Michael Alexander

NCAAB Free Pick - Colorado vs TCU

Rating: 1 Unit

TCU has lost each of its last five games played at neutral venues. While Colorado has won four of its last five Conference Tournament day games and have gone 7-2 against the spread down the stretch.

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NCAAB Past 30 Days:   57-41   58%   $2422.00

Rating: 2 Units

In the 16-team Big XII, Utah's offense was No. 15 in turnover rate, giving the ball away on 19.9-percent of its possessions in conference play. If this game is tight at the end and it becomes a free throw shooting contest, UCF is top-25 in the country in free throw shooting (77.9-percent) while Utah is bottom-10 (64.0-percent). If this was a "normal" regular season game, we could probably find some more positives for the Utes in this matchup. But after back-to-back heartbreaking losses at the end of the regular season and playing without a true head coach, this is a nightmare matchup against a Knights team that wants to run and cause chaos for 40 minutes.

Rating: 2 Units

This line makes absolutely no sense. Not only did Southern Utah win both games against Utah Tech, which includes a seven-point win on the road a couple of weeks ago, but the Trailblazers have lost 14 straight games and haven’t won in two months. Southern Utah has issues of its own and isn’t a team you should be excited to back, but its last two wins came against Utah Tech. Favored? I’m not buying this line at all and I’m certainly not laying points with Utah Tech. Give me Southern Utah and the points, and I’ll be on the ML as well.

Rating: 2 Units

Oklahoma State won both H2H duels thus far, including the one they played this season when it was 78-67, covering a +3.5 spread in the process. Neither team impressed me recently and it seems like a coin toss for me who is going to win this game. However, even though Cincinnati is a favorite, I believe Oklahoma State will put up a fight and stay close late in the tilt. Cincinnati has only covered the Spread in 16 of its last 37 games. Don't expect a bunch of points. It's going to be a hard-fought affair, and perhaps the Bearcats will prevail because of a stronger defense, but I am going with the Cowboys to cover.

Rating: 2 Units

This is a tough matchup for the Orange because of their turnover woes. In the 18-team ACC, Syracuse is No. 17 in turnover rate. In conference play, the Orange are turning the ball over on 18.7-percent of their possessions. In their first meeting this season, Florida State won the turnover battle 15-9. Syracuse has lost its opening round game of the ACC Tournament each of the last two years. The Orange went 2-12 straight-up in games played away from home this season with those two wins coming at Boston College (who didn't qualify for the ACC Tournament) and Cal (13-18 overall; 6-14 ACC). Look for the Seminoles to take care of business in Saturday's marquee matchup in Charlotte.

Rating: 2 Units

The Gaels are outside the top-150 in three-point shooting, two-point shooting and free throw shooting. A team that struggles to shoot the ball like they do should not be 28-4. We totally understand the argument. But guess what - They just keep winning. Gonzaga has scored an average of 63.4 points per game against Saint Mary's over the last five meetings. When your defense is that good, you can win games with some ugly offense. From a numbers' perspective, we understand why Gonzaga is favored tonight in Las Vegas. But from a matchup standpoint, the Gaels have the Bulldogs' number right now.

Rating: 2 Units

The Predators should be favored because the Sharks are the worst team in the league. The Predators have also won 12 straight games against the Sharks. The Sharks haven’t won a game against the Predators since October 2019. So, I get it. With all of that said, this is a steep line for a Predators team that not only has nothing to play for at this stage but is 7-20-4 on the road. It’s so bad, this is the first time the Predators have been favored on the road since February 7

Rating: 2 Units

The Lightning look to pull off the upset but the Hurricanes have four wins in a row and look to take over this game from the first period. The Hurricanes, who average 3.19 goals per game, should pile on the goals with Sebastian Aho, Setth Jarvis, and the rest of the forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone while creating open shots with quick passes. The Hurricanes, who allow only 2.70 goals per game, should limit the Lightning offense with Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and the rest of the defensive unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone while limiting shots on the net, allowing goaltender Pyotr Kotchetkov to make plenty of big saves. The Hurricanes should win the game with a strong performance on their home ice.

Rating: 2 Units

Both of these teams come into this matchup battling to stay in the playoffs and only four points separate them, so this is a big game for both sides. The Devils are 15-11-4 at home this year, while the Blue Jackets are 11-18-4 on the road. Columbus has won five of their last seven games and they have scored at least five goals in all five of those victories. New Jersey has dropped three of their last four games and they are without Jack Hughes, who is their best player. The Devils have been inconsistent over the last two months and even though they have the goalie advantage, I like the Columbus offense way more than New Jersey’s.

Rating: 2 Units

The New Orleans Pelicans have consistently played tough against the Los Angeles Clippers, holding a 7-2 straight-up record and an impressive 8-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last nine meetings. Even in their December 30 loss, the Pelicans managed to cover the spread. Despite their current four-game losing streak against the Grizzlies, Rockets (twice), and Lakers, New Orleans has shown a competitive fire and have not given up on the season. Meanwhile, the Clippers have also struggled to cover the spread lately, and their inconsistency makes it difficult to trust them to win by seven or more points, especially on the road. The absence of Norman Powell due to injury and the inconsistent performances of Kawhi Leonard make it hard to trust Los Angeles

Rating: 2 Units

We’re going to recommend a play on Washington plus the points with Detroit going just 5-9 ATS as a home favorite and not playing at home in 10 days. Although the competition hasn’t been great, Washington is actually 4-3 straight up in their last seven and 10-6 ATS in their last 16 games including 3-1 ATS when listed as a double-digit underdog. We’re not saying Washington will have a shot to win this game, but we do expect them to keep it somewhat close throughout the duration of the game sitting eighth in defensive rating across their last ten games.