Zack's Picks (2 Live)
The New York Jets got just their fourth win of the season last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. …
Zack's Past Picks
Two teams on extreme lows will meet tonight in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors are coming off losing by fifty one points to the Memphis Grizzlies, in a game where Steph Curry scored just two points, and Draymond Green went scoreless. Look for the Warriors to bounce back against a Timberwolves team that clearly has internal issues. Grab the points with the Warriors.
Saturday, we get another rare spot of two teams playing for the second time already on the season. Earlier this week I attacked the same victorious team with UNC Asheville over North Florida. Today, I’m going to back the team that lost in the first matchup with Fresno State. They took California Baptist to overtime in a neutral site Palm Springs game. This was after fighting a ten point halftime deficit. Take the home underdog in Fresno State to use the second half energy they had in Palm Springs, and cover at home.
The Milwaukee Bucks will be down a couple of key players tonight including Damian Lillard. That’s going to give Bobby Portis a chance to get closer to 30 minutes of action tonight, against a Cave team that has multiple bigs in their starting lineup. Portis has also shot the ball well against the Cavaliers this season, scoring double digits in both matchups. Play his over.
Conference play continues to begin throughout college basketball. On a smaller Thursday slate the Ohio Valley takes center stage with the majority of teams in play. Tennessee Tech is desperately searching for a win as they have dropped four straight and six of their last seven. Tennessee Tech amongst their ten wins and two conference road wins last season defeated Lindenwood. Take the slight underdog here.
Dennis Schroder is expected to make his Warriors debut Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies. This is a bit ironic as his last game as a Net was against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. A team that Schroder had success in three matchups this season with 33, 20, and 15 points scored. Being a veteran I don’t expect there to be any concerns on fitting in with Golden State. Take his over in the points market.
The Sun Belt yearly continues to be a cash cow in bowl season. We saw James Madison and South Alabama win and cover ATS with their backup quarterbacks under center. Sam Houston was a great turn around story from last year’s first season in division one. Their comeback win over Texas State down 21-0 in the first quarter was one of the best comebacks on the season. Yet, they faltered against even level competition. Take Georgia Southern to find cracks on the Bearkats defense. Lay the small number
After a 3-0 start the Pacific Tigers are just 2-7 over their last nine games. Part of that has been due to a rigorous schedule. They dropped away games against Arkansas and Missouri, and have faltered three other road games against Colorado, Illinois State, and UNLV. Back home look for Pacific to settle in against a heavy jump shot shooting team in Portland State. Back Pacific.
A bit of an under the radar quality matchup is on the schedule tonight as San Francisco travels to take on Bradley. This is the Dons first true road game of the season and will test their 9-2 record against 8-2 Bradley. San Francisco excels in the half court game and has shot makers all over the floor, including 6’6 freshman Tyrone Riley. Riley is averaging 11 points along with 5 rebounds. Grab the Dons as they battle in their first true road game of the season.
UMass is supposed to be one of the stronger state colleges in the northeast region. They have disappointed with losses to Central Connecticut and UMass Lowell. Over their last ten games they have just two wins over division one schools. Today look for a get right spot as Northeastern is playing back to back road games for the first time this season. Tail the small favorites here in UMass.
Cason Wallace of the Oklahoma City Thunder has earned himself a starting role this season. The combo guard is averaging over thirty minutes but averaging just 6.9 points per game. He’s shooting the ball at just 41.8 percent and does not get to the free throw line. Yet, look for the Bucks primary defense to target SGA and Jalen Williams giving Wallace some extra opportunities. On 6 to 7 shot attempts look for Wallace to make just enough to go over his points prop.
Road stretches in the month of December can be tough to evaluate, especially with the smaller schools. Tonight, Lamar will compete in their fourth straight road game and will face a Southern Miss team that is 4-0 at home. Look for the Cardinal to maybe struggle early but have adjustments to pull away from the number late. Take Lamar as they win their fifth straight game.
Towson has dropped five straight games, which culminated in a poor effort their last time out against Duquesne. They scored just 47 points and lost 65-47. The beginning of their losing streak was a tough tournament played in Canada which saw them go 0-3 against Kent State, Kennesaw State, and UC Irvine. Look for the losing streak to end against a favorable opponent in Robert Morris. Lay the short number.
North Florida is a team that will remain an attractive ATS team for the rest of the season. This has to do with their surprising early season efforts of outright wins against South Carolina and Georgia Tech. They also covered against Georgia. Yet, this is already their second time seeing UNC Asheville this season, and they lost the first matchup 89-75. Take UNC Asheville to once again handle the Ospreys at home.