Handicapper Profile

This is a play on the COLORADO AVALANCHE for our NHL Monday Breakaway. Colorado has dropped two straight games following a five-game winning streak as it remains in fourth place in the Western Conference. The Avalanche are 15-9-4 at home despite the last two losses although one of those came on neutral ice at the Air Force Academy. The Avalanche are 9-2 in their last 11 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. The Lightning have won 10 in a row, five of those on the road, and have 83 points, second in the NHL behind Atlantic Division rival Boston. They will go for a franchise-record 11th straight win on Monday but this is arguably the biggest test during this stretch. Here, we play on home underdogs against the money line after three straight games with 33 or more shots on goal. This situation is 32-20 (61.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (50) Colorado Avalanche

This is a play on the ST. JOHN'S RED STORM for our CBB Monday Enforcer. St. John's is coming off a win over Providence on Wednesday to move to 3-9 in the Big East Conference and it looks to keep the momentum going on Monday. After forcing a season-low eight turnovers in a loss at Creighton on Feb. 8, the Red Storm turned 23 Providence turnovers into 22 points during their 80-69 victory. St. John's is 11-5 at home and the Red Storm are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games as a home underdog. They will look to avenge a Jan. 5 loss to the Musketeers in Cincinnati during which they made just one of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Xavier has won three of its last four contests with two of those wins coming on the road at Seton Hall and DePaul. The Musketeers are still just 5-7 in the conference and they come in just 3-5 on the road. Xavier is 1-5 ATS in its last six games as a road favorite. 10* (862) St. John's Red Storm

This is a play on the COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS for our NHL Sunday Breakaway. Columbus has lost four straight games with three of those coming at home including a 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Friday. The Blue Jackets remain tied for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and with the next three games against playoff contenders, this is a must. They are 12-7-8 on the road with those eight extra time losses being the most in the league by a wide margin so things could be a lot better at this point. The Blue Jackets are 44-21 in their last 65 games as a road favorite. New Jersey lost in Carolina on Friday to snap a 3-1 run although it matters little as the Devils are 19 points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have just nine wins at home which is tied with Detroit for fewest home wins in the NHL. The Devils are 18-54 in their last 72 games against teams with a winning record. 10* (33) Columbus Blue Jackets

This is a play on the CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS for our CBB Sunday Star Attraction. California is on a three-game losing streak but two of those games were on the road and the one home loss was against Arizona. It has been an up and down year but the Bears are averaging 68.7 ppg at home and have only two losses in conference play on their home court with the only other loss coming against 8-4 Oregon. After recording a season-low 23 rebounds at Colorado, the Bears have recorded 37 rebounds in back-to-back games and that is essential to keep going against a good rebounding Arizona St. team. The Bears are 41-40 all-time against Arizona State and looking to snap a four-game Sun Devil win streak. Arizona St. has won four straight games to improve to 7-5 in the Pac 12 and this includes two straight road wins. The Sun Devils are 3-3 on the road in the Pac 12 with two of those wins coming against teams worst than Cal. 9* (854) California Golden Bears

This is a play on the INDIANA ST. SYCAMORES for our CBB Sunday Enforcer. Indiana St. is coming off a pair of losses to fall to 7-6 in the conference but both of those were on the road where the Sycamores are 2-8 on the season. Indiana St. improved to a perfect 10-0 at home by defeating the Ramblers 68-39 on February 5. The Sycamores' home court winning streak has hit 12 games dating back to February 20, 2019 and that is tied for 15th best in the country. The Sycamores have hit 38.9 percent of their three-pointers this season which is not only second-best in the Missouri Valley Conference but is ninth-best in the country. Missouri St. hits the road following a 35-point win over Drake to improve to 6-7 in the MVC. The venue has played a big role in its success however as the Bears are just 2-4 on the road in the conference with the two wins coming against 0-13 Evansville and 3-10 Illinois St. 10* (844) Indiana St. Sycamores

This is a play on the ARIZONA COYOTES for our NHL Saturday Breakaway. Arizona is coming off a pair of losses in its last two games so it is in rebound mode tonight. The Coyotes return home from a 1-2-1 east coast trip and still are in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. But a difficult stretch of games awaits them, with New York, Dallas, St. Louis and Tampa Bay the next four games after playing the Capitals which makes this game s big one. Washington is coming off a win in Colorado on Thursday which snapped a two-game losing skid and it brings in an NHL best 21-6-1 road record but that is certainly playing into this line. The Capitals are 2-6 in their last eight games after allowing two goals or less in their previous game. Arizona is 17-6 in its last 23 games when playing against teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .750. 10* (20) Arizona Coyotes

