Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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12-27-17 | Xavier v. Marquette OVER 161 | Top | 91-87 | Win | 100 | 11 h 51 m | Show |
Big East Blowout - Rickenbach CBB Game #727 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Marquette Golden Eagles vs Xavier Musketeers @ 8:30 ET - Both these teams are shooting lights out from three point land and the Musketeers are averaging 87 points per game this season while the Golden Eagles are averaging 83 points per game on the young season. With this total falling so far this morning, there is great value on the over in this one. Xavier is connecting on 39% of its three pointers and Marquette is hitting 40% from beyond the arc. Neither team is afraid to play at a fast pace. The Golden Eagles weakness is their defense and while the Musketeers are fairly solid defensively, Marquette is known for putting up especially impressive numbers on offense at home. That has this one destined for a shootout. The over is 7-3 this season in Xavier's games against teams with a winning record. The over is 63-44 when the Golden Eagles are off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. Also, Marquette is 32-23 to the over when playing with 5 or 6 days of rest between games. The Golden Eagles are 28-19 to the over in their games against teams with a winning record. 10* OVER the total in Marquette |
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12-27-17 | Purdue +3.5 v. Arizona | Top | 38-35 | Win | 100 | 12 h 26 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach CFB Game #275 Wednesday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) vs Arizona Wildcats in Foster Farms Bowl @ Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California @ 8:30 ET - The Boilermakers faced a much tougher schedule than Arizona did this season. Also, Purdue is the much better team on defense. The Wildcats allow 34.1 points per game while the Boilermakers allow only 19.3 points per game. Purdue has gone 4-2 ATS their last 6 as a dog and they are 3-0 ATS after a bye week as well as 3-0 ATS in non-conference action! In games with a line range from -3 to +3, the Wildcats have gone an ugly 2-6 SU and ATS! Of course when you have a poor defense you often struggle to win close games and that is likely to be the case again with Arizona here. While the Wildcats stumbled late in the season by losing each of their last 2 games and 3 of their last 4, the Boilermakers have the momentum edge as they won each of their last 2 games as well as 3 of their last 4. Arizona's strength on offense is their ground game but the Boilermakers are very strong against the run and allowed only 84 rushing yards per game their last 5 games of the regular season! 10* PURDUE |
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12-27-17 | Nuggets v. Wolves OVER 213 | Top | 125-128 | Win | 100 | 11 h 2 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #713 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets @ 8:05 ET - The Nuggets are off of a big win over Utah last night where they held the Jazz to only 83 points. That makes it 3 straight unders in Denver's games but they haven't recorded more than 3 in a row since October. I see the streak of unders quickly coming to an end tonight as the Timberwolves have been red hot. Minnesota has won 4 straight games and offensive production has led the way. Minny has had 4 straight overs and the over is 10-3 in their last 13 games. The Timberwolves have been shooting the ball very well and the over is 5-1 in their divisional games this season. Also, Minnesota is a long-term 23-11 to the over when they enter a game on a streak of 3 or more consecutive overs. For Denver, the over is 9-5 this season and an incredible 41-13 the last 3 seasons combined when they face a team that is averaging 106 points or more per game. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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12-27-17 | Oilers v. Jets OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 21 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #15 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Edmonton Oilers @ 8:05 ET - The Oilers Connor McDavid is listed as probable for this game but both teams are dealing with some blue line injuries. Of course that helps an over and that is a lot of solid reasoning as to why this one should fly over the total. Edmonton is heating up again with 4 straight wins and they've scored an average of 5 goals per game in their last 7 victories! The Jets enter this match up off of back to back losses but those were on the road. Winnipeg averages 4.2 goals per game at home and, as you would expect with those types of numbers, the Jets are 10-5 to the over in home games this season! The Oilers have trended under this season but the way they've been scoring goals of late coupled with the way the Jets light the lamp at home has this one headed for a barn-burner. Winnipeg is 9-4 to the over when playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. The Jets are 11-3 to the over when off of a non-conference game. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg |
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12-26-17 | Jazz +6 v. Nuggets | Top | 83-107 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Tuesday 10* Utah Jazz (+) @ Denver Nuggets @ 9:05 ET - Of course this is a revenge spot for the Nuggets as they lost at Utah by 29 in late November. However, is Denver really thinking that much about that here? The fact is that the Nuggets are off of a win over the NBA Champion Warriors in their final game before the NBA break. Also, Denver has another revenge game (at Minnesota) for tomorrow night and the Nuggets most recent home loss was to the Timberwolves just last week. You can truly see why Denver may not be fully focused here and they are going to have their hands full with a Utah team coming off of home loss to Oklahoma City. The Jazz are fired up as they've endured a tough stretch recently that has seen them lose 8 of their last 10 games. The best thing that could have happened for Utah was a break in the action and I look for the Jazz to come out renewed and refreshed after the Christmas break. As for the Nuggets, they are 1-9 ATS this season when off of a win by a double digit margin and that was a huge road win at Golden State on Saturday. Also, Denver is 12-30 SU long-term when off of an upset win as an underdog! As for the Jazz, they are a long-term 27-13 SU when off of a divisional game and, the fact they lost that divisional match-up at home against the Thunder means extra hunger for the road dog in this one. 10* UTAH |
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12-26-17 | Kansas State v. UCLA OVER 61 | Top | 35-17 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 54 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CFB Game #233 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in UCLA Bruins vs Kansas State Wildcats @ 9 ET in Cactus Bowl @ Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ - Even with Drew Rosen doubtful for the Bruins and Jesse Ertz out for the Wildcats, the back-up QBs have been able to step into these offenses and get the job done and I expect that to continue. Both of these teams are weak defensively and that should lead to plenty of points in this one no matter who is under center for each team. Of course with Chip Kelly now hired as head coach for UCLA, regardless of his involvement in this game, the fact is you can see the Bruins are going to continue on the path they've already been on which is all offense and no defense! UCLA averages 465.7 yards per game but allows 488.8 yards per game. Kansas State allowed 467 yards per game in road games this season. I am calling this a contrarian play because many will shy away from the over due to the QB situation but the fact is that both these offenses still have plenty of weapons to move the ball very well and the defenses are very "beatable". The over is 5-1 in Kansas State games when the Wildcats are playing with 2 or more weeks of rest between games. The over went 3-0 this season in Bruins non-conference games. UCLA is 3-1 to the over when playing after a bye week. Also, long-term the Bruins are 12-6 to the over in games against Big 12 opponents. 10* OVER the total in Cactus Bowl |
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12-25-17 | Raiders +10 v. Eagles | Top | 10-19 | Win | 100 | 14 h 49 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher Top Play - Rickenbach NFL Game #131 Monday 10* Oakland Raiders (+) @ Philadelphia Eagles @ 8:30 ET - The Raiders got eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday's results but they already knew their chances were slim as tough losses have helped lead the way to a tough 6-8 record entering this match-up. The point is that the elimination is not a total shock and I fully expect Oakland to still want to perform well in a primetime Christmas night performance when they know all of the NFL world will be watching. The fact is that now all the pressure here is on the Eagles as they are still trying to secure the #1 see in the NFC. Also, with Nick Foles now in for Carson Wentz, the Eagles certainly are not quite as explosive on offense. Philly is 2-1 their last 3 games and both wins came by 8 points or less. The Raiders are 3-3 their last 6 games and one loss was by just a field goal and another by 11 points. In other words, the big points here are certainly offering big value. The Eagles have allowed 29.3 points per game the past 3 weeks. By comparison, the Raiders have allowed only 19.3 points per game their last 4 games! Philadelphia is a long-term 12-22 ATS when playing in a home game with a posted total between 45.5 and 49 points. The Raiders are 4-1 ATS when on the road in non-conference action and facing an opponent with a winning percentage of .401 or greater! The Raiders have covered 4 of the last 5 against Philly and though I expect the Eagles to get the win here I expect it to be by just a single possession as Raiders go to 5-1 ATS L6 versus Philadelphia. 10* OAKLAND |
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12-25-17 | Cavs v. Warriors -4.5 | Top | 92-99 | Win | 100 | 7 h 51 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #704 Monday 10* Golden State Warriors (-) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 3:05 ET - The Warriors are without Stephen Curry of course. However, the line has gone from as high as -7.5 to as low as -4.5 as of gameday morning and the betting markets are treating this as if the odds makers weren't aware that Curry was out when they set the line. The fact is that this is great line value on Golden State at home and laying a small number. The Warriors just had their 11 game winning streak snapped on Saturday and likely were caught looking ahead to this game. The fact is that Golden State has been playing better defense than Cleveland. The Warriors are allowing an average of just 98 points per game their last 8 games. The Cavaliers are allowing an average of 109 points per game their last 6 games. Opponents are shooting 49% from the field in the Cavs last 5 games. The Warriors are allowing just 41% from the field their last 8 games. Defense is a big deal in games like this. Yes the Cavs want revenge from last year's finals but Golden State will be up for this game on Christmas Day, particularly after being held to just 81 points on Saturday on their home floor! Cleveland is just 3-11 ATS after scoring 115 points or more in their prior game. The Warriors are 30-5 SU (including 6-0 SU this season) when off of an upset loss as a favorite. GS was embarrassed on Saturday and they'll respond BIG here. 10* GOLDEN STATE |
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12-25-17 | Princeton -118 v. Hawaii | Top | 77-63 | Win | 100 | 6 h 41 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #713 Monday 10* Princeton Tigers (-) @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors @ 2:30 ET - Hawaii is at home, off of a win, and the Warriors have an 8-3 record and yet they are the dog against a Tigers team that is 6-7. Looks funny, doesn't it? Don't be fooled! Princeton has played a tougher schedule on the season and their style is known for frustrating opponents. The Tigers beat the Rainbow Warriors by 13 last year in December and it was no fluke as Princeton was actually up 20 points at the half! The Tigers are hitting 39.3% of their threes this season while the Warriors are hitting only 28.6% of their shots from beyond the arc. Hawaii is off of an upset win over Davidson while Princeton is off of a non-covering win versus Akron. The Warriors had been 0-3 ATS as an underdog this season before the upset of the Wildcats and I look for their struggles to resume here. Hawaii is 3-6 in a home game with a posted total between 135 and 139.5 points. Also, even though this is a home game for the Warriors it is an early start (9:30 AM local time) while for Princeton's body clocks (ET) it feels like 2:30 PM. This should give the Tigers another edge in this Christmas Day special. The Tigers are 3-1 ATS (and 4-0 SU!) as a road favorite of 3 points or less all the way down to a pick'em. In this case the money line is available at a pick'em price and that is what I would advise taking here as the Tigers improve to 5-0 SU in this role. 10* PRINCETON |
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12-24-17 | Houston v. Fresno State +2 | Top | 27-33 | Win | 100 | 10 h 34 m | Show |
Christmas Eve Special - Rickenbach CFB Game #228 Sunday 10* Top Play Fresno State Bulldogs (+) vs Houston Cougars in Hawaii Bowl @ Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii @ 8:30 ET - The Bulldogs played at Hawaii in mid-November when they got a 31-21 win over the Warriors. Fresno State having already made the trip here for that game, plus having played in the Hawaii Bowl multiple times in the past, gives them an edge here. The Cougars are without their offensive coordinator for this game. That negates one of the edges they were anticipated to have here as Houston's offense was their advantage in this match-up. The fact is that the Bulldogs are the much stronger defense, they are motivated by recent bowl losses, and they have a significant coaching edge with Tedford over Applewhite. The Bulldogs are 9-1 ATS (including 5-0 ATS this season) in games against teams with a winning record. Also, Fresno State is 4-0 ATS the last 4 times they've been involved in games with a line between +3 and -3. The Cougars are 3-5 SU and ATS against Mountain West Conference opponents long-term while the Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS against teams from the American Athletic Conference. Coach Tedford has done great things with the Bulldogs in his first season here after coming over from Cal and they want to carry momentum right into next season with a big bowl win. Houston is at the other end of the spectrum and just not the same team they were under coach Tom Herman. The public perception is still "off" on these two teams and I'll step in and take advantage. 10* FRESNO STATE |
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12-24-17 | Seahawks +4 v. Cowboys | Top | 21-12 | Win | 100 | 7 h 42 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Game #127 Sunday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks (+) @ Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The Cowboys have won 3 straight games and they're getting Ezekiel Elliott back this week and they are at home. Dallas has become an "automatic play" for many public bettors as a result this week. After all, the public watched the Seahawks get destroyed by the Rams last week in Seattle. In fact, the Seahawks have now lost two straight games so everyone is very "anti-Seattle" at this point in time. The Seahawks are a long-term 50-32 ATS when off of back to back SU losses. Seattle is also a long-term 70-39 ATS in December games. The Cowboys are known for fading late in the season. Yes, they are off of 3 straight wins but those teams have a combined record of 14-28 on the season! That is noteworthy here because Dallas is facing a much tougher challenge this week and, when the Cowboys, in the 2nd half of a season, face a team with a winning record on the year they have gone an ugly 2-9 ATS! Dallas is a long-term 11-20 ATS and the value is with the very hungry underdog Seahawks here. After getting thoroughly embarrassed (at home no less!) last week, they are relishing this opportunity to take down "America's Team" at "Jerry's World". Grab the generous points here but you shouldn't need any! 10* SEATTLE |
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12-24-17 | Jaguars v. 49ers OVER 42 | Top | 33-44 | Win | 100 | 6 h 28 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Game #123 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Francisco 49ers vs Jacksonville Jaguars @ 4:05 ET - The 49ers are averaging 284 passing yards per game their last 6 games and will be more than up to the challenge presented by a solid Jaguars pass defense. The problem for San Francisco will be their own overall defense as they are allowing an average of 27.4 points per game at home this season. With Jacksonville looking to secure better post-season positioning the Jags will come at the 49ers hard in this one. Jacksonville is averaging 35 points per game in their last 3 games and The Jaguars are averaging 308 passing yards per game their last 3 games. Cloudy skies but no precipitation and light winds means perfect conditions for an over in San Francisco Sunday afternoon. Jacksonville is 11-5 to the over as a road fave of 3.5 to 7 points. The Jaguars are 3-0 to the over in games against the NFC West this season. The 49ers are 4-2 to the over in their last 6 home games. Jimmy Garoppolo has been playing very well since coming to the Niners and Blake Bortles is enjoying an excellent stretch of play for the Jaguars. The result should be an easy over here! 10* OVER the total in San Francisco |
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12-23-17 | Vikings v. Packers +9 | Top | 16-0 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 9 m | Show |
NFC North Game of the Year NFL Game #104 Saturday 10* Top Play Green Bay Packers (+) vs Minnesota Vikings @ 8:30 ET - The Packers certainly have had their share of ups and downs without Aaron Rodgers at the controls but one thing is for certain, there has been no quit in this Green Bay team. The Packers continue to battle hard including road losses by just a single possession at Carolina and Pittsburgh! Yes, Minnesota has been ultra hot this season but here the Vikings are laying more than a TD on the road in very cold conditions where points could be at a premium. You know the Packers would love nothing more than to knock off a hated division rival in a big upset and there is no doubt Green Bay is going to be up emotionally for this game. GB is attempting to avenge the 13 point loss at Minnesota earlier this season. The Packers are on a 6-3 ATS run when playing with revenge and also an 8-3 ATS run in December games. In road games with a posted total between 38.5 and 42 points, the Vikings are on a 1-6 ATS run. In true road games this season (played Browns at neutral site), Minnesota is 4-2 SU and the average margin of their 4 wins was 5.75 points with not a single win by more than 8 points! That creates fantastic value here and the hungry Packers are in this one all the way! 10* GREEN BAY |
