Sports Handicapper Matt Fargo's Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We often play on teams the first game after firing their coach as it tends to lift a team up knowing things are getting done to try and improve their team and in this case we are backing the Mavericks after firing their GM Nico Harrison. He was the mastermind behind the Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers and he was expected to be fired last season but the miracle of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery kept him around for a while but it was too much after a horrible 3-8 start. We waited on this one to get news on Anthony Davis but it likely will not come until late and he is a GTD. We will still pull the trigger on Dallas in this GM bump game. Phoenix has won three straight games and five of its last six while covering six of its last seven games. This comes after a 1-4 start so the new look roster may be coming together but only two games of the recent six have been on the road and those resulted in a split with the win coming in Los Angeles against the Clippers who are having their own problems as they are 3-7. Overall, the Suns are 5-1 at home and 1-4 on the road and they catch the Mavericks at the wrong time. Here, we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 allowing 114 or more ppg on the season, after a blowout win by 15 points or more. This situation is 41-15 ATS (73.2 percent). 10* (562) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS for our Wednesday Free Play. Southern Illinois is coming off a disappointing season where it went 14-19 including 8-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference but it was not the usual season in Carbondale. Scott Nagy was hired as the new head coach and was hired kind of late so he was behind the eight ball in trying to rebuild the roster but the year two offseason was a lot smoother. The transfer portal did not hurt too much as six players returned including a pair of starters and the Salukis are off to a 2-0 start with wins over McKendree and Kansas City. They are catching a big number here and it is a great buy low spot. Nevada is also 2-0 as it defeated Louisiana Tech by 27 points but followed that up with a one point win over Pacific, a team that is picked in the bottom third of the West Coast Conference. The Wolf Pack slipped last season as after a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as they won just 17 games and are basically starting over again. They lost all five starters and only one of their top nine scorers are back so the narrow win over the Tigers should be no surprise in hindsight. This line has been on the rise so this is the time to sell high with a still unproven team. Play (727) Southern Illinois Salukis

27-20 NFL Run. NFL +$18,740 L3+ Regular Seasons and +$76,060 run over the last 13 years. 66-58 FB Run. CFB Winner Wednesday. 5-1 CFB Weeknight Run. Thursday and Friday also posted. CBB 11-4 Run. FIVE Winners today.

This is a play on the OREGON DUCKS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. We played against Oregon in its season opener against Hawaii and it won by just a point as it was fortunate it even got away with a victory while not coming close to covering the 12-point spread. Fast forward to Game Two as the Ducks hosted Rice and only won by four points and actually was down for nearly half the second half. The good news is that point guard Jackson Shelstad returned from his broken hand sustained in the spring and after missing the opener. He went just 2-12 from the floor which was not totally shocking as there was some expected rust but it was his presence that opened up the offense and most importantly, he was key in unlocking Nate Bittle, who struggled to get the ball in the post against Hawaii and he finished with 25 points. The shooting as a team was not there but that will come around and that happens here in our opinion and this is the smash spot for the rout. South Dakota St. is 2-1 with unimpressive home wins over Merrimack and Dakota St. and while it did play well at Northern Iowa, that was just on Sunday so this is a tough travel spot. The Jackrabbits are going to contend in the Summit but are overmatched here. 10* (722) Oregon Ducks

