January 9, 2021 Picks:

College Basketball:

St. Johns at #7 Creighton (-12.5) - We have a full slate of college games today. This is where we get our record right. It starts in Nebraska with Creighton hosting St. Johns. These teams have played once already this season, with the Blue Jays getting a dominate 94-76 win on the Johnnies home court. We are going to ride with Creighton to cover again. Pick: Creighton 89 St. Johns 74

Ohio State at #15 Rutgers (-4) - It feels like the wrong team is favored here. Yes, Rutgers is ranked and the game is in New Jersey, but Rutgers has been scuffling a bit lately, losing three out of their last four. Don’t know if you would call this an upset, but the Buckeyes are going to pull off the win today. Pick: Ohio State 71 Rutgers 68

Wake Forest at #21 Duke (-13.5) - No one can convince us that the Blue Devils should be double digit favorites after their performance against Boston College earlier this week. The Demon Deacons played Virginia tough in their last contest. Duke will win, but the final outcome will be within single digits. Pick: Duke 74 Wake Forest 68

#4 Texas at #14 West Virginia (-1.5) - A week ago we were saying that the Longhorns had no shot to beat Kansas in Phog Allen Fieldhouse. Not only did Texas prove us wrong, they handed Kansas the worst home loss in program history. Now they are an underdog to a West Virginia team that has looked uninspiring in Big 12 play so far. Yes please. Pick: Texas 82 West Virginia 73

#9 Tennessee (-10.5) at Texas A&M - The magic threshold for the Aggies is when they score 68 points. They are 6-0 when they reach that mark, and 0-3 when they fail to do so. Tennessee allows 57 points a game. See where we are going with this? Pick: Tennessee 77 Texas A&M 65

Virginia (-9) at Boston College - This is a battle of one of the worst defenses in the ACC against one of the best. Virginia allows 61 points a game while Boston College allows 81. They both average right around 73 points a game offensively. Boston College may only be 2-8 but after their last game against Duke, they are a tough out. Pick: Virginia 69 Boston College 63

Baylor (-12.5) at TCU - Baylor has been playing good basketball since conference play started. TCU lost by 29 in their last game against Kansas. Baylor will win this game on the defensive end, suffocating the Horned Frogs, and will coast. Pick: Baylor 89 TCU 68

Tulane at #11 Houston (-17.5) - Seventeen points is too much for the Cougars to be getting in this one. They have been playing good basketball, but haven’t been blowing teams out lately. Tulane is a team that only allows 61 points a game. All of those factors sound like a win, but not a cover, for the Houston. Pick: Houston 74 Tulane 62

#18 Texas Tech (-8.5) at Iowa State - Texas Tech is only 4-8 against the spread this year. That means that while they are winning, they are doing so by closer than anticipated margins. We don’t see that changing here. They will win, but not cover. Pick: Texas Tech 71 Iowa State 65

Oklahoma at #6 Kansas (-6.5) - Oklahoma just played West Virginia and Baylor. Their gauntlet continues here against the Jayhawks. Kansas bounced back nicely from their shellacking last Saturday against the Longhorns, taking out their frustrations on TCU. Oklahoma just doesn’t have the talent to keep up with Kansas after the last two games they have played. Pick: Kansas 83 Oklahoma 73

#1 Gonzaga (-32.5) at Portland - Yes, you are reading that right. Gonzaga is a 32 point favorite against Portland today. The Pilots are coming off a 24 point loss to San Francisco, while the Bulldogs recorded a 17 point win against BYU on Thursday. This is a huge spread. We are 0-2 in Gonzaga games this year, because both games we picked them to win but not cover. That changes here. Pick: Gonzaga 98 Portland 57

Oregon (-2) at Utah - Utah has started conference play 0-2. Oregon suffered their first conference loss to Colorado on Thursday. Oregon bounces back from that loss and beats the Utes, covering the spread. Pick: Oregon 76 Utah 69

NBA:

Denver (-5.5) at Philadelphia - We had to do a double-take when we saw this line. The Nuggets are favored against the 76ers in Philadelphia? The 76ers won’t have Tobias Harris might not game, but that isn’t enough for the Nuggets to be favored, especially by more than five. Easiest pick of the day. Pick: Philadelphia 117 Denver 110

Atlanta (-5.5) at Charlotte - The Hornets have to be flying high right now. They got the win in the battle of the Ball brothers, and don’t have to wait to see if their hot play continues. Usually we are a little nervous picking teams playing back to back nights, but not here. Go Charlotte! Pick: Charlotte 108 Atlanta 104

Phoenix at Indiana (-3.5) - Phoenix is a team we are nervous about playing back to back nights. Chris Paul, while still a great point guard, is 35 years old. He played 38 minutes last night. Indiana can stick Malcom Brogdon on him and dog him all over the court. Even though T.J. Warren is out for the Pacers, they will still cover this game. Pick: Indiana 110 Phoenix 103

Miami (-6.5) at Washington - What will Bradley Beal do for an encore here? He has scored 101 points in his last two games, but Miami does have a stiff defense. Meanwhile Washington’s defense is a sieve, allowing opponents to score 122 points a game. Miami has started slow out of the gate, but gets back to .500 with a win here today. Pick: Miami 120 Washington 108

Cleveland at Milwaukee (-12.5) - The Bucks are going to be pissed off in this one. After allowing Utah to drain 25 three pointers, Milwaukee will come out flying around on the defensive end. They are too good of a team to allow that to happen. Cleveland will feel the full force of the Milwaukee Bucks, and it won’t be pretty. Pick: Milwaukee 128 Cleveland 111

Minnesota at San Antonio (-5) - That 2-1 start must seem like a lifetime ago for Timberwolves fans. They have now lost five games in a row and are still missing Karl-Anthony Towns. The Spurs are 6-2 against the spread this year, so they are better than Vegas thinks they are. That works here too. Pick: San Antonio 116 Minnesota 104

Orlando at Dallas (-6) - Maybe the Markelle Fultz injury hurts the Magic worse than we anticipated. We knew that he was the engine that made Orlando go, but we didn’t expect a 42 point loss at the hands of the Rockets after he got injured. Luca will continue doing Luca things, getting triple doubles, and leading the Mavericks to the win. Pick: Dallas 124 Orlando 116

Portland (-6) at Sacramento - A game against the Timberwolves is just what the Blazers needed to right the ship. Now they play a Kings team that is coming off a disheartening loss to the Raptors. Six points is not enough here. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will combine for over 60 points and Portland will cover. Pick: Portland 119 Sacramento 109

NFL:

Indianapolis at Buffalo (-6.5) - That is right, we have playoff football this weekend! The Bills are coming off their first Division Title this millennium, while the Colts snuck into the playoffs as the seven seed. That doesn’t mean they aren’t a good team. They are 11-5 and have a hall of fame quarterback. That being said Buffalo is too good. That defense is lights out and Josh Allen doesn’t make the mistakes we saw from him a couple years ago. Buffalo will wear down the Colts and cover the spread here. Pick: Buffalo 31 Indianapolis 17

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle (-3) - These two teams played in Seattle two weeks ago and Seattle won 20-9. This game is going to be ugly. The Rams defense always plays the Seahawks tough, and Jared Goff is questionable to play because of his thumb. Our bold prediction here is we won’t have a first half touchdown in this game. The Seahawks are healthier right now, and at the end of the day that is the main reason why they will get the win. It won’t be pretty, but it doesn’t have to be in the playoffs. Pick: Seattle 20 Los Angeles Rams 13

Tampa Bay (-9) at Washington - The last time Tom Brady threw a pass in a playoff game it was getting taken to the house the other way by the Titans. This will not be an easy game for Tampa Bay. Washington’s defense is one of the best in the league, and they are continuing to improve. However, the Alex Smith injury scares us. Even if he does play, he will not be 100% healthy. If he were, the pick would be Washington. Since he isn’t the pick is Tampa Bay. Pick: Tampa Bay 30 Washington 17

Happy picking everyone!