Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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02-03-20 | Stars v. Rangers +124 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #68 Monday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - This one is all about the line value as the Stars road record is no better than the Rangers home record and yet overall market perception has Dallas price in the -140 range on this one. This is offering great home dog value to New York in this one. Keep in mind the Stars are on a 7-game streak in which they have NOT won a single game in regulation. The fact is that Dallas has won just 3 of its past 7 games and all 3 of those wins came AFTER regulation time. They have been far from dominant to say the least. Now the Stars are taking on a surging Rangers team whose confidence is building with each win. New York has won 6 of its past 9 games and their 6 wins have come by an average margin of 2.2 goals per game. None of those 6 Rangers wins have come in the overtime or shootout. In other words, unlike Dallas, New York has been taking care of business in regulation time of their games. Also, the Rangers are getting solid goalie play from 3 different netminders. All the different competition seems to be bringing out the best in all 3 goalies. Lundqvist, Georgiev, and Shesterkin have all been getting the job done between the pipes. Look for that to continue here and I'll go with the home dog in this one as they continue their push to get into the playoff race. The Rangers have won 6 of their past 8 home games and have scored an average of 5.2 goals per game in those 6 victories as a host! Dallas is 0 for 14 on the power play in their last 5 games. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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02-03-20 | Warriors v. Wizards OVER 235 | Top | 125-117 | Win | 100 | 11 h 46 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are off a rare low-scoring win. The over was on a 5-0 run in Washington's games prior to the tight win over Brooklyn. Now the Wizards host a Warriors team that also is off a win and which also has been getting involved in plenty of high-scoring games of late. Golden State games are on a 5-1 run to the over and the Warriors have averaged 116 points per game in their past 4 road games. Golden State has allowed an average of 122.2 points per game in their past 6 games. The Wizards have allowed 124.5 points per game in their past 10 games. That is why, despite the big total posted on this game, it will prove to not be big enough. A match-up of two bad teams, but both off wins, means a drop-off in defensive intensity here. The over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between these teams and that trend continues here. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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02-03-20 | Lafayette +1 v. Bucknell | Top | 65-62 | Win | 100 | 10 h 9 m | Show |
Patriot League Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play Lafayette Leopards (+) @ Bucknell Bison @ 7 ET - Revenge game for the Leopards. They blew a big half-time lead and lost by double digits to the Bison in Easton last month. Since that defeat, Lafayette has responded very well. As for Bucknell, it has been a downhill slide since then. The Bison have gone 3-5 SU since then and the only 3 victories were against the 3 worst teams in the Patriot League. Bucknell beat Holy Cross, Loyola (MD), and Lehigh. Those teams are each just 2-8 in conference games this season! Now the Bison host a revenge-minded Leopards team that is 14-7 on the season and has won 6 of 8 games since losing to Bucknell. Note that Lafayette is off a win over an American team that was 6-3 in conference action and, prior to that game, the Leopards knocked off the top team in the Patriot for a season sweep. Yes, Lafayette won at Colgate and that completed a 2-0 season series sweep over a Raiders team that is 8-0 against the rest of the Patriot League this season. The Leopards have been a pleasant surprise this season and red-hot Justin Jaworski and company get revenge here on the road in Lewisburg Monday. 10* LAFAYETTE |
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02-03-20 | North Carolina v. Florida State UNDER 143.5 | Top | 59-65 | Win | 100 | 9 h 20 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #862 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Florida State Seminoles vs North Carolina Tar Heels @ 7 ET - The Tar Heels last 6 games featured an OT game and a double-OT game. That has skewed the perception of their totals higher than it should be. Note that UNC has allowed 73 points or less in regulation time of 7 straight games. The average points allowed by North Carolina in this 7-game stretch was 68 points. The Seminoles are favored by about 10 points here. No matter how you look at it...if the Heels allow their average of 68 or their 7-game regulation high of 73...if the odds makers are right about the spread here you're looking at a game ranging from 68-58 (126 points) to 73-63 (136 points) and we've got a total in the mid-140s here! I'll gladly take the under here because Florida State has a history of struggles against the Tar Heels and will most definitely take advantage of facing them in a down year. The Noles can turn up the heat on defense. FSU has allowed just 62 points per game in their past two games. Also, in 2 of their last 3 home games Florida State has allowed 58 points or less. Look for a lower-scoring game than many are expecting as, even though the Heels welcomed back Cole Anthony recently they now have senior Brandon Robinson dealing with an ankle injury. The season of frustration continues for North Carolina as the Seminoles turn up the heat on defense in this one. 10* UNDER the total in Florida State |
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02-02-20 | 49ers +1.5 v. Chiefs | Top | 20-31 | Loss | -110 | 177 h 27 m | Show |
Super Bowl Slaughter - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #101 San Francisco 49ers (-) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 6:30 ET Sunday - The Chiefs have won and covered 8 games in a row. However, Kansas City has allowed an average of 25.3 points their last 3 games. The 49ers, conversely, have allowed an average of just 17 points their last 3 games. KC can be run on and San Francisco can and will emphasize the ground game here. That will help limit QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs scoring opportunities in this game as the Niners can use their ground game to control the tempo a bit in this game. The 49ers outrushed KC by over 100 yards in their meeting last season. San Francisco allowed 125 rushing yards in a recent game versus Seattle. However, in their other 4 recent games they have allowed an average of 61 rushing yards per game. Conversely the Chiefs have allowed 97 rushing yards per game their last 4 games. The Niners this season are 5-0 SU and ATS in their 5 games this season with lines ranging from -3 to +3. Can the Chiefs stay hot after scoring so many points in consecutive game? History says no. Kansas City is 4-9 ATS when they enter a game having scored 30 or more points in 3 straight games. The Niners have averaged running for 200 yards per game their past 3 games. San Francisco has scored an average of 32 points per game their last 6 games. The better defense and better ground game has me siding with the 49ers here. 10* SAN FRANCISCO |
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02-02-20 | Canucks v. Hurricanes OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 32 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Carolina Hurricanes vs Vancouver Canucks @ 2:05 ET - The Canucks continue red hot in terms of scoring goals but they're going to need that goal-scoring today in this back-to-back situation. I know that Thatcher Demko, back-up goalie, has played well of late but that's because those games were at home where he has been superb this season. Demko, on the road, has allowed 8 goals on 65 shots in his last two appearances. I expect him to be between the pipes here because Jacob Markstrom was in goal for yesterday's Canucks win over the Islanders. Vancouver has now scored 3 or more goals in all 7 of its wins during its current 7-1 run. In fact, the Canucks have averaged 4 goals per game in those 7 victories. Vancouver is facing a desperate Carolina team here and I expect the Hurricanes to battle hard. But the point is the red-hot Canucks are rolling with confidence right now and should match the Canes goal for goal in this one. Carolina is off a 4-3 loss to Vegas but that was the first time in 7 home games that the Hurricanes didn't earn at least a point in the standings. They've scored 7 goals in their past two games and will be ready to attack the Canucks here. Look for them to enjoy plenty of success in the offensive zone in doing so but, again, I don't foresee them shutting down a Vancouver team that has won 14 of 17 games. Take advantage of the low total of 5.5 posted on this game. 10* OVER the total in Carolina |
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02-02-20 | Blue Jackets +122 v. Canadiens | Top | 4-3 | Win | 122 | 5 h 10 m | Show |
Afternoon Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Sunday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 2:05 ET - The Blue Jackets will have Elvis Merzlikins back between the pipes for this one. Merzlikins is 5-0 in his last 5 starts and has allowed a total of only 5 goals during this stretch. Overall, ever since Joonas Korpisalo got hurt, Merzlikins has been phenomenal between the pipes. The Blue Jackets used Matiss Kivlenieks in yesterday's OT loss at Buffalo. While Columbus will have a red hot goalie between the pipes for this one, the situation is expected to be much different for the Canadiens. Their red hot goalie is Carey Price and he was between the pipes in yesterday's 4-0 shutout win over Florida. That means Charlie Lindgren is likely to be in the crease tonight for Montreal. The Habs back-up netminder is 0-3 this season and has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts. In his only start last season Lindgren allowed 5 goals. The season before that was the only season in which Lindgren saw significant NHL action. He lost 10 of 14 starts and compiled a 3.03 GAA. The point is that he is a significant step down from Price between the pipes. Should the Canadiens decide to use Price here it would be a tough back to back spot for him. That said, look for it to be Lindgren and look for Merzlikins to win this battle! The Canadiens are off back to back wins but they had lost 10 of 14 previously. Also, the Habs have not won 3 straight games since early December. Montreal is 0-3 the last 3 times they have entered a game off back to back wins. The Blue Jackets are off that OT loss yesterday and are 3-0 the last 3 times they entered a game off a defeat. Also, prior to that loss Columbus had won 15 of 19 games. This the perfect spot to get plus money with a red hot Blue Jackets team in bounce back mode. 10* COLUMBUS |
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02-02-20 | Nuggets v. Pistons OVER 215.5 | Top | 123-128 | Win | 100 | 5 h 25 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Denver Nuggets @ 12:35 ET - This is a bad scheduling spot for the Nuggets. The result should be plenty of points. I don't expect a lot of defensive intensity from Denver here. They are off a huge win (at Milwaukee) Friday. The Bucks are the #1 team in the NBA this season. On deck for the Nuggets are divisional battles versus Portland and at Utah. In other words, this is an ideal "flat spot" for Denver. Normally that would mean to fade the Nuggets but there is no way I can fade them with a team playing as poorly as Detroit. The Pistons enter this game on an 0-5 SU/ATS run. What I do expect here is plenty of offense. Detroit is off a rare low-scoring home game. Prior to the ugly home loss to Toronto, Pistons games were on a 14-4 run to the over. Detroit had averaged 114.1 points per game their 9 previous games. The Nuggets enter this game having scored an average of 115 points per game their past 10 road games. This total opened up at a 218 and has dropped to 215 as of early game day morning. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the line move but, as always, it is not without reason. Per the analysis above, a bit of a sub-par defensive game expected from Denver here but they can (and will) come roaring back on the offensive end against a bad Pistons team. That helps send this one flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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02-02-20 | Miami-FL v. Pittsburgh OVER 136.5 | Top | 57-62 | Loss | -109 | 4 h 56 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #831 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Panthers vs Miami Hurricanes @ Noon ET - Big mistake right? The odds makers kept this total (138) in the same range as the first meeting this season even though that game totaled just 124 points. The odds makers don't know what they're doing, right? Long-time followers know how I feel about that philosophy! That said, I am happy to fade the early line move on this one as it already came down to a 136.5 as of early game day morning. The fact is that the Panthers had a horrific shooting effort at Miami in their meeting last month. Note that Pittsburgh took 64 shots from the field so certainly the proper pace was there for an over. Of course I expect the Panthers to shoot much better from the field here. Note that Miami is allowing 78 points per game on the road this season. Also, prior to a strong effort on defense in their most recent game, the Canes had allowed an average of 86.5 points per game their 4 prior games. Their most recent game stayed under the total but that was preceded by 3 straight overs. As for the Panthers, the over is on a 6-3 run. The Panthers have scored an average of 73.2 points per game in their past 6 home games. Miami has scored 71 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games. The Hurricanes can score well here against the Panthers but, they've proven time and time again this season that they are not a very good team defensively and this has proven particularly true on the road. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh |
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02-01-20 | Nets v. Wizards OVER 239 | Top | 107-113 | Loss | -109 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets @ 8:05 ET - Neither team known for its defense. Bradley Beal currently red hot for the Wizards. The Nets Kyrie Irving is off a game in which he scored 54 points last night. Also, in his most recent road game, Irving tallied 45 points. Even though this is a back to back for Brooklyn, they were able to rest guys thanks to winning by a blowout margin. Irving only had to play 32 minutes and no other Net played more than 30 minutes. That sets this one up well for Brooklyn to still have plenty left in the tank! That spells trouble for a Wizards team that has allowed an average of 137 points per game in its last 3 games. But Washington certainly scores well at home and the Nets have allowed 117 points per game their last 9 games. This total may seem "big" at 239 but folks you have to look at the numbers and Beal is "feeling it" right now for the Wizards and the Nets are coming off a huge win last night and are certainly "feeling it" too with their shots right now. Brooklyn has now scored more than 120 points in 3 of its last 4 games. More of the same expected here. The over is 7-2 in the Nets last 9 games. The over is 5-0 in the Wizards last 5 games. Those trends continue in DC on Saturday. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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02-01-20 | Heat -1.5 v. Magic | Top | 102-89 | Win | 100 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Saturday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - The Heat should have Kendrick Nunn back for this one. That is a key as he is the 2nd leading scorer on the team plus also averages 3.5 assists per game. A rookie, Tyler Herro, had been starting in his place the last 3 games. The Heat only went 1-2 in those games. The lone win was against the Magic and it came by a big margin. This one likely to be tighter because it is in Orlando, but I still expect the Heat to prevail by very close to double digits in this one. That said, lay the small number. The Magic have lost 6 of their past 7 games including 3 straight games at home. The Heat lost at Orlando by 20 points early last month. It is payback time here and, keep in mind, the road team had won 3 straight meetings in this series prior to that January 3rd home win for the Magic. Jimmy Butler and a healthy Nunn will help lead the way to a road rout here. 10* MIAMI |
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02-01-20 | Blues v. Jets +140 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 140 | 8 h 7 m | Show |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Saturday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Both teams coming off a loss yesterday. The Jets are playing this game with big-time revenge. Not only did Winnipeg get knocked out of the playoffs by St Louis last year, the Blues also have won both meetings this season. That included an OT win here at Winnipeg too. The Jets are seeking payback and I like the goalie situation here. Connor Hellebuyck was saved for this start and the Winnipeg netminder has great numbers against the Blues in his career. Jordan Binnington gets the start for St Louis here and he has allowed 4 goals in each of his last 3 starts! One of those he was chased in the 2nd period and, overall, he has saved just 55 of the last 67 shots he has faced - an ugly .821 save percentage. I am aware that the Jets are on a losing streak but the Blues have won just 1 of their past 7 road games and I also liked what I saw from Winnipeg in their tight loss versus the Bruins last night. That said, the Jets are offering tremendous home dog line value here in this one Saturday. 10* WINNIPEG |
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02-01-20 | Avalanche v. Flyers OVER 6 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 40 m | Show |
Blowout Total - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs Colorado Avalanche @ 7:05 ET - Teams can be a little sloppy in their first game after the All Star break and that can lead to turning the puck over, odd man rushes, and overall strong scoring opportunities. That said, this is the first game since the break for the Avalanche and I expect their goalie could struggle with rust too. Look for the Flyers to take advantage as they already have a game under the belt as they got back in action last night at Pittsburgh. That ended up being a 4-3 loss in overtime for the Flyers but they can take advantage of early of some Avs rust in this one. However, I look for Colorado to also rally back and enjoy plenty of success in the offensive zone once they get their skating legs back under them. They are one of the most dangerous teams in the NHL when it comes to their skilled forwards. They'll take advantage of facing Philadelphia during a time when they're dealing with a tough goalie situation. Carter Hart is still out with an injury and Brian Elliott started last night at Pittsburgh. That means little-used Alex Lyon gets the start here. He allowed 4 goals in his only other start this season. He has allowed 3 or more goals in 4 of his last 5 NHL appearances. The Flyers have scored 3 or more goals in 5 of their last 6 games. The Avalanche have scored an average of 5 goals per game during their current 3-game winning streak! 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