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12-23-17 | Blackhawks -110 v. Devils | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Saturday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set up here. The Devils are off of a big divisional win over the Rangers Thursday and have won 3 straight games. The Blackhawks are off of an embarrassing 4-0 road loss at Dallas Thursday that ended a stretch in which Chicago had won 5 straight games by a combined score of 18 to 7. Also, the Blackhawks have revenge from a 7-5 home loss to the Devils last month! Remember that Chicago did sweep New Jersey last season and the Hawks were actually a 2 to 1 favorite in last month's embarrassing home loss. Payback is on order here and the Blackhawks have won 7 of 9 Saturday games this season and 24 of 36 the past 2+ seasons. Also, Chicago has won 19 of 26 when on a streak of 3 or more consecutive unders. That's because unders mean solid goaltending and certainly the Blackhawks were getting stellar play between the pipes prior to the loss to the Stars. Bounce back time here for the road team. As for the home team Devils, they are winless all 3 times they've entered a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more this season. Also, when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more, New Jersey has lost 28 of 45. Great money line value price on the hungry road team here. 10* CHICAGO |
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12-23-17 | Appalachian State v. Toledo -6.5 | Top | 34-0 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 25 m | Show |
Bowl Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #226 Saturday 10* Top Play Toledo Rockets (-) vs Appalachian State Mountaineers @ 7 ET in Dollar General Bowl in Mobile, AL - The Rockets seek revenge from last year's 31-28 loss to the Mountaineers in bowl action. Of course you can't just blindly play revenge. However, in this case it plays very well because Toledo is the much stronger team in my opinion. Appalachian State played one of the weakest schedules in the nation and lets not forget they lost on the road at Massachusetts and Louisiana Monroe this season! Those two teams each ended the season with 4-8 records. The Rockets hold big edges over Appalachian State in terms of offense and on special teams. Also, the Mountaineers pass defense got picked apart by Coastal Carolina and Louisiana Monroe and they face a much tougher challenge here. The Rockets are averaging 220 yards per game on the ground this season while also throwing for nearly 300 yards per game! Appalachian State is 0-6 SU (and only 2-4 ATS) the last 6 times they've been an underdog and I like the fact this line has now dipped below a 7 as of gameday morning. The Rockets are a long-term 31-16 ATS as a favorite in a range of 3.5 to 10 points. 10* TOLEDO |
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12-22-17 | Wizards v. Nets OVER 211.5 | Top | 84-119 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 21 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Game #805 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Washington Wizards @ 7:35 ET - The Nets burned me Wednesday with a very poor 4th quarter against the Kings. The game was on the pace for the over all the way through the first 3 quarters but then it was a dreadful final stanza that did me in. I'll get some payback here because the Wizards are off of a high-scoring win versus New Orleans Tuesday and that sets this one up perfectly for an over. The Wizards have a divisional home game on deck and may not bring the best of their defensive intensity here given the situation. The first game between Washington and Brooklyn this season stayed under the total but the over was 6-1 in the 7 prior meetings. Both these teams have been trending under of late but that has resulted in excellent line value with this total Friday. The well-rested Wizards should put up plenty of points hare and are 22-12 to the over when they enter a game on rest of 2 days or more. The Nets are averaging 110 points per game at home this season. The Wizards scored only 98 points in their most recent road game (coincidentally also at Brooklyn) but they had scored 106 points or more in 5 of their 7 prior road games. Washington, playing with revenge, comes up strong here! Keep in mind, the Wizards 4 prior games against the Nets saw them average 119.8 points per game. That type of production resumes in this rematch! 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn |
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12-22-17 | Wild v. Panthers OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 29 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Florida Panthers vs Minnesota Wild @ 7:35 ET - The Wild could be getting back goalie Devan Dubnyk but I would truly be surprised if he plays here because Minnesota also plays tomorrow night at Tampa Bay and Dubnyk is still trying to recover from a knee injury. I don't foresee him playing both nights of a back to back (especially with a sore knee) and, with that said, it makes sense to give his knee an extra day of rest and play him tomorrow against the Bolts. This means we should see Alex Stalock between the pipes for the Wild. Though the netminder has been solid of late, the fact is that he generally has not fared as well on the road this season and only 2 of his 7 road starts have resulted in an under. By the way, should Dubnyk get the call tonight, the same holds true for him and there have only been 3 unders in his 11 road starts this season! The Panthers also have goal-tending issues too as they continue to be without Roberto Luongo. James Reimer has been getting the call between the pipes and the over is 6-1 in his 7 home starts. Reimer has an ugly .870 save percentage in home games this season! 11 of Florida's 17 games against teams with a winning record this season have resulted in an over. The over is also 10-4 this season in Minnesota's road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The last 39 times the Panthers have played a game with 2 days of rest between games, they have recorded only 13 unders. That's only a 33% conversion rate for the under and I look for a "wild" one in this non-conference match-up with the Wild on Friday night. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Florida |
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12-21-17 | Temple v. Florida International OVER 57 | Top | 28-3 | Loss | -115 | 14 h 37 m | Show |
Bowl Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #215 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida International Panthers vs Temple Owls @ 8 ET - The Owls were an inexperienced team entering the season so it comes a no surprise that their offense showed solid improvement as the season went on. Temple scored 34 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games. Also, in their last 4 games away from home, the Owls averaged 35 points a game. Florida International, like Temple, also put up a lot more points late in the season compared to the first half of the season. The Panthers scored 30 points or more in 4 of their last 6 games. FIU averaged 459.3 yards per game in their final 4 games of the season. The Panthers defense allowed 29 points or more in 4 of their last 6 games. The over is 4-0 in FIU's last 4 games. The over is 5-0 in Temple's last 5 games. The Owls defense allowed 29.3 points per game in their last 6 games. The over is 4-0 in their 4 games played on turf this season. That means we have combined streaks of 13-0 favoring the over in this one. 10* OVER in Gasparilla Bowl |
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12-21-17 | Bulls v. Cavs OVER 213.5 | Top | 112-115 | Win | 100 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - Two of the hottest teams in the league match-up here and, yes, one of them is actually the Bulls! With their win last night versus Orlando, Chicago has won 7 straight games. Ever since Nikola Mirotic has come back, the Bulls offense has enjoyed a huge resurgence and this has helped lead the way to 7 straight wins! Chicago is averaging 111.1 points per game during this 7-0 run. Cleveland also comes in red hot as the Cavaliers had won 18 of 19 before their 3 point loss at Milwaukee Tuesday. Amazingly, the Cavs have not been held under 100 points since October! Cleveland has averaged 113 points per game in their 25 games since November 1st. The over is 5-2 this season when the Cavaliers are off of an upset loss as a favorite. Also, the Cavs are 5-1 to the over this season (and 27-11 to the over long-term) when off of a game where they allowed 115 points or more. Cleveland is also 12-5 to the over this season in their games against teams with a losing record. Last but not least the Cavaliers are 30-14 to the over the past 2+ seasons when they face a team that is allowing an average of 106 points or more per game. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland |
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12-21-17 | Jets v. Bruins -115 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 36 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Game #54 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - The Jets have a solid record on the season and that is keeping this line on the Bruins lower than it should be. Boston is a great value on home ice at a low price here. Winnipeg is off of a huge win at Nashville that the Jets won late in dramatic fashion. That can't help but leave the Jets a little "spent" here after such a big road win against a division rival. Also, Winnipeg had lost 6 straight road games before that victory over the Predators. Also the Jets franchise (previously the Atlanta Thrashers) have lost 13 of their last 14 visits to Boston. The Bruins are expected to start Tuukka Rask between the pipes tonight and he is 6-0-1 in his last 7 starts overall. Additionally, versus the Jets/Thrashers franchise he has a stellar 1.99 GAA in his career. Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck is 0-2 in his career starts versus the Bruins. Boston enters this contest having won 11 of their last 15 games. The Jets have lost 8 of 13 non-conference games this season and 46 of 77 versus the East the last 2+ seasons combined. The Bruins last 6 wins have come by an average margin of 3 goals per game and their strong run continues here. 10* BOSTON |
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12-21-17 | Alabama State v. Louisiana Tech OVER 146 | Top | 62-74 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 54 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #541 Thursday 10* OVER the total in Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Alabama State Hornets @ 3:30 ET - The Hornets are one of the weaker teams in D-1 basketball. There is no doubt about that as they are winless on the season and also projected to finish near the bottom of the standings in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which is one of the weaker conferences in the nation. With that said, Alabama State does like to run and gun. It is the nature of their offense and was the game plan of head coach Lewis Jackson coming into this season. The problem with that is the Hornets end up weak on defense and they've allowed 87.6 points per game this season. No doubt the Bulldogs are going to take advantage and put up a ton of points in this one. However, despite being a 20-point dog here, don't be surprised if the Hornets but up a lot of points too. I am expecting a 90-70 type game here. Alabama State comes into this game with some added confidence by virtue of scoring 80 points on 48% shooting (including 39% from three point land) in their game against Winthrop Saturday. Louisiana Tech is off of a loss to Texas that was their lowest scoring game of the season. The Bulldogs will be ready to respond here and put up a ton of points against a weak defensive team. The over is 5-1 in Hornets games with a posted total in the 140s and 5-0 in Alabama State's games against teams with a winning record. The over is a perfect 3-0 when Louisiana Tech is a neutral court favorite of 12.5 points or more. That means we have a combined 8-0 spot favoring the over in this one. Also, the Bulldogs are 9-4 to the over in their games against teams that allow 77 points or more per game on average. At the Convocation Center in New Orleans, look for this one to fly over the total. 10* OVER the total in Louisiana Tech |
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12-20-17 | St. Joe's +8 v. St. John's | Top | 73-77 | Win | 100 | 9 h 9 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #747 Wednesday 10* St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs St John's Red Storm @ 4:30 ET @ Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT in Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase - The Red Storm are 9-2 this season but the 5-5 Hawks have played the tougher schedule so far this season. Also, St John's really misses guard Marcus LoVett in a game like this. The Red Storm have not been shooting the ball well at all. They've been held under 39.7% from the field in 3 straight games. It is hard to cover a big spread when the shots aren't falling and now this game is being played on a neutral floor. St Joseph's is not without their own issues but certainly they've been ultra-competitive this season and I feel they are being vastly undervalued by the betting markets in this one. 3 of the Hawks last 4 losses have come by 6 points or less. The only exception was a blowout loss versus Villanova and, of course, St John's is no Villanova! Look for scrappy St Joseph's to be in this one all the way and improve to 6-3 ATS when facing a team that allows 64 points or less per game. In the process the Hawks will improve to 21-12 ATS the last 33 times they've been an underdog. St John's is an ugly 3-10 SU and 3-9 ATS in games played on a neutral court! 10* ST JOSEPH'S |
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12-19-17 | Northern Kentucky +14.5 v. Texas A&M | Top | 58-64 | Win | 100 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #523 Tuesday 10* Top Play Northern Kentucky (+) @ Texas A & M @ 8 ET - Not a lot of respect being given here to a Northern Kentucky team that made a huge run last March and returned most of that team this season. I realize the Norse have played a weaker schedule than the Aggies have. I also realize that Northern Kentucky is off of a disappointing loss at Maryland-Baltimore County. However, the Norse were likely looking ahead to this special opportunity tonight where they have a chance to knock off a top ten ranked team. Of course I am not forecasting an upset win here but I certainly do expect Northern Kentucky to stay within single digits in this one. Texas A & M has a size edge of course but the loss of guard Admon Gilder for this one is significant plus big man Robert Williams is questionable for this game. The Aggies still have enough depth to get the win here but I don't expect it to be a blowout. Keep in mind, the Norse loss to Kentucky in March came by just 9 points! In games with a posted total in the 140s Northern Kentucky is 5-1 ATS this season and 16-6 ATS all-time! As a road dog of 12.5 points or more, the Norse are 7-3 ATS all time! As a home fave of 12.5 points or more, the Aggies are 2-5 ATS in recent seasons and 18-28 ATS long-term. Too many points! Grab the value with the big dog for a big play. 10* NORTHERN KENTUCKY |
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12-19-17 | Akron v. Florida Atlantic OVER 65 | Top | 3-50 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
Boca Raton Total Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Game #211 Tuesday - 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Atlantic Owls vs Akron Zips @ 7 ET - Even though the Owls allowed only 17 points versus North Texas, they gave up 437 yards to the Mean Green. Also, prior to that game Florida Atlantic faced a horrible Charlotte team and allowed only 12 points. The point is that the FAU defense needs to be looked at more closely and, the fact is, the Owls allowed 28.6 points per game in their 10 prior games against FBS schools this season (doesn't include shutout of Bethune Cookman of course). There is no doubt that Florida Atlantic's offense can put up points early and often in this game but, the point is that the Zips are likely to enjoy more success on offense than many are expecting. The Owls are averaging 44.1 points per game their last 11 games and Akron is averaging 25.6 points per game their last 12 games. This one gets into the 70s. The over is 4-0 in Zips games versus CUSA opponents, 3-1 in December games, and though Akron mostly trended under this season 3 of their 5 games against teams with a winning record did go over the total. Look for the Owls over to improve to 6-3 when they enter a game on a SU winning streak of 2 games or more. 10* OVER the total in Florida Atlantic |
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12-18-17 | Falcons v. Bucs OVER 48.5 | Top | 24-21 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 6 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Game #331 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons @ 8:30 ET - Both of the meetings between these teams last season went over the total. Their first meeting this season (3 weeks ago) also went over the total. The Buccaneers are a poor running team so they must look to move the ball through the air. The Bucs weakness on defense is defending the pass so the Falcons will attack with their passing game. Atlanta has averaged 333 passing yards per game in their last 5 match-ups with Tampa Bay. Weather conditions are projected to be perfect Monday Night in Tampa. The Buccaneers have lost 3 straight but they are averaging 23 points a game in their last 4 games and have averaged 261 passing yards per game during this stretch. The Bucs loss to the Lions last week stayed under the total but, prior to that, each of their last 3 games went over the total. Also, for Tampa Bay, that was the 3rd time in their last 4 games that their defense has allowed at least 365 passing yards! The Falcons defense has allowed an average of 24 points per game in their last 5 road games. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay |
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12-18-17 | Blue Jackets v. Bruins OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-7 | Win | 115 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Boston Bruins vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - Not only is the over a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 match-ups between these two clubs, all 4 games totaled at least 7 goals include one totaling 9 goals. The Blue Jackets are off of a 2-1 loss at Carolina. The last 4 times Columbus has been held to 1 goal or less in a game the over has gone 3-1 in their next game. The average goals scored in those games has been 7 and the one under did have 5 goals. In other words, look for the lamp to be lit early and often in this one after the low-scoring game with the Hurricanes. The under with the Canes was just the 2nd for Columbus in the past 8 games. The Bruins loss to the Rangers (3-2 Saturday) stayed under the total but Boston entered that game having gone 4-2 to the over in their 6 prior home games. Also, prior to being held to just 2 goals in that game, the Bruins had scored 3 goals or more in 10 of their 11 previous games! The Blue Jackets, prior to their 2-1 loss, had allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of their 6 prior games. This one shapes up to be a barn-burner and a 5th straight over in games between these clubs. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Boston |
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12-17-17 | Patriots v. Steelers +3 | Top | 27-24 | Push | 0 | 8 h 8 m | Show |