This is a play on the VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES as part of our CBB Saturday Trifecta. The last time out, Virginia Tech got up by 12 points in the first half, then got down by four with a minute to go but got it to overtime against Boston College however it fell by four points. The Hokies have lost five straight games but three of those were on the road and they head home where they are 10-4 on the season. Virginia Tech takes great care of the ball as its 9.8 tpg ranks third nationally. The Hokies are ranked 15th nationally in three-point field goals made per game with 9.8 and is one of only four schools in a high-major conference to average 9.5 or more makes per game. The Panthers are coming off a 20-point loss at home to Clemson on Wednesday, falling 72-52 to snap their four-game home winning streak. Pittsburgh now hits the road where it is just 2-5 on the season. 9* (724) Virginia Tech Hokies

This is a play on the LOYOLA-CHICAGO RAMBLERS as part of our CBB Saturday Trifecta. Loyola-Chicago is coming off a pair of wins over Valparaiso and Evansville to improve to 9-4 in the MVC which is good for a tie for second place. The Ramblers, who have won six consecutive games on their home floor, have won 24 of their last 26 Missouri Valley games in Chicago. Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Loyola is 22-2 at home in conference play. The Ramblers need one more conference victory to have notched double-digit league wins for the third straight season. Loyola has won 10 or more conference contests three consecutive years just once in program history - 1982-83 through 1984-85. Northern Iowa sits in first place in the MVC at 11-2 as it has won six straight games but four of those were at home and the two road games were against losing teams. 9* (770) Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

This is a play on the ST. MARY'S GAELS as part of our CBB Saturday Trifecta. St. Mary's is coming off a 30-point loss at home to Gonzaga and that is something that will surely motivate the Gaels. They have fallen into fourth place in the WCC but could move back into third with a win here as they are out for revenge from an eight-point loss in overtime at Pacific last month. St. Mary's is listed as No. 31 in KenPom and are rated as having the 10th most efficient offense in the country. The Tigers are currently third in third place in the conference standings with an 8-4 WCC record and are 20-8 overall. Pacific has won their last five games after dropping their previous three to Santa Clara, BYU, and Gonzaga. However, four of those last five games have been at home and the 3-2 conference road record includes two wins against .500 or worse teams. 9* (778) St. Mary's Gaels

This is a play on the SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIES for our CBB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Southern Illinois had its seven-game winning streak snapped with a loss at Valparaiso on Wednesday. The Salukis are 9-4 in the MVC, the program's best MVC start through 13 games since 2006-07. Southern Illinois has a 10-game home court winning streak, the longest for the program since a 15-game home winning streak spanned parts of three seasons (end of 2005-06 through beginning of 2007-08). The Salukis are ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 60.8 ppg while also ranking top-50 nationally in fewest fouls per game (14th) and three-point field goal percentage defense (46th). Bradley has won two straight games to improve to 8-5 in the conference. Both of those wins were at home however and the Braves come in just 2-7 on the road. 10* (642) Southern Illinois Salukis

This is a play on the COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS for our NHL Friday Breakaway. Columbus looks to snap a three-game losing streak as it returns home where it is 18-10-3. The Blue Jackets are 9-1-3 in their last 13 games in a run that began Jan. 11, and they are coming off consecutive overtime losses, most recently a 4-3 defeat in Buffalo on Thursday. They are tied for seventh place in the Eastern Conference but are just three points behind Pittsburgh for second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets are 13-4 in their last 17 games against the Eastern Conference. New York is a season-high six games over .500 while sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, and their 62 points are nine points behind Columbus and Philadelphia, who are tied with 71 points for the final playoff spot. The Rangers are 12-27 in their last 39 games following a win. Here, we play against road teams in the second half of the season that are allowing three or more gpg, after scoring four goals or more in three straight games. This situation is 76-32 (70.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (76) Columbus Blue Jackets

This is a play on the TOLEDO ROCKETS for our CBB Friday Enforcer. Toledo snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over Miami Ohio on Tuesday but still failed to cover the number which makes it six straight non-covers. The Rockets are a disappointing 4-8 in the MAC after opening the season with lofty expectations but with six games left and the MAC Tournament, there is still hope. Closing games has been the issue as seven of the Rockets losses in conference play have been by seven points or less. Toledo is 1-10 this season in games decided by seven points or less so the record could be a lot better. The Rockets are outscoring opponents by nearly 10 ppg at home. Buffalo is coming off a home win over Central Michigan and it has been a pretty uneven run as the Bulls are just 2-3 over their last five games. They are 4-3 on the road which is respectable but go into a tough spot as Toledo is playing with revenge from a loss here nearly one year ago to the day. 10* (880) Toledo Rockets