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02-01-20 | New Mexico v. Fresno State OVER 144 | Top | 77-82 | Win | 100 | 7 h 60 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #717 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Fresno State Bulldogs vs New Mexico Lobos @ 5 ET - The Lobos get involved in high-scoring games no matter whom they're playing. The Bulldogs are coming off a momentum boosting road win at Air Force in which they shot the ball very well. That certainly can continue here at home as Fresno State has knocked down 37.3% of their three pointers this season when at home. Also, New Mexico is simply a very poor team defensively. By the way, in terms of the Lobos production on offense, I am aware they are missing a couple guys right now but those guys have been out for the last few games and it was not a huge impact. Yes, New Mexico did not score well against San Diego State but the Aztecs are 22-0 this season for a reason. Prior to that, the Lobos scored an average of 80 points in two games without JaQuan Lyle and Vance Jackson. That continued a season-long trend as New Mexico is averaging 79 points per game this season. The Lobos simply don't play defense though and they are allowing an average of 97 points per game in their last 4 road games! As for the Bulldogs, they are looking to atone for a very ugly performance offensively in their most recent home game. They have struggled in recent home games against Boise State and San Diego State. Look for them to bounce back at home against the run and gun Lobos and this should turn into a wild high-scoring game. The over is 9-2 in New Mexico's last 11 games. The over is 3-0 in Fresno State's last 3 games. The Bulldogs have allowed an average of 80.3 points per game their last 3 games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Fresno State |
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02-01-20 | UNLV +6.5 v. Colorado State | Top | 77-95 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 36 m | Show |
Afternoon Rout - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #687 Saturday 10* Top Play UNLV Running Rebels (+) @ Colorado State Rams @ 4 ET - The Rebels are off back to back losses but they faced two very tough tests as they travel to Reno to face Nevada and then were at home against San Diego State. UNLV got the cover against the Aztecs but San Diego State is now 22-0 SU on the season. In other words, no real shame in that performance. Also, Nevada is now 9-2 SU at home this season and that defeat for the Rebels was expected. Now I am not saying that Colorado State is an easy place to play but UNLV has had more success here than in Reno in recent seasons. I also like the fact that the Rebels are even deeper now since an original starting guard, Elijah Mitrou-Long, is now back from injury. He actually lost his starting job to Marvin Coleman by virtue of being out. However, he has handled it like a true professional and now the Rebels are an even stronger team as a result. This line opened up at -5 and has moved to a -6.5 and I love the value in going against the move here with a very hungry (and rested and healthy) UNLV team off back to back losses. Note that the Rams are off a non-covering 1 point win versus Nevada. That was a hard-fought win and was also a revenge game for Colorado State. Watch them now fall short here against an angry Rebels team. I expect the outright upset but will certainly be grabbing the generous points for added insurance. 10* UNLV |
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01-31-20 | Capitals v. Senators +1.5 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -140 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #24 Friday 10* Top Play Ottawa Senators Puck Line +1.5 goals vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Capitals are looking to bounce back off a loss. However, Alexander Ovechkin and Company also have a huge game on deck for early Sunday against Sidney Crosby and Company. Indeed it may be hard for the Caps to maintain focus here against a Senators team which they've dominated in recent meetings when you consider that they do have the mighty Penguins on deck. That could prove to be dangerous here for Washington because Ottawa has been much more competitive since an embarrassing 6-1 loss in DC a few weeks ago. First off the Capitals are only 3-3 in their last 6 road games and one of those wins came by a single goal. Now lets talk about what the revenge-minded Sens have done since that embarrassing loss versus the Caps. The Senators have only failed to earn a point ONCE in their past SEVEN games since that ugly defeat. The Sens have had two shootout losses, two overtime losses, and two outright wins during this stretch. That means only 1 loss by more than a single goal in their past 7 games. I love the value here with the scrappy Sens getting +1.5 goals at a reasonable price (-140 range) in this one. The Senators will be in this one throughout and I would not be surprised to see yet another Sens game that goes past regulation time to decide the winner. 10* OTTAWA Puck Line +1.5 goals |
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01-31-20 | Bulls v. Nets OVER 219.5 | Top | 118-133 | Win | 100 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:35 ET - The over is 6-2 in the Nets last 8 games. Brooklyn is averaging 110 points per game this season but also allows 112 points per game. Speaking of sub-par defense, the Bulls are allowing 110 points and 47.3% from the field in their road games this season. The over is on a 3-0 run in Chicago's games. Granted the Bulls most recent game did involve overtime. However, prior to that one Chicago had allowed an average of 110 points per game over their past 7 games away from home. The key to the over here is that the Nets are happy to play at a fast pace at home and the Bulls have been scoring well when facing teams with a losing record. There has been only one exception for Chicago in recent weeks when facing a team with a losing record and that is when they had a horrific shooting effort at home against the Kings. Other than that, in their last 5 games against teams with a losing record, the Bulls have averaged 115.6 points per game! You can see why I am expecting both teams to eclipse the 110 mark in this one and that will send this one flying over the total. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn |
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01-31-20 | Flyers v. Penguins OVER 6 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 23 m | Show |
Divisional Blowout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #19 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers held the Penguins to just 19 shots on goal in a 3-0 shutout win in Philly on Tuesday prior to the All Star break. This game will play out entirely different! The Penguins are at home, both teams have been off for a week and a half, and Pittsburgh will be very aggressive here. Clubs have had a tendency to be a little sloppy after the layoff and I don't expect this situation to be any different in this match-up. That means some turnovers and odd man rushes which lead to great scoring chances plus the goalies are likely to be rusty. The Penguins are angry after the shutout loss and scored 7 goals the last time they hosted the Flyers. Of course Philadelphia is still without #1 goalie Carter Hart and the Flyers have a home game versus Colorado on deck tomorrow. That exasperates this situation for Philly in terms of the goalie duties. The Flyers have scored 3 or more goals in 8 of their last 11 games. The Penguins are favored with good reason and I expect them to match Philly goal for goal. Of course a game can not end 3-3 so look for 7 or more in this one. I like the value here because the total has been held lower due to what happened in the meeting before the break. This game will play out much differently. The Penguins have scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 7 home games and I expect them to get at least that here. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh |
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01-31-20 | Raptors v. Pistons +5 | Top | 105-92 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 8 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Friday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Raptors have won 9 straight games but they are a banged up team right now and playing the 2nd night of a back to back. Toronto did win the 2nd game of their very first back to back this season but, since then, the Raptors are only 3-3 in the 2nd game of a back to back. Not only that, 2 of those 3 wins came by 2 or less points! That is why I see value here at home with a hungry and rested Pistons team catching about 5 points as of early this morning. Detroit has lost both meetings with Toronto this season and also enters this game on an 0-4 SU and ATS run. To say the least, the Pistons are due for a big game and I expect them to get it here in an ideal situation. Note that last night's non-covering win for the Raptors dropped them to 1-3 ATS in their last 4 road games. They are over-priced here and Toronto will struggle just to win, let alone cover, this game. Grab the points with the home dog. 10* DETROIT |
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01-31-20 | Akron v. Kent State -1.5 | Top | 67-68 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 0 m | Show |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #854 Friday 10* Kent State Golden Flashes (-) vs Akron Zips @ 6:30 ET - The Zips have over-achieved early this season and that has led to line value here in this spot with the Golden Flashes at home. Kent State is 13-1 at home their last 14 games and came into this season projected to finish near the top of the MAC East while Akron was projected to finish near the bottom of the MAC East. The cream eventually rises to the top and we're starting to see some signs that the Zips defense, so strong last season, is a much different animal this season. Akron had a strong game defensively at Miami-Ohio but has allowed an average of 87 points in their other 3 recent games! As for the Golden Flashes, they have allowed 70 points or less in 3 of their past 4 games. Also, their most recent home game was a loss and they'll be looking to make up for that here. Kent State had won their first 9 home games this season. This is just the 2nd home game for the Golden Flashes in a span of 3 weeks. Also, the home team has won 4 straight in this series. Look for that streak for the host to reach 5-0 by the time this one goes final this evening! 10* KENT STATE |
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01-31-20 | Harvard v. Pennsylvania OVER 142.5 | Top | 72-75 | Win | 100 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #851 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pennsylvania Quakers vs Harvard Crimson @ 5 ET - This total opened up at a 146 and has dropped to a 142.5 in early market activity. Of course the market activity is telling the odds makers they don't know what they're doing. Long-time followers know how I feel about that. I am grabbing the value on the other side of this move and expecting plenty of points here. Yes, the Quakers are finally off a win (versus Temple) in their most recent game but the fact they allowed only 59 points in that victory was definitely an aberration. Penn actually allowed 75 shots from the field for the Owls! Also, in the Quakers prior two home games they had allowed an average of 82.5 points per game. Penn will struggle to stop Harvard here. The last two meetings between these teams stayed under the total but, prior to this, it had been 5 straight overs in this series. Also, each of the last 3 meetings between these teams in Philly have gone over the total. Look for this one to as well. The Quakers have struggled with their 3-point shot this season but normally do shoot it better at home and note that the Crimson have allowed 38% shooting from beyond the arc in road games this season. Also, before scoring just 66 points versus Temple, Penn had averaged 77.8 points per game in their 5 prior games. The Crimson enter this game having averaged 74 points per game in the 7 games since their star guard Bryce Aiken got injured. Look for both teams to get well past the 70 mark here and that sends this one flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Pennsylvania |
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01-30-20 | Predators -134 v. Devils | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 45 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #15 Thursday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:35 ET - First off, an excerpt from yesterday's write-up involving Nashville: "The media often sensationalizes things and I keep reading about Nashville being done for this season, etc. First off, those writing that nonsense need to check their math skills too. Even AFTER the loss to Toronto Monday (by the way Maple Leafs are a good team), the Predators are still only 6 points out of a wild card spot and there is a "kicker" to this too! Nashville has FOUR games in hand on the team currently in the final wild card spot. Those FOUR games are worth EIGHT points fellas. Anyway, enough of that but the point is that the Preds are far from done and will keep fighting." Sure enough, as expected, the Predators showed plenty of fight in battling back for a 5-4 win at Washington last night. Now, even though this is a back to back spot, I am expecting Pekka Rinne to be back between the pipes for the Preds since Juuse Saros started last night's game. Rinne is a fierce competitor and showed rust against the Maple Leafs Monday in his first start after the All Star break. He'll bounce back here and had allowed 2 or less goals in 3 of his 5 prior starts as he continues to alternate good and bad starts. I look for that pattern to continue here and another big key to this play is that Nashville is truly fighting hard and will ride the momentum of last night's win over the Capitals. New Jersey has announced Mackenzie Blackwood as the starter here. He allowed "only" 3 goals in his most recent start but that was against Ottawa. Blackwood faces a much tougher task here plus he entered that start against the Senators having allowed 4 or more goals in EACH of his 3 preceding starts. Nashville is the better team with the better goalie and they are fully focused on this road trip as a great opportunity to make a major move in the standings. Last night's win at Washington started it and they will continue it with a win at New Jersey (losers of 6 of 8 prior to win over Sens). Note that the Predators have won 7 of their past 11 road games. 10* NASHVILLE |
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01-30-20 | 76ers -7.5 v. Hawks | Top | 117-127 | Loss | -109 | 12 h 9 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - At first glance this would look like a great spot to back the home dog Hawks since the 76ers have a huge game on deck at Boston. However, Atlanta is ravaged by injuries right now and Philadelphia is simply the must healthier team right now and, of course, the much stronger team. Yes it is true that the Sixers might rest Al Horford here but fellow big man Joel Embiid is back and likely to be even stronger in this game than he was in his first game back after the time off due to injury. Also, even though the 76ers are embarking on a big road trip with big games on deck at Boston, Miami, and Milwaukee, none of the games are back to back. Philly, including Embiid, will be going all out here and the injury-riddled Hawks roster won't be able to stop them. Keep in mind Atlanta has allowed 120 points or more in 6 of its last 7 games. The 76ers have allowed an average of only 100.3 points per game their last 10 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-30-20 | Minnesota +5.5 v. Illinois | Top | 51-59 | Loss | -115 | 11 h 46 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #627 Thursday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Illinois Illini @ 7:30 ET - Nice set up here with the Illini off a big win at Michigan and the Golden Gophers off an ugly loss versus Michigan State. Minnesota, after the home loss to the Spartans, should respond in a big way here. The Gophers are 6-0 SU the last 6 times they've entered a game off a loss this season. Should Minnesota fall short of the outright upset here, note that Illinois is on a 6 game winning streak but 4 of the last 5 Illini victories have come by a margin of 4 or less points! In fact, not including a blowout win over an outclassed North Carolina AT & T team, Illinois has seen only 2 of its past 8 games result in a win for the Illini by a margin of more than 4 points. Minnesota got thrashed here at Illinois by 27 points last season so revenge is on order in this one. The Golden Gophers are 3-1 SU (and 4-0 ATS!) when they enter a game having scored 65 points or less in each of their 3 prior games. Illinois is off back to back covers and that is a situation that has seen them go 0-10 ATS! Look for that perfect trend to continue as, once again, the third time is NOT the charm for the Illini. The Golden Gophers, for the 7th time, respond with a win when they are coming off a loss. 10* MINNESOTA |
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01-30-20 | Canadiens v. Sabres OVER 6 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 56 m | Show |
Divisional Blowout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - Great spot for an over. Both teams off a disappointing first game after the All Star break. The Canadiens managed just 2 goals in a home loss to the Capitals. The Sabres managed just 2 goals in a home loss to the Senators. Buffalo knows they must turn it around in the offensive zone and that is even more important now because they just lost their top goalie, Linus Ullmark, to injury toward the end of the loss to Ottawa. Note that the last 5 games between these teams have averaged a total of 8.6 goals scored per game! The over went 4-1 in those 5 contests and I am expected another over in this one. Considering Ullmark is out, we've got great value with this total posted at a 6. The Sabres are hell-bent on getting back on track on home ice and will pepper the Habs Carey Price with shots. Note that Price has allowed 10 goals in his last two starts against Buffalo. Also, Price has allowed 7 goals in his last two starts. The Sabres should enjoy success against Price but they'll need every bit of it because Carter Hutton is going to get the start here due to the Ullmark injury. Note that Hutton started this season red-hot but hasn't won a game in 3 months! He is 0-7-4 with an .867 save percentage in his dozen appearances since the red hot start. Also, Hutton has allowed 4 or more goals in 7 of his last 8 starts. Those are amazingly poor numbers and in 6 of those 7 ugly starts he actually allowed 5 or more goals. With this game meaning so much to each hockey club coupled with the fact struggling goalies are involved I am expecting a very high-scoring divisional battle in this one. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo |
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01-30-20 | Hornets v. Wizards OVER 227.5 | Top | 107-121 | Win | 100 | 11 h 11 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets tend to play lower-scoring games and the Wizards tend to play higher-scoring games. Something has to give here. I feel strongly that Washington, at home and off back to back losses, is going to dictate the pace here. That will mean plenty of points in this one. Note that Charlotte was happy to be coming off a win but certainly not happy about being held under 100 points. They do have fresh legs because of their recent road trip to Paris, France to take on the Bucks. Though that resulted in a lot of travel for the Hornets it also has resulted in plenty of rest. Charlotte's offensive production is likely to enjoy a huge uptick here as they have averaged 118.2 points per game in their last 6 games against Washington! The Wizards, in regulation time of their last 4 games, have scored an average of 126.5 points per game. The over is 4-0 in Washington's last 4 games. The Hornets are well rested and no that they can afford to be in a higher-paced game here and get plenty of good looks against a Wizards team that is one of the worst in the league defensively. The result is plenty of points in this one. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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01-30-20 | College of Charleston v. James Madison OVER 151.5 | Top | 87-68 | Win | 100 | 9 h 7 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #617 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in James Madison Dukes vs College of Charleston Cougars @ 6:30 ET - Two slumping teams and James Madison is bad overall and the College of Charleston is on an 0-5 ATS run. That means plenty of points here as the Dukes have allowed 78 points or more in 7 of their past 9 games. James Madison simply doesn't focus much on the defensive end (and allowed 85 points to Cougars in first meeting) but one thing the Dukes do better at home is score plenty. James Madison is averaging 80.6 points per game at home this season. The Dukes can't stop anybody but they do score well as a host and that should lead to a very high-scoring battle here. Don't be surprised if the Cougars again eclipse the 80 point mark here but, with James Madison at home for this rematch, the Dukes should be hanging around all the way in this one. As a result, I am expecting the 160 range here and yet this total is down closer to the 150 range. I'll grab the value here as the over is 6-3 in Dukes home games and also 6-3 in Charleston conference games this season. 10* OVER the total in James Madison |
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01-29-20 | Grizzlies v. Knicks OVER 224 | Top | 127-106 | Win | 100 | 13 h 48 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are off games yesterday in which they allowed less than 100 points. Memphis held Denver to just 96 points in a big win over the Nuggets and so I am fully expecting a more lax defensive effort here after that big home win. As for the Knicks, though it was surprising they allowed just 97 at Charlotte last night it was also surprising that they scored just 92 points. Look for a huge bounce back on the offensive end now that they are back home for tonight's game. New York averaged 111 points per game in their past two home games. The Knicks also are allowing 112 points per game this season and the Grizzlies are allowing 116 points per game on the season. After last night's unusual results, look for normalcy to return tonight. Memphis has allowed 112 points or more in each of its last 6 road games. The over is 7-3 in the Grizzlies last 10 non-conference games. The over is 4-2 in the last 6 road games for Memphis. More of the same expected here after last night's unusual results for each team. 10* OVER the total in New York |
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01-29-20 | Maple Leafs +105 v. Stars | Top | 5-3 | Win | 105 | 10 h 31 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Wednesday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) @ Dallas Stars @ 7:35 ET - The Maple Leafs are off a dominating 5-2 win at Nashville Monday. The Stars are off a hard-fought OT home win over the Lightning Monday. The set up here is a good one for Toronto as they catch Dallas off an upset win over a Tampa Bay team that is absolutely one of the best teams in the NHL. Note that the Stars scored just two goals in regulation of that game and have averaged scoring just 1.6 goals per game their past 7 games! In fact, Dallas has been held to 2 or less goals in regulation time in each of their last 5 games! As for the Maple Leafs, they are one of the highest scoring teams in the league and they enter this game having scored an average of 4.3 goals per game their past 20 games! Incredibly, the Leafs have scored 4 or more goals in 15 of their last 20 games. You can see that these two teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of goal-scoring and that includes the recent downturn in that department for the Stars as well. That said, and given the fierce battle that Dallas just had with the Bolts, I look for the Leafs to complete the 2-0 road trip sweep as they pull away as this game goes on. 10* TORONTO |
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01-29-20 | Predators v. Capitals OVER 6.5 | Top | 5-4 | Win | 104 | 9 h 60 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs Nashville Predators @ 7:35 ET - The media often sensationalizes things and I keep reading about Nashville being done for this season, etc. First off, those writing that nonsense need to check their math skills too. Even AFTER the loss to Toronto Monday (by the way Maple Leafs are a good team), the Predators are still only 6 points out of a wild card spot and there is a "kicker" to this too! Nashville has FOUR games in hand on the team currently in the final wild card spot. Those FOUR games are worth EIGHT points fellas. Anyway, enough of that but the point is that the Preds are far from done and will keep fighting. This looks like a great spot for them to score some goals as they catch the Capitals off an Eastern Conference battle at Montreal and this is the type of non-conference battle that tends to be a little more lax in terms of defense. You see that a lot and the Caps are off a gritty effort Monday and have another Eastern Conference road game on deck. Note that the Capitals will have Alexander Ovechkin back tonight and Washington enters this game having scored an average of 3.8 goals per game their last 11 games! The Predators two most recent road games were low-scoring battles but, prior to that, Nashville actually has been scoring much better on the road with a ton of goals. In fact, even including their two most recent road contests, the Predators are scoring an average of 4 goals per game in their past 11 away from home. Sometimes, when a team is pressing too much with the puck they actually are better off being away from the pressures of home. Don't be surprised if they bounce back big tonight but I expect the high-powered Capitals to match them goal for goal which means we're in for a very high-scoring game here. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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01-29-20 | St. Joe's v. Massachusetts OVER 151.5 | Top | 76-91 | Win | 100 | 11 h 12 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #803 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Massachusetts Minutemen vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - Two bad teams thanks in large part to horrific defense. These teams focus on scoring points and are generally very lax on the defensive end. I know UMass is off a game in which they allowed only 64 points but that is certainly the exception rather than the norm for them. The Minutemen had allowed an average of 78 points in 7 games leading up to that one. The Hawks are allowing 83.5 points per game on the road this season. St Joseph's has struggled defending the 3-point shot this season and Massachusetts is known for success from beyond the arc, particularly at home. Two of the last 3 meetings between these teams, including the most recent one here, have totaled 158 points or more. This total opened up at 154 and dropped to a 151.5 in early market action. The Hawks have averaged scoring 80 points per game in their last 3 road games. UMass is averaging 76.5 points per game at home this season where they are also knocking down 39% of their three pointers this season. The over is 7-1 in St Joseph's road games this season. The over is 4-1 when the Minutemen are off an outright upset win as an underdog. Look for these trends to continue in a high-scoring game here. 10* OVER the total in Massachusetts |
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01-29-20 | Temple +6 v. Connecticut | Top | 63-78 | Loss | -108 | 9 h 26 m | Show |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Wednesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) @ Connecticut Huskies @ 7 ET - Kobe Bryant was a Philadelphia native. Of course the world was rocked by his untimely passing this weekend and you may ask yourself what that has to do with this play though. Plenty! Aaron McKie, the Owls coach, is also a Philly native. Of course Temple is based in Philadelphia. I know emotions and energy and passion can only take you so far on the basketball court but this is absolutely a "rally the troops" game for the Owls. This game is being played at Connecticut but you can bet that the Owls are bringing plenty of energy and passion and emotion from Philly for this game. McKie has had a great message for the team since the passing of Bryant on Sunday. Though the Owls have struggled recently, I am going to take advantage of them getting a half dozen points here against a Huskies team that has also been struggling. It is hard to justify UConn being a 6-point favorite when they have lost 6 of their past 7 games. Also, the Owls have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and the lone loss came by a margin of 6 points while the average margin of the 3 victories was 17 points. I am aware of De'Vondre Perry and Josh Pierre-Louis both being questionable on the injury report. But I really don't expect Pierre-Louis to miss this game and Perry is off a horrific shooting performance. In fact the entire team shot poorly at Penn in their most recent game and that is why they lost despite taking 20+ more shots from the field than the Quakers. After that very strange and unexpected result, the Owls bounce back here and play a solid 40 for Kobe in this one! 10* TEMPLE |
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01-28-20 | Pelicans v. Cavs +8 | Top | 125-111 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 47 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #546 Tuesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers snapped their losing streak with a big win at Detroit last night. Even though that make this a back to back spot for Cleveland, note that only 1 player logged more than 26 minutes in last night's victory over the Pistons. That player was Collin Sexton and he has played extremely well this season in back to back spots so I have no concern that he logged 38 minutes yesterday. The earliest number on this game had the Pelicans as a 4.5 point favorite but the line is now up to an 8 and this is simply too many points to be giving home dog Cleveland. Yes, I know they have had some ugly losses during their losing streak but coming off a big road win last night will have the confidence of the Cavs trending the right direction. Look for the Cavaliers to go very hard here in a quest for their first home win since prior to Christmas! The Pelicans took both match-ups last season so Cleveland is seeking payback here. The Pelicans are off a big win versus Boston and have a Western Conference foe (Memphis) on deck. Will New Orleans be able to maintain full focus against a 13-34 Cavaliers team? I say absolutely not and this game goes down to the wire. Give me the points! 10* CLEVELAND |
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01-28-20 | Senators v. Sabres OVER 6 | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 10 h 43 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #83 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - The Senators are in the 2nd night of a back to back and are still without their top goalie Anders Nilsson. That means Craig Anderson is likely to be in goal tonight. He is having a horrible season and also has allowed 4 or more goals in EACH of his last FIVE starts! The Sabres are expected to get a boost with the return of Jeff Skinner tonight. Buffalo wants to make a big push right out of the gate here after the All Star break. Look for them to score early and often in this one as they pepper Anderson with shots. However, Ottawa does have one edge here and that is the fact they played last night and were able to work off the "rust" from the All Star break. Don't be surprised if their skaters, as a result, are able to generate some quality scoring chances early in this game as a result. As strong as Linus Ullmark has been between the pipes this season for the Sabres, he certainly could be a little rusty here after the layoff. As a result. don't be surprised if the Senators again score 3 goals just like they did in last night's shootout loss to the Devils. Ullmark has allowed at least 2 goals in each of his last 8 home starts. Also, he has allowed 11 goals in his last 4 games on home ice. So certainly he is solid but it is not like he has been an impenetrable wall and the layoff could hurt him here early before he settles back in. That said, with the Sens quite likely to get 2 or 3 goals here and the Sabres quite likely to win this game by a margin of 2 or more goals, you can see why I am very comfortable pounding an over that is set at 6 goals. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo |
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01-28-20 | Villanova v. St. John's +3.5 | Top | 79-59 | Loss | -115 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
Big East Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #602 Tuesday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - The Wildcats have been red hot but the Red Storm are known for giving Villanova plenty of trouble. St John's is a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings with the Cats. The Red Storm are 10-3 SU this season and all 3 home losses came by 3 or less points. Getting a big win over a solid Blue Demons team at DePaul Saturday gives the Red Storm a boost of momentum here. They have been ultra competitive but just haven't quite got over the hump in some of their tight games. They could very easily be 13-0 at home and I like the fact that both Figueroa and Heron are coming off huge games Saturday and are now back home where they should be knocking down plenty of shot. Also, the Wildcats Jermaine Samuels is listed as questionable for this game and he is a key contributor for Villanova and won't be 100 percent here if he even plays. The Wildcats defense gets a lot of praise and it is deserved but they do allow 44.2% from the field in road games and the Red Storm allow 39.2% from the field in home games. I look for an upset here. This is the perfect spot with Nova playing a 2nd straight tough road game (they were at Providence Saturday) and I am grabbing the points here. Villanova has now covered B2B games but they are 0-3 ATS in that situation this season. The Red Storm are 7-2 ATS the last 9 times they have been a home underdog. 10* ST JOHN'S |
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01-27-20 | Lightning -128 v. Stars | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -128 | 10 h 20 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #77 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - Both hockey clubs coming off extended breaks as they had the All Star break off plus a few days off prior to that. This situation sets up very well for the revenge-minded Bolts. Tampa Bay lost at home in overtime against Dallas last month despite a 48-20 edge in shots on goal. It was truly a "bad beat" loss for Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning but they responded immediately and have never looked back! Tampa Bay entered the All Star break having won 12 of 14 games and Vasilevskiy has won 10 straight starts since the loss to the Stars. As for Dallas, they lost 3 of 4 games prior to the break and that included an embarrassing 7-0 loss at Minnesota. The Lightning are off an embarrassing game too but they were on the right end of it as it was a 7-1 win at Winnipeg! Tampa is a perfect 5-0 this season when playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. Keep in mind the Bolts did win both meetings with Dallas last season and those victories came by a combined score of 8 to 0. The Stars enter this game having scored an average of 1.5 goals per game in regulation time their last 6 games. The Lightning have scored an average of 4 goals per game in regulation time their 14 games. These two teams have been trending opposite directions and the revenge angle as well as the fair price (since TB is on the road) has me elevating this play to my highest level - a top play rating. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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01-27-20 | Cavs v. Pistons OVER 220 | Top | 115-100 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 19 m | Show |
Central Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #527 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Both teams enter off losses by a double digit margin in Saturday's action. The Pistons game did go to OT but Detroit already was on a hot run in terms of "overs" prior to that game. The over is now 14-4 in the Pistons last 18 games. I like looking for overs when two struggling teams are matched up. Neither team has been too focused on the defensive end. Note that Cleveland's games are on a 10-3 run to the over! When these teams are matched up the over is now a perfect 6-0 in their last 6 meetings. Pistons home games are on an 8-1 run to the over. The Cavaliers over is 8-3 when they enter a game on a losing streak of 7 or more games. The over is 12-4 this season when Cleveland enters a game off a home loss. The over is 11-1 this season in Detroit's home games with a posted total of 220 points or more. The Pistons have averaged 116 points per game their last 7 games. They should get even more than that here (against a struggling team) and this game should get into the 230 range and yet is currently in the 220 range as of early Monday morning. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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01-27-20 | North Carolina +5.5 v. NC State | Top | 75-65 | Win | 100 | 10 h 5 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Monday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels (+) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack @ 7 ET - The Tar Heels are having a down season but that has led to great line value in a spot like this. Of course this is a rivalry game with NC State and it is a rivalry which North Carolina has dominated for many years. Now i am not saying that the Wolfpack won't find a way to get the win here but I am saying that UNC has a great shot at the outright upset and, if the Heels do fall short, I look for it to be just by a bucket or two. The Tar Heels enter this game off back to back covers. That included a 2-point loss in overtime at Virginia Tech. Two of North Carolina's last three losses have been by 3 or less points. The Wolfpack are 4-3 SU in their last 7 games but two of those four wins came by 5 or less points and only 1 of the 4 victories was by more than 6 points. A big key for the Tar Heels in their series dominance against NC State has been dominating the boards. Winning the rebounding battle has been a key to long-term success for North Carolina and they are again dominating the boards this season. Look for that to again be a key against a Wolfpack team that has a couple of rotation players (both forwards) that are listed as questionable for this game. The fact that Bates and Andree are both banged up for NC State certainly won't help them in the battle of the boards in this one. That said, I like having the underdog here in a game that means more to them this season than it has in past seasons. Because the Tar Heels are having a rare sub-par season (key early season injuries really hurt them) they have extra motivation here as a sizable dog against a team they have dominated for many seasons. Give me the generous points here! 10* NORTH CAROLINA |
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01-26-20 | Raptors v. Spurs +3 | Top | 110-106 | Loss | -103 | 9 h 21 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #514 Sunday 10* Top Play San Antonio Spurs (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 4:05 ET - The Spurs are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings with the Raptors. Here San Antonio is at home and coming off a home loss. Nice set up for them. Yes Toronto has been hot but they've played a lot of weak teams lately too. As for the Spurs, they had won 6 of 9 games prior to their home loss to Phoenix. The 6 wins included victories over the Celtics and Bucks and Heat as well as these Raptors. As for Toronto nearly all their recent wins have come against teams with very poor records. That means this situation is flying "under the radar" a bit and I look for the Spurs to take their run to 8-0 ATS in games against Toronto. The Raptors are 4-9 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 220 or more. The Spurs are 14-5 ATS (and SU!) as a home underdog of 6 or less points. I do expect yet another outright upset in that role for SA here but will grab the points as added insurance. 10* SAN ANTONIO |
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01-26-20 | Xavier v. Creighton OVER 142 | Top | 66-77 | Win | 100 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Xavier Musketeers @ 4 ET - The Musketeers are off a win over Georgetown but what was surprising was how low-scoring the game was. Don't look for a repeat here and, yes, I know the history of unders between these teams. The last 7 meetings between these teams have stayed under the total but look for this one to snap the trend. Creighton has gone over the total in each of their past 3 games. Each of the 3 games totaled more than 150 points and I expect this one too as well. The Bluejays have shot 48.3% from the field at home this season including 39.6% from three point land. Creighton is averaging 82 points per game at home this season and is a 5-point favorite in this one. So if the Bluejays hit their average here and the spread is in the right range you're looking at an 82-77 type game which blows this total away. The Musketeers, prior to holding the Hoyas to 57 points had allowed an average of 82 points per game their 3 previous games. Look for a lot of points here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton |
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01-26-20 | Michigan State -3 v. Minnesota | Top | 70-52 | Win | 100 | 8 h 51 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #839 Sunday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 3 ET - The Spartans are off a loss at Indiana but were previously 14-4 this season. They have now lost back to back road games and, though they have a few injury concerns, this is still an ultra-talented high-quality basketball team. They are catching the Golden Gophers at the perfect time to get back on track. Minnesota is off a big win versus Ohio State. That was an upset win on the road for the Golden Gophers and now I look for the Spartans to catch Minny a little flat after that one. Not only is Michigan State 4-0 SU and ATS in their last 4 meetings with Minnesota, they have won each of those games by a margin of 16 points or more! The line opened up at a 4.5 and fell too as low as a 2.5 and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am fading the line move and grabbing the value on the other side of the move. Looking at shooting percentages on the season, the Spartans are the better shooting team and defensive team in comparison with the Golden Gophers. Look for Sparty to bring a very strong effort here off their loss. Grab them off the loss here. 10* MICHIGAN STATE |
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01-25-20 | Dayton v. Richmond OVER 144 | Top | 87-79 | Win | 100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #721 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Richmond Spiders vs Dayton Flyers @ 6 ET - The Spiders lost leading scorer Blake Francis to injury recently. However, the over is 2-1 in the 3 games since he has gone out and Richmond has scored an average of 81 points per game in those 3 games. On the season the Spiders are averaging 80.4 points per game when at home. On Saturday they're hosting a red hot Flyers team. Dayton enters this game having won 8 straight games and they are a scoring machine. The Flyers have averaged 83 points per game on the season and are very consistent in terms of scoring. In their 8 game winning streak Dayton has scored at least 77 points in all 8 victories. This game being played at Richmond certainly is likely to continue the trend. The over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these teams here and the most recent meeting saw the teams combine for 168 points. We're getting some line value here because of Francis being out. Richmond has plenty of scorers other than Francis as they have shown in recent games. At the same time, Dayton likes to play fast and is more concerned with piling up points than playing lockdown defense. That said, the Spiders should score plenty here on their home floor but the Flyers also should remain red hot. Dayton enters this game on a perfect streak of 4-0 to the over their last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Richmond |
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01-25-20 | Mavs +4 v. Jazz | Top | 107-112 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 35 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Utah Jazz @ 5:05 ET - The Mavericks have Kristaps Porzingis back as he will be playing his 3rd game since returning from injury. That is a key "value add" for Dallas and, while Utah has certainly been very hot there is a key to note about the schedule these two teams have faced over the last 6 weeks. Note that the Jazz have played only 3 games against teams that currently have a winning record during this 6 week stretch. As for the Mavs, over the same period of time, they have played 10 teams that currently have a winning record! The point is that a significant reason that Utah has been so hot is their schedule! I like the fact too that this line has gone from a -2.5 to a -4 for the Jazz. The markets are loving the red hot Jazz at home and I am not surprised. But Dallas lost their last visit here by 16 points and it is now payback time here. The Mavericks are an incredible 15-5 SU and 16-4 ATS this season in their road games. Grab the underdog as the fact they have Kristaps Porzingis is being underestimated by the betting markets in this one. I'll gladly the points with the road dog in this one as they have a great shot at the outright upset. 10* DALLAS |
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01-25-20 | Villanova v. Providence +2.5 | Top | 64-60 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 59 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Saturday 10* Top Play Providence Friars (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 1 ET - Villanova has been hot but this will be just the third true road game they have played since a "road game" at St Joseph's December 7th and that was in Philly of course. That being said, the Wildcats haven't faced a lot of truly tough road tests that past two months and they are in for one here. The Cats are facing the revenge-minded Friars in this one. Providence has lost 4 straight games to Villanova and this includes getting knocked out of the Big East tournament each of the past two seasons. The Friars are highly motivated here to say the least. Also, Providence is entering this game off B2B losses but both came on the road. The Friars are happy to be back on their home floor where they have won 8 of 10 games this season. The Wildcats are 5-3 on the road this season and their only 2 recent games away from Philly saw them split as they lost at Marquette and then barely snuck by Creighton. Villanova is allowing 71.7 points per game on the road this season while Providence is allowing an average of only 60.5 points per game at home this season. The Wildcats allow 46% shooting from the field on the road while the Friars allow just 39% shooting from the field at home this season. Home court and big-time revenge will play a role in this one and I look for the home team to prevail big here. 10* PROVIDENCE |
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01-24-20 | Rockets v. Wolves OVER 233.5 | Top | 131-124 | Win | 100 | 12 h 48 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - A big total but definitely justified. The Rockets are off a big win versus the Nuggets and have a rematch at Denver on deck too. After holding the Nuggets to 105 points don't be surprised if Houston suffers a bit of a letdown on defense in this one. The Rockets certainly aren't known for defense in the first place! The same holds true for Minnesota. The Wolves have allowed 114.6 points per game this season and the Rockets have allowed 114 points per game this season. Minnesota has allowed an average of 127 points per game in its last 3 games against Houston. The Rockets most recent visit here stayed under the total but that was preceded by a 5-1 run to the over in meetings between these teams in Minneapolis. These teams have jacked up an average of 87 three pointers per game in their last 3 meetings and, of course, that lends itself well to plenty of points. The Timberwolves are fired up as they have lost 7 straight games and also have not been shooting well of late. Even with that, the over is still 7-3 in Minnesota's last 10 games and I am expecting a bounce back here in a game in which the Rockets will absolutely be willing to run and gun throughout this one. The over is 5-2 this season when Houston enters a game having lost 2 of their 3 prior games. The over is 23-12 when the Wolves are a home dog. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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01-24-20 | Kent State +4.5 v. Buffalo | Top | 70-66 | Win | 100 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #851 Friday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes (+) @ Buffalo Bulls @ 6:30 ET - The very first line that opened on this game had the Bulls, at home, as the slimmest of favorites. Now the line is all the way up to a solid 4 across the board as of early game day morning. Long-time followers know how I feel about a move like this. I like what I am seeing with the Golden Flashes here. Yes they have lost 3 straight games but this is a solid Kent State team that returned 4 starters this season while last season's MAC East champions returned just 2 starters. Yes Buffalo comes into this one as the hotter team with 4 straight wins while the Flashes have lost 3 straight. However, you don't think the odds makers were aware of this when they set the line? This is the PERFECT spot for Kent State to bounce back. The Golden Flashes also have lost 4 straight games to the Bulls including a blowout loss by 23 points in their visit here last season. The season prior to that was when Buffalo knocked Kent State out of the MAC Tournament with a 17 point blowout win. Suffice to say the Golden Flashes have had this game circled on their calendars. The Bulls had a great season last year but Kent State truly has closed the gap this season. The fact is, despite recent results, there is no gap now. I am taking the Golden Flashes plus the points but I am expecting the outright upset in a huge revenge game. Kent State is 3-0 ATS when they enter a game on a 3-game losing streak. The Golden Flashes are 3-0 ATS this season as a road dog of 6 or less points and they won all 3 of those games SU! The Bulls are 2-5 ATS when they are off an ATS win this season. 10* KENT STATE |
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01-24-20 | Bucks v. Hornets +14 | Top | 116-103 | Win | 100 | 8 h 50 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #562 Friday 10* Top Play Charlotte Hornets (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:05 ET (game play in Paris) - Sometimes strange results happen. That was evident in the first meeting between these teams this season. On the final day of November, these teams met in Milwaukee. The Hornets had 5 more shot attempts from the field than the Bucks and yet lost the game by a margin of 41 points! That is helping to offer line value here as now this game is being played on a neutral floor and yet the the line is in the 14 range just like the first meeting at Milwaukee. The fact this game is in Paris makes it practically a "Super Bowl" game for Charlotte. In an otherwise disappointing season, the Hornets know this is an opportunity to win a huge game on "the big stage" in the first ever regular season game played in France. The Hornets are still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race but odds are not good with the way their season has been going. This includes a current 7-game losing streak for Charlotte while Milwaukee enters this game having won 7 straight. Also, the Bucks have their sights set on an NBA Championship. I foresee them winning this game of course but only by single digits as the Hornets aren't going to go down without a helluva fight. Ugly losses for Charlotte in their two most recent games and also in that first meeting at Milwaukee. Before failing to cover their most recent road game, the Hornets were on a 4-1 ATS run in road games. The Bucks are on a 2-5 ATS run in games in which they are a double digit favorite. Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS this season when off a home win against a divisional foe. The Hornets are 3-0 ATS this season when off a loss against a divisional foe. 10* CHARLOTTE |
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01-23-20 | Wizards v. Cavs OVER 232 | Top | 124-112 | Win | 100 | 12 h 14 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #555 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are off an OT loss at Miami last night. However, when you look at minutes played, Washington actually spread the workload quite well. You don't see excessively heavy minutes for anyone really and, in essence, that makes this a normal back to back situation. The over is 22-12 (including 4-1 this season) when the Wizards are playing the 2nd game of a back to back. As for the Cavaliers, they are off an embarrassing home loss on Monday in which they had a horrific shooting night and scored just 86 points. Note that the over is 10-4 this season when Cleveland is off a home loss. Also, prior to that under, the Cavaliers had been 8-2 to the over so far this month. The Cavs are fired up after their embarrassing performance against an equally bad Knicks team. Their game plan tonight, coming in rested and with the Wizards in the 2nd night of a back to back, is to try and run Washington right out of the arena. Of course the Wizards do like to play fast so the result is a game with a ton of points that will look like a track meet with guys running up and down the floor and trying to get quick open shots in transition. Yesterday's Washington game had a total of 229 and that flew over the total (in regulation too) and plus the Wizards entered that game having gone 8-2 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 230 or more. Tonight's Cavaliers game falls into that category and I look for another high-scoring match-up. Washington plays this game with revenge from a home loss to the Cavs and the over is 8-4 this season when playing with same season revenge. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland |
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01-23-20 | Minnesota v. Ohio State -8 | Top | 62-59 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Thursday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 6:30 ET - Situations mean a lot in the outcome of games. The last time the Buckeyes faced the Golden Gophers it was at Minnesota and Ohio State was off a huge home blowout win over Penn State. The Buckeyes ended up getting blown out by the Gophers by double digits. This situation, which of course also now includes a revenge angle for Ohio State, is entirely different. This time the Buckeyes are off a double digit loss at Penn State and are now back home looking to bounce back strong. Ohio State is 10-1 SU in home games this season and allowing just 56.4 points per game there. I know they have struggled overall in recent weeks but look for home cooking to get them back on track in this game. It helps that they're facing a Minnesota team which is just 1-6 SU in road games this season and has allowed 70.9 points per game in those match-ups. Prior to the blowout loss at Minnesota last month, the Buckeyes won the prior two meetings each by 18 or more points! The Golden Gophers were held below 40% from the field in each of those meetings and Minnesota is not going to shoot a ridiculous 54.4% from the field again like they did in last month's meeting. The Buckeyes defense, known for being tough at home, will be in full-on lock-down mode here. 10* OHIO STATE |
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01-23-20 | Delaware v. Hofstra OVER 146 | Top | 73-71 | Loss | -109 | 10 h 58 m | Show |
