Brief analysis behind each pick since I know some of you enjoy it:
Milwaukee -6.5 at Green Bay: Milwaukee has improved a lot from last season which was expected after hiring Bart Lundy as head coach. Lundy is a huge reason Queens (where he spent the last decade) has made the jump to D1. Milwaukee is simply the better team here and I expect a double digit win. There's really not much more to it- I don't think the oddsmakers have caught up to how improved this Panthers team is. And Green Bay is very bad. This line moved all the way to -8 shortly after playing it, so looks like I was ahead of the line movement here.
Wofford -12.5 vs Presbyterian: Wofford had a lot of turnover last year and there was a lot of uncertainty as to how they would look this year. They did return their best player in BJ Mack and they took LSU to the wire in their last game. The transfer portal has helped tremendously in keeping a competitive roster. I think that game against LSU was a sign of the team coming together. Presbyterian is simply not a good basketball team. There was lots of talk about them taking a step forward this year but I don't see it. Wofford is simply better in every facet of the game and I expect them to keep the momentum going in a big way.
Isaiah Stewart over 7.5 rebounds: The Mavericks are nearly dead last in the NBA in opponent defensive rebound percentage. This seems like a prime opportunity for Stewart to snag double digit boards. This could also be a competitive game as this has potential to be a letdown spot for Dallas sandwiched between the Warriors and a trip to Madison Square Garden. The only thing that concerns me here is that no team in the league draws more fouls than Dallas... and if Stewart gets into foul trouble it could be a problem. But I'm willing to roll the dice.
Utah State -18.5 vs Utah Tech: This is a solid Utah State team and they play with a super fast tempo and score more points than almost every team in the country. Utah Tech ranks towards the bottom in almost every defensive category. The Trailblazers do play at a slow place but I do expect the Aggies to control the tempo and have their way tonight. The over on their team total is tempting, but I'll lay the points instead. Look for Utah State to leave Tech in the dust and cover the big number.
Avalanche team total over 3.5 goals: Sometimes these road spots can be tricky, but I love trusting good teams to bounce back after bad losses. The Avs were shut out 5-0 against the Jets the other night (we had the over 6.5... because of course) and I expect them to play with a lot of intensity tonight against a Sabres team that is below average on the defensive end. Special teams will play a big factor as well as the Avs are at the top of the league in power play percentage and the Sabres are at the very bottom in kill percentage. I don't see a scenario where the Avs score less than 4 goals.