AFC Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #326 Sunday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Steelers (+) vs New England Patriots @ 4:25 ET - The Steelers have won 8 straight games. Clearly Pittsburgh was looking ahead to this game as they struggled to get past the Ravens last week. Even though that was a divisional game for the Steelers they have been talking about this match with the Patriots for many weeks now. The Pats beat them in the regular season last year when the Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger and then the Patriots eliminated them from the post-season with a big January win in Foxboro. This time however the Steelers host and this time Pittsburgh has a simply massive edge on defense. New England actually ranks as one of the worst defenses in the league this season while the Steelers are up near the top of the league as usual. This will prove to be a big difference-maker in this match-up. The Steelers offense has been "clicking" to say the least and Pittsburgh put up 39 points against the Ravens last week. The Steelers are 6-1 ATS when off of a game where they scored more than 35 points. Pittsburgh is 12-6 SU and 10-5 ATS in games with a line between +3 and -3. The Patriots are 1-3 ATS as a road fave of 3 points or less and they lost all 3 of those games outright! I expect another outright loss here as the Steelers get their revenge but I'll gladly grab the available points. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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12-17-17 | Rams +1.5 v. Seahawks | Top | 42-7 | Win | 100 | 8 h 51 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Game #323 Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Rams (+) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 4:05 ET - The Seahawks won the first meeting (in Los Angeles) despite being outgained by 134 yards. The key for Seattle was being +3 in turnovers. Not only was that a bit of a "phony final" the fact is that this is a very tough spot for the Seahawks as they had to travel all the way down to Florida for last week's game - a loss at Jacksonville. Seattle still holds the attention of the public due to their long-term success (particularly at home). However, the Seahawks only real home win of note this season was against the Eagles and Seattle was outgained by over 100 yards in that victory too. Again the Hawks benefited from turnovers in that one. This is still a Seattle defense that is hurting due to the loss of Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman to injury. The Rams come into this game hungry off of a home loss to those same Eagles. Look for Los Angeles to get their revenge here as they are 5-1 SU in road games this season. The Seahawks have struggled in games projected to be tight ones as they are 1-4 SU and ATS in games with a line between +3 and -3 this season. The Rams are a stellar 10-1 ATS when they are on the road in divisional action after scoring 35 or more points in their prior game! After the high-scoring loss to the Eagles last week, LA takes out their frustration on an over-rated Seattle team that is not as strong as they've been in the past. 10* LOS ANGELES RAMS |
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12-16-17 | Chargers v. Chiefs | Top | 13-30 | Loss | -108 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
AFC West Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #305 Saturday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Chargers (-) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:25 ET - The Chargers and Chiefs both have solid offenses (particularly in the passing game). However, they key to the value here is that Los Angeles is much better in terms of pass defense in comparison with Kansas City. Of course that is why you're seeing this line right around a pick'em despite the fact that the Chiefs have won 7 straight in this series and also have the home field edge here! Don't be fooled, the Chargers are priced this way for a reason and I am jumping all over them in this spot. KC finally got back into the win column last week but they had previously lost 4 straight games. As for red hot LA, they come into his game having won 4 straight games! The Chargers are a long-term 15-7 SU (and ATS) as a road fave of 3 points or less. Los Angeles is also on an 8-4 ATS run when playing with revenge. LA has averaged 32.8 points per game their last 4 games. The Chiefs have averaged only 18.6 points per game their last 5 games. The Chargers pass defense has allowed only 181.5 passing yards per game their last 4 games while the Chiefs pass defense has given up 248.5 passing yards per game on the season! Kansas City was on a 1-6 SU and ATS run prior to last week's win versus Oakland and I don't see them getting two straight wins over very hungry division rivals! 10* LOS ANGELES CHARGERS |
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12-16-17 | Clippers v. Heat -6 | Top | 85-90 | Loss | -108 | 9 h 25 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Game #508 Saturday 10* Miami Heat (-) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 8:05 ET - The Heat and Clippers are both in a back to back spot here but Miami certainly has the advantage of being at home while the Clips are playing their 3rd straight road game and have a big Western Conference match-up with the Spurs at San Antonio on deck. The Clippers have covered 4 straight games but they've done it with some smoke and mirrors as they were held under 38.9% from the field for the 2nd time in 3 games yesterday. As for the Heat, they have shot 50.5% from the field in their last 5 games. The Clippers have a number of injury issues while the Heat have certainly had to grow use to playing without Hassan Whiteside so that adjustment has already taken place as he has missed a lot of time this season. The Heat have played the tougher schedule on the season which makes their superior record even that much better than the Clippers losing record. By the way, Miami is 9-0 SU (and 7-2 ATS) in games against teams with a losing record this season. Also, the Heat are on a 21-13 ATS run when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Los Angeles is 0-4 SU (and 1-3 ATS) this season when playing the 2nd night of a back to back. The Clips are 3-11 SU as an underdog this season and that holds plenty of significance here as the Heat have failed to get the cover just ONCE (and that was by HALF A POINT) when they get a SU win. In other words, when the Heat have won, odds are strong they also cover. More of the same here. 10* MIAMI |
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12-16-17 | Penguins v. Coyotes OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 22 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #17 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Arizona Coyotes vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8:05 ET - Both teams, though in far different places in the standings of their respective conferences, are in situations that have put them on the offensive here. The Penguins are desperate to bring up their goal-scoring off of a disappointing 2-1 loss at Vegas that was the Pens 3rd straight loss and 2nd straight defeat scoring just 1 goal. The Coyotes have lost 5 straight games and have averaged scoring just 1 goal per game in those 5 losses. As you can see, more offense is the emphasis of both of these hockey clubs tonight. The over is 5-2 for Pittsburgh when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more losses. The over is 9-6 in the last 15 meetings between these clubs in Arizona. The Pens had averaged 4 goals per game in their 7 games prior to back to back poor efforts. The Coyotes had averaged 3.3 goals per game in their last 3 home games previous to being held to just 1 goal by Tampa Bay. Both teams respond tonight and will be very aggressive in the offensive zone. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Arizona |
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12-16-17 | Oregon +2 v. Fresno State | Top | 68-61 | Win | 100 | 7 h 59 m | Show |
Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #557 Saturday 10* Top Play Oregon Ducks (+) @ Fresno State Bulldogs @ 6 ET - The Bulldogs top player, Jaron Hopkins, is dealing with a back injury. Even if he plays he won't be as effective as usual and he led Fresno State in scoring, assists and steals last season plus he was on the MWC all-defensive team. Suffice to say he is a very important player. Even though Oregon has dropped off from last season's level they are still projected to rank among the top five teams in the Pac-12 when all is said and done. By comparison, Fresno State WITH a healthy Hopkins is projected to finish in the top five of the Mountain West Conference. Of course I'll take the Pac-12 over the MWC any day of the week and I also like the fact that the Ducks have been the much better team on defense early this season. Oregon is allowing only 37.8% from the field and 29.3% from three point land while the Bulldogs are allowing 43.5% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. There have only been 3 games this season where Fresno State was "challenged". In the two games they were favored by less than 7 points they failed to cover each time plus lost one of them outright. In the one game where the Bulldogs were an underdog they lost by 8. The gap may have closed on these teams but, especially with Hopkins hurting, there is still a gap and the Ducks will prevail. 10* OREGON |
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12-16-17 | Marshall v. Colorado State -3.5 | Top | 31-28 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 50 m | Show |
Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #208 Saturday 10* Top Play Colorado State Rams (-) vs Marshall Thundering Herd @ 4:30 ET @ Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, NM in New Mexico Bowl - Marshall certainly has been the popular choice here as the markets have pushed the Rams line all the way down to just 3.5 as of early game day morning. I love the value here we're getting with Colorado State. Trend players are all over the Thundering Herd because they have good recent history in the bowls and because the Rams don't! Also, Colorado State failed to cover their final 6 games of the regular season. However, that big Rams win over Fresno State by 28 points in the season finale did wonders for the confidence of this team heading into this bowl match-up. Also, even though their offensive coordinator has left to join Tennessee, the strength of the Rams is the offense and they'll be just fine here. The issue for CSU this season has been the defense but I expect an absolutely huge effort from the D in this one because Colorado State's defensive coordinator (Marty English) will be coaching the final game of his career! Look for every Rams defender to have a great "motor" in this game as a result as they go hard all game long to send English out the right way! Keep in mind, Marshall lost 4 of their last 5 games and they have a lot more questions on their injury report than do the Rams heading into this one. Colorado State averages a full TD more per game than the Thundering Herd do. Marshall's edge here, in normal circumstances, would be the defense but I expect CSU to step up big given this situation. Also, the fact the Rams have lost 3 straight bowls has them highly motivated here and they're use to playing in Albuquerque while this is certainly an unusual location for Marshall. The Thundering Herd are 2-4 ATS when they enter a game off of 2 or more consecutive SU losses. The Rams are a long-term 8-4 ATS against CUSA foes and also did face the tougher schedule this season. Fade the masses and lay the points here! 10* COLORADO STATE |
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12-14-17 | Kings v. Wolves OVER 203 | Top | 96-119 | Win | 100 | 11 h 42 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings @ 8:05 ET - The Kings have allowed an average of "only" 101 points per game their last 3 games but opponents have averaged 89 field goal attempts in those 3 contests. The point is that the proper pace for high-scoring games has certainly been there but the results simply haven't followed as 2 of the 3 games stayed under the total. Now Sacramento faces a Minnesota team that won't hesitate to "run and gun" here. The Timberwolves have gone 8-4 to the over in their last 12 games as they've averaged 107 points per game during this stretch. The over is 3-1 in the last 4 meetings between these teams including a perfect 2-0 in games played in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves are 44-25 to the over when off of a non-conference game. Also, in this particular case the Wolves were upset by the Sixers! That holds significance here as Minnesota is 5-1 to the over this season (and on a long-term 24-8 run to the over long-term) when they enter a game off of an upset loss as a favorite. In other words, look for the Timberwolves to be very aggressive in the offensive end Thursday! 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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12-14-17 | Maple Leafs v. Wild OVER 5.5 | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 36 m | Show |
Non-Conf Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #9 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8:05 ET - The Maple Leafs are still without Auston Matthews but there is plenty of firepower on this club. After losing at Philadelphia Tuesday and having scored a total of only 3 goals in their past two games, I expect an offensive explosion from Toronto here. The Leafs do have a divisional game on deck at Detroit tomorrow and the Wild are off of a Western Conference win versus Calgary and have another intra-conference match-up versus Edmonton on deck for Saturday. In other words, the defensive focus may not fully be there for either club in tonight's non-conference match-up. Minnesota is 10-4 to the over in games against teams with a winning record this season and has had only 5 unders in 14 non-conference match-ups this season. Look for the over to improve to 9-5 in Toronto's games against teams with a winning record this season. The Wild are off of an under in their most recent game but 7 of their 10 prior games had gone over the total and that trend resumes here. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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12-13-17 | Bruins v. Red Wings OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 37 m | Show |
TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - Even though Tuukka Rask has been playing very well for the Bruins, the Red Wings have been getting a lot pressure on opposing goalies and I am sensing a break through game (finally) for Detroit here in terms of pucks finding the back of the net. The problem for the Red Wings is their goaltending has been a major weakness. Jimmy Howard, in his last 10 appearances (eight starts), has gone 1-5-4 with a 4.10 GAA and .857 save percentage. Detroit's Petr Mrazek hasn't done any better! The Red Wings #2 goalie, in his last five appearances (three starts) has gone 0-2-0 with a 5.50 GAA and .835 save percentage. Detroit is off of a low-scoring loss to Florida but the Red Wings 4 prior games all went over the total. The Bruins are off of a low-scoring win over the Islanders but 4 of their 6 prior games went over the total. Boston is 9-2 to the over this season in their games against teams with a losing record. The over is 16-8 in Detroit's December games. Also, the Red Wings are 12-6 to the over when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home. Additionally, the Red Wings have gone over the total in 7 of 10 games this season when they are off of a divisional game. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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12-13-17 | Blazers +3 v. Heat | Top | 102-95 | Win | 100 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Wednesday 10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - The Trail Blazers are hungry as they have lost 5 straight games. Portland has played better in their last 2 games and covered both of those. In fact, the Blazers are now 16-8 ATS when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. Miami is off of back to back SU wins but they are 0-4 ATS when they enter a game on a winning streak of 2 or more games this season. Also, the Heat are also 0-3 ATS this season when they enter a game on an ATS winning streak of 2 games or more. Miami has not fared well at home this season as they've covered just 2 of 11 games as a host this season! The Heat were a small dog at Memphis Monday and they got the outright win. Miami is 1-4 ATS this season when off of an upset win as an underdog. The Heat have covered only 3 of 10 as a favorite this season. Miami also has a divisional game on deck at Charlotte and could look right past this non-conference match-up. Portland will absolutely not look past the Heat here as the Blazers are hungry to end their longest losing streak of the season. The road team is 24-15 ATS long-term in the meetings between these teams and the hungry road dog gets the cash again here! 10* PORTLAND |
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12-13-17 | Villanova v. Temple +9 | Top | 87-67 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 33 m | Show |
Philly Insider - Rickenbach CBB Game #720 Wednesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The Owls returned 4 starters from last season's team. The Wildcats are currently the #1 team in the nation. Temple would love nothing more than to get the upset of a Philly rival and #1 ranked team tonight at home at the Liacouras Center. While I feel the Owls will likely fall short in terms of that endeavor, I expect their defeat to be by only a bucket or two. With that said, tremendous home dog value here. Keep in mind, Temple has played a tough early season schedule. In fact, their strength of schedule so far this season does rank higher than that of the Wildcats. Villanova has dominated this match-up recently, including winning by 18.5 points per game in the past two meetings. However, it is with good reason that the odds makers opened this one up at "only" a -7 and yet the markets are driving this one higher which means even more value as the Owls are now available as high as a +9 as of gameday morning. Temple's defense has been solid and that will prove to be a key here against the high-flying Wildcats. The Owls are actually on a 12-2 ATS run in their games against teams that average 77 points or more per game! The Owls are on an overall 20-11 ATS run as an underdog while Villanova is on a 4-10 ATS run in Wednesday games. While Temple has a Saturday game on deck, the Wildcats are off until NEXT Friday the 22nd after this game. Could the undefeated Cats get caught looking ahead to their long break that starts tomorrow? Absolutely! 10* TEMPLE |
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12-12-17 | Michigan v. Texas OVER 129.5 | Top | 59-52 | Loss | -103 | 12 h 32 m | Show |
ESPN Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #529 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Texas Longhorns vs Michigan Wolverines @ 9 ET - The Longhorns are off of a huge win versus Virginia Commonwealth. Why was the win over the Rams so big? Because that is where head coach Shaka Smart was from 2009 to 2015 and he and the Horns wanted that game badly. It was a dog-fight to the finish as VCU rallied in the 2nd half after being down big. Had the Horns lost the game it might have left them a little hungrier for this one. However, after that big effort on the defensive end, and hanging on to beat the Rams, I expect the Wolverines to put up plenty on a still-celebrating UT team tonight. The difference though will be that the Longhorns are at home and certainly capable of better shooting and up bigger points when they are at home at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The over is a long-term 16-6 when the Wolverines are a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. Overall, in recent seasons, Michigan is 18-6 to the over in all road games. The Longhorns are averaging 78.2 points per game this season. The Wolverines are averaging 75.5 points per game this season. I know each team has some solid defensive numbers too but the UT defense will be somewhat sub-par after the huge effort against the Rams and then the long lay-off. Also, the Wolverines have allowed 69 points or more in 3 of their last 4 games and have allowed 73.7 points per game in their 3 true road games this season. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
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12-12-17 | Panthers v. Blackhawks OVER 6 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 16 m | Show |
Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #15 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Florida Panthers @ 8:35 ET - Perfect set-up for an over here. I know the Blackhawks are off of back to back wins and have been getting solid goaltending. However, this is the perfect spot for a bit of a letdown. Chicago can't help but look right past Florida here. The Blackhawks have dominated the Panthers in recent years and, on deck for Chicago after this game is 3 straight divisional games! These are big games coming up for the Blackhawks. Chicago will "let up" some in this game as it is the perfect spot for that and, in this non-conference match-up, you'll see a drop off in defensive intensity from the host. Sparking the over though is the fact that Florida has a significant goaltending issue here with Roberto Luongo still being out with an injury. James Reimer was in between the pipes last night and he either gets another start in an always-tough back to back or the Panthers are forced to see goalie Harri Sateri make his NHL debut. Neither option is good but Florida at least should continue to put the puck in the net. Their confidence is up after rallying last night for their 2nd win in 3 games. The Panthers have averaged 3.8 goals per game in their last 4 games but they won't be able to stop the Blackhawks from matching them goal for goal in this one. Florida is 12-6 to the over this season when playing with revenge. 10* OVER the total in Chicago |
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12-12-17 | Lakers +3.5 v. Knicks | Top | 109-113 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 19 m | Show |
ESPN Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Tuesday 10* Los Angeles Lakers (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - The Lakers are off of back to back wins plus playing for just the 3rd time in 9 days! Fresh legs and confidence are both on the side of Los Angeles in this one. They've had 2 full off days since winning by double digits at Charlotte Saturday. As for the Knicks, they barely hung on for a tight win Sunday versus Atlanta and they now will be playing for the 3rd time in just 4 days! Certainly New York's situation is much different than the favorable scheduling situation of LA here. Also, the Knicks have a divisional game against city rival Brooklyn on deck! NY is 1-4 ATS this month. Also, the Knicks are on a 26-44 SU run against Western Conference teams and also 13-33 SU run against teams that average 106 points or more per game. The Lakers are 42-29 ATS against Eastern Conference foes in recent seasons. Also, this season, Los Angeles is 3-0 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin and LA is also 4-1 ATS when they enter a game on an under streak of 3 games or more. 10* LOS ANGELES LAKERS |
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12-11-17 | Patriots v. Dolphins +12 | Top | 20-27 | Win | 100 | 12 h 54 m | Show |
Divisional Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Game #134 Monday 10* Top Play Miami Dolphins (+) vs New England Patriots @ 8:30 ET - The Patriots need one more win to clinch the AFC East and, indeed, the Pats are likely to get that here. However, they are vastly over-priced in my opinion. Of course this is what happens when you have the long-term reputation that New England does plus when you come into a game on an 8-game winning streak! Also, the Patriots have covered 6 straight games after a ridiculous ATS run last season (including the playoffs and their miracle Super Bowl comeback win). The point is that the Pats are highly regarded by the betting markets as a result and, in this case, they have become over-priced. Keep in mind, New England has a huge game on deck with the Steelers at Pittsburgh. The Patriots, though they would say otherwise, can't help but be peeking ahead at that showdown with the other top team in the AFC. Also, this is part of a stretch of 5 road games in 6 weeks and I feel it finally catches up with the Pats here. The Dolphins are 3-2 in home games this season and one defeat came by 10 points (despite a yardage edge for Miami of over 100 yards) and the other defeat came by just 3 points. The Patriots find a way to win this one but the Dolphins stay well within the inflated number! Miami is 9-2 ATS when they are at home against an AFC opponent on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Also, the Dolphins are 10-1 ATS when they are at home in a divisional game and they have a losing record and are playing with revenge against an opponent with a winning record. The Patriots are 1-4 ATS when on the road after a game in which they allowed less than 10 points. New England is also 0-7 ATS as road favorite of more than 8 points against an AFC opponent that has a winning percentage of .201 or greater on the season. Also, the Pats covered by double digits versus Buffalo last week and they are 2-11 ATS when playing in divisional action and off of a divisional game where they covered the spread by 10 or more points. Add it all up and you have angles that combine for 41-6 (87%) ATS supporting the Dolphins. 10* MIAMI |
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12-11-17 | Hornets v. Thunder OVER 206 | Top | 116-103 | Win | 100 | 9 h 12 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Game #707 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Charlotte Hornets @ 8:05 ET - The Thunder are off of a couple poor shooting efforts but both those games were away from Oklahoma City. With OKC back home tonight and averaging 104 points per game in their last 8 games on their home floor, the Thunder offense gets back on track in this one. Additionally, their opponent tonight certainly has no hesitation in terms of being happy to push the pace. The Hornets games this season have averaged about 211.5 points and I look for another fast-paced shootout here. Charlotte has averaged 108 points per game in their last 4 road games. The Thunder have trended under this season but I love this situation in terms of them returning home off of a rather low-scoring road win and now facing a team that trends over. The Hornets are 4-1 to the over this season when off of a loss by 10 points or more in their prior game. Also, Charlotte is 7-2 to the over when off of a non-conference game. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City |
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12-11-17 | Panthers v. Red Wings OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -120 | 7 h 20 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - The Red Wings have gone over the total in 4 straight games overall as well as 6 of their last 7 home games. They now host a Panthers team that also has been trending over with overs in each of their last 3 games. The fact that Roberto Luongo is currently out is certainly not helping the goal-tending situation for Florida. The Panthers have allowed 22 goals in the last 5 games that Luongo did not start. As for the Red Wings, they have allowed at least 4 goals in 7 of their last 9 games. Overall, it has been an average of 4.8 goals per game allowed during this rough 9-game stretch. Florida has gone over the total in 12 of 17 when they are playing with revenge. The Red Wings have had just 7 unders in their last 30 December games! 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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12-10-17 | Gonzaga v. Washington OVER 155 | Top | 97-70 | Win | 100 | 8 h 3 m | Show |
Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #527 Sunday 10* OVER the total in Washington Huskies vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ 8 ET - The Huskies are off of their huge upset win versus Kansas. It's hard to worry too much about defense when you just beat one of the top teams in the country and you're offense has not been held below 70 points in your first 9 games of the season. Simply put, the Huskies are a very confident team right now. That is a key here as they feel they can score with (keep up with) Gonzaga in this big regional rivalry. Look for the Huskies to be on the attack early and often in this game. The trouble for Washington is they catch the Bulldogs off of a bad loss to Villanova. It was the first time this season that Gonzaga has been held to less than 76 points in a game. With the Bulldogs averaging 90.6 points per game and the Huskies averaging 80.6 points per game, I feel we're getting some solid line value here with this total in the mid-150s. When the Bulldogs are off of a bad game they generally respond with their offense. That is why the over is 4-0 when Gonzaga is off of a game where they allowed 80 points or more. Also, Washington is 3-1 to the over this season as an underdog and the Huskies are hosting a Bulldogs team that has gone over the total in 4 straight games. More of the same here! 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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12-10-17 | Hawks v. Knicks -5 | Top | 107-111 | Loss | -106 | 8 h 10 m | Show |
Situational Slam - Rickenbach NBA Game #512 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Knicks (-) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are in a back to back but the Knicks will prove to the be hungrier team. The Hawks are off of a home win (albeit against an Orlando team that doesn't travel well) while New York is off of a tight 2-point road loss at Chicago and will be ready to respond here. The Knicks also have additional motivation as they lost at Atlanta earlier this season. Also, New York lost each of the final 3 meetings versus the Hawks last season by an average margin of only 2.7 points per defeat. Time for payback here and Atlanta is 0-5 SU in the 2nd game of back to backs this season. Also, the Hawks are 0-4 SU this season when off of a game where they scored 115 points or more. The Knicks are 6-1 SU (and ATS!) as a favorite this season. Also, New York is 11-5 SU and 12-4 ATS in their home games this season. The Knicks are hungry after the way yesterday's game ended and we'll see the response here. 10* NEW YORK KNICKS |
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12-10-17 | Oilers v. Maple Leafs OVER 6.5 | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 34 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - A nice set up here as both teams are off of big wins yesterday with plenty of goals scored. Any time a team wins a high-scoring game and then has another game the very next night, the tendency is to rely on your offense to again pull you through. That said, with the goalies slated to start here it is also an added bonus and that is why you're seeing such a big total (6.5 goals) posted on this one. The Oilers are still without starting goalie Cam Talbot and that means Laurent Brossoit is slated to start back to back games here. Yes he got the win last night but, overall, he's been shaky at best between the pipes for Edmonton. As for the Maple Leafs, they are expected to start little-used Curtis McElhinney and he has an .887 save percentage in his two home starts this season. There is a lot of pressure when starting at the Air Canada Centre and McElhinney is facing a high-powered Oilers offense that has scored an average of 4.1 goals per game in their last 8 games. The Maple Leafs have scored 4 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 road games and I look for them to bring some of that success on offense back to home ice here as they take advantage of facing a goalie who has struggled often at the NHL level. 3 of 4 Maple Leafs games in the 2nd of a back to back have gone over the total. Edmonton has had just 5 unders in 14 games when playing with revenge this season. After losing 6-4 at home to the Maple Leafs last month, look for another wild one here! 10* OVER the total in Toronto |
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12-10-17 | Seahawks v. Jaguars -125 | Top | 24-30 | Win | 100 | 8 h 32 m | Show |
Non-Conf Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Jacksonville Jaguars (-) vs Seattle Seahawks @ 4:25 ET - The Jaguars, as of early Sunday morning, are -2.5 on the point spread but actually as low as a -125 on the money line. I would certainly suggest grabbing the money line on this one if you access to it. The Seahawks are off of their huge upset win over the Eagles last week and the defense feels like they proved themselves. While they certainly deserve some credit for the win let's not forget that Seattle's D is still without Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor and they did allow 425 yards to the Eagles last week. I have no doubt that had Eagles QB Carson Wentz not fumbled at the goal line (into the end zone for a touch back) when Philly was going in for the tying score early 3rd quarter, the Seahawks would not have won the game. The Eagles moved the ball up and down the field but shot themselves in the foot throughout that game. The result is line value this week as everyone loves Seattle while the Seahawks are still injured and vastly over-rated in my opinion. This is especially true when they are on the road but, overall, Seattle only has two wins over quality foes (LA Rams and Eagles) and the Seahawks were outgained by over 100 yards in each game. I'll gladly grab the 8-4 Jaguars at home in this one. In the Jags last 5 games that were not true road games (home or neutral site) they've outgained the opposition by an average of 167 yards per game! The Seahawks are on a 3-8 ATS run in games played on grass. The Jaguars are 6-3 ATS (and 7-2 SU) in games played on grass this season. 10* JACKSONVILLE |
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12-10-17 | Eagles +1 v. Rams | Top | 43-35 | Win | 100 | 7 h 28 m | Show |
Blowout Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (+) @ Los Angeles Rams @ 4:25 ET - The Eagles are done. They're left for dead. After that loss to the Seahawks on primetime last week it proves they are a fraud and really aren't a very good football team. I jest of course as really it is funny to listen to the so-called experts talk about the Eagles after last week's loss. Turnovers happen, it is part of the game and sometimes it can be the turning point in a game too. Last week the Eagles went into Seattle and piled up over 400 yards of offense and yet still ended up with only 10 points on the scoreboard. It was one of the craziest results you'll ever see and you better believe they're going to be ready to bounce back big this week. They're catching the Rams at the right time too as Los Angeles is off of back to back wins over a strong Saints team and then a divisional foe last week. That sets this one up very well and another key here is the way these teams match up. The Eagles have one of the best rushing offenses in the league while the Rams are among the worst teams in the league for rush defense. On the other side of the ball, Philadelphia is the best defense in the league against the run. This will force Jared Goff to have to beat the Eagles defense through the air while Carson Wentz gets the luxury of beating the Rams defense both ways, through the air and overland. Los Angeles is only 2-8 ATS when at home playing with revenge (lost at Philly in 2014) and off of a divisional road game. Also, LA entered this season with an 0-11 ATS mark when playing with revenge against a non-divisional foe that has a winning record! The Eagles are 14-3 SU the last 17 games that Lane Johnson has played in. He is a key member of the offensive line and the Eagles went 5-1 in his starts last season and are 9-2 in the 11 starts he has made this season. Johnson and the rest of a strong offensive line power a huge ground game for the road victory here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-09-17 | Rockets -9 v. Blazers | Top | 124-117 | Loss | -108 | 16 h 19 m | Show |
Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Saturday 10* Houston Rockets (-) @ Portland Trail Blazers @ 10:05 ET - The Rockets lost by 10 in their last visit to Portland so it is time for a little payback here. The Blazers are hurt (literally) by the ankle injury to Jusuf Nurkic here as he is likely to miss this game and he is tied for the team lead in rebounds, leads the team in blocked shots, and is also their 3rd leading scorer. Portland has lost 3 straight games and the average margin of defeat has been 11 points even though all 3 games were at home. That said, I don't see them shutting down a Rockets team that has won 14 of 15 games! What has been most impressive about this win streak for Houston is that only 1 of those 14 wins has come by less than 11 points. The Rockets aren't just winning, they are dominating teams! That is why this has been an 11-4 ATS run for Houston and I don't see them slowing down here. They remember what happened in their last visit to Portland. The Trail Blazers also have the defending champion Warriors on deck! Though the Blazers are off of an upset loss as a favorite that doesn't mean they'll bounce back here. In fact, Portland has just 1 cover in 7 games when playing in that situation. The Rockets are a stellar 9-3 ATS on the road this season. 10* HOUSTON |
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12-09-17 | Oilers v. Canadiens OVER 5.5 | Top | 6-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 6 m | Show |
Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - Make no mistake about it, Carey Price is a fantastic goaltender for Montreal and they got hot right after he returned from injury. However, the Canadiens have now lost two straight games and Price also has an ominous stat that is concerning here. He is 0-7 in non-conference match-ups this season with an ugly .870 save percentage against teams from the West. Now he takes on an Oilers team that certainly has underachieved this season but that has plenty of scoring potential. Also, after Edmonton head coach Todd McLellan went on a rant against his players at practice yesterday, I am expecting a huge effort from the Oilers here. That said, why is my play on the OVER here and not Edmonton. That is very simple. Their goaltending situation is a mess right now with Cam Talbot out. The Oilers have been forced to go with Laurent Brossoit and the team has lost 5 of his 6 starts and he has an ugly .877 save percentage in his 9 appearances this season. This one should see plenty of goals! The over is 8-4 this season (and 40-24 the last 3 seasons combined) when Edmonton is off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The over is 9-5 this season when the Habs are facing a team with a losing record. Also, the over is 36-21 when the Canadiens are off of a non-conference game. 10* OVER the total in Montreal |
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12-09-17 | Minnesota v. Arkansas OVER 165 | Top | 79-95 | Win | 100 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #787 Saturday 10* OVER the total in Arkansas Razorbacks vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 6:45 ET - This is one of the biggest totals on the board Saturday but the big number is absolutely justified. The Golden Gophers are coming off of an ugly loss where they were held to just 32.4% from the field. Minnesota will be ready to respond here. Last year's match-up with Arkansas so the Gophers score at least 42 points in each half while the Razorbacks scored 46 points in the 2nd half after a dismal first half performance. This season, playing at home and seeking revenge, Arkansas will hit the floor firing on all cylinders proving to be very much unlike last year's dismal first half performance at Minnesota. As a result (and as you can see by the spread of just 3.5 points on this game) look for a close game all the way through with these teams trading buckets. Also, speaking of trading baskets, both these teams have solid outside shooting capability and have been hitting a high percentage of their threes on the season. The Razorbacks are hitting 40% of their three pointers and the Golden Gophers are hitting 37% from beyond the arc this season. The fact Minny has allowed 38% shooting from downtown and that the Hogs are allowing 75 points per game tells you why you can expect this one to turn into an absolute shootout! The Golden Gophers loss at Nebraska stayed under the total but they previously were 7-1 to the over this season! The Razorbacks are 4-2 to the over as a favorite this season and 5-2 to the over as a home fave of 3.5 to 6 points the past 2 seasons. Each of these teams is averaging 87 points per game this season so, again, don't let the big O/U here scare you! These teams are likely to get close to 180 points! 10* OVER the total in Arkansas |
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12-08-17 | Wild v. Ducks OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 45 m | Show |
Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* OVER 5.5 goals (+) in Anaheim Ducks vs Minnesota Wild @ 10:05 ET - The Ducks generally do not score a lot of goals but hosting the Wild should absolutely help in that regard. Minnesota has lost 4 of its last 5 road games thanks to allowing 5 goals per game in those 5 contests! Indeed the Wild defense and netminding has been atrocious away from home. The good news for Minnesota fans is that this has been a fairly productive offense as the Wild are averaging 3 goals per game on the season. I see them hitting their average here and getting to at least 3 but, based on their struggles away from home, I also foresee them allowing at least 3 goals and that means we have, at the very minimum, a 4-3 type game here. With that said, I love the big line value on this total being at 5.5 goals but with odds as much as +125 available. This is a very attractive plus money price and I won't hesitate to get involved. The over is 8-2 this season in Minnesota's road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The Wild have had just 1 under in 7 games this season when they are off of a defeat by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. Coming off of a 5-2 loss at Los Angeles in their most recent game, look for the Wild to produce another "Wild" game Friday. 10* OVER the total in Anaheim |
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12-08-17 | Cavs v. Pacers +3.5 | Top | 102-106 | Win | 100 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Friday 10* Indiana Pacers (+) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers just played a Bulls team that has the longest losing streak in the NBA. Clearly Indiana was looking ahead to this match-up with the team that has the longest winning streak in the NBA. After barely getting by the Bulls (and with Myles Turner listed as questionable due to his knee) we are getting a nice home dog spot here on the Pacers. Indiana is 8-4 SU at home this season and 65-34 SU at home the past 3 seasons combined. Keep in mind, the Cavs (even with their current hot streak) have been money burners at the betting window as a fave. Cleveland is 4-15 ATS as a favorite this season! Also, the Cavaliers are on an ugly 16-28 ATS run versus division opponents. The Pacers are a fantastic 27-13 ATS their last 40 versus divisional foes. Indiana has failed to get the cash only ONCE in their last SIX games versus the Cavs. There is a reason the odds makers but such a low number on the favorite here even though they've won 13 in a row. Don't be fooled by it. Upset time here. 10* INDIANA |
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12-07-17 | Lakers v. 76ers -7.5 | Top | 107-104 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 27 m | Show |
TNT Explosion Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 8:05 ET - The Lakers have lost 5 straight and 10 of their last 13. Also, 7 of those 10 losses have come by 8 or more points. When the Lakers lose (often) they generally lose big and the Sixers are in a good spot to take the Lakers behind the woodshed and lay the lumber on Los Angeles! Philadelphia is angry off of a home loss to Phoenix where they were lethargic from the opening tip onward. The 76'ers are 3-1 SU and ATS when off of a game where they allowed 115 points or more this season. Also, the past 3 seasons combined, Philly is 14-5 ATS in games with a posted total of 220 points or more and also 50-21 ATS in non-conference games including a fantastic 19-7 ATS in games against Pacific Division opponents. The Lakers are 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in road games this season. The Sixers, off of a loss and with a road trip on deck that will take them away from Philly for a week, are going to make the most of this home game. The 76ers have had two full off days since the loss to the Suns so anger and frustration has built up and is ready to be unleashed on the slumping Lakers. Lay it! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-07-17 | Stars +137 v. Blues | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 25 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - There is tremendous line value here because the Stars are on the road and going with Kari Lehtonen between the pipes. The fact is Lehtonen truly has NOT been a big drop off from #1 goalie Ben Bishop this season. Also, the Stars are fired up off of a loss where they outshot the Predators by a 45-32 margin. Prior to that defeat Dallas had won 7 of their 8 prior games! As for the Blues, they are off of a win at Montreal. However, St Louis previously had lost 3 straight games. The Stars detest the Blues. Not only are these guys division rivals, St Louis eliminated Dallas from the post-season in a testy 7-game series in May of 2016. This is a great spot to back the revenge-minded Stars. Dallas has won 6 of 8 this season (and 40 of 58 the last 2+ seasons) when they are off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more. St Louis has lost 18 of 33 (-$10,300) December games the past 2+ seasons. The Blues scored 4 goals Tuesday but had scored a TOTAL of only 4 goals in the 3 prior games. The Stars recent run of 7 wins in 8 games saw them average scoring 4.6 goals per game in the 7 victories. Give me the hotter offense, the hungrier club, and an underdog price all day every day! 10* DALLAS |
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12-07-17 | Valparaiso v. Purdue -15 | Top | 50-80 | Win | 100 | 10 h 53 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #710 Thursday 10* Purdue Boilermakers (-) vs Valparaiso Crusaders @ 6:30 ET - Long-time followers know I rarely lay big points in basketball. However, this play easily fits in as a rare exception. Purdue is ranked, at home, and loaded with veteran players. Valparaiso has their attention as an in-state foe with an undefeated record. The Crusaders are 8-0 but they are a young team as most of their minutes come from freshmen and sophomores whereas most of the Boilermakers minutes come from underclassmen. Not only has Valparaiso played a weak schedule, they now face a team that can not only match their size but exceed. Purdue is loaded with size in the paint including a 7'3 freshman that is one of the nation's top shot-blockers. One of the big keys here is that the Crusaders have not played in over a week. As I have always said, too much rest can lead to rust and Valparaiso is really not that great of a shooting team to begin with. I know some of their overall stats this season will lead you to believe otherwise but the fact is that Valpo has been held under 35.8% from three point land in 6 of their 8 games. By comparison, Purdue has shot 43% or better from three point land in half their games this season. The Boilermakers won't overlook the Crusaders because the 8-0 record means Purdue wants to make sure they hand this in-state foe their first loss and I expect them to do it in an emphatic way. I realize that Valparaiso has some impressive numbers on defense this season but they truly have not played anyone of real significance. They're going to be tested in a big way with this veteran Boilermakers team and I sense a huge blowout win. Purdue also has a 9-man rotation and their bench will do just fine when called upon in this game even if it is mop-up / garbage time late in the game which is another reason I am comfortable laying the big number here. The off-time for Valpo won't help their shooting and neither will playing at a tough venue, Mackey Arena. The Crusaders are 1-5 ATS when they enter a game after a lay-off of 7 or more days. Purdue is on a 16-1 SU run (and 13-3 ATS) in December games! Also, the Boilermakers are 13-4 ATS when facing a team that allows 64 points or less per game. Lay the big points in this one! 10* PURDUE |
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12-06-17 | New Mexico +8.5 v. Colorado | Top | 57-75 | Loss | -108 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CBB Game #561 Wednesday 10* New Mexico Lobos (+) @ Colorado Buffaloes @ 9 ET - The Lobos haven't won a game away from home this season and the Buffaloes haven't lost a game at home this season. Couple that with the fact that Colorado is projected to move up some in the Pac-12 this season while New Mexico is projected to drop down some in the MWC this season and you can see why most will be enticed to back the Buffs here. I am going contrarian in this spot and would not be surprised to see the Lobos get the outright win which is why I certainly love them plus the big points here. Colorado is off of their first loss of the season and it was at rival Colorado State. Not only does that give the Buffaloes unbeaten letdown here it is also a flat spot scheduling-wise as they just faced the rival Rams and they have a huge game on deck with a highly-ranked Xavier team! Look for New Mexico to prove to be the hungrier team here. They just lost by double digits at UTEP Saturday but simply shot the ball very poorly. Overall, in comparison with the Buffaloes, the Lobos have played the tougher schedule this season. Also, New Mexico is 4-1 ATS as a road dog in a range of 6.5 to 9 points and the Lobos are 4-0 ATS in road games with a posted total in a range of 150 to 154.5 points. Colorado is 1-5 ATS against Mountain West opponents. 10* NEW MEXICO |
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12-06-17 | Heat v. Spurs -7.5 | Top | 105-117 | Win | 100 | 10 h 6 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NBA 10* San Antonio Spurs (-) vs Miami Heat @ 8:35 ET - The Spurs are always up for the Heat. Of course the back to back battles in 2013 and 2014 and the fact these non-conference foes only meet twice a season helps make these match-ups special. The Spurs are at home and getting healthier. The Heat are on the road and continuing to struggle without Hassan Whiteside. Miami has lost 3 of 4 SU and ATS while allowing opponents to hit a ridiculous 53.3% from the field. The Spurs have failed to cover their last 3 home games but the margin those 3 games failed to cover by was a COMBINED 2.5 points and San Antonio had started the season 8-2 ATS in home games! In other words, a big home win for the Spurs would not surprise in the least in terms of this match-up. Each of Miami's last 7 losses have come by at least 9 points and the average margin of those 7 defeats was 18.3 points. I sense another blowout here as the Heat also could be distracted by their Mexico City trip on deck as they face Brooklyn there on Saturday. The Spurs are a long-term 24-9 ATS in December games and 90-52 ATS in games against teams from the Southeast Division. Look for Miami to drop to 4-8 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. 10* SAN ANTONIO |
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12-06-17 | Blackhawks v. Capitals OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 13 h 33 m | Show |
TV Game Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - The Capitals Alexander Ovechkin is back on track this season and the way he is playing has the Washington club playing with a little more jump in their skates. Wednesday they'll take advantage of facing a Chicago team that will have goalie Anton Forsberg between the pipes as their #1 netminder continues to recover from a lower-body injury. The Capitals have won 5 of 6 and have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in those 5 victories. The Blackhawks are looking for a spark and the extra time off since the loss to the Kings allowed them an opportunity to shuffle their lines (including their power play combo). Look for Chicago to be very aggressive in the offensive zone tonight and they'll finally start finding the back of the net again with more regularity as a results. Washington is in the midst of a solid stretch of home games and the over is 13-4 when the Capitals enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home. Only 4 of Chicago's last 12 visits to DC have resulted in an under. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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12-05-17 | Texas A&M v. Arizona +1.5 | Top | 64-67 | Win | 100 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Game #728 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arizona Wildcats (+) vs Texas A & M Aggies @ 9 ET - Here you have the #7 ranked team in the country with a 7-0 record and a 4-2 ATS mark facing an unranked foe that is only 5-3 SU this season and also an ugly 2-6 ATS and yet the line opened up in the pick'em range. Even more remarkable about this opening number is that this isn't even a true home game for Arizona as it will be played at the same arena as the NBA's Phoenix Suns use. The point is that this is absolutely a "trap line" in my opinion. Now, when I say "trap line" I don't mean that the odds makers intentionally set trap lines, I just mean that public opinion can absolutely make a line a trap and that is the case here. Public players will look at this game and say "wow...I can get an undefeated highly ranked team that is undefeated and playing on a neutral floor and facing an unranked 3-loss foe". That will be the prevailing wisdom and, of course, I feel strongly that this mindset will prove to be wrong in a big way. That is what my contrarian plays are all about and it also why I am raising the level of this play to my highest level. The Wildcats are ticked off. They are fired up and starting to turn the corner after those 3 losses in the Thanksgiving Tourney. After those 3 straight losses they got the type of big win a team needs to get swagger back as they crushed Long Beach State. The Wildcats then faced UNLV and got a hard-fought OT win which is the type of win a team that has struggled early absolutely needs to get over the hump. Remember the Wildcats were highly touted coming into the season and they are extremely well coached. They are a bargain in this spot and I'll grab them as they get the marquee win they have needed to prove they are for real. Those 3 losses Thanksgiving Week will prove to be the best thing that could have happened to a team that many projected to be in the final four coming into this season. They'll start leaving up to the hype no doubt. 10* ARIZONA |
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12-05-17 | Jets v. Red Wings OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 18 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit Red Wings vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:35 ET - The dangerous Jets have won 9 of their last 12 games and have averaged scoring an insane 4.6 goals per game in those 9 games. The fading Red Wings have allowed 5.1 goals per game during their current 7-game losing streak. Based on those numbers you can absolutely see why I am expecting Winnipeg's high-powered offense to have a huge game here. However, I also expect Detroit to respond after an absolutely thoroughly embarrassing loss at Montreal Saturday night. The Red Wings should answer the call here at home but their weak defense and the surging Jets offense combine to mean that the only way Detroit has a shot here is if they score a ton of goals here. Look for the Wings to go very hard in that regard and don't be surprised if this game is 3-3 at some point! The over is 9-4 in Detroit's non-conference games this season. The over is 14-7 in the Red Wings December games the past 2+ seasons. The over is 6-3 this season when Winnipeg is off of a game in non-conference action and I look for another one here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit |
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12-03-17 | Eagles -4 v. Seahawks | Top | 10-24 | Loss | -104 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 8:30 ET - The Seahawks are still without defensive end Cliff Avril who started all 16 games the past 3 seasons and totaled 20.5 sacks the past 2 seasons. Seattle also is without cornerback Richard Sherman and strong safety Kam Chancellor. Also, when you look at the Seahawks overall injury report heading into this game, they've got a number of newer injuries which have resulted in guys being listed as doubtful or out for this game. This is why we're getting extreme line value here. Seattle is simply not healthy and they're now taking on the top team in the league that also is the only team in the league to score at least 20 points in all 11 games this season. The Eagles have won 9 straight games and they've covered 8 straight games and yet the WOUNDED Seahawks are getting a lot of attention from the betting markets this week. Everyone likes to point to Seattle's great home record and their success in primetime but, ladies and gentlemen, this Hawks team is very short-handed right now on defense! As for the Eagles defense, they are one of the best in the league and they are also healthier than they've been for much of this season. QB Carson Wentz is NOT the type of quarterback to struggle in a tough road venue like CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Yes, the Eagles lost here last year but that was his rookie season and was part of a 2-9 stretch for Philly. They are a different team this year and, remember, they went 5-1 last season when offensive tackle Lane Johnson was available. This season Philadelphia has lost only one game with him in the lineup. Look for the Eagles to make it 10 straight wins and 9 straight covers while dropping Seattle to 1-5 ATS in home games this season. Keep in mind, the Seahawks only have one win against a team with a winning record this season and that was when they were healthier and faced the Rams and won despite being outgained by 134 yards! In other words, a fortunate win. Seattle won't be so fortunate here against an Eagles team that is rolling! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-03-17 | Rams v. Cardinals +7 | Top | 32-16 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 48 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Arizona Cardinals (+) vs Los Angeles Rams @ 4:25 ET - This is a very tough spot for the Rams and great spot for the Cardinals and that is why I am unloading on this big dog with a big play. Los Angeles is off of a huge win last week versus the red hot Saints. On deck for the Rams is a huge game with the red hot Eagles. In other words, even though this is a divisional game, this is a truly tough spot for LA to remain focused. Not only are the Cards only 5-6 on the season but the Rams blasted them 33-0 in London in late October. That makes this the perfect "flat spot" for Los Angeles (off New Orleans and with Philadelphia on deck) and yet you've got a highly motivated home dog on the other side of the field. I love having Arizona plus a full TD here as their defense has been particularly strong of late. The Cardinals have allowed an average of just 298 yards per game their last 4 games. Of course the Rams defense has been strong too but how much will they have left in the tank for a "trap game" like this? I feel certain it won't be enough! The Cardinals last 2 wins versus the Rams have come by an average margin of 31 points per game while their 2 losses to the Rams, prior to that ugly one in London, each came by 4 points or less. Entering this season, Los Angeles was 1-11 ATS when facing an opponent off of a SU win as an underdog. That is the case here with the Cardinals as they upset the Jaguars last week as a 6-point dog. That gives the Cards extra confidence as they fight to remain alive in the wild card race. Arizona coach Bruce Arians, with last week's win versus Jacksonville, has led his team to a 10-2 ATS record when they are at home and facing an opponent off of a SU and ATS win in their prior game. Perfect spot to upset the Rams here. Whether the Cards win outright or not, I am certainly comfortable with having them plus the big points here! 10* ARIZONA |
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12-02-17 | San Francisco v. Arizona State -16 | Top | 57-75 | Win | 100 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #592 Saturday 10* Arizona State Sun Devils (-) vs San Francisco Dons @ 9 ET - Not only is Arizona State 6-0 SU and undefeated ATS on the season, the Sun Devils have scored at least 90 points in all 6 games. They were down by 15 points in the 1st half against Xavier last Friday and yet stormed back won the game by 16 points. Keep in mind that is a quality Musketeers team and that says an awful lot about just how explosive this Sun Devils offense is this season! As for San Francisco, they are averaging 70.7 points per game in lined games. Right away, just from pure numbers alone, you can see why ASU should win this game by at least 20 points! But what is also concerning for the Dons is that, when you take out their non-lined games against sub-par competition (Sonoma State and St. Francis, PA) they have been held under 37.4% from the field in all three of their lined games! That kind of shooting performance just isn't going to get it done against a Sun Devils team that is averaging 95.7 points per game on the season and has shot over 50% from the field in all 6 games! Also, ASU has played the much tougher schedule and all 6 of their games have been lined games! San Francisco is 1-6 ATS in games with a posted total in the 150s. The Sun Devils have too much depth, too much scoring from all over the floor, and they will dominate the paint in this game too. 10* ARIZONA STATE |
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12-02-17 | Miami-FL +10.5 v. CLEMSON | Top | 3-38 | Loss | -120 | 11 h 46 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CFB Game #325 Saturday 10* Miami Hurricanes (+) @ Clemson Tigers @ 8 ET - It is hard to repeat as champions in any sport at any level - pro or college. It is also difficult to go undefeated in any sport at any level - pro or college. What does that mean for us here? The loss that Miami suffered at Pittsburgh last week was the best possible thing that could have happened to them. Instead of coming into this game 11-0 and with a target on their backs, they are now a hungry 1-loss team. The Tigers also have 1 loss this season but now they again are the "hunted" in this match-up as it is Clemson with the target on their backs. Ranked #1 in the country and the defending national champs, the Tigers are over-hyped and the Hurricanes are getting absolutely zero respect here. Mark Richt is a helluva strong coach and this turnaround at Miami with the Hurricanes football program is no fluke. While Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney certainly merit plenty of respect, the 58-0 blowout win over Miami in 2015 is something the Canes program is ready to atone for here. That was before Richt got here but he now has this team firing on all cylinders and don't let last week's result fool you. The Hurricanes, sure they made a mistake, but the fact is they were looking ahead to this game. They knew they had the ACC Championship Game on deck no matter what and they'll be ready to go on Saturday night! Miami is 13-1 (93%) ATS as a dog of no more than 14.5 points when they are off of a straight-up loss by 10 or more points! Off of last week's embarrassing loss by a double digit margin at Pittsburgh and now a big dog against Clemson, that system fits perfectly. Revenge from the 58-0 beating is on tap here and Clemson is an ugly 0-4 ATS as a fave when they are opposed by a revenge-seeking team that is coming off of a straight-up loss as a fave. Combined 17-1 (94%) ATS systems here! 10* MIAMI |
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12-02-17 | Georgia v. Auburn +1 | Top | 28-7 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 34 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach CFB Game #322 Saturday 10* Auburn Tigers (+) vs Georgia Bulldogs @ 4 ET - In a normal, regular-season situation, with Auburn off of a huge win over the best team in the nation, you would fade them. However, that is what the betting markets are doing here even though this is not even close to being a normal situation! The winner of this game goes to the 4-team playoff. There is no way, absolutely zero chance, that the Tigers come out flat for this game. They've gone from being as a high as a 3 point favorite to now being a dog in this game. I know the location of this game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta) certainly favors Georgia. However, the Tigers absolutely dominated the Bulldogs 3 weeks ago and that was after playing 3 straight road games! Now Auburn comes into this one off of 3 straight home games and their physicality in the trenches will continue to be the difference in this match-up. The fact that RB Kerryon Johnson is now listed as probable for this game (shoulder) is also a big plus for the Tigers. Look for Auburn to again dominate in the ground game (both sides of the ball) in this match-up. Remember they also hold a big edge at QB with Stidham over Fromm. The Tigers Stidham is much more experienced and the Bulldogs Fromm struggled with all the pressure from Auburn in the first meeting. Nothing changes my mind about that again being an issue in the rematch. Also, in terms of technical support, Georgia is 1-8 ATS when off of back to back SU wins and facing an opponent that is also off of back to back SU wins! As for Auburn, they only failed to cover once in eight SEC games this season! Also, the Tigers are a perfect 5-0 SU in games played on a neutral field with a total between 45.5 and 49 points! 10* AUBURN |
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12-01-17 | Boise State +7 v. Oregon | Top | 73-70 | Win | 100 | 11 h 31 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach CBB #725 Friday 10* Boise State Broncos (+) @ Oregon Ducks @ 9:30 ET - The Ducks have been a fantastic team in recent seasons but Oregon did lose 4 of 5 starters entering this season. After starting this season 4-0 SU and 3-0 ATS against weaker competition, the Ducks have struggled with an 0-3 ATS mark their last 3 games as the foes they faced were tougher opponents. They certainly face a tough one in this match-up as you know Boise State will be up for this opportunity to knock off a Pac-12 foe from a neighboring state. The Broncos schedule has been just as strong, if not stronger, than the Ducks and Boise State is rolling with confidence right now. They have won 6 of 7 games this season including two straight by an average margin of 27 points even though their average line in those two games was just a 6.5 point favorite! I look for another huge cover here as they either win this one outright or lose by just a single possession. The Broncos returned 3 starters from last season. As for the Ducks, they just lost starter Troy Brown to a concussion (out for tonight's game) and he is their leading rebounder and one of their top scorers. The forward will be sorely missed tonight as Boise State's weakness is their frontcourt but Brown's absence hurts the Ducks ability to take advantage of that. The Broncos beat the Ducks at home two years ago and then last season easily covered in a 5 point loss at Oregon. The Ducks have covered just once in their last six games versus Mountain West Conference opponents. The Broncos are 8-4 SU and ATS when off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. 10* BOISE STATE BRONCOS |
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12-01-17 | Stanford +4 v. USC | Top | 28-31 | Win | 100 | 13 h 34 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass Top Play - Rickenbach CFB 10* Stanford Cardinal (+) vs USC Trojans @ 8 ET Friday @ Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA - Even though the Cardinal played last week and USC was off, the location of this game helps mitigate any edge the Trojans would have had in this situation because it is only about 15 miles from Stanford's home stadium in Palo Alto. Also, Southern Cal is the more banged up team even though they had last week off. They've lost a number of starters during this season and that includes 2 on the defensive line. A third one, Rasheem Green, is listed as probable for this one but he is dealing with a shoulder injury. The Cardinal have lost only one game this entire season by more than a field goal and that was against USC earlier this season in an absolutely embarrassing loss. In other words, payback is on order here! The Trojans defense has allowed 797 passing yards in their past two games. Prior to that, they had poor efforts against the ground attacks of Notre Dame and Arizona as those teams gashed USC for a combined 611 rushing yards. In other words, look for RB Bryce Love (probable) and Company to move the ball quite well in this one. The Cardinal defense has allowed an average of just 17 points per game their last 6 games and they've held their opponents to 24 points or less in 8 straight games. In stark contrast to these numbers, the Trojans defense has allowed an average of 29 points per game their last 6 games. Stanford is 15-1 ATS when off of a non-conference game and facing a conference foe that has at least 1 loss on the season. USC is 1-6 ATS when away from home and facing an opponent with a winning percentage under .850 that is off of a SU dog win. The Cardinal were a 3 point dog versus Notre Dame last week and upset the Irish 38-20. I wouldn't be surprised to see another upset here and certainly am happy to grab the generous points being offered in this one. 10* STANFORD |
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12-01-17 | Warriors v. Magic OVER 227 | Top | 133-112 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA 10* OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:05 ET - This total opened up at a 230 and so, of course, under players got very excited with seeing such a big total and have pounded this thing down early. With it down to a 227 as of the time of this posting, I am rolling with the over in this one. This is a non-conference game and both teams are coming off of wins. As a result, there is very little incentive for either team to play much defense in this one. The Magic are off of a 13 point upset win where they shot "lights out" but they did allow 96 field goal attempts for the Thunder. In other words the pace was certainly there for a high-scoring game and they're not going to slow down the Warriors whom have both Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry listed as probable for tonight's game. Orlando has gone over the total in 5 straight games and Golden State has gone over the total in 5 of its last 7. The Warriors are 6-2 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record this season plus 6-2 to the over in road games with a posted total of 220 points or more. The Magic are 11-6 to the over in games with a posted total of 220 points or more the past 3 seasons combined. 10* OVER the total in Orlando |
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11-30-17 | Missouri v. UCF +4 | Top | 62-59 | Win | 100 | 7 h 10 m | Show |
Rickenbach CBB Game #524 Thursday 10* Top Play Central Florida Golden Knights (+) vs Missouri Tigers @ 9 ET - This line has jumped strong toward Missouri today. Of course that is often what happens when you have a team averaging 80 points per game laying a very small number against a team averaging 64.5 points per game. However, here you have a Central Florida team off of back to back dreadful shooting performances and they catch the Tigers off of a very tight loss to West Virginia that is absolutely going to leave Missouri emotionally spent here. Off their only other loss this season they followed it up with a 5 point win over a team called Emporia State. Not exactly an impressive response against a Division II basketball team that has had only 1 winning season the past 6 seasons under Shaun Vandiver. Now the Tigers take on an angry UCF team that is anxious to erase the bitter taste of averaging just 44 points per game their past 2 games! This game is played at the CFE Arena in Orlando and Missouri is an incredible 0-21 SU in road games the past 2+ seasons. The Tigers are also 4-17 SU in games with a posted total in the 130s while the Golden Knights are 21-9 ATS in games with a posted total in the 130s. Already 3-0 SU at home this season and on a 10-2 ATS run in November games the past 2+ seasons. 10* CENTRAL FLORIDA |
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11-30-17 | Cavs v. Hawks +8 | Top | 121-114 | Win | 100 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA 10* Atlanta Hawks (+) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers are a popular choice here because they have revenge from a tight home loss versus the Hawks earlier this season. However, Atlanta is always up for facing LeBron James and Company because they got swept out of the playoffs by the Cavs in the 2015 Eastern Conference finals and then again were swept in the 2016 Eastern Conference semifinals. Of course when it is playoff time and every game is critical things are different. However, in a regular season situation lets not forget all the distractions for road teams in Atlanta. Yes, this is a city known for its nightlife catering to visiting players! In other words it is much different from a road game in say, Salt Lake City Utah! The point is that maybe it should come as no surprise that the Hawks have played the Cavs tough including here at home. The last two meetings here saw Atlanta win one outright and lose the other one by just 5 points. Also, the Hawks have won each of their last 3 visits to Cleveland so there is something about facing Atlanta that seems to bring down the Cavs level of play a notch or two in regular season action! I know this Hawks team is a bad team this season but, off of a total beatdown at home against the Raptors, they will respond here. Atlanta had previously won 2 of its last 4 home games and the home game prior to that was a loss by just 3 points to the Celtics! After losing by 34 points to Toronto, the angry Hawks are going to hang around in this one and they are expected to have forward Luke Babbitt back for this one. The Cavaliers are on a winning streak of 9 games but they have gone just 3-12 ATS as a favorite this season and Cleveland is also only 2-7 ATS this season against teams with a losing record. This is the Hawks finale of a 4-game homestand and they are 11-6 (SU and ATS) when they enter a game having played each of their three prior games at home. 10* ATLANTA |
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11-30-17 | Canadiens v. Red Wings OVER 5.5 | Top | 6-3 | Win | 115 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - Maybe the Habs will go with #1 goalie Carey Price in this spot but he was in goal last night and that would make this a tough back to back spot for him. With goalie Al Montoya dealing with a concussion would it then be Antti Niemi getting the call here? Keep in mind he is already on his third different team this season and has not registered a single win. Niemi is 0-4-1 with a goals-against-average of 5.50 and a save percentage of .845 so for this season. The Red Wings are going to play with a sense of urgency tonight after a frustrating 4-1 home loss to the Kings Tuesday and Detroit had averaged 3.8 goals per game in their 5 prior home games. They're going to push here but they'll struggle to keep the puck out of their own net too. The Red Wings have allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 4-2 in their last 6 home games. Only 18 of the last 52 games have stayed under when Detroit is off of a loss by a multiple goal margin. When Montreal enters a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home, only 9 of 26 have stayed under the total. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit |
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11-29-17 | Evansville +7 v. New Mexico | Top | 59-78 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 2 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Game #759 Wednesday 10* Top Play Evansville Purple Aces (+) @ New Mexico Lobos @ 9 ET - Do people really think the odds makers are stupid? The very first "soft" number that was posted on this game was the Lobos -2. The line has since been driven all the way up to a -7! I'll gladly grab the value here on the underdog side. Of course Evansville is not a great team but they're solid and also have a tendency to play fundamentally sound basketball. As for the Lobos, what has driven this line is they have so much positive history at home. Yes indeed New Mexico is tough to play at "The Pit" but, keep in mind, this team has a new coach and has undergone major changes from last season. Many preseason pundits have them slated to finish dead last in the MWC. 4 straight losses entering this contest certainly have done little to squash those predictions. The point is that the Runnin' Rebels, even though they did face some tough competition, have underachieved as it is an 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS run. The Purple Aces schedule has been very nearly as tough as UNLV's and yet Evansville enters this game with a 5-1 SU and 4-0 ATS mark on the young season. The Purple Aces are off of their first loss of the season and that defeat came by just a bucket. I am happy to grab the big points being offered here. Evansville is without Ryan Taylor (foot) but it's not like the cupboard is bare for the Purple Aces. They also are 5-1 ATS against MWC opposition. New Mexico is 0-3 SU this season against teams with a winning record. 10* EVANSVILLE |
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11-29-17 | Senators v. Canadiens OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 25 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - Interesting line move here tells you where the smart money is on this one. The total on this game opened up at 5.5 goals and it remains at 5.5 goals as of gameday morning. However, the under was priced very steeply but there has been a move toward the over even though the Canadiens are in the midst of a 1-9-1 stretch on totals. You read that right...just 1 over in their last 11 games. So for the move to be toward the over (much lower price on the under now this morning), you know something is "up" in terms of smart money. I like the fact that Ottawa is desperate here as they've lost 6 straight games and production on offense (lack thereof) has been to blame. Now, after 3 days off between games and a chance for plenty of introspection, the Sens come up with huge effort tonight! They took two days off after their loss to the Islanders Saturday and then had a great practice yesterday with plenty of energy. Ottawa is ready to go here but they're also unlikely to stop the Canadiens from another big effort in the offensive zone. Keep in mind, the Sens allowed an average of 3.8 goals per game in their 8 games prior to allowing just 2 goals against the Isles. The Habs have scored an average of 4.2 goals per game in their last 6 games versus Ottawa. Only ONE of those SIX games stayed under the total. The Canadiens are 7-4 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record this season. Ottawa is 5-1 to the over in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Montreal |
