Sports Handicapper Sean Murphy's Picks & Predictions

Big Ten Game of the Month. My selection is on Iowa plus the points over Michigan State at 7 pm et on Tuesday.

We'll grab all the points we can get with Iowa as it heads to the Breslin Center to take on fellow undefeated Michigan State on Tuesday. The Spartans are the nationally-ranked team in this contest and they come in on a high after rolling to a 16-point win over North Carolina on Friday. That was the Spartans third notable victory of the campaign having previously defeated Arkansas and Kentucky as well. There's not a ton of room for improvement in Michigan State's game given how well it has played. It's a different story for Iowa. The Hawkeyes are also 7-0 but come off consecutive poor offensive showings in wins over Ole Miss and Grand Canyon. Like the Spartans, the Hawkeyes have played lock-down defense in the early going, limiting six of seven opponents to 23 made field goals or less. With that in mind, I think there's a path for Iowa to hang tough with Michigan State here. Despite hