Sports Handicapper Kevin Thomas 's Picks & Predictions

4 pm, The (972) Baltimore Orioles (75-79) will look to get over 500 before the season ends. Last night, they lost in extra innings to break up their three-game win streak. It was their first game back from a six-game road trip. The value is here as they host the (971) Milwaukee Brewers (96-58), who are definitely going to have the #1 or #2 best record in baseball. They sit two up on the Dodgers with eight games to go. They clinched the NL Central days ago. I give the advantage to Trevor Rogers at home for the Orioles over rookie Robert Gasser of the Brewers. The Orioles are facing the Brewers’ A-team bullpen guys, adding some confidence for the rematch. Take the (972) Baltimore Orioles on the money line.

7 pm, The (648) Atlanta Dream (27-14) sit 4th in the playoff seeding and could move up to third or down to 5th, so the only thing on Atlanta’s dish is winning. They hammered the second-to-last-place Suns, whose bench outscored its starters. I know they will get a little more of a fight with the (647) Chicago Sky (15-26). In their last meeting, the injuries to the Sky were adding up, and they still took it to Atlanta, losing 91-93. Make sure to get 13 or more, as that number is key. Take the (647) Chicago Sky plus the points. 

4 pm, (161) Louisiana Tech (1-1) covered against LSU, but LSU let up as they have the biggest game of their season today. The host (162) Baylor (1-1) lost a close one on the road to Auburn, covering, and then dismantled Prairie View. The Bears have home field and a top-5 run defense; both teams are down their starting quarterback, but Baylor played its last game without him. My free prediction for this game is to take (162) Baylor Bears laying the points

12 pm, (129) North Texas (1-1) off a big win against UNLV is getting points against (130) Texas State(0-2). The public is loving those points, but let’s not overlook Texas State at home. They dominated the yards against a good UTSA, but late turnovers, three to be exact, kept them from winning. North Texas’s weakness is that secondary, and Texas State will exploit it. Let’s not be fooled by the records; Texas State is the answer here. Take (130) Texas State Bobcats laying the points. 

4 pm, (161) Louisiana Tech (1-1) covered against LSU, but LSU let up as they have the biggest game of their season today. The host (162) Baylor (1-1) lost a close one on the road to Auburn, covering, and then dismantled Prairie View. The Bears have home-field advantage and a top-5 run defense; both teams are down their starting quarterback, but Baylor played its last game without him. I’m looking at the total, with the Bears looking ahead to Colorado and conference play and not needing any more injuries. Take the under. 

12:45 pm, as (134) Vanderbilt (2-0) will turn the reins over to highly touted freshman Jared Curtis, who has done well in the first two games with spot starts. The problem here is that they host (133) NC State, who are much better than Delaware and Austin Peay. This is an ACC opener for the Commodores, and thats a lot of pressure on this young kid, but it also tells us how bad the starter was. This kid looks to have a bright future, just bad timing. Take the (133) NC State Wolfpack plus the points. 

7 pm: What I learned from week one to week two is that Baylor has a top-5 run defense. Why is that crucial for this game? Because (184) Auburn (2-0) can and wants to run the ball. Against Baylor, they got stuffed and did not cover the spread. Now they host (183) Florida (2-0), who is putting up big numbers on offense, but they allowed FAU to run all over them. They still won that game, but if Auburn can run, which they will, and their defense can hold Florida, it’s a no-brainer, and by this total you can tell it’s an SEC battle. Take the disrespected (184) Auburn Tigers plus the points

12 pm, (119) North Carolina (2-0) hasn’t won in Death Valley since 2001. That 2-0 record, with (120) Clemson (1-1) getting blown out by LSU, has moved the spread from 6.5 down to 3. Plus, Clemson has decided to go with freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds over Chris Vissina; Chris has one touchdown and two interceptions. The change benefits the Tigers. Plus, UNC does not have a dual-threat quarterback like LSU, so the Tigers’ defense can stuff the run as they attack the quarterback. Clemson’s kicker made 5 field goals last week, so I expect a low-scoring game with Clemson covering the spread. Take the (120) Clemson Tigers laying the points.