Matt Fargo

This is a play on the MICHIGAN WOLVERINES for our CBB Wednesday Star Attraction. Despite losing four players to the NBA from last season’s team, guards Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson along with forwards Mikal Bridges and Omari Spellman, the Wildcats are off to a strong start once again but it has come against a pair of cupcakes. Villanova is highly ranked yet again with a lot that due to the fact that it has won National Championships in two of the last three years. Like Villanova, the Wolverines feature a new-look team, though seven players are back from last season including three starters. They have also played an easy schedule and this matchup pits offense versus defense. Villanova is averaging 93 ppg and defensively, the Wolverines picked up right where they left off from last season and that is a good thing. Michigan is allowing just 40.5 ppg, which is third in the country. Teams are also shooting just 30 percent from the field. This early in the season in high profile games with elite players, the defense tends to trump the offense and it will up to Michigan to stifle the Wildcats offense as it does not want to get involved in a shootout. Obviously, Michigan wants payback from the National Championship last season and it will be playing with a ship on its shoulder. Going back, Michigan is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games after allowing 30 points or less in the first half in two straight games. 10* (723) Michigan Wolverines

This is a play on the CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS for our NHL Wednesday Breakaway. Chicago got off to a 6-2-2 start to the season but things have taken a turn for the worst as it has lost eight straight games and in the midst of that, it cost head coach Joel Quenneville his job as he was fired just over a week ago. Two of the losses have been in overtime but overall, it has been an ugly run as the Blackhawks have been outscored 33-14 over this eight-game stretch. The schedule itself has been challenging and going back, the Blackhawks are 17-3 in their last 20 games in the first half of the season when playing against teams with a winning percentage between .250 and .400. The Blues are starting to turn the corner after a slow start as they have won four of their last six games but it has been a fortunate part of the season. St. Louis is coming off a seven-game homestand and 11 of its first 15 games have taken place at home which is partly the season it has played the easiest schedule in the NHL. The Blues have lost three of those four road games and going back, they are 4-9 in their last 13 games when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game. Additionally, we play on home teams when the moneyline is -100 to -150 after allowing three goals or more in five straight games going up against an opponent after a loss by one goal in their previous game. This situation is 85-40 (68 percent) since 1996. 10* (52) Chicago Blackhawks

This is a play on the PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS as part of our NBA Wednesday Trifecta. The Lakers are looking like a team that is finally starting to gel but we are not convinced quite yet as they continue to be overvalued because of LeBron James. They have won three straight and five of their last six games but only one of those came against a quality opponent and while that opponent happens to be Portland, it actually helps in that the Blazers will be coming into tonight with a little added focus. The other four wins came against Dallas, Minnesota, Sacramento and Atlanta with only the Kings being above .500 and the jury is still out about them. They are just 2-5 against the top 16 while Portland is 8-1 against teams in that group which puts revenge in play tonight. The Blazers have won four straight games, the last three coming against winning teams and despite a home-heavy schedule, they are 3-1 on the road including impressive wins over Houston and Indiana. Portland is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games after three or more consecutive wins while going 15-4 ATS in its last 19 games after two consecutive covers as a favorite. Additionally, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are allowing 103 or more ppg, after a win by three points or less. This situation is 98-50 ATS (66.2 percent) since 1996. 9* (721) Portland Trail Blazers

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES as part of our NBA Wednesday Trifecta. Milwaukee is off to a solid 10-3 start and as it appears to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, laying a number this big against a quality opponent is simply too aggressive. The Bucks are coming off a 2-2 west coast roadtrip that included impressive wins over Golden St. and Denver and they return home where they have dominate throughout the early part of the season. They are 6-0 at home and all six games have been by blowouts, all coming by at least 11 points and by an average of 19.2 ppg. Milwaukee has been favored between 9 and 11 points in three of those games but those were against Orlando, New York and Sacramento all of whom are not in the same class as Memphis. The Grizzlies are banged up as they played with just eight players on Monday against Utah but it is all on the lower end of the rotation. When they were hit by injuries last season, it was their stars which is not the case this time around and we like their defense to keep this one closer than many are expecting. The Grizzlies are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in non-conference games coming off a win as a road underdog. This situation is 44-14 ATS (75.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* (715) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS as part of our NBA Wednesday Trifecta. Boston is coming off a dreadful roadtrip where it went 1-4 and it easily could have been 0-5 if not for a miraculous comeback against Phoenix where it trailed by 22 points and eventually won the game in overtime. A return home and a sense of urgency should get the Celtics back to what they were expected to do and that is dominate the Eastern Conference bottom feeders. After leading the NBA by allowing 96.2 ppg in October, Boston has yielded an average of 110.3 ppg and allowed at least 100 points in all six November games. They have trailed by at least 20 points in the last three games. To their credit, the schedule has been tough as they have played the No. 6 ranked slate and have gone 2-5 against the top ten teams while winning five of six against the rest of the league. After a 2-8 start, Chicago has split its last four games but the two wins came against 2-11 Cleveland and 4-10 New York and both of those came by just one points each. The Bulls are catching Boston at the wrong time coming off that poor roadtrip. Boston is 8-0 ATS in its last eight games after having lost four or five of its last six games while the Bulls are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (706) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the MIAMI OHIO REDHAWKS for our CFB Wednesday Star Attraction. With the season wining down, games become critical for some teams whether it be for bowl implications or championship game berths and that is the case here for Wednesday. From a motivational standpoint, there is no advantage either way as Miami needs to win its final two games to become bowl eligible and Northern Illinois needs to win to take home the MAC West and secure a trip to the MAC Championship. While the Huskies possess defense, this will be one of the better offenses they have seen. While Miami averages just 28.2 ppg, that was due to a slow start as over their last seven games, the RedHawks are averaging 35.9 ppg. They have gone 4-3 over this stretch and could feasibly already be bowl eligible as two of those losses came by just one point, including one in overtime. Northern Illinois has picked up its game after a 1-3 start as it has won six straight games and while we played on the Huskies a week ago, circumstances are much different. Four of those wins were by a single possession and in those six games, the Huskies were outgained in three of those. Overall, the strength of schedule is pretty much the same for both sides and they are both nearly dead even in scoring differential making this line overinflated but the public is still overwhelmingly on the home side. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams averaging between 3.5 to 4.3 ypc. This situation is 56-23 ATS (70.9 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (305) Miami Ohio RedHawks