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS for our CBB Star Attraction. Missouri has had two great seasons under head coach Dennis Gates, the only exception being an injury-filled 2023-24 season, and big things are expected again this year. The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start and while a five-point win over Southeast Missouri St. was not pretty, a 38-point win over VMI got them back on track. Missouri brings back a ton from its 22-win season which ended with a disappointing upset loss against Drake in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers return the second most minutes in the SEC with nearly 36 percent coming back and this is unheard of in the current world of college hoops. Minnesota is coming off a 15-win season which cost head coach Ben Johnson his job after four seasons and the Gophers brought in Niko Medved from Colorado St. as he was the sure hire as he grew up there and was a lifelong Gophers fan. It is a complete rebuild as only two players are back, a redshirt freshman and a sophomore, from the roster from last season totaling just 5.6 ppg. Minnesota is off to a 2-0 start as it rolled past Gardner Webb and Alcorn St. but now hits the road for the first time and will be severely undersized in this matchup. 10* (710) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the UNC GREENSBORO SPARTANS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. This is a play on the NC State is off to a 2-0 start with blowout wins over North Carolina Central and UAB and while the latter victory looked good at the time, the Blazers just lost to Alabama St. on Tuesday so it hardly looks good anymore. The Wolfpack have a brand new roster and a new coach in Will Wade and he is considered a coach that does not let up but the starters have averaged no more than 26 minutes and the blowouts have come from simply good shooting as they are No. 3 in Effective Field Goal Percentage albeit a very small sample. Shooting 56 percent from the floor will not last. UNC Greensboro is also fielding a brand new roster where it brings back only 12.5 percent of their points from last season where the Spartans went 20-12, its third straight 20-win season under head coach Mike Jones. They are in a similar situation as last season where they had to replace a lot of production and they came away just fine. This line is simply too big as we have this one at 23 as NC State is laying close to the same number that it did against NC Central which is ranked No. 347 out of 365 Division I teams with the Spartans ranked 100 spots higher. 10* (699) UNC Greensboro Spartans

This is a play on the TEXAS ST. BOBCATS for our CBB Rivalry Rout. UTSA has had an awful run in the American Athletic Conference as it has won only 43 games over the last four seasons and not much is expected this season with another brand new roster for the most part as the Roadrunners lost all five starters from last season. They opened the season with a 97-30 win against College of Biblical Studies and that is a game that should not even count in the record or the stats because they followed that up with a 17-point loss at home against SIU Edwardsville. That 30-point defensive effort has their defensive numbers skewed but even though the Roadrunners may have put up 97 points, they are No. 360 out of 365 teams in Offensive Effective Field Goal Percentage. Yes, it is just two games but it shows how bad this offense is. UTSA now hits the road for the first time after winning only four road games all of last season. Texas St. is 1-2 with the lone win coming against Texas A&M-San Antonio but it is a loss we are impressed with as they took Tulane close to the end in an eight-point loss against the team picked to finish No. 2 in the American. The Bobcats are a sleeper contender in the SBC. 10* (696) Texas St. Bobcats

This is a play on the SIENA SAINTS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. This New York rivalry saw the home team win five straight meetings up until last season when St. Bonaventure went to Albany and defeated the Saints by 17 points. Siena does not have a true home court advantage as it does not have an on campus facility so that result was not too surprising as it was an odd scheduling spot coming right after a pair of MAAC games, the first two for then first year head coach Gerry McNamara so it was a definite letdown spot. Now the Saints get the Bonnies earlier following a pair of wins to open the season and this is a true revenge game considering they bring back three starters, two of which form the best backcourt in the conference and they can control this game. St. Bonaventure is coming off a rivalry win over Canisius which followed a solid win over Bradley so it has been a good start for the Bonnies but those victories were against teams bringing back a combined two starters so this is the first test against an experienced team. The Bonnies are not as they have 10 newcomers and go from playing the team picked to finish last in the MAAC to playing the team picked to finish second. 10* (683) Siena Saints

This is a play on the CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS for our CFB Wednesday Enforcer. Buffalo has quietly gone 4-1 in the MAC and is still very much alive for a berth to the MAC Championship game. The issue going forward is that the Bulls final two games are against Ohio and Miami Ohio and while at home and they have opportunities to take it down, they do not have what it takes. The four conference wins came against Kent St., Eastern Michigan, Massachusetts and Bowling Green, the first three coming by just 11 points combined and the only team of those four still with a chance to play in a bowl game is Kent St ironically. Buffalo has played the easiest schedule in all of FBS as it is ranked No. 155 and considering there are 136 teams at the FBS level, that means there are 19 FCS teams that have played a tougher schedule than the Bulls. Central Michigan is 3-2 in the conference and still mathematically alive as the Chippewas have to win out and get some help but they can do it. Wins over Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Massachusetts were by a combined 57 points while the Bulls wins over those three teams were by a combined 33 points. Here, we play on home teams averaging 16 or more ppg in the first half, after a loss by three or less points. This situation is 63-28 ATS (69.2 percent) since 2021. 10* (310) Central Michigan Chippewas