CAA Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Hofstra Pride vs Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens @ 6:30 ET - The Fightin' Blue Hens shoot the ball very well including on the road. The Pride are not a good team defensively. Delaware's games are on an 8-2 run to the over in their past 10. Hofstra has averaged scoring 87 points per game in its last 3 meetings with the Fightin' Blue Hens. Additionally, the Pride have scored an average of 90.5 points per game in their last two home games against Delaware. Hofstra enters this game having averaged 76.5 points per game in its last 4 games and 3 of those were on the road. At home this season the Pride are averaging 81.9 points per game. Delaware is making 47.3% of its shots from the field on the road and even is hitting 36% of three pointers on the road as well. The Pride are hitting 45.6% of their shots from the field at home and they like to play with pace and will dictate an uptempo game here on their home floor. The Fightin' Blue Hens have allowed an average of 79 points per game in their past 3 games. The Pride have allowed 81.5 points per game in their last two home games. Hofstra's shooting is red hot their last 4 games. Delaware has also been shooting the ball well (as their shot has traveled well this season) in road games including knocking down 57.4% of its shots at Villanova last month. Last 5 road games the Fighting Blue Hens hitting nearly 50% from the field. When Delaware is off an ATS loss they've gone 24-11 to the over including 6-1 this season. When the Pride are off a loss they've gone 14-6 to the over including 3-1 this season. 10* OVER the total in Hofstra |
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01-22-20 | Red Wings v. Wild OVER 6 | Top | 2-4 | Push | 0 | 9 h 11 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Detroit Red Wings @ 8:05 ET - The Wild are angry after a 5-4 loss to the Panthers on Monday. Minnesota was up 4-3 but then allowed the tying goal with about 4 minutes to go and then gave up the winning goal on a double-deflection with just 6 seconds left. To not even earn a point (didn't go to OT) in a hard-fought effort like that has left the Wild with plenty of motivation for this game. I look for them to push hard all game long in the offensive zone and to keep piling up goals no matter the score. Minnesota does not want a repeat of what happened Monday. The Red Wings goal-tending woes are likely to continue as Jonathan Bernier is still out and Jimmy Howard has had a very disappointing season. As for the Wild, they have allowed 4 or more goals in 6 of their past 11 games. Also, Minnesota has scored 14 goals in the first 3 games of this homestand. The Red Wings have allowed an average of 5 goals per game during their current 5-game losing streak. I know Detroit doesn't score a lot but they did manage 3 goals at Colorado and, in the final game before the All Star break, look for the Red Wings to give a relentless effort here. That should lead to some goals for the big road dog in this game but, again, they won't be able to keep the puck out of their own net. The result should be a high-scoring Wild win in this one. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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01-22-20 | 76ers +6.5 v. Raptors | Top | 95-107 | Loss | -104 | 11 h 14 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #539 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7 ET - Both teams come into this one on 4-game winning streaks but each have played weak teams so call that a draw. That said, even without Joel Embiid, the Sixers offer great value as a sizable dog in this spot. They were knocked out of the post-season by the Raptors in May. They got some revenge with an early December home win over the Raptors but they did lose their earlier match-up this season at Toronto. The 76ers have a recent history of struggling in games played at Toronto. As a result, look for a highly motivated and intense road dog taking the court at Scotiabank Arena tonight. The Raptors are just 2-4 SU in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. The Sixers are 10-5 ATS (11-4 SU) this season when off a game in which they scored 115 points or more. Toronto is as high as a 6.5 point favorite in spots this morning but many books have them at -6. I would not be surprised if the line stays there or falls even lower. The Raptors are 3-6 ATS this season when they are a home favorite of 6 points or less. That said, Toronto is in for an all-out war here and I am grabbing the value with the underdog. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-22-20 | Kings v. Pistons OVER 222 | Top | 106-127 | Win | 100 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Sacramento Kings @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons total burned me Monday at Washington when the teams had a great first half but then both teams struggled to score in the second half. With Detroit back at home for this one, I expect to get immediate payback here as they host the Kings. Note that the Pistons are 5-1 to the over in their last 6 home games. Overall Detroit was on an 11-3 run to the over before their ugly low-scoring loss to the Wizards Monday. As for Sacramento, they enter this game having recorded overs in 5 straight games overall. Also, in Kings road games, the over is on a 5-1 run. Both these teams struggle defensively but have also been scoring well of late. It is the perfect recipe for a non-conference match-up with very little defensive intensity to fly over the total. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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01-22-20 | Penn State +5 v. Michigan | Top | 72-63 | Win | 100 | 9 h 7 m | Show |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #787 Wednesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - Yes the Nittany Lions are off a huge win over Ohio State. However, they certainly aren't going to overlook a game at Michigan either. Also, this is Penn State's final game until a week from today so they want to enter this break in the schedule by maintaining momentum after the big win over the Buckeyes. I am happy to challenge Michigan to cover this spread as they are likely to struggle just in terms of getting a SU win here. I say that because the Wolverines have struggled in games with lines in the single digits. Michigan is on a 3-5 SU streak and 2 of those wins were "gimme games" against Presbyterian and UMass-Lowell as the Wolverines were favored by 20+ in each of those contests. As for the other 6 games during this 8-game stretch, Michigan went 1-5 SU and the lone win against a quality opponent was one in which the Wolverines were a bit fortunate in beating Purdue by 6 points as that was a DOUBLE OT game. Michigan's 2nd leading scorer, Isaiah Livers, has been out and has been downgraded to doubtful for tonight's game. That is certainly hurting the Wolverines. Also, Penn State is seeking revenge from losing by a double digit margin in their last visit to Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions are holding opponents to a 39.5% shooting percentage this season. In Michigan's last 5 games, they have allowed opponents to hit 47.6% from the field and that including the blowout win over UMass-Lowell. That said, note that the Wolverines have allowed 51% shooting or higher from the field in 3 of their last 4 games! 10* PENN STATE |
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01-22-20 | Georgetown v. Xavier OVER 148 | Top | 57-66 | Loss | -109 | 9 h 28 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Xavier Musketeers vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - These teams are known for playing high-scoring games and the set-up here is perfect for another one. Not only is the over 7-1 in the last 8 meetings between these teams, the lone under did total 153 points. That means that, at the current total (148) posted on this game, the over would be on a perfect 8-0 run in this series! The reason the set-up is ideal too is because the Musketeers are at home and have lost 3 straight games. In the past two they scored just 65 points in each game and they enter this game after a week off. Xavier can't wait to get on the floor and run and gun against a Hoyas team that certainly is not known for its defense! One thing that Georgetown can do, however, is score very well as they are averaging 79 points per game on the season. The Hoyas have scored 80 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games. However, Georgetown also has allowed 80 points or more in 3 straight games. I would not be surprised to see this game get into the 160s and we only need 150s to be a winner. Recent trending toward the under over the last few weeks overall has led to a lower total here than we would have otherwise seen and I won't hesitate in taking advantage of it. 10* OVER the total in Xavier |
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01-21-20 | Penguins v. Flyers +115 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 115 | 10 h 55 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #20 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - Penguins off huge comeback win over last season's Eastern Conference Champs, the Bruins. After rallying from a 3-0 deficit to knock off Boston, Pittsburgh may not have enough left in the tank to get by revenge-minded Philadelphia. The Flyers got embarrassed 7-1 early this season at Pittsburgh. Keep in mind Philly was still adjusting to their new head coach and they are a much different team since then and also a much different team on home ice where they are 16-4-4 this season. The Flyers bring plenty of momentum into this game off a dominating 4-1 win versus Los Angeles and have a rest edge too because that game was Saturday. Note that the Pens just had their battle with the Bruins on Sunday. Pittsburgh will be playing their 4th game in 6 nights and all 4 games have been in a different city. The Flyers, prior to the embarrassing October loss to the Penguins, had won 3 of 4 games. Pittsburgh has lost 9 of their past 15 road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. The Flyers strong season-long play on home ice continues here. Grab the value with a hungry home dog that is getting their first shot on home ice this season against their hated in-state rivals. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-21-20 | Golden Knights v. Bruins OVER 6 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 51 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #17 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Tuukka Rask has been out for the Bruins and, if he does come back tonight, there will be rust. But there is a chance he misses again tonight. As for the Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury might be out tonight too. He has to serve a one game suspension for skipping the All-Star game and that means he is either out tonight or in the first game after the break. Even if Fleury plays tonight he has been struggling this month. As for back-up Malcolm Subban, he has allowed 9 goals in his last two starts. Fleury's numbers have gotten worse month over month this season and he has a 3.41 GAA and an .879 save percentage in January. As for Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak, he has a 3.34 GAA and an .878 save percentage this month. No matter which of these 4 goalies is in net tonight you can see why I am expecting some struggles in the crease. Boston has been shutout once in their last 7 games but in the other 6 games the Bruins averaged 4.3 goals per game. The Golden Knights have scored 4 goals in each of their two games since Pete DeBoer took over for the fired Gerard Gallant as the new head coach in Vegas. Both these teams are very potent on the power play and the over is 8-2-2 in the Knights last dozen games. That's right just 2 unders in 12 games! As for the Bruins, the over is 9-3-1 in their last 13 games against Western Conference opponents. That's right just 3 unders in 13 games! Also, the Bruins are fired up after sitting on a 3-0 lead against Pittsburgh and then paying for it in a 4-3 loss to the Penguins. They'll never stop pushing in this one no matter the score! 10* OVER the total in Boston |
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01-21-20 | Butler +4.5 v. Villanova | Top | 61-76 | Loss | -101 | 12 h 6 m | Show |
PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play Butler Bulldogs (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The earliest line on this game was Villanova -2.5 and, of course, it jumped up to a 4.5 as of early game day morning. Of course the move makes sense because the Wildcats have won 4 straight meetings between these teams and the Bulldogs enter this game off back to back SU losses even though they were a favorite in each game. You know how I feel about spots like these. I am happy to fade the move here as this Nova team is not as strong as those in recent seasons and yet Butler is very strong this season but coming in undervalued here because they are off those B2B losses. Of course Villanova flashes a perfect home record so the masses jumped all over them laying the short number here. The Bulldogs, prior to their loss at DePaul, were 6-1 SU on the road this season. Also, that was the first time this season that Butler suffered an ATS or SU loss when coming off an ATS loss. That said, look for the Bulldogs to respond here and improve to 5-1 SU and ATS this season when they enter a game off an ATS loss. Villanova drops to 2-7 ATS when they enter a game off a home win. Look for the outright upset here but I am grabbing the points as added insurance. 10* BUTLER |
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01-21-20 | Florida v. LSU OVER 143 | Top | 82-84 | Win | 100 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #611 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in LSU Tigers vs Florida Gators @ 7 ET - This total has dropped from an early opener of 146.5 to a 143 and there a few reasons for that. One is that the Tigers are without guard Charles Manning, Jr. However, they already won their first game without him and he is a solid player but certainly his absence is not a huge one for the team. Another reason for the downward move on this total is because Florida has allowed an average of just 51 points per game in their last two games. However, those games were at home and now the Gators are on the road and they allowed 91 points in their most recent game away from home. Florida has allowed an average of 78 points per game in its last 3 true road games. As for the other end of the floor, the Gators have averaged scoring 83.7 points per game in their last 6 games. LSU has averaged 80 points per game this season and I am looking for plenty of points here. The over is 4-1 in the Tigers last 5 games and the over is also 4-1 in the Gators last 5 games played away from home. The last 3 meetings between these teams have all gone over the total. Look for this one to fly over the total as well and we'll take advantage of the downward line move here. 10* OVER the total in LSU |
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01-20-20 | Panthers v. Wild -102 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -102 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Monday 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 8:05 ET - The Panthers will be a popular choice here since they enter this game on a winning streak of 4 games. Also, Florida has won each of its last two road games. However, lets not forget that the Panthers had previously lost 5 of 7 road games and still have an overall losing record away from home this season. Not only is Minnesota 13-5-4 at home this season, the Wild also are 10-0-2 in their last dozen games against the Panthers. Like the Panthers, the Wild come into this game with plenty of momentum too. Minnesota is off back to back wins against two very strong teams - the Lightning and the Stars. We're getting line value here with the Wild available at a pick'em price at home. Minnesota has one more game before the All Star break but that one is coming up Wednesday. The Panthers situation is tougher as they have a game tomorrow night at red-hot Chicago. That said, Florida's goalie situation is tougher too as Chris Driedger got hurt and is out. That means Sergei Bobrovsky could rest tonight to be saved for tomorrow and that would mean Sam Montembeault would be between the pipes. I'll challenge Florida here either way as Bobrovsky had been struggling prior to his injury and I am not going to overemphasize just one quality start against the worst team in the NHL. So whether he gets the call or it is Montembeault in the crease, the Wild are going to do some damage here. At the same time, I expect the Minnesota netminders to remain hot. The Wild have allowed 2 or less goals in 4 of last 7 games. Look for the long-term home dominance in this series to continue. 10* MINNESOTA |
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01-20-20 | NC State +5 v. Virginia | Top | 53-51 | Win | 100 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #873 Monday 10* Top Play NC State Wolfpack (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - The Cavaliers knocked the Wolfpack out of the ACC Tourney with a dominating 20 point win in March. Virginia outscored NC State by 21 points from 3-point land and that was the difference in the game as the Wolfpack had a horrible shooting night. This season's NC State is the best Wolfpack team in terms of depth and experience that we have seen in quite some time. That said, I also like the fact that they are knocking down 33% of their threes this season while Virginia has been held to 26.7% from beyond the arc. Of course I respect the Cavs defense but this year's team is a few notches down from recent Cavaliers teams and the Wolfpack are highly motivated here. They view this game as a "measuring stick" game and want to prove they can measure up against a Virginia team that has been a bit of a nemesis for them in recent seasons. I fully expect NC State to do just that! The Cavaliers are off a tight win at Georgia Tech but had previously lost 3 straight games. Also, the Cavs had failed to cover 6 of 7 prior to getting the ATS win against the Yellow Jackets. The Wolfpack are off a non-covering win versus Clemson and are a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS this season when entering a game having failed to cover 2 of their last 3 games. Virginia is 0-9 ATS this season when they enter game having allowed 60 points or less in each of their last two games. Double perfect situation here for the road dog. Grab the points. 10* NC STATE |
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01-20-20 | Red Wings v. Avalanche OVER 6.5 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 107 | 8 h 0 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings @ 3:05 ET - Letdowns are bound to happen from time to time in a season. This is one of those times for the Avalanche. I am not saying Colorado will lose this game. However, I am saying that I expect a bit of a letdown defensively as they go from facing (and defeating) the Stanley Cup Champion Blues to now facing a Red Wings team that is the worst club in the NHL so far this season. Don't be surprised if Detroit pots a few early goals in this one and forces the Avalanche to come roaring back. About the roaring back part, I fully expect the high-powered Avs to enjoy plenty of success in the offensive zone in this one. Detroit is still without goalie Jonathan Bernier. That means Jimmy Howard is likely to get the start and he is having a very rough season and has particularly struggled away from home. Howard's road games this season have seen him compile an ugly .855 save percentage. The over has gone 6-2-1 in his 9 road starts this season. Howard has a 4.06 GAA this season and the dangerous Avalanche forwards will be testing him early and often. As potent as the Avs offensive production is, do note that on the other end of the ice they have allowed 3 or more goals in 4 of their past 5 games. I am looking for a 5-3 type game here and we just need 7 to cash this ticket. Given the situation I expect 8 or more in a bit of a wild one at the Pepsi Center Monday afternoon. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
