March 3, 2021 Picks:

College Basketball:

#14 Creighton at #10 Villanova (-4.5) - Creighton won the first matchup between these two teams last month, and the Blue Jays are looking for the season sweep and the top seed in the Big East Tournament. Villanova had some offensive struggles in their last game, losing to Butler 73-61. These are two similar teams, so we expect a close game here. Pick: Villanova 75 Creighton 72

Boston College at #11 Florida State (-19) - Boston College heads to Tallahassee to face a Seminoles team that has to be steaming after their loss to North Carolina last week. Leonard Hamilton will have Florida State ready to roll, and they will win by double digits. It will be by less than 19 however. Pick: Florida State 80 Boston College 66

#19 San Diego State (-9.5) at UNLV - We have picked four San Diego State games this year, and we have picked the opponent to cover the spread all four times. We are 1-3. We will not be making that mistake again. We like the Aztecs by double figures here. Pick: San Diego State 76 UNLV 63

NBA:

Indiana (-6) at Cleveland - Cleveland has won four consecutive games and the Pacers have dropped four straight, and now the two teams square off in Cleveland. This is the second matchup this season between these two teams. The first one was a 20 point win for the Pacers. We like the Pacers in this one as well. Not by 20 points, but by more than six. Pick: Indiana 114 Cleveland 105

Utah (3.5) at Philadelphia - This is a matchup between the #1 seeds in each conference. This should be a good game, even with Utah dropping two of its last three games. We think the 76ers will make it three out of four, as they hand the Jazz another loss. Pick: Philadelphia 123 Utah 119

Brooklyn (-9) at Houston - Houston has lost twelve games in a row and now has to face former Rocket James Harden and the Nets. Houston has not even been competitive lately, losing its last five games by double digits. We expect the same thing here today. Pick: Brooklyn 127 Houston 108

Atlanta (-3.5) at Orlando - Atlanta is playing the second night of back to back games, and is coming off a 94-80 win over the Heat. Their defense completely shut down Miami, and the Heat have a better offense than the Magic. If Atlanta keeps up that defensive intensity they can climb back in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. We think they will today. Pick: Atlanta 104 Orlando 96

Charlotte (-1.5) at Minnesota - Their is absolutely no reason why this line should be this low. Minnesota has lost eight games in a row and is 7-28 this season. Charlotte is playing solid, if unspectacular basketball right now, going 5-5 in its last ten games. We like the Hornets to easily cover the spread in this game. Pick: Charlotte 118 Minnesota 109

Chicago at New Orleans (-5) - We think this teams are similar, so neither team should be favored by more than three points. We have said this many times before, but if New Orleans wants to win, they must run. Fortunately for them, the Bulls like to run as well. We are predicting a close Pelicans win. Pick: New Orleans 116 Chicago 113

Oklahoma City at Dallas (-5.5) - These two teams both allow around 113 points per game defensively. The difference is on the offensive end, where the Mavericks average about six points per game more than the Thunder. Oklahoma City has one player that should scare you when they have the ball, and that is Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. Shut him down and you will get the win. Pick: Dallas 117 Oklahoma City 108

Golden State (-3) at Portland - Portland ended a four game losing streak in their last outing, and they have dropped from fourth place to sixth place in the tough Western Conference. This is the third matchup this season between these two teams, and Stephen Curry had 62 points in the last matchup. Curry won’t have 62 again, but he will have enough to lead the Warriors to victory. Pick: Golden State 126 Portland 118

Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento (-4) - The Kings are favored in this game because both Anthony Davis and LeBron James will be missing this game for the Lakers. That means it will be up to the role players to take over and win this game or Los Angeles. We don’t see it happening. Give us the Kings. Pick: Sacramento 116 Los Angles Lakers 107

Happy picking everyone!