Sports Handicapper Marc David's Picks & Predictions

DUCKS @ JACKETS

The Ducks come into Columbus as winners of seven of their last eight overall. They are 7-7 on the road, and they face a Blue Jackets team that is 8-7 at home. These two teams have a history of playing close games, with three of the last six meetings going to overtime. Anaheim has won four straight on the road and five of their last six versus Eastern Conference teams. Columbus has lost four of it's last five versus teams from the Pacific Division. I like the underdog on the pucklline here.

Take ANA.

FLYERS @ CANUCKS

The Flyers have lost three straight, and they are at the end of a long road trip. They play their second game in as many nights at Vancouver Saturday. The Canucks have really turned things around, earning points in four straight games. The Canucks last home game was a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators. and they can get back to .500 at home with a win over the Flyers tonight. Philly is banged up at the goaltender position with stater Brian Elliot injured and backup Michal Neuvirth away from the team for personal reasons. The Flyers rank dead last in the league on the penalty kill.

Take VAN.

  TEXANS @ JETS

The Jets will be a big home dog against the Texans Saturday, and I can't believe people want to back a road favorite here in a winter game in New York. While the Texans had won nine in a row, their winning streak came to an end at home versus the Colts last week. These teams have played three times since 2010, and all three games were decided by seven points or less. The underdog has covered in each of the last four meetings between the two teams, and Houston has only covered in two of the last seven meetings. I expect the Jets to hang around, at the very least keeping things close.

Tale NYJ.

    VILLANOVA @ KANSAS

The Kansas Jayhawks are the #1 ranked team in the country, but they've had some close calls in recent games. While they had one big win over Wofford, three of their last four games have been close. They needed overtime to beat Stanford and Tennessee, and they beat New Mexico State by just three points. Villanova doesn't look quite as strong as it has in recent years, but the Wildcats have won four of their last five versus Kansas outright. Given a significan point spread to work with, there's no reason why Villanova can't keep this game close enough to get a cover. The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Kansas.

Take VILL.

CINCINNATI @ MISS STATE

The Bearcats lost their first game of the season to Ohio State, but they have won nine straight since. Cincinnati has won each of their last three versus the Bulldogs, and they look good getting points in tonight's game. The Bearcats are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games, and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The most consistent trends here actually point toward an under, but I think with such a low projected total the underdog is also in play plus the 5.5 points.

Take CIN.

  CELTICS @ PISTONS

Boston has won eight straight, and much like we saw in last year's playoffs, it doesn't seem to matter if they are missing a few key players. Boston has the depth to replace players like Al Horford, and they should be able to keep things rolling here in Detroit. The Pistons have lost six in a row overall, and they have lost six of their last seven vesus the Celtics. The Celtics are 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Detroit, and the road team is 15-5-1 ATS in the last 21 meetings. The Pistons are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Saturday games.

Take BOS

     GEORGIA SOUTHERN VS EASTERN MICHIGAN

Georgia Southern won their last 2 games of the regular season outscoring both opponents by a combined 76-31 score. They are ranked 9th in the country averaging over 260 yards on the ground and over 31 points a game. They won 7 of their last 9 overall winning by at least 17 points in 5 of their last 6 wins including 4 of their last 5 on the road. Their defense has held 6 of their last 9 opponents to 21 points or less and are ranked 43rd overall defensively allowing just over 21 points a game. Eastern Michigan allows 353 yards a game but almost 200 of those yards are on the ground which is 93rd in the country. They scored at least 30 points just once in their last 10 games and are ranked 94th overall offensively averaging 378 total yards and 27 points a game. If they don't slow down the Eagles' running game they will lose the battle of the clock and their offense won't be on the field much and that includes stopping QB Werts who has rushed for over 800 yards and 13 TD's and passed for another 10 TD's without a pick.

Take Georgia Southern