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01-20-20 | 76ers v. Nets +2.5 | Top | 117-111 | Loss | -109 | 9 h 17 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #506 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 3:05 ET - The Nets have extra motivation against the 76ers and are getting much healthier. They recently welcomed back Kyrie Irving plus Caris LeVert. Additionally, Joe Harris and Garrett Temple - both missed Saturday's blowout loss versus Bucks - are expected back here. So, while the Sixers are still without big man Joel Embiid, Brooklyn is getting healthy again and they are motivated not only by last season's playoff series loss to Philly, the Nets also seek revenge for a loss at Philadelphia last week punctuated by a bad fourth quarter. Brooklyn knows they let one slip away and they want to make up for that here with a huge effort here at home where they blasted the 76ers by a 20 point margin earlier this season. The Sixers are off a tight road win at the Knicks and that was Philadelphia's 5th consecutive ATS loss on the road. Though Philly won the game straight up at New York, they entered that game with a 7-14 SU record on the road this season. Up next for the 76ers is a big game at Toronto - the city where their season ended last year on that playoff series-clinching shot (the infamous one) by Kawhi Leonard. That said, this is a very bad spot for the Sixers and a good one for a Nets team that is home off an ugly loss and getting key rotation players back on the floor. 10* BROOKLYN |
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01-20-20 | Pistons v. Wizards OVER 232.5 | Top | 100-106 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 47 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons @ 2:05 ET - The over is on an 11-3 run in Pistons games. Detroit scored 136 points at Atlanta on Saturday. The Wizards allowed 140 points at Toronto on Friday. Now two teams that are both content to play at a fast pace and that focus very little on the defensive end are matched up in what should be a track meet. The over is 3-1 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. Washington averages 116 points per game at home this season but the Wizards also are allowing 120 points per game. That is why, though this total is a big one, I have no hesitation in grabbing the over in this match-up! The line is right around a pick'em in this game and in a match-up where the Wizards have a chance to win it generally means to expect a ton of points because this team simply does not play defense! In games with a posted total of 230 or more points, the over is 13-6 in Wizards games this season. Washington is playing this game with road loss revenge and that is a situation that has seen the over go 11-3 this season. Detroit is 4-1 to the over this season when off a game in which they scored 120 points or more. Indeed, expect a track meet style of play in this one. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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01-19-20 | Packers v. 49ers UNDER 46.5 | Top | 20-37 | Loss | -105 | 73 h 8 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #312 Sunday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers @ 6:40 ET - This total has moved from a 44.5 to a 46.5 and I like the extra value here in a game where the Packers know they need to run the ball and take pressure off QB Aaron Rodgers. This means running clock and that means keeping the 49ers offense off the field. Yes, San Francisco scored 37 points in the first meeting between these teams but they had only 339 yards of offense in that game. Speaking of low offensive numbers in that game, the 49ers allowed just 198 yards of total offense to Green Bay in that one. The Packers game last week versus Seattle snuck over the total but Green Bay entered that game on a run in which 7 of 8 games resulted in an under. The Packers D has allowed an average of just 16 points per game in its last 6 games. The 49ers D has allowed 21 points or less in 11 of 17 games this season. San Francisco's defense turned things up a notch in the 2nd half of last week's game and will carry that momentum right into this game. Dating back to the early nineties, there have been 7 times in which the Packers have played with revenge from a blowout loss of 28 or more points. The result in that situation? 0 overs and 7 unders! Look for that trend to hold true again on Sunday. The Niners have had 5 unders and 2 overs in their last 7 games against NFC North opponents. Both teams willing (and hoping) to grind out yardage on the ground in this one and the total has simply climbed too high considering the factors above as well as the fact each of these defenses rank in the top ten this season for points allowed. 10* UNDER the total in San Francisco |
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01-19-20 | Islanders v. Hurricanes OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 25 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders @ 5:05 ET - As a result of the Islanders long-term reputation for lower-scoring games and the fact that the Hurricanes have not been scoring many goals recently, we've got a low total to work with here and I love the value with this total posted at 5.5 goals. The Islanders are likely to start Thomas Greiss in this one since Semyon Varlamov was in goal last night. Greiss is off a strong start in his most recent game but that was against a bad Red Wings team. He faces a much tougher test here and note that he allowed 3 or more goals in each of his 4 prior starts. During this 4 start stretch he was chased from games twice and compiled a poor .854 save percentage. Greiss will face an onslaught of shots here from an angry Hurricanes team and I expect him to struggle. Speaking of struggles between the pipes, BOTH of the Canes options in the crease for this game are guys whom have struggled in divisional action this season. Peter Mrazek has an .867 save percentage in divisional games and James Reimer has an .871 save percentage against divisional foes. The Islanders are in a back to back and blew a big lead to lose 6-4 versus Capitals yesterday. The Isles have seen 4 of their last 6 games total at least 7 goals! The Hurricanes are now without Dougie Hamilton but could get a boost with Justin Williams expected back tonight. Carolina is fired up to get back on track in the offensive zone and the Islanders have been struggling in their own end so this is a good match-up for the Canes. The Hurricanes have won each of the last 3 meetings by an identical score of 5-2 each game! Look for the over to improve to 5-2 in the Canes last 7 divisional games. 10* OVER the total in Carolina |
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01-19-20 | Heat v. Spurs OVER 221 | Top | 102-107 | Loss | -109 | 10 h 31 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat @ 3:05 ET - The Spurs are off back to back losses and they continue to respond off losses with more offense rather than defense. San Antonio games are 8-1 to the over the last 9 times they've been off a loss. Also, when off a loss by 6 or less points this season the Spurs are 8-0 to the over (1 push). In non-conference action this season, San Antonio's games are 13-4 to the over with one push. The Spurs enter this game have averaged 117.5 points per game their last 10 games. The Heat have been red hot on the offensive end and have averaged 116.5 points per game their last 6 games. Both of these teams, overall, have trended over the total this season. They just met in Miami on Wednesday and that game stayed under the total but that has been the exception, rather than the norm, for both of these teams of late. Heat road games with a total posted at 220 points or more are 4-1 to the over. Miami's games against teams with a losing record this season have gone 13-5 to the over. You can tell by the line (roughly pick'em) on this game that it is expected to be a tight battle. That said, I have no hesitation in expecting each of these teams to get to at least 110 points here and, of course, that would result in an over in this match-up. 10* OVER the total in San Antonio |
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01-19-20 | Titans +7.5 v. Chiefs | Top | 24-35 | Loss | -115 | 69 h 36 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #313 Sunday 10* Top Play Tennessee Titans (+) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 3:05 ET - One look at the box score tells you the Titans won with "smoke and mirrors" last week at Baltimore. However, this is as much a play against Kansas City as it is a play on Tennessee. More on that in a moment. First, more about the Titans. You can't discount how much momentum means to a football team and the fact is Tennessee is rolling with confidence right now. Why? Well a team that started the season 2-4 has now won 9 of 12. Also, the Titans are on the road for the 4th straight week but who cares? You think they are going to fall flat or get tired in a game in which they have a chance to go to the Super Bowl? Of course not. Plus Tennessee is 5-0 SU in their last 5 road games. Now, about going to the Super Bowl, lets talk about Kansas City and specifically Andy Reid. I have been in this business for two decades now. Long-time followers know my family roots are in Rickenbach, PA. Google it. Small town area about 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia. In any event I follow the Eagles VERY closely. What does that have to do with this play? Andy Reid started coaching the Eagles two decades ago in 1999. I have closely followed his career every since. With BOTH the Eagles and with the Chiefs, the fact is he can not win the big game. He has had 6 chances in a Conference Championship Game and won just once! That was the lone season he took Philadelphia to the Super Bowl in 2004 and they lost to the Patriots. So he is 1-6 SU in the Biggest Games of his career and yet here his KC team is laying 7.5 points to a Titans team that seems to be a team of destiny this season. As bad as Tennessee was statistically last week against the Ravens, they did run the ball very well and they will pound the Chiefs on the ground in this game too. While Kansas City has given plenty of bulletin board material to the Titans defense for this game as their receivers are so good nobody can cover them according to the Chiefs. The Titans have allowed just 15.4 points per game in their last 5 road games. The Chiefs have allowed 21 points or more in 6 of 9 home games this season. KC may find a way to pull this game out but, if they do, I expect it to be by 3 or 4 points (and 7 at the most). With 7 plus the hook available (as of Thursday evening), I am pulling the trigger right now on this one. 10* TENNESSEE |
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01-19-20 | Minnesota +5 v. Rutgers | Top | 56-64 | Loss | -105 | 7 h 57 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 1 ET - I understand where this line came from and why the betting markets are siding with Rutgers. But, of course, in typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of the move and grabbing the added value. Yes, Minnesota has struggled on the road this season while the Scarlet Knights have been perfect at home. However, the Golden Gophers have played the tougher schedule plus there is plenty of motivation here. Last season Minnesota lost at Rutgers and the prior season the Gophers got knocked out of the Big Ten tourney by the Knights. There is no love lost between these two foes to say the least and I like having the team that is highly motivated and has played a significantly tougher overall schedule so far this season. The Golden Gophers are 6-2 SU and ATS in their last 8 games and one of the two SU losses came by just a 5 points margin. I look for Minnesota to be "in this one" all the way and am expecting the outright upset but will grab the points as added insurance. Note that the Golden Gophers had won 6 of last 8 meetings with Rutgers prior to losing the most recent meeting. Payback time. 10* MINNESOTA |
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01-19-20 | Bruins v. Penguins -120 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 50 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Sunday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 12:35 ET - Revenge game for the Penguins after losing to Jaroslav Halak and the Bruins on Thursday. Entering that game Halak had allowed 11 goals in his last 3 starts against the Pens. Overall in recent seasons Halak has struggled against them and this will be a much tougher test for him since the rematch is at Pittsburgh. The Penguins Sidney Crosby has scored a goal in each of his 3 games since his return. I look for another strong game from here and the Pens got a boost of momentum after bouncing back from their loss at Boston to get a win at Detroit Friday. They played better in that game then the 2-1 OT win would lead you to believe and Pittsburgh will carry momentum from that game right into this one. Also, the Penguins have won 10 of their past 13 home games while the Bruins have lost 6 of their past 10 road games. Considering all of the above factors, a low price available on the Penguins at home is a great value in this spot. Prior to the loss at Boston Thursday, the Pens had scored 4 or more goals in 5 of their last 6 meetings with the Bruins. The Penguins have won 15 of 23 this season when playing with revenge and also have won 17 of their 25 home games this season. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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01-18-20 | Pistons v. Hawks +2 | Top | 136-103 | Loss | -109 | 15 h 32 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Saturday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (+) vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:35 ET - The Hawks off big upset win at San Antonio last night. With Atlanta in a back to back and Detroit having been off each of the past two days, the Pistons are getting all the attention from the betting markets here. However, Detroit is also off a big upset win at Boston and that was preceded by a 3-15 ATS run for a slumping Pistons team. As for the Hawks, yesterday's win brings them to 6-3 ATS their last 9 games and they're also off back to back straight-up wins and could have Jeff Teague (acquired in trade with Wolves) available tonight as well. Atlanta is starting to build a little momentum and they have revenge against the Pistons thanks to a 25 point loss at Detroit two months ago. Prior to that the Hawks had covered 5 of their last 6 games against the Pistons. Look for them to resume that ATS dominance in this series tonight. 10* ATLANTA |
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01-18-20 | 76ers v. Knicks OVER 220 | Top | 90-87 | Loss | -109 | 14 h 8 m | Show |
Atlantic Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:35 ET - The Knicks will be in "run and gun" mode as they are at home and catching the Sixers in the 2nd night of a back to back situation. Philadelphia allowed just 89 points in their home win over the Bulls last night. However, Philly used a lot of defensive energy in holding Chicago to just 18 points in the 4th quarter and to 24 points or less in each of the other 3 quarters as well. Sometimes a team needs a "night off" from the defensive intensity even when they're playing. In other words, the 76ers still have another game to be played tonight but don't be surprised if it is a much more open-floor affair after last night's grinder game with the Bulls. The Sixers have allowed an average of 112 points per game in their last 5 road games. The Knicks have allowed an average of 124 points per game their last 8 games. 76ers Saturday games are 6-2 to the over this season. New York is off an embarrassing home loss to the Suns on Thursday and they are 4-2 to the over this season when off a home loss by a double digit margin. Plenty of points in this one! 10* OVER the total in New York |
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01-18-20 | Kings v. Flyers -152 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 7 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #68 Saturday 10* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - When do you lay -150 with a team? As you guys know, I do not do this frequently. But when I feel my team has a 75 percent chance of winning it certainly makes sense to lay a price in which you only have to win 60 percent of the time to break even. First off, the Flyers money line has dropped from as high as a -185 down to a -150. That is part of the value here. Yes, I know Philadelphia has in-state rival Pittsburgh on deck BUT that game is not until Tuesday. Also, after a big upset win over the Blues, the Flyers then were completely flat and got drilled by the Canadiens on Thursday night. That is noteworthy here as Philadelphia, when at home and off a loss, has won 5 straight games! This a perfect situation (5-0 L5) for Philly and the Kings have lost 20 of 27 road games this season. Also, goalie Brian Elliott will be back between the pipes for this one and he and the Flyers have revenge for a 5-3 loss at Los Angeles earlier this season. In that game Elliott was pulled after allowing 4 goals. He hasn't forgotten and it is payback time for him and for the Flyers. Also, Philly highly motivated after laying an egg against the Habs. Prior to that game the Flyers had scored 3 or more goals in 11 of 15 games. That is worthy of note here as the Kings often struggle to score goals. Before scoring late goals in a 4-3 loss at Florida Thursday, Los Angeles had been held to 2 or less goals in 9 of 12 games. I don't see the Flyers being denied and look for them to send the Kings to their 11th loss in their last 14 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-18-20 | Missouri +7 v. Alabama | Top | 74-88 | Loss | -109 | 9 h 9 m | Show |
SEC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #689 Saturday 10* Top Play Missouri Tigers (+) @ Alabama Crimson Tide @ 3:30 ET - The Crimson Tide are off a huge win over in-state rival Auburn. That was a huge win for Alabama for more reasons than one. That victory for the Tide handed the rival Tigers their very first loss of the season. Knocking off a highly ranked team that is also a huge rival is going to leave Alabama flat for this battle and that is bad news for Crimson Tide fans. That's because Missouri comes into this one angry after a 27 point beatdown at Mississippi State in their most recent game. The Tigers were off a big win versus Florida and simply fell flat against the Bulldogs. They won't be flat here however as they lost by double digits at home to the Crimson Tide last season so it is payback time here. Also, lets talk about line value here. When Missouri played at Kentucky they were an 8.5 point dog. When Alabama played at Kentucky they were a 10 point dog! These games were played within a week of each other and the lines tell you the odds makers feel the Tigers are the better team! Yet here they are, with the betting markets falling in love with the Crimson Tide, getting a full +7 in this game as of early gameday morning. I'll gladly take the points here as Missouri is undervalued and Alabama is in a true flat spot here. Yes the Crimson Tide have been very hot ATS but they are facing a tough test here with the Tigers and I expect this game to ultimately be decided by only a bucket or two. 10* MISSOURI |
