Sports Handicapper Matt Fargo's Picks & Predictions

This is a play CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Cavaliers are coming off a pair of wins over Memphis and Milwaukee to move them to 2-1 to open this current six-game homestand. Cleveland is now 6-2 at home and while it is just 2-6 against the number, that reflects not covering the spread as a favorite but now it comes in as an underdog at home for the first time this season. It has been rare for the Cavaliers to be an underdog at all over the last two seasons and they are 7-2 ATS when getting points going back to last season. Houston is on a roll as it has won four straight games and is 9-1 in its last 10 games after losing its first two games of the season. Clearly, the acquisition of Kevin Durant has made a huge difference as he leads the Rockets with 25.9 ppg and now faces a defense that has figured things out after a slow start, Here, we play against road teams off two or more consecutive home wins, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. This situation is 32-11 (74.4 percent) since 2022. 10* (508) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS for our Wednesday Free Play. Creighton rebounded from a 27-point loss at Gonzaga with a 39-point win over Maryland Eastern Shore to move to 2-1 on the season. The first win came against South Dakota by 16 points while laying 29.5 points and now the Blue Jays are laying a similar number against a similar team as North Dakota and South Dakota are picked to finish No. 5 and No. 6 in the Summit League. Creighton got back in the win column so there is no desperation spot and they have a game at Baylor on deck. North Dakota is 2-3 and after starting 0-3, the Fighting Hawks have won their last two games, a non-Division I win over Mayville St. and a solid win at UC Riverside. The one big opponent has been Alabama where they lost by 29 and Creighton is no Alabama. They have a tournament in Illinois this coming weekend where they play Coastal Carolina and Western Illinois so there is no lookahead. Play (695) North Dakota Fighting Hawks

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This is a play on the UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES for our CBB Contrarian Crusher. UC Irvine is coming off one of the best seasons in school history as it won a school record 32 games but was runner-up throughout as the anteaters finished No. 2 in the Big West Conference regular season, lost to UC San Diego in the conference tournament and lost in the NIT Finals. They feel they have the team to remain in the mix in the conference and they will come conference action especially with the Tritons not being the same team but it could take some time. They lost their four top scorers and while they are off to a 3-1 start, this is the first road game of the season. Utah Valley was the surprise of the WAC as it rolled to a 15-1 conference record to win the regular season title but could not get it done in the tournament as it was relegated to the NIT. The Wolverines lost four starters but reloaded and at 2-2, they are hosting their first Division I opponents following a tough one point loss at Fresno St. This is a great spot at a great number to prove their talent. 10* (698) Utah Valley Wolverines

This is a play on the SAM HOUSTON ST. BEARKATS for our CBB Supreme Annihilator. Wyoming is off to a 4-0 start with all four games taking place at home and the Cowboys hit the road after going 3-10 on the highway last season for a just a one off game as they are back home for two more games next week. They have been impressive with four double-digit wins but against poor competition and overall the schedule is ranked No. 357 out of 365 teams so any good stat numbers can be tossed away. This team has 36 wins over the last three seasons and are projected to do nothing again this season. Sam Houston St. is 1-2 with the lone win coming at home against LeTourneau in a non-Division I victory while the two losses have been quality road defeats at Texas Tech and at Utah, both early Quad 1 losses but both resulted in covers. The Bearkats are back home where they have always been solid and they are in a buy low spot. Here, we play against road teams after four or more consecutive wins and undefeated on the season. This situation is 93-43 ATS (68.4 percent) since 2022. 10* (688) Sam Houston St. Bearkats

This is a play on the MOUNT ST. MARY’S MOUNTAINEERS for our CBB Ultimate Underdog. The Terrapins are coming off a seven-point win over Marquette on the road and it was a very emotional win for Maryland and head coach Buzz Williams who coached there from 2008 to 2014, where he had five NCAA Tournament appearances, and go find locker room clips and how he felt after that game and this presents a massive letdown. Maryland finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference last season but is picked No. 13 this year as the Terrapins lost the entire Crab Five from the Sweet 16 team. Maryland heads to Las Vegas for a pair of games after this against UNLV and Gonzaga and that is the ultimate lookahead spot which makes this the sleepy sandwich game and they could be without three starters. Mount St. Mary’s is 1-3 which includes road losses to West Virginia and Cincinnati but was able to cover both of the big numbers and the Mountaineers are getting another favorable number and could not catch Maryland in a more ideal spot. 10* (685) Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our CBB Star Attraction. Connecticut is coming off a two-point win over BYU as the Huskies shot 56.6 percent from the floor and had an 11-point halftime lead before holding off the Cougars late charge to win for a ninth time in its past 10 Top 10 matchups. That was in Boston however and now comes another top ten matchup and this one is back home and more importantly, it is on campus at Gampel Pavilion with this being the first top five showdown at Gampel since 2006. Under head coach Dan Hurley, the Huskies are 54-8 in this arena. This team is loaded as the Huskies were represented on all five of the Preseason Watch lists for the Naismith Hall of Fame positional awards. Arizona has come out on top of two ranked battles thus far, including Friday, over UCLA 69-65 in a Hall of Fame Series game in California. The other came against Florida in Las Vegas so this is the first true road game for the Wildcats which are extremely talented but very young and this is not the spot to be playing their first road game. 10* (674) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the CLEVELAND ST. VIKINGS for our CBB Signature Enforcer. Cleveland St. is coming off a neutral court split against Kent St. and Radford as the offense showed some progress in a new system under first year head coach Rob Summers who has installed a fast tempo offense similar to Missouri where he served as the Tigers offensive coordinator. The Vikings are currently No. 50 in Adjusted Tempo and while the defense can struggle in this style of offense, they should not have to worry about that tonight. Cleveland St. is 12-1 in its last 13 games following consecutive games as underdogs. Valparaiso is 3-1 but a very unimpressive 3-1 as wins over Eastern Illinois and Nichols St. were by a combined eight points and those teams are ranked No. 316 and No. 275 respectively at KenPom. The Beacons are off a blowout win over 1-3 Bryant which is ranked No. 326 and are back on the road where they lost at Kentucky and while we cannot make a comparison with the Wildcats and Vikings, it was a 48-point loss after going 3-10 on the road last season. 10* (670) Cleveland St. Vikings

This is a play on the KENT ST. GOLDEN FLASHES for our CFB Wednesday Enforcer. A lot is on the line for both Central Michigan and Kent St. and that is a rare statement of late for the latter. The Golden Flashes are coming off a win over Akron to improve to 4-6 and are two wins away from bowl eligibility after going 1-23 over the previous two seasons. They are back in Kent for their final home game where they are 3-1 on the season with the lone loss coming against Buffalo by a field goal. Their final game of the season is at 3-7 Northern Illinois so this is a doable goal and we are getting a number over a possession. Central Michigan is sitting at 4-2 in the MAC following a win over Buffalo a week ago and the Chippewas are still in the hunt for a spot in the MAC Championship as they are in a four-way tie for third place as a win here get them into second place with a season finale game against Toledo which will likely be 5-2 as well after playing Ball St. on Saturday. They are 2-4 on the road with the wins coming against Bowling Green and San Jose St., both of which are 3-7. Kent St. is 5-0 ATS in its last five games after gaining 100 or fewer rushing yards last game and 5-0 ATS in its last five games after playing their last game on the road while Central Michigan is 0-7 in its last seven games coming off a home win. 10* (110) Kent St. Golden Flashes