Sports Handicapper Jim Feist's Picks & Predictions

The Utah Jazz holding onto 7th place in the West, just 1/2 game ahead of 8th palace San Antonio. I'm sure the Jazz want to at least keep this spot and move up more so they don't have to face the Warriors in round one of the playoffs. The Jazz are just 1 game behind the Clippers for 6th and the Thunder for 5th. That leaves a lot of jockeying yet to be done. That makes today's game even more important when it's against one of the worst teams in the league, the Bulls. The Bulls are eliminated from the playoffs with their 21-52 record. The Jazz are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games. They are also 5-1 ATS their last six overall. And, when they have one day rest they are 20-8-2 ATS. The Bulls, well they are just 4-12 ATS in their last 16 home games and 1-5-1 ATS their last seven times playing on two days rest. The Jazz can't let these kinds of games get away. I expect a full effort today out of the Jazz. Play Utah.

 The Detroit Pistons really can't improve their playoff position in the Eastern conference, as they trail 5th place Boston by 5 1/2 games. However, they could fall in the seeding and could even fall out of the playoffs. Currently they lead 7th place Brooklyn by just a half game and 8th place Miami by 2 1/2 games. The Pistons are just 2-7-1 ATS on the road their last 10 games vs a team with a winning home record great than 60%. They area also 0-3-1 ATS their last four road games against a team with just a winning home record. Portland is 4th in the West right now, just one game back of Houston for third and two games ahead of OKC and LAC for 5th and 6th. The Blazers are 39-19 ATS in their last 58 home games and 23-8 ATS in their last 31 against the East. This is a long way for Detroit to travel and play a very good Portland team. I look for a Portland blowout tonight. Play the Blazers.

NCAA Tourney 2nd round action here on Saturday from Hartford, CT has Villanova taking on Purdue. Villanova won their conference tourney and opened round one with a win over St Mary's, 61-57, just missing the cover against the 4.5-point line. The Wildcats always look forward to playing Big 10 opponents, evidenced by their 11-2 ATS record their last 13 times against that conference. In addition, Villanova has been a very good bet in the NCAA tournament, covering 14 of their last 17 times. Purdue lost in their Big 10 opening tourney game to Minnesota, 73-75, but won their NCAA round one game over Old Dominion, 61-48. The Boilermakers are just 2-7 ATS their last nine against the Big East Conference. They are also 1-4 ATS their last five times after covering the previous game. Villanova has all the experience in the NCAA tournament and it shows with their excellent spread record. I'm taking the Cats here as they have the coaching and the experience. Play Villanova.

NCAA Tournament 2nd Round from Hartford, CT has Murray State taking on Florida State. Murray State pulled a mild upset in round win by beating Marquette, 83-64 as a 3-point dog. The Racers have now covered two straight, five of the last six and eight of the last 10 games. In addition, they have covered five of their last seven NCAA tourney games. Florida State won, but didn't cover their first round game against Vermont, winning 76-69 as a 8.5-point favorite. The Seminoles have not failed to cover their last two games. They are also 1-4 ATS in their last five non-conference games. We are getting about five points here with Murray State and while they are the 12th seed and FSU is the 4th seed, I think these teams are much more evenly matched than their seeding suggests. I'm taking the points here with Murray State.

2nd Round NCAA tournament action here on Saturday from Jacksonville, FL has Wofford taking on Kentucky. Wofford got the slight upset win in round one by beating Seton Hall, 84-68 as a 2.5-point dog. It was the Terrier's 21st win in a row and their eighth cover in a row. In fact, the Terriers have now won 30 games on the season. Kentucky is the second seed in this region and they also opened first round action with an easy win over Abilene Christian, 79-44 as a 20-point favorite. The Wildcats though are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. This is a very good Wofford team that will have upset on their mind on Saturday. I'm taking the points with the Terriers. Play Wofford.

NCAA Tournament 2nd round action here on Saturday has Baylor taking on number one seed, Gonzaga. The 9th seeded Bears opened first round with a win over Syracuse, 78-69. The Orange were without their starting point guard, who was suspended for the game. This gave Baylor an edge and they won and covered the game. It was on the 2nd cover for the Bears in their last seven games. The Bears are also just 2-5 ATS in their last seven NCAA tournament games. Gonzaga had no trouble whatsoever against Fairleigh Dickinson, winning 87-49 as a 28.5-point favorite. Gonzaga looked bad in their conference tourney loss to St Mary's, losing by 23-points as a 14-point favorite. However, they redeemed themselves in the NCAA Round one. In fact, maybe that loss to St Mary's is just what the Zags needed to wake them up. Gonzaga has done well against he Big 12, going 9-3-1 ATS their last 12 meetings. I like Gonzaga here tonight so I will lay the points. Play Gonzaga.