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01-18-20 | Coyotes v. Oilers OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 7 h 41 m | Show |
Pacific Div Total of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Edmonton Oilers vs Arizona Coyotes @ 3:05 ET - The Oilers have two choices at goalie here. Mikko Koskinen has an .863 save percentage in his last 4 games. Mike Smith has an .862 save percentage in his 7 divisional games this season. The Coyotes have been dealing with injury issues at goalie. Darcy Keumper has been out so Anti Raanta had been getting the call but then he go hurt. Raanta might be back this afternoon but the last time he tried to come back from this injury he gave up 3 goals in 2 periods and then had to exit the game. That means it could be Adin Hill between the pipes for this one and he is Arizona's #3 goalie for a reason. In other words, look for plenty of goals here. I know the Coyotes like to play lower-scoring grinder type games but they are not the only team on the ice here of course and Edmonton will push the pace here. The Oilers have seen 9 of their past 11 games total 6 or more goals and we've got a total of just 5.5 posted on this game. Keep in mind, Edmonton has scored an average of 4.3 goals per game in their last 7 games. The Coyotes are off a low-scoring loss but previously had scored 3 or more goals in 6 of their last 8 games. Also, Arizona has allowed at least 3 goals in each of their last 5 games. You can see why I am expecting EACH team to get to at least 3 goals here and, of course, that means this one ends with 7 or more goals and we only need 6 to put us in the winners circle. 10* OVER the total in Edmonton |
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01-18-20 | Marquette v. Georgetown OVER 153 | Top | 84-80 | Win | 100 | 7 h 6 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #649 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Georgetown Hoyas vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 2 ET - The Hoyas are averaging 82.5 points per game at home this season. The Golden Eagles are averaging 77.2 points per game this season. Trouble here because they are on the road? Not so fast my friend as Marquette actually is hitting an incredible 41.1% of their three pointers when away from home this season! Georgetown is horrible at defending the arc and the Eagles love to run and gun. The Hoyas also love to run the floor and get quick points in transition and this is particularly true when they are at home. That said, I love the over in this match-up. The Golden Eagles are off a big win versus Xavier and the over is now 7-2 in their lat 9 games as Marquette continues to pile up big points in recent weeks! The Golden Eagles most recent road game was a rare exception (at Xavier) and they make up for that effort here as they take advantage of facing a weak defense. 10* OVER the total in Georgetown |
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01-17-20 | Lightning -140 v. Jets | Top | 7-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - Though I rarely lay prices in money line sports, this is a fantastic situation that is worth the risk of laying a -140 price range for a top play. As of early game day morning, this line is in the -140 range on the Lightning and this is a fantastic spot for Tampa Bay. Yes, I know the Bolts are in a back to back spot but they saved #1 (and red hot) goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for this game. Also, the fact they are off a loss last night strengthens their resolve here. Adding to their "hunger factor" here, Tampa Bay does not play again until the 27th as their All Star break starts a little bit early. This is the Bolts final game until after the break. Last, but certainly not least, this is also a revenge game for the Lightning as they lost at home to the Jets earlier this season. Note that Winnipeg hasn't been as dominant at home this season and actually they have more losses than wins on home ice thus far! As for Tampa Bay, they had won 13 of 22 road games prior to last night's disappointing loss at Minnesota. Look for the Lightning to bounce right back and make the most of this final opportunity before their break. The last thing the high-powered Bolts want to do is to go into the break on a losing streak. Look for a huge effort here and note that Winnipeg is off a shutout win over Vancouver but this was preceded by a stretch that saw the Jets lose 7 of 10 games! Remember Tampa Bay had won 11 of 12 games before their loss last night. The Lightning get one final win before their break. Lay it! 10* TAMPA BAY |
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01-17-20 | Penguins v. Red Wings OVER 6 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - The Penguins have Sidney Crosby back on the ice in recent games and he scored 24 seconds into last night's game at Boston. Inexplicably however, that ended up being the only goal for Pittsburgh in a 4-1 loss to the Bruins. The Pens will make up for that performance here as they take advantage of a Red Wings team that is allowing an average of 4 goals per game this season. The key to the value here with the over is that Matt Murray will be back between the pipes for the Penguins tonight since Tristan Jarry started last night. Murray has a poor .875 save percentage on the road this season. Pittsburgh has allowed at least 3 goals in 5 straight games. Prior to last night's loss, the Penguins had won 4 straight games and scored an average of 4.3 goals per game in regulation of those 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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01-17-20 | Wizards v. Raptors OVER 228.5 | Top | 111-140 | Win | 100 | 14 h 0 m | Show |
Eastern Conference Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The over is a perfect 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these teams. The Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA defensively as they are allowing 120 points per game on the season. The Raptors are a big favorite here with good reason and they won't take their foot off the gas in this one. Toronto's games are 7-2 to the over this season when they are a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points. Washington's games are 12-4-1 to the over this season when they are playing against a team with a winning record. Also, the Wizards are off back to back non-covers and that is a situation that has seen the over go 7-0-1 in Washington's game this season. When these teams get together it has been a track meet in recent match-ups and I am expecting another one tonight with plenty of run and gun action. Will gladly test the perfect trends noted above. 10* OVER the total in Toronto |
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01-17-20 | Bulls +7.5 v. 76ers | Top | 89-100 | Loss | -109 | 13 h 22 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Friday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - The line looks low right? A bad Bulls team facing a 76ers team that is 19-2 SU at home this season and yet the line, as of early Friday morning, is only a 7.5 across the board. In typical contrarian fashion I am grabbing the points with the team most won't want! Note that Philadelphia pulled away late for the win and cover against Brooklyn Wednesday. As impressive as the final score may have been, the Nets were actually in that game all the way. The Sixers simply aren't the same team without Joel Embiid and he is currently out with an injury. The Bulls have been scrappy recently and are exactly the type of team that will sneak up on a good team like Philly in a spot like this and give them all sorts of trouble. Chicago has won and covered 2 of its last 3 games and note that the Sixers, prior to their win over Brooklyn, had lost 6 of their past 8 games SU. The Bulls are 8-2 ATS this season when they enter a game having lost 6 or 7 of their past 8 games. The 76ers are 4-7 ATS this season as a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points. Grab the points with the scrappy underdog in this one. 10* CHICAGO |
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01-17-20 | Dayton v. St. Louis OVER 138.5 | Top | 78-76 | Win | 100 | 13 h 43 m | Show |
A10 Total of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #857 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Billikens vs Dayton Flyers @ 7 ET - I have had my eyes on this match-up for awhile as one that is likely to lead to plenty of points. The Flyers lost to St Louis in the Atlantic 10 Tourney last season and it is payback time here. That said, I expect Dayton to score plenty in this one but the Billikens are a strong home team that can put up big points as a host. St Louis is averaging 74.5 points per game at home this season. The Flyers, even on the road, are a huge scoring team as they are averaging 81.6 points per game away from home this season. Dayton enters this game on a 6-game winning streak and has averaged 81.5 points per game in these six victories. The Billikens most recent home game was a low-scoring win but that was preceded by 3 games as a host which saw St Louis average 80.7 points per game. The over is 12-6 in Dayton's last 18 games. The over is 6-3 in the Billikens last 9 games. Also, in the last 6 meetings between these teams, 4 have gone over the total. More of the same here. The Flyers were held to just 55 points in their last match-up with STL and that means Dayton will not take their foot off the gas no matter how big their margin in this revenge game. 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
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01-17-20 | Wisconsin +9.5 v. Michigan State | Top | 55-67 | Loss | -108 | 12 h 3 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Friday 10* Top Play Wisconsin Badgers (+) @ Michigan State Spartans @ 7 ET - The Spartans just got rolled at Purdue. So now everyone is jumping on Michigan State in a bounce back spot on their home floor. However, how much is too much? In this case I feel strongly that this line has been blown out of proportion. The Badgers have plenty of motivation here and are not an easy team to blowout. Wisconsin has revenge against the Spartans as Michigan State has held the upper hand in their meetings in recent seasons including knocking them out in Big Ten tourney action each of the past two years. Last March the Badgers actually had 15 more shots from the field as they dominated in terms of forcing Spartans turnovers. Wisconsin simply had an awful shooting performance and that was the difference in the game as the Badgers lost by a dozen points. Wisconsin enters this game having won 6 of their past 7 games and the lone loss came by a single point. Michigan State, while it is tempting to back them after their ugly loss to the Boilermakers, actually does not have a good history ATS in spots like this. When off an upset loss by a double digit margin in a game in which they were a favorite, the Spartans are a long-term 7-16 ATS including 1-3 ATS in recent seasons. Off an upset loss by 15 or more points as a road favorite, Michigan State has gone 0-4 ATS in their next game! More of the same here. 10* WISCONSIN |
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01-16-20 | Celtics v. Bucks -8.5 | Top | 123-128 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 31 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #524 Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Boston Celtics @ 8:05 ET - What happens when the best team in the NBA is at home and playing with revenge and catching a struggling team off a loss and in the 2nd night of a back to back? You're about to see first-hand that the result is an absolute annihilation! When the Bucks faced the Celtics in Boston on October 30th it was a revenge game for the home team as they had been eliminated by Milwaukee in the playoffs in May. Even with all the motivation and revenge angle for the Celtics, the Bucks still raced out to a 16-point lead at the half. However, Milwaukee then got outscored by 27 points in the second half and lost by double digits. That said, this is payback time for the Bucks and I don't see them being denied. 5 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have been decided by double digits. Also, 4 of the Celtics last 5 losses have come by double digits. 13 of the Bucks last 15 wins have come by a margin of 9 or more points. Milwaukee is 19-2 at home this season while the Celtics are barely above .500 in road games this season. Boston has lost 4 of its last 6 games and the Bucks have the rest edge and are motivated here. Blowout time. 10* MILWAUKEE |
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01-16-20 | North Texas v. Southern Miss OVER 132 | Top | 72-52 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #639 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles vs North Texas Mean Green @ 8 ET - Looking for games that are a bit "off the radar" often lead to some top value situations and that is precisely the case here. A 4-13 Southern Miss team is certainly not going to have most people lining up at the betting window but I love spots like this. The Golden Eagles should score well here at home but they are a very bad team defensively and North Texas will take advantage. The result here should be an absolute shootout and yet we have a rather low total to work with on this one. The Mean Green have averaged 82.3 points per game in their past 6 games. The Golden Eagles are off a 70 point effort at UTSA. In terms of their recent home games they had a rare dud in their most recent game as a host. Look for Southern Miss to make up for that here as, in their 3 preceding home games, the Eagles had averaged 79 points per game! On the season Southern Mississippi has averaged 73 points per game at home. But the Golden Eagles have allowed 75 points per game this season and I am expecting this game to get well into the 140s. The over is a perfect 3-0 in meetings between these teams in which the Eagles are the host. North Texas enters this game on a 6-3 run to the over. 10* OVER the total in Southern Mississippi |
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01-16-20 | Penguins v. Bruins OVER 6 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 53 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Bruins #1 goalie Tuukka Rask is out with a concussion. Boston's #2 goalie Jaroslav Halak has an .866 save percentage in his last 4 games (3 starts) as he has struggled. The Penguins, boosted by the return of Sidney Crosby, are off a 7-3 home win versus Minnesota. Now Pittsburgh will take advantage of a slumping Bruins team and a slumping goalie. However, I feel strongly that the Bruins are going to bounce back in the offensive zone in this one after they ran into a red-hot goalie in Columbus and lost 3-0. Boston simply has too much firepower to be shutdown in back to back games. Now, back on home ice, the Bruins kicks their offensive production back into high gear. Keep in mind, prior to being shutout by the Blue Jackets, the Bruins had scored 5 goals in a shootout loss at Philly. The last 3 games between Boston and the Pens have averaged a total of 8 goals scored and I expect a similar result here. So much firepower for each of these teams in the offensive zone. Also, Penguins games have totaled 7 or more goals in 4 straight! 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh |
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01-16-20 | Canadiens +123 v. Flyers | Top | 4-1 | Win | 123 | 10 h 5 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #33 Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) @ Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - The situation is ideal for an upset win for the Habs in this one. Montreal got embarrassed 4-1 on home ice last night. The Flyers are off a huge OT win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues in St Louis. Situations don't get much better than this because the goalie situation also strongly favors the Canadiens. They used back up Charlie Lindgren last night so they could save Carey Price for this game. Price has a .935 save percentage this month and has allowed a total of only 1 goal in his past 2 starts combined! As for the Flyers, #1 goalie Carter Hart - so strong at home - is currently out with an injury and that is why Brian Elliott started last night. Note that Elliott hung on for the win last night but was not overly impressive and has been in an extended stretch of struggles. Now Philadelphia is either forced to go with him again in the 2nd night of a back to back or use Alex Lyon whom was just called up from the minors. Neither option is a good one truly and the Flyers will be dealing with an angry Canadiens team that has been better on the road than on home ice this season. 10* MONTREAL |
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01-16-20 | Cincinnati +5.5 v. Memphis | Top | 49-60 | Loss | -114 | 13 h 55 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Thursday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (+) @ Memphis Tigers @ 7 ET - The Bearcats have won 6 straight meetings between these teams and 8 of the last 9. The lone Cincinnati loss in those 9 games came by a margin of only 4 points. Of course Memphis is highly motivated here as a result but the Tigers will be in an all-out war just to win this game let alone cover the spread. That said, I like the value here with the Bearcats plus the points. Memphis has been struggling on the offensive end and has averaged just 66 points per game in its past 3 games. Cincinnati has averaged 71.5 points per game in its past 6 games. While both teams have been strong defensively this season, the Bearcats have been the better team in the offensive end and the Tigers already have a bit of a "self-doubt complex" when it comes to beating the Cats. They just haven't been able to do it for multiple years now and when a team is pressing to make shots and also feeling the pressure to knock off a team that has been a nemesis, it certainly is not a good combination for success. Memphis is on a 3-7 ATS run in January games. The Bearcats are on an 18-2 SU run in January games and have played the slightly tougher schedule this season in comparison with the Tigers. That said, I'll grab the generous points here. 10* CINCINNATI |
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01-15-20 | Flyers v. Blues OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 7 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 8:05 ET - Flyers goalie Carter Hart left practice early yesterday due to a lower body injury. While his status is still up in the air as of early this morning, the fact is that this is NOT a good situation for Philadelphia's netminders no matter how you look at it. Even if Hart played he is coming off a disastrous game at home against the Bruins. Now he would be on the road nursing an injury and he has struggled badly on the road this season plus he'd be facing the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues. The fact is that St Louis is on fire right now and going for 10 straight home wins and the Blues have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their past 15 games. They'll likely be facing a struggling Brian Elliott in goal for the Flyers in this one. The back-up netminder has struggled badly in 5 of his last 6 appearances! As for the Blues it will likely be Jordan Binnington back between the pipes since Jake Allen was in the crease in their most recent game. Though Binnington is a very strong goal-tender, the Flyers are a very scrappy team that does a great job of generating shots on goal. Philly has scored an average of 3.5 goals per game in their last 13 games and won more than half of those games. 7 of Philadelphia's last 8 road games have totaled 7 or more goals and the average has been 8 goals in these 8 games away from home! That said, a total of 5.5 here is offering great line value and I won't hesitate to go to my highest level on this total given the situation. 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
