New Jersey goes for the season sweep...

Texas is currently led by freshman guard Tre Johnson, who ranks 15th nationally with an average of 20.2 points per game. He has scored at least 23 points in five of his last seven games. The Longhorns have made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and must stack up some wins. Texas has a significant height advantage (No. 64 vs. No. 300) and will seek revenge for an earlier loss. Grab the points.

The Vancouver Canucks are one point behind Calgary for the final wild-card spot in the West. The Canucks will play with double revenge. Last December, Minnesota won 3-2 in OT as Kirill Kaprizov tallied the winner. In a February 2024 matchup, the Wild won 10-7, with Joel Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov responsible for six of the 10 goals. They are both OUT for this game. The Wild have won two straight despite getting outshot in both games, 64-42. Vancouver has gone 4-3 without Quinn Hughes, and there is a chance he'll be back for this game. Minnesota is ranked 27th in shots against and owns a -164 shot differential. Kevin Lankinen is 8-2 with a 2.43 GAA on Friday's last three seasons.

The LA Clippers are coming off two consecutive games against their cross-town rivals, the LA Lakers. In their recent home loss to Minnesota, the Phoenix Suns only scored 98 points while committing 22 turnovers. This season, the Suns have a perfect record of 3-0 against the Clippers. Norman Powell scored 63 points in those three matchups with a plus/minus of +24. However, he has been ruled out for this game. I like the home dog in this spot, with or without Bradley Beal. My model has this game at a zero-point spread.

In a January matchup, Kansas had a six-point lead in overtime and maintained a six-point advantage in double overtime with 20 seconds remaining. After a series of fluky plays, including a missed free throw by the Jayhawks and a poor inbounds pass, Houston secured a 92-86 victory. The Jayhawks have played the much tougher non-conference (No. 31 vs. No. 103) and overall schedules (No. 13 vs. No. 28). Kansas also has a height advantage (No. 77 vs. No. 235). Kansas shot only 22% from three-point range in their loss at home to Texas Tech. Positive regression is expected. The Jayhawks believe they can defeat this team, so I love taking the points in this spot.

Auburn is coming off a dominant 106-76 victory vs. Oklahoma. After playing three straight home games, the Tigers will hit the road for the first time in two weeks. Kentucky's home-court advantage at Rupp Arena is significant; the Wildcats have a 14-2 home record this season, losing only to Tennessee and Alabama. The Wildcats are now fully healthy and have the size that can match up with Auburn's skillful bunch. By assigning Amari Williams to guard Johni Broome and Andrew Carr to defend the less offensively threatening Dylan Cardwell, Kentucky should be able to limit Auburn's interior scoring. I like the home dog.

The Edmonton Oilers have been outscored 17-7 and outshot 101-67 in three games since returning to play after the break. They have lost a season-high four consecutive games. Last season, the Oilers went 2-0 after losing four games in a row. Last year, Florida defeated Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Finals, and then they beat them 6-5 in Edmonton last December. The Panthers allowed only 19 shots on goal while defeating the Predators on Tuesday. A strong system is to fade teams that allow less than 20 shots if they play against a winning team with one or fewer days of rest. I like the road team in this spot!

This will be the Predators’ third game in four days, and they are 1-1 since the break despite getting outshot in both games, 68-46. Nashville is ranked 26th in shots against per game and has a +13 shot differential. The Florida Panthers are ranked 10th in shots against and own a +271 shot differential. Florida is 10-3 after a loss and 5-2 when playing with two days of rest since December. In November, the Panthers defeated Nashville 6-2 and outshot them 34-18 as -210 home chalk. Matthew Tkachuk is OUT. However, the Florida Panthers have a lot of depth. I like the road team in this spot.

The Penn State Nittany Lions have lost their last seven true road games. They aim to avenge a 69-61 loss to Minnesota earlier this month after blowing a 10-point lead in the first half. They were without 7-foot center Yanic Konan Niederhauser. He has returned for the last two games, and their defense looks much better. Penn State is coming off a convincing 89-72 win against Nebraska, which snapped a seven-game losing streak. The Nittany Lions average 79.8 points per game, with five players scoring double figures. The Golden Gophers have a 2-8 record against the spread as a home favorite. This line is too high for a Penn State team that can win outright.

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Houston Rockets 127-114 at home on February 6th. At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets were leading 98-92 but outscored 35-16 in the fourth quarter. The Rockets are healthier now and should be motivated after entering the All-Star break with a 3-7 straight-up and a 2-8 against-the-spread records of late. According to my model, the Rockets are favored to win by 4 points.

Alabama has won eight straight games and matches up well against Auburn. The Crimson Tide has the size and experience to beat a team of Auburn's caliber. The Coleman Coliseum is a challenging venue for visiting teams, with a seating capacity of 15,316 fans, ranking as the 22nd largest in Division I basketball. Alabama is 26-3 at home over the last two seasons. This will be the Tigers' fifth game in 14 days, while Alabama has played one fewer game during that span. That is a huge factor this time of year. Alabama defeated the then-ranked 4th-seeded Tigers 79-75 at home last year, and this year's team is even stronger.

Both teams are playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Houston is dealing with significant injuries to key players. Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. are both out for this game, while Alperen Sengun is questionable with a back injury. The Warriors are a veteran team and want to end the “first half” on a high note. Golden State is 2-1 since trading for Jimmy Butler. My model has Houston favored by four points. I really like the road dog in this spot.

LeBron James has historically performed well against the Utah Jazz, averaging 28.1 points in 43 career games against them. In his most recent matchup this past Monday, he scored 24 points on an efficient 10-of-17 shooting in just 29 minutes. Utah ranks 30th in defensive efficiency and struggles to protect the rim, ranking in the bottom half in blocks. Additionally, with Luka Doncic listed as questionable due to a calf injury, James may need to take on more scoring responsibilities.

The beauty of head coach Andy Reid is that he creates a game plan that may differ from the offense used in previous weeks. He intentionally held Noah Gray out so the Eagles wouldn't entirely game-plan for him. I expect several 12-personnel plays to utilize Noah Gray's size downfield. Philadelphia will focus on defending against the run and quick passes, similar to the approach the Chiefs offense took against Buffalo. Gray has recorded only six catches for 30 yards in his last four games. In the 2023 Super Bowl, he had two receptions for 22 yards. That will work.

Dallas Goedert has exceeded this total in all three of his postseason games. In the 2023 Super Bowl, he recorded 60 receiving yards when these two teams faced off. During the regular season, Kansas City allowed the most receiving yards to opposing tight ends, averaging 70 yards per game. Dalton Schultz achieved 63 receiving yards in the divisional round against Kansas City. The Chiefs managed to limit the Bills' tight ends to a low total, partly due to some drops. Andy Reid and his staff will focus on stopping the run, which will widen the middle of the field. The indoor environment improves the chances of success for this prop bet.