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11-29-17 | Suns v. Pistons OVER 217 | Top | 107-131 | Win | 100 | 12 h 53 m | Show |
Rickenbach NBA Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:05 ET - The Suns finally held a team under 100 points yesterday but that's because it was the miserable Bulls. That win in Chicago marked just the 5th time this season that the Suns have managed to hold their opponent under 110 points. After the first 4 times, Phoenix allowed at least 113 points in their next game with all 4 games going over the total as the Suns allowed an average of 124 points in those 4 prior occurrences. I look for a similar result here as Detroit comes into this one off of a strong performance on offense as they scored 118 points at Boston. The Pistons shouldn't have any trouble scoring at least that tonight against the Suns and its a non-conference match-up which generally means less attention on defense. Detroit has, in fact, allowed at least 51% shooting from the field in 3 of their last 4 games so Phoenix is likely to be "trading buckets" with the Pistons for quite awhile in this one. Even with yesterday's under, the Suns are still 7-2 to the over this season in non-conference games. Also, the Pistons most recent home game was against the division rival Cavs and stayed under the total but, prior to that, they were on a 4-0 run to the over in home games! 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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11-28-17 | Sharks v. Flyers OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 53 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Philadelphia Flyers vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:05 ET - The Sharks top goalie, Martin Jones, is doubtful for this game. That is a key because San Jose's #2 goalie, Aaron Dell, has just an .892 save percentage in road games this season and he's only at .887 in games in non-conference action this season. While the Sharks may struggle to keep the puck out of their own net, one thing is for certain, opportunities will be there for the San Jose offense. The Flyers have gone over the total in 5 straight games! All 5 of those games have been losses with an average final score of 4.8 to 3.4 in those contests. Philadelphia just can't get over the hump and continue to lose tight games. This one has the makings of a 4-3 or 5-4 type game and the San Jose goalie situation is what provides the added value and raises this one to top play level. Also, the Sharks are playing with home loss revenge from a 5-3 loss to the Flyers early last month. When San Jose is avenging a home loss they've had just 18 unders in 53 games. Philly is 6-2 to the over when off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
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11-27-17 | Panthers v. Devils OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -101 | 10 h 46 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Jersey Devils vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers have had trouble scoring goals recently but they haven't stopped working hard and I expect that to pay off here. Florida has averaged an incredible 44.3 shots on goal in their last 3 games but they're off of a frustrating 4-1 home loss to Chicago Saturday. The fired up Panthers will respond here and put a ton of pressure on the Devils in their own end. However, I also look for New Jersey to match Florida goal for goal in this one. The Devils are averaging 3.3 goals per game this season and have won 5 of their last 8 games heading into this match-up. The Panthers are 7-3 to the over after allowing 4 goals or more in their prior game. Also, Florida is 9-3 to the over when playing with revenge this season. The Panthers, when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more, have gone 27-16 to the over the last 3 seasons combined. Also, when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less, Florida is 20-13 to the over the past 3 seasons combined. 10* OVER the total in New Jersey |
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11-26-17 | Calgary -6 v. Toronto | Top | 24-27 | Loss | -133 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Sunday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders (-) vs Toronto Argonauts @ 6 ET in CFL Grey Cup in Ottawa - Both teams off of tight wins last week but the Stampeders are 6-1-1 against East Division teams this year while the Argonauts only went 3-7 against West Division teams in the regular season. Also, Calgary is playing with a chip on their shoulder after what happened last season when they lost, ironically, in the Grey Cup at Toronto versus Ottawa. Now the Stampeders face Toronto but at Ottawa! After the OT loss last season, I don't see Calgary being denied here. Yes the price is a little "lofty" on the Stampeders here but their average point differential was about 10 points a game and that included late season match-ups where Calgary was merely coasting into the post-season. As for the Argonauts their point differential was only 1.4 points per game this season and, as noted above, they struggled badly against the West. The Stampeders knocked off Edmonton last week and are 20-5-1 SU (and 18-8 ATS) when off of a win over a divisional foe. Toronto is an ugly 8-16 SU (and 7-17 ATS!) when facing a team with a winning record. The Argonauts last 5 games versus the Stampeders have all been losses by a dozen points or more! The average margin of defeat in those games was 18.2 points per game. More of the same here! 10* CALGARY |
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11-26-17 | Saints v. Rams OVER 53 | Top | 20-26 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
Blowout Total of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Rams vs New Orleans Saints @ 4:25 ET - Perfect weather conditions in LA this afternoon. Many will look at this total and fear it is too big but I don't foresee many stops for either defense in this one. The Saints have some injury issues on defense and their offense is a machine. Each team comes into this game averaging 30 points per game on the season. The last time these two teams met they totaled 70 points at New Orleans last season. I am not saying we'll get that here but I do expect at least 60 and this total has dropped from its opener and is around 53 as of very early gameday morning. The Rams lost at Minnesota last week but had averaged 36 points per game in winning each of their 4 prior games. The Saints dropped their first two games of the season but have since won 8 straight and averaged 33 points per game in the process. New Orleans showed a lot of resiliency in coming back and forcing overtime against the Redskins with a huge fourth quarter last week. These are two of the top passing teams in the league. I know the Saints defense has improved but they do have some injury concerns and also exerted a lot of effort (and yet still allowed 456 yards) in the OT win over the Redskins last week. The Rams defense had looked great because they were facing struggling offenses like Arizona, Houston, and the Giants but things turned in a hurry versus Minnesota last week as LA was gashed for 451 yards. Against better teams like the Vikings, Jaguars, Redskins, and Cowboys, the Rams allowed an average of 416 yards per game. They also allowed 421 to the 49ers earlier this season. Drew Brees and Company are in for a huge day here but I also expect Jared Goff and Company to match the Saints score for score in what should be a shootout. New Orleans is 12-5 to the over in games with a line between +3 and -3. Also, the Saints are 3-0 to the over as an underdog this season plus a long-term 22-11 to the over in games against the NFC West. LA is 13-7 to the over in home games with a posted total of 49.5 points or more. The Rams are also on a 4-1 run to the over in games against the NFC South. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles |
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11-26-17 | Seahawks -6.5 v. 49ers | Top | 24-13 | Win | 100 | 8 h 20 m | Show |
NFC West Game of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks (-) @ San Francisco 49ers @ 4:05 ET - Had the 49ers NOT beaten the Giants before enjoying their bye week last week this situation would be different as San Francisco would have been coming out of the bye with a winless record. However, since the Niners did beat the G-men before the bye, there is not the same hunger with San Fran that we would have otherwise seen. With that said, the hunger here actually lies with a Seahawks team that is off of a home loss to Atlanta on Monday night and is ready to take out their frustrations on a weaker foe. I know that the Seahawks barely got by the Niners in Seattle earlier this season but the 'hawks offense has been playing much better now compared to how they were playing then. Also, the Seahawks are 12-3 ATS when they are off of a non-divisional SU loss and facing a team with a losing record. That is the case here and it is a beautiful set-up with San Francisco off of a rare win. Also, the 49ers are on an 0-5 ATS run with rest. The Niners are also on a 1-7 ATS run as a home dog of 3.5 to 7 points. San Francisco also entered this season 2-13 ATS when they enter a game with a losing record and are facing an opponent off of a SU loss at home. The Seahawks come into this one angry and they impose their will here! Before beating a poor Giants team, the Niners had scored just 10 points in EACH of their three prior contests. Seattle is averaging 27.7 points per game their last 7 games! Of course the absence of Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor hurts the Seahawks defense but they still held Atlanta to 279 yards last week. Prior to the home loss to Atlanta, the 'hawks had allowed 18 points or less in 7 of their 9 games this season. This is a complete mismatch and I'll grab the highly motivated road fave that is fighting to remain in the playoff race with a tough game versus the Eagles on deck. The Seahawks know this is a must win game with what is in front of them. 10* SEATTLE |
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11-25-17 | Colorado v. Utah -10.5 | Top | 13-34 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
Blowout Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #188 Saturday 10* Top Play Utah Utes (-) vs Colorado Buffaloes @ 10 PM ET - This is a battle for bowl eligibility and it also is a revenge game for the Utes who lost at Colorado last year. The fact that Utah gave up 10 late points to lose to the Huskies last week strengthens this play as the Utes are angry and hungry! Utah is 6-2 ATS in this series and the Buffaloes are an ugly 1-3 (SU and ATS) in road games this season. Each of the Buffaloes last 3 losses have come by double digits. The Utes not only have the home field edge here, they also have the much better defense as they allow 90 yards less per game than the Buffs do. Colorado is 6-11 ATS as a road dog of 10.5 to 14 points. Even though the Buffaloes are off of a bye and the Utes are on regular rest, Utah is 14-8 ATS when on rest of 6 days or less. Colorado is 0-5 ATS when playing with rest and is off of their last season bye week. After playing 10 straight weeks and then having a bye, the Buffaloes are unlikely to be sharp and certainly lost any continuity they had going. The Utes are on a revenge mission, home finale mission, and will be the ones to earn bowl eligibility with a win in this one. 10* UTAH |
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11-25-17 | Wyoming v. San Jose State OVER 48.5 | Top | 17-20 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 3 m | Show |
MWC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Game #185 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Jose State Spartans vs Wyoming Cowboys @ 5 ET - I expect Josh Allen to play as he has thrown with no pain this week even though he didn't fully suit up for practice. However, even if he doesn't, the Cowboys Nick Smith now has a start under his belt and he can shred this Spartans defense that is allowing over 500 yards per game on the season. Off of a disappointing 13-7 home loss to Fresno State last week, Wyoming will be 'out for blood' in this one and they are a huge road favorite with good reason. The Spartans defense is simply atrocious and the Cowboys won't take their foot off of the gas. By the way, Wyoming is 13-4 to the over as a road favorite. San Jose State's offense has struggled but the Cowboys have lost some depth on defense as the season has gone on and will be playing for a 7th straight week as their bye was in early October. Don't be surprised if the Spartans move the ball quite well here in their home finale. Their big problem has been turnovers this season as San Jose State has proven fully capable of moving the ball quite well at times. The Spartans have averaged 213.6 passing yards per game in their last 7 games. Also, San Jose State has run for 123 yards or more in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 7-3 in Spartans' November games. 10* OVER the total in San Jose State |
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11-24-17 | Pelicans v. Suns +6.5 | Top | 115-91 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 55 m | Show |
Situational Slam - Rickenbach NBA Friday 10* Phoenix Suns (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 9:05 ET - The Suns may not be a very good basketball team but they are catching the Pelicans at the perfect time for an upset. Combining that with the fact that Phoenix is at home and also catching a half-dozen points and you have a great value spot for a home dog. New Orleans is in a horrible scheduling spot as they are off of their huge upset win over San Antonio and the Pelicans now have Golden State on deck. That said, it is certainly a difficult spot for New Orleans to be too concerned with Phoenix. As for the Suns, they are hungry off of a home loss to the Bucks and this the final home game for Phoenix until December 7th so they want to make the most of it! The Pelicans game against the Warriors is tomorrow at Golden State so the situation truly couldn't be much worse after they also dominated the Spurs Wednesday. New Orleans is 5-10 ATS (and 4-11 SU) when off of a game where they allowed 90 points or less. The last 4 games between these teams have been decided by an average margin of just 2.25 points per game. Tremendous home dog value here. 10* PHOENIX |
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11-24-17 | Texas Tech v. Texas OVER 56 | Top | 27-23 | Loss | -104 | 13 h 16 m | Show |
TV Top Game - Rickenbach CFB Game #141 Friday 10* OVER the total in Texas Longhorns vs Texas Tech Red Raiders @ 8 ET - The Longhorns defense caught a break (literally) last week when Mountaineers star QB Grier broke his finger in the first quarter. Make no mistake about it, the Longhorns do have a solid defense but they now face a Texas Tech offense that is one of the better units in the nation in terms of production. Also, under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the Red Raiders have put up 85 points the past 2 years. The problem for Texas Tech, as usual, is a defense that has given up 41.3 points per game the last 6 times they've faced Texas. The Longhorns has kicked things up a notch their past two games and averaged 35 points per game. They'll have no trouble with a Texas Tech defense that ranks among the worst in the nation. However, the Longhorns have some issues on defense with suspensions and injuries and the Red Raiders offense ranks in the top 20 in the nation for pace. Look for Texas Tech, desperate for their 6th win to become bowl eligibility and perhaps save Kingsbury's job, to play at a very fast pace in this game as they know that turning this game into a defensive battle would not benefit them at all. As a result, points aplenty in this one with perfect weather conditions in Austin also adding to the value here. The over is 5-2 the last 7 times the Red Raiders and Longhorns have matched up in Austin and I expect another shootout in this one as the Horns also got a boost with left tackle Williams returning last week. 10* OVER in Texas |
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11-24-17 | Maple Leafs v. Hurricanes OVER 6 | Top | 5-4 | Win | 102 | 6 h 58 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play Friday OVER the total in Carolina Hurricanes vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - With Carolina dead last in attendance in the NHL and the Maple Leafs off of back to back losses where they were held to just one goal in each game, I look for Toronto to come in flying all over the ice in this one. With little home ice edge, the Hurricanes could be in trouble with the Leafs pushing the tempo right from the drop of the opening puck in this one. However, it is inconsistent goaltending that has me backing the over here rather than the Maple Leafs on the money line. Toronto has allowed an average of 3 goals per game on the season and so too have the Hurricanes. Also, the road team has averaged 4.3 goals per game in the last 3 meetings between these clubs. The Maple Leafs are seeking to avenge a 6-3 home loss to Carolina earlier this season that saw the teams combine for 72 shots on goal. The Hurricanes are off of a 6-1 loss but previously the Canes had scored 3 goals or more in 7 straight games! The Leafs, prior to their 2-1 loss at Florida, had averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their 5 prior road games. The over is 5-2 this season when Toronto is playing with home loss revenge. The over is 6-3 in Hurricanes games against teams with a winning record this season. 10* OVER the total in Carolina |
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11-24-17 | Duke v. Texas +7.5 | Top | 85-78 | Win | 100 | 7 h 32 m | Show |
ESPN Top Game - Rickenbach CBB Game #580 Friday 10* Texas Longhorns (+) vs Duke Blue Devils @ 5:30 ET @ Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, OR - The Longhorns had a very disappointing campaign last season but they are a different team this season with Mohamed Bamba on board. The 6'11 center is a freshman and sure NBA draft pick. He combines with junior Dylan Osetkowski (6'9 - 250) to give the Longhorns some solid size in the paint this season. Osetkowski had to sit out last season after transferring from Tulane. Matt Coleman has proven to be a great find at point guard and he joins scorers Kerwin Roach and Andrew Jones to give the Horns a solid backcourt. Of course Duke is the #1 team in the country but this is a lot of points for a young Blue Devils team to lay against a Texas team that had 3 straight seasons of 20 or more wins before last season's disappointment. The Longhorns are already 4-0 this season. Duke is 6-0 but the strength of schedule for each of these undefeated teams is about the same and I love the line value of the big dog here. Duke is still a young team, as they showed in yesterday's disappointing first half versus Portland State and when the Blue Devils were tested earlier this season the final score was a bit of a phony final. Duke beat Michigan State by 7 points but the Spartans shot 50.8% from the field while the Blue Devils were held to 39.5% shooting! The Horns are 6-3 ATS as a neutral court dog of 6.5 to 9 points and also on a 13-7 ATS run after a game in which they held their opponent to 60 points or less. Duke is over-valued often and is on a 7-10 ATS run in tournament games. That means we have a 29-17 ATS spot favoring the Longhorns here. 10* TEXAS |