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01-15-20 | Nets v. 76ers -7.5 | Top | 106-117 | Win | 100 | 13 h 17 m | Show |
Atlantic Division Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set up here. Both teams off losses but the Nets were in action last night. Brooklyn is playing this game with no rest. Philadelphia is off back to back losses and they were off yesterday so they have the rest edge here. Also, Brooklyn got their playoff revenge over the Sixers in the first meeting this season as the Nets blasted the 76ers by a margin of 20 points. Philly hasn't forgotten that game and they are in an angry mood here because they have lost 6 of their past 8 games overall. With Joel Embiid out we're getting line value here as this line is being kept shorter than it would have been of course. That said, I am happy to lay the relatively small number when you consider the situational edges here and the fact that Brooklyn is 1-6 SU in their last 7 road games while the 76ers are 18-2 SU in home games this season. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-15-20 | Pistons v. Celtics OVER 218 | Top | 116-103 | Win | 100 | 13 h 40 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Celtics are known for being a solid team defensively. They have earned that reputation. But sometimes that helps lead to value going the other way when certain situations arise and that is precisely what we have here. It is hard for Boston to be be excited about facing a slumping Pistons team when they have a huge game tomorrow night at Milwaukee! Undoubtedly these are the types of games where the superior team - in this case, the Celtics - has a drop-off in defensive intensity. That said, don't be surprised when the Pistons score very well in this game. However, Detroit leaves much to be desired on the defensive end. That said, I look for a solid over in this match-up. Overall, 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams have gone over the total. Also, 3 of the last 4 times they have met in Boston, the games have gone over the total. The over is 9-3 in the Pistons last dozen games. The Celtics have averaged 119 points per game in their past 4 home games. Look for them to get at least that here and for the Pistons to eclipse the century mark as well and, as a result, this flies over the total. 10* OVER the total in Boston |
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01-15-20 | Virginia +6.5 v. Florida State | Top | 50-54 | Win | 100 | 12 h 3 m | Show |
ACC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #791 Wednesday 10* Top Play Virginia Cavaliers (+) @ Florida State Seminoles @ 7 ET - This is a tremendous value spot. The Cavaliers are "off the radar" of most everyone because they have lost back to back games and also people remember them getting blasted at Purdue and also losing by double digits as a double digit home favorite versus South Carolina. However, when this Virginia team is "on" and they bring their "A game" they are still a very tough team to play against. That said, we are getting phenomenal line value here. Keep in mind this is a revenge game for the Cavs because Florida State upset them in March. Virginia had more shots from the field in that game but they simply had a horrible shooting night plus the Seminoles dominated the boards. Note that, already evident this season, the Noles are not so dominant on the boards and the Cavaliers actually have the better rebounding margin on the season entering this game. That said, I feel very strongly that the very hungry Cavs - seeking revenge and off B2B losses - have a great shot at the outright upset. The fact we can get the added insurance of at least a half-dozen points here makes the situation even that much stronger. Keep in mind, the Cavaliers are still the vastly superior defense in this match-up and I foresee FSU having a helluva time trying to put them away. Look for the Cavs to be in this one all the way. Grab the generous points. 10* VIRGINIA |
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01-15-20 | Creighton v. Georgetown OVER 151 | Top | 80-83 | Win | 100 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #789 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Georgetown Hoyas vs Creighton Bluejays @ 7 ET - I am aware of the fact that Creighton does not shoot the 3-ball as well on the road as they do at home. However, specific to playing at Georgetown, that stat has not held up! In their last two visits here, the Bluejays have shot a combined 29 of 65 for 44.5% three pointers! Georgetown is not a very good team defensively and this is particularly true when it comes to defending shots from the beyond the arc. That said, I like my chances in terms of Creighton scoring plenty in this one. Keep in mind, the Bluejays have scored an average of 87 points per game in their last 4 meetings with Georgetown. The Hoyas are happy to play at a fast pace and they are known for putting up big numbers when on their home floor. In fact, Georgetown has averaged 87 points per contest in their last 5 games on their home floor. Now you can see why the big total posted on this game is absolutely justified. The Bluejays enter this game having seen each of their last 3 games stay under the total while the Hoyas are on a 5-game under streak. Yet we see a big total posted on this game. Now you know why so don't be fooled here...this one should fly over Wednesday. 10* OVER the total in Georgetown |
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01-14-20 | Rockets v. Grizzlies OVER 238 | Top | 110-121 | Loss | -109 | 15 h 56 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #575 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - These are two of the fastest teams in the league in terms of possessions per game. The opening total of 238 will scare many away but the fact this game should be an absolute track meet going both ways. Memphis is a very young team and they want to play fast and look to score plenty of points in transition. Of course the Rockets are one of the top teams in the league for efficiency on offense. That said, I have no hesitation in expecting these teams to combine to average 60 or more points per quarter in this one. Memphis is playing with a lot of confidence thanks to a 5-game winning streak. The Rockets sit atop of the Southwest Division standings and enter this game having rolled to big point totals in 4 of their last 5 games. They're looking to make up for that one dud (on the road) by coming up with a huge effort in their first road game since then. In the other 4 games the Rockets have averaged 127 points per game. As for Memphis, they have averaged 127 points per game during their current 5-game winning streak. You can see why I would not be surprised to see this game get into the 255 range. The over is 4-2 in Houston's last 6 games. The over is 12-4 in the Grizzlies last 16 games. Look for the high-scoring trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Memphis |
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01-14-20 | Kings v. Lightning -1.5 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -107 | 12 h 13 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 goals vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - The Kings almost always struggle to score goals. A rare exception was their recent 5-2 win at Vegas. Other than that LA seems to fall somewhere between 0 and 2 goals scored most every game. The bad news for Los Angeles is they're going to be facing Andrei Vasilevskiy in this one. He is an incredible 8-0 with a .946 save percentage in his last 8 outings. In other words, things could get worse for the Kings before they get better! Exasperating this situation for Los Angeles is the fact that they will be facing an angry Tampa Bay team. The Lightning just had their 10 game winning streak snapped at New Jersey on Monday. Curtis McElhinney got the start in that one (back to back spot) for the Bolts but Vasilevskiy should be back in the crease here. Not only is TB hungry to bounce back here after that loss, this is also their final home game until early February. In other words, the Lightning are wanting to make the most of this opportunity and I don't foresee them being denied. Prior to a 1-0 win at Philadelphia which made it 10 straight wins for Tampa, they had scored 4.7 goals per game in the first 9 wins of that streak. Keep in mind the Kings have been held to 2 or less goals in regulation time of 9 of their past 11 games. That is why I am expecting the Bolts to win this game by 3 or 4 goals and of course a win by 2 or more puts in the winners circle. Look for a home blowout here! 10* TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Puck Line -1.5 goals |
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01-14-20 | Golden Knights v. Sabres OVER 6 | Top | 2-4 | Push | 0 | 11 h 17 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - The Knights are looking to bounce back off a home shutout loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Prior to that defeat, Vegas had scored an average of 4 goals per game in their preceding 6 games. The issue for the Golden Knights of late has been as it relates to keeping the puck out of their own net. The Knights have allowed an average of 4 goals per game in their last 5 games. Now the face a Sabres team that has been involved in plenty of high-scoring games on home ice and I look for a real barn-burner here given the situation. Buffalo's last 15 non-road games have averaged a total of 7 goals per game. That said, I like the value we're getting here with this total at a flat 6 goals per game rather than a 6.5 as one might expect. The Knights Marc-Andre Fleury has seen Vegas concede 15 goals in his last 4 starts. The one start Malcolm Subban had during this stretch saw the Golden Knights allow 5 goals. In fact, prior to their 3-0 home loss to Columbus, the Knights preceding 8 games featured 7 games that all totaled 7 or more goals. This one will too! Buffalo is off a big 5-1 win at Detroit and this was preceded by the Sabres allowing an average of 4.2 goals per game in their 5 preceding games. The O/U is 3-0-1 this season when Vegas enters a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. The O/U is 7-3 this season when the Sabres are off a win by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo |
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01-14-20 | Louisville v. Pittsburgh +6 | Top | 73-68 | Win | 100 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Tuesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Panthers (+) vs Louisville Cardinals @ 7 ET - The Cardinals blasted the Panthers by 18 points in Louisville in early December and they rank among the top teams in the nation. That said, it looks easy to simply take the Cards here laying a rather short number on the road. Not so fast my friends. First off, the Cardinals outscored Pittsburgh by 24 points from 3 point land in the first meeting. That was the difference in the game and that type of disparity is highly unlikely to be repeated again tonight as this time the Cards are on the road. Additionally, Louisville has a huge game on deck with Duke! It is hard for the Cardinals to not be peeking ahead at the big match-up with the Blue Devils. That said, I love the home dog value here with a Panthers team that has been playing solid, competitive basketball ever since that blowout loss at Louisville on December 6th. Pitt, prior to a loss at Miami, had won 4 of 5 games and the lone loss came by a margin of only 4 points. The Cardinals are allowing 68 points per game on the road this season. The Panthers are allowing just 60 points per game at home this season. This one will be an all-out war and I don't see Louisville being able to gain much of (if any) margin in this game. Grab the points with the home dog. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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01-14-20 | Nebraska v. Ohio State OVER 140 | Top | 68-80 | Win | 100 | 13 h 32 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ohio State Buckeyes vs Nebraska Cornhuskers @ 6:30 ET - Buckeyes games have stayed under the total in 4 straight games. Cornhuskers games have stayed under the total in 6 straight games. Yet this total is climbing higher in early trading action. Why would that happen? Sharp money! The fact is that the Buckeyes need a breakout game on offense as they are mired in a 4-game losing streak in which they have been held below 60 points in all 4 games. Tuesday Ohio State will take advantage of facing a Cornhuskers team which has allowed 78.4 points per game in match-ups played away from home this season. As for the Huskers offense, note that they have averaged 72.7 points per game this season. The Buckeyes offense will be in run and gun mode here and they are happy to be back home for this one. Ohio State has averaged 79.1 points per game in home games this season. The Buckeyes have hit 41.5% of their three pointers at home this season while Nebraska has hit a solid 34.5% of their three pointers on the road this season. We're getting some value here because Ohio State's most recent home game was a plodding affair against Wisconsin (Badgers like to play that way). Note that, prior to that, the Buckeyes had averaged 92 points per game in their 3 preceding home games. Look for plenty of points here! 10* OVER the total in Ohio State |
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01-13-20 | Portland State +7 v. Montana | Top | 70-85 | Loss | -110 | 16 h 36 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Monday 10* Top Play Portland State Vikings (+) @ Montana Grizzlies @ 9 ET - The Vikings have the best player on the floor - Holland "Boo Boo" Woods - and he has been in top current form of late too! Woods just scored a career high 30 points in Portland State's win at Montana State on Saturday and that included a game winner in the final seconds. The Grizzlies are playing this game with revenge as they got swept by the Vikings last season. However, revenge and motivation can only take a team so far. The fact is that Montana lost 4 starters from last season's team. The Vikings are going to be tough to beat here and that means great value with the points. People are buying into the double revenge angle and this line has gone from an early opener of a -5 all the way up to a -7. This means additional value with a dangerous road dog that is playing with a lot of heart right now. Portland State is only 5-4 SU their last 9 games but looking at their past 10 games the Vikings have had only 1 loss in 10 games that came by a margin greater than 6 points. In fact, 2 of Portland State's last 3 losses have come by just a bucket. That means we have excellent underdog value here with the Vikings. They are 6-2 ATS as a road dog this season. Montana is 2-5 ATS this season when off a win and they are off a big win at Eastern Washington as a 5.5 point dog. Look for the Grizzlies pattern of faltering off a win to continue here. 10* PORTLAND STATE |
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01-13-20 | Clemson +6.5 v. LSU | Top | 25-42 | Loss | -110 | 16 h 1 m | Show |
The Big One - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #283 Monday 10* Top Play Clemson Tigers (+) vs LSU Tigers @ 8 PM ET in National Championship @ Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA - I have plenty of respect for both of these teams of course but this is simply too many points for LSU to be laying in a game that Clemson certainly has a great shot at winning outright. First off, about the points, Clemson's win over Ohio State to get here was the FIRST TIME this season that they allowed more than 20 points in a game and yet they still allowed only 23 in that game. In their first 12 games this season, Clemson allowed 14 points or less in 11 of the 12 games! To put that in proper perspective lets compare that to their opponent here. LSU has allowed 37 points or more 4 times this season and also allowed 28 points in 2 other games. That means that in nearly half their games this season LSU has allowed 28 points. Again, that is something the Clemson defense has not done a SINGLE time this season. Now I know LSU has a prolific offense but you can see why I like the defense-first dog in this match-up. The Clemson defense rates a bigger edge than the LSU offense rates when comparing these two teams. Why? Because the Clemson offense is very impressive too! They have averaged just a field goal less on offense while their defense has allowed 10 points less per game. In terms of the experience factor, I like that Clemson has been here so frequently in recent seasons. It definitely rates an edge for their program in that regard in this match-up. In terms of long-term trending here. When LSU enters a game on an ATS winning streak (as a favorite) of 3 or more games they have gone 3-8 ATS. As for Clemson, as a neutral field underdog of 3.5 to 7 points, they have gone 10-3 ATS. I expect an upset but will grab the points for extra insurance in case LSU squeaks out the SU win. 10* CLEMSON |
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01-13-20 | Bulls +9.5 v. Celtics | Top | 101-113 | Loss | -104 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Monday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 7:35 ET - Bulls are off win at Detroit. While it is true that Chicago had been struggling prior to that, they did have an 18-point lead at Indiana in their prior game before faltering late in the game. That said, I feel the Bulls have been more competitive of late and they are catching the Celtics at the right time to be a dangerous underdog here. Boston is off a huge 140 to 105 win over New Orleans. That is the type of victory that can have a team feeling a little too "fat and happy" and they often have some struggles in their next game after one like that. Note that, prior to that game the Celtics had lost 3 straight games SU. Overall, Boston had lost 4 of 7 games SU prior to the win over the Pelicans. Also, 2 of those 3 wins came by a margin of 7 or less points. Per the above, you can see why I am happy to challenge the Celtics to win this game by double digits. The Bulls lost by 29 points in their lone visit here last year and did get throttled in 2 of the 3 meetings between these teams. That said, they'll be ready to go here! The Bulls stopped the bleeding with their win at Detroit Saturday and Chicago is 7-1 ATS this season when they enter a game having lost 6 or 7 of their past 8 games SU. After ending their losing streak they build some momentum with another strong effort here. Boston is 30-54 ATS long-term (and 1-3 ATS this season) when off a game in which they scored 120 points or more. 10* CHICAGO |