericks team that is rounding into form. Kristaps Porzingis and Luca Doncic form a formidable one-two punch, and the Bulls will not be able to keep up with that. Pick: Dallas 123 Chicago 110

Philadelphia (-2.5) at Oklahoma City - The 76ers are playing the second game of a back to back against the Thunder, who have had an extra day of rest. Philadelphia is 2-3 in their last five games, with both wins coming against a short handed Miami Heat team. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. We are rolling with the Thunder here. Pick: Oklahoma City 118 Philadelphia 113

Utah at Denver (-1) - Both of these teams are playing good basketball coming into this one. Utah has won four games in a row while Denver has won three out of four. These two teams usually play close games, which is why the line is only one point. We do predict a close game, but we predict the Jazz come out on top. Pick: Utah 117 Denver 115

New Orleans (-2.5) at Sacramento - The Pelicans come into this game having lost their last five. This should be just what the doctor ordered for a victory. A game against a Kings team that still can’t stop anyone defensively. The Kings allow 123 points a game. We expect the Pelicans to hit that number. Pick: New Orleans 125 Sacramento 119

Indiana at Los Angeles Clippers (-6.5) - The good Clippers showed up in their last game. Now they face a short handed Indiana team in a game they should dominate. If we have learned anything about the Clippers this year, when they are facing a team they should dominate, they usually don’t. We expect the Pacers to shock the Clippers in this one. Pick: Indiana 114 Los Angeles Clippers 110

NFL:

Cleveland at Kansas City (-9.5) - The Browns are a great story. They won their last game of the season against the Steelers to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002, then come right back and beat the Steelers again in the first round of the playoffs. Now they face a Chiefs team that, despite being the #1 seed in the conference, looks vulnerable. The Browns are a type of team that has nothing to lose and Pat Mahomes hasn’t played in three weeks. All that being said, Mahomes is the best player in the NFL. We are going with the Chiefs to win but the Browns to cover. Pick: Kansas City 31 Cleveland 27

Tampa Bay at New Orleans(-2.5) - It is hard to beat a team three times in one season. That is what the Saints are trying to do after sweeping the two games against the Buccaneers in the regular season. Tom Brady is playing his best football of the year, and he knows how to win in the playoffs. We are predicting the Bucs to beat the Saints and head to Lambeau Field next week for a shot at the Super Bowl. Pick: Tampa Bay 37 New Orleans 34

Happy picking everyone!