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11-22-17 | Clippers v. Hawks OVER 209 | Top | 116-103 | Win | 100 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 7:35 ET - The Clippers are off of an ugly turnover-filled game against the Knicks. The Hawks are off of a typical grinding game against the Spurs. However, now these two struggling teams face off and they are both in a situation they view as a winnable game. Keep in mind, Los Angeles has lost 9 straight while Atlanta has the worst record in the NBA. With that said, a winnable game is a big deal and I look for these two to push the pace in this one as each goes hard for that much needed victory. The Clippers are 3-0 to the over when off of an upset loss as a favorite. The Hawks have played a road-heavy schedule and that is significant to the value here as they are 5-1 to the over in home games this season. This total has been on a downward move since it was posted and you know what that means. Even more value here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta |
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11-22-17 | Maple Leafs v. Panthers OVER 6 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -107 | 9 h 19 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers had 52 shots on goal at Anaheim Sunday but lost 3-2. Florida, of course, will be fired up for this one and putting plenty of pucks on net! The Maple Leafs were off of a big 6-0 shutout win of rival Montreal and then came out flat against the Coyotes and lost 4-1 Monday. You can bet that Toronto's high-powered offense will be ready to bounce back HUGE in this one. As a result, I am expecting quite the barn burner between these two divisional foes Wednesday evening with plenty of scoring chances both ways. The Maple Leafs had scored 4 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 games before the dismal effort versus Arizona and I look for a bounce back here. Florida's offense has been incredible at home all season long as they've averaged 4.3 goals per game on home ice this season. The over is 8-1 in Panthers home games. The over is 6-2 when Toronto is off of a non-conference game. 10* OVER the total in Florida |
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11-22-17 | Appalachian State +2.5 v. James Madison | Top | 99-105 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 55 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #529 Wednesday 10* Top Play Appalachian State Mountaineers (+) @ James Madison Dukes @ 4 ET - Even though the Mountaineers and Dukes are both returning from tournaments, the Dukes were in the Bahamas and lost their final game while the Mountaineers Puerto Rico tourney was relocated and so their final game was in South Carolina. Also, that final game was a win for Appalachian State and the 3-2 Mountaineers have looked much better than the 1-4 Dukes early this season. We're getting line value because this game is at James Madison and because the Dukes are seeking revenge. The reason they won't get revenge is that the Mountaineers are the superior team that has also shown great resiliency with the strong second half performance against UTEP keying that win. I expect another such effort here. I also like the fact that Appalachian State had tough match-ups with Western Michigan and Iowa State prior to that game. As for James Madison, ever since their game against an overmatched foe in their season opener, they've shot very poorly and their defense has not impressed either. This will be the Dukes 4th game in 6 days too. For the Mountaineers they have the rest edge and also are riding the momentum of their win over UTEP! James Madison is on a 5-17 ATS run in non-conference games. 10* APPALACHIAN STATE |
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11-21-17 | Bowling Green v. Eastern Michigan OVER 59 | Top | 31-34 | Win | 100 | 11 h 29 m | Show |
Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach Tuesday CFB 10* OVER the total in Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Bowling Green Falcons @ 7 ET - The weather in Ypsilanti, Michigan will be cold but not brutal this evening. The winds will be subsiding and the rain will have moved out. That means conditions are fine for both teams to move the ball very well in this one and that spells trouble for the Bowling Green defense. The Falcons have allowed 43.2 points per game their last 5 games. BG is facing an Eastern Michigan offense that has gained at least 450 yards in 3 of it's last 5 games. The Eagles scored 56 points in their most recent home game and they'll take advantage of facing one of the worst defenses in the MAC. On the season, Bowling Green is allowing 517.2 yards per game. The Falcons though can move the ball well on offense. That is why the over is a perfect 6-0 in their last 6 games. BG has averaged 36.3 points per game in their last 3 road games and they are off of a strong performance at home last week as they put up 37 points on Toledo. The Eagles defense is solid and is certainly one of the better defenses in the MAC but they're certainly not dominating. Eastern Michigan has allowed at least 392 yards in 5 of its last 7 games. The over is 3-1 in the Eagles last 4 games. The Falcons have thrown for 301.5 yards per game the past 2 weeks and they'll again enjoy success through the air in this one. 10* OVER the total in Eastern Michigan |
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11-21-17 | Canucks v. Flyers OVER 5.5 | Top | 5-2 | Win | 112 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:05 ET - Both teams are down a couple of defensemen here. Also, both teams have had 2 days off between games. That means plenty of fresh legs on the ice for this one and the Flyers are fired up after a 5-4 home loss to Calgary on Saturday. The Flyers have given up at least 3 goals in 3 straight games. Philadelphia has scored at least 3 goals in 4 of their last 5 home games. You can see why I am expecting this one gets to at least 3-3 based on those stats. Also, taking a look at Vancouver, the Canucks have given up at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 7 games. Also, Vancouver has allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of its last 5. The Canucks have scored at least 3 goals in 6 of their 9 games away from home this season. Look for the Flyers to improve to 4-1 to the over on Tuesdays and 4-1 to the over in games where they enter off of 2 days of rest. Only 9 of the last 27 meetings between these clubs has stayed under the total. Non-conference match-ups like this do tend to be played with more open ice due to less defensive intensity. We'll take advantage of that here and grab the favorable line value on the over (available at a solid plus money return as of early morning) for this one. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Philadelphia |
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11-20-17 | Jazz v. 76ers OVER 210.5 | Top | 86-107 | Loss | -115 | 11 h 58 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Monday 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia 76'ers vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - The Jazz scored 125 points in their blowout win at Orlando Saturday. Utah is 7-3 to the over when they are off of a game where they scored 115 points or more. The over is 8-3 in the last 11 games for the Jazz and they've really picked up the pace on this road trip. Overall, the over is 4-0 in Utah's last 4 games away from home. The 76'ers are off of a home loss to Golden State. The Philly defense was crushed for 124 points and the over is now 8-2 in Philadelphia's last 10 games. As a favorite this season the over is 4-1 in Sixers game and, when off of a non-conference game, the over is 7-1 in Philadelphia's games. The Sixers are averaging 112.5 points per game their last 11 games. The Jazz are averaging 110.8 points per game their last 4 road games. When these teams met in Utah the game barely stayed under the total even though the Jazz shot only 30% from the field. In fact, Utah attempted 99 shots in that game! They'll get some payback here, at least in terms of better offensive production. However, the upstart 76'ers will be scoring big right along with them. The result should be a shootout. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
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11-20-17 | Coyotes v. Maple Leafs OVER 6 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* OVER 6 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs are off of a huge 6-0 win over rival Montreal. As a result, I don't expect much defensive intensity from Toronto here. However, the Leafs certainly have plenty of offensive firepower and skill (especially with Auston Matthews back too). With that said, they're going to get their fair share of goals against Antti Raanta and the Coyotes here. Raanta has struggled for much of this season and only has an .895 save percentage on the road. The Leafs big win over the Canadiens marked the 5th time in their last 8 games that Toronto has scored 4 goals or more! The Coyotes have finally kicked their offensive production up a notch too. Arizona has scored 8 goals in their last 2 games and they're catching the Maple Leafs at the right time to stay hot. The over is 9-4 in Arizona's non-conference games this season and also 6-3 long-term in road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. That said, while this total may seem a little high, it should prove (as usual) to be otherwise! The big number is justified and Toronto is 5-2 to the over this season after a win by a multiple-goal margin and also the Maple Leafs are 6-3 to the over in home games with a posted total of 6 goals or more! 10* OVER 6 goals in Toronto |
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11-19-17 | Edmonton v. Calgary -5 | Top | 28-32 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFL Sunday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders (-) vs Edmonton Eskimos @ 4:30 ET - Calgary has been a team on a mission all season long after losing in the Grey Cup to Ottawa last season. That was a huge upset loss for the Stampeders and they are fully geared up to get back to the big game this season. They are rested here and hosting an Eskimos team they have defeated by 21 points each of the last two times they've hosted them. Also, Calgary had won each of the last two meetings in Edmonton before losing there last month. Suffice to say, payback is on order here. Both these teams have dynamic offenses but the key value here is not only that the Stampeders have the home field edge here, it is also the fact that they have the much better defense. They've allowed 11 points less per game than the Eskimos have this season. Calgary is 6-0 SU (and 5-1 ATS) their last 6 off of a bye and I expect a home rout here. Stampeders roll and get their chance again in the Grey Cup. 10* CALGARY |
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11-19-17 | Bills v. Chargers OVER 41 | Top | 24-54 | Win | 100 | 9 h 59 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Chargers vs Buffalo Bills @ 4:05 ET - I love the fact that the Chargers have the longest current streak in the NFL for unders at 4 because the fact is that their defense is truly not that good. The result is line value here because a total that opened up in mid-40s is now all the way down to a 41 as of early gameday morning. The Bills are expected to start Nathan Peterman. Buoyed by the confidence of a scoring drive versus the Saints last week, look for him to enjoy success at LA as the Chargers run defense is the worst in the league! That means the Bills rushing offense - which is respectable to say the least - will be able to enjoy success against the Chargers and that will force LA to respect the run here. In turn, Peterman gets opportunities downfield. At the same time, should he falter and Tyrod Taylor is called upon, look for him to respond big-time after being benched. As for the Chargers and QB Philip Rivers, the veteran signal-caller is one of the best in the business. The fact he is listed as probable means he has been cleared to play (concussion) and you can bet he'll be out there carving up a Bills defense that has given up 267 passing yards per game the last 5 games. Also concerning for Buffalo fans is the run defense has been knifed through for 246 rushing yards per game the past two games! The over is 4-0 in the Bills last 4 games. The over is also 4-0 in Buffalo's last 4 games versus AFC West competition. The Chargers are 6-3 to the over as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points. Beautiful weather for this one too with mild temperatures and light winds and clear skies! 10* OVER the total in LA Chargers |
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11-19-17 | Ravens -119 v. Packers | Top | 23-0 | Win | 100 | 6 h 52 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play Baltimore Ravens (-) @ Green Bay Packers @ 1 ET - The Packers are off of a win but they certainly are not the same team without QB Aaron Rodgers. Now Green Bay has more injuries to be concerned with as RB Ty Montgomery is questionable (ribs) and RB Aaron Jones is out (MCL). Also, QB Brett Hundley is probable for today's game and I fully expect him to be ready to go but he is bothered by a hamstring injury. The Packers now host a rested Ravens team that was able to heal up some thanks to a bye last week. Baltimore is on a 7-2 ATS run when off of a bye week and their defense does rank among the top units in the NFL. Also, Baltimore's pass rush and pass protection both rank higher than the Packers in each category. Even with last week's win and cover at Chicago, Green Bay is still only 1-5 ATS the last 6 times they've been an underdog against a team with a losing record. The Ravens are currently a 2-point choice in most books. Although I would recommend grabbing the very reasonable money line if you have access to it for this one, the fact is that Baltimore is on an 8-1 ATS run when they are a favorite of more than 1 point and playing with rest! Look for a huge effort from the Ravens here off of the bye week as the offense also had a chance to work out the kinks during their bye week and the defense remains rock solid. 10* BALTIMORE |
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11-18-17 | Missouri v. Vanderbilt +9.5 | Top | 45-17 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #382 Saturday 10* Top Play Vanderbilt Commodores (+) vs Missouri Tigers @ 7:30 ET - Missouri looks great, don't they? They've won 4 straight games and have been piling up points. They must be ready to join the SEC's elite, right? Far from it! This Tigers team is one of the most over-rated I have ever seen and they are getting way too much respect here on the road. I don't blame the odds makers because they knew everyone would be crazy about Missouri here so they had to set this number high. The point is that the betting markets are fooled and that is why the Tigers are still favored by more than a touchdown as of gameday morning even though they're on the road and their last 4 wins have been against, get this, NO ONE! The Tigers have faced Florida and Tennessee programs in disarray this season (both have fired their coaches this season) and Missouri also faced a pair of non-conference teams that are a combined 6-13 this season. Keep in mind that, prior to this easy stretch of schedule, the Tigers were on the SEC road and lost both games and gave up 93 points! Now certainly I am not saying that Vanderbilt is a powerhouse because they are definitely far from it but what I am saying is that the Commodores are coming to play Saturday and they are a big home dog that absolutely win this game outright! Vandy is off of an embarrassing home loss but they turned the ball over 4 times. This is their home finale and their next game is at dysfunctional Tennessee and the Commodores are sitting on 4 wins. You can bet their going to "bring it" in their home finale as they still have hopes of becoming bowl eligible and certainly a win over the Volunteers is plausible next week. Look for the Tigers to drop to 1-5 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points while the Commodores improve to 4-1 ATS as a home dog of 7.5 to 10 points. Value is off the charts here because Vandy has played a tougher schedule than Missouri and this particularly true in recent weeks. Even with the Tigers road covers this season they are still just 4-9 ATS in road games the last 3 seasons and they are over-priced here. 10* VANDERBILT |
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11-18-17 | Michigan +7.5 v. Wisconsin | Top | 10-24 | Loss | -120 | 6 h 38 m | Show |
Big Ten Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Game #415 Saturday 10* Top Play Michigan Wolverines (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ Noon ET - The Badgers deserve plenty of credit for their 10-0 start but they've had a lot of help from the schedule-makers this season. This will prove to be their toughest test yet and, though they've clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game, Wisconsin is playing with unbeaten pressure as they're hoping to keep their CFB playoff hopes alive. The Badgers schedule has been so favorable that this is the first time this season that they are not favored by double digits! Keep in mind, this is even though they are at home for this game so that tells you a lot right there. The Badgers did beat Northwestern but they did not cover and only totaled 306 yards of offense in that game. Wisconsin also beat Iowa last week but they were fortunate as the Hawkeyes had just had the huge upset win of Ohio State the prior week and, as expected, Iowa came out completely flat against Wiscy last week. While the Badgers offense certainly rates better than the Wolverines, the defenses of Michigan is just as good as that of Wisconsin. Also, the Wolverines have faced a slightly tougher schedule than the Badgers this season. The pressure is on Wisconsin here and I am expecting the upset win for Michigan but will certainly grab the generous points. Even though this is the 2nd of B2B road games for the Wolverines, they are actually 5-1 ATS L6 in that situation. Also, Michigan is 6-1 ATS as a dog off of an ATS win by a double digit margin. Also, the Badgers are off of B2B ATS wins for the first time this season. The Wolverines also enter off of B2B ATS wins. That puts into play another solid system here as Wisconsin is 0-7 ATS when off of back to back SU/ATS wins and facing an opponent off of back to back SU/ATS wins! Also, the Badgers are only 1-7 ATS when they are favored by more than 5 points in Big Ten action against a team that has a winning percentage of .601 or more. 10* MICHIGAN |
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11-17-17 | Pistons v. Pacers OVER 209.5 | Top | 100-107 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Friday NBA 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers are off of a big win at Memphis but their defense continues to be an issue. Indiana has allowed their opponents to hit at least 50% from the field in 6 of their last 8 games. Also, one of those 2 "better" games on defense the Pacers still allowed 47.8% from the field. Indiana has allowed 107 points or more in 7 of their last 8 games. The Pistons are off of a low-scoring loss at Milwaukee and will be fired up here. That defeat ended a stretch of 5 straight wins for Detroit and the Pistons allowed 110 points per game in those 5 games. Overall, Detroit has won 8 of its last 10 games and they've averaged 110.3 points per game in those 8 victories. The over is 4-1 in the Pistons last 5 games and 5-3 in the Pacers last 8 games. The over is 4-2 this season in Detroit's games against teams with a losing record. Look for the over to improve to 6-3 in Pacers games this month as the Pistons were held to 35.3% from the field versus the Bucks Wednesday and Detroit is 3-0 to the over this season when off of a game where they held under 43% from the field. 10* OVER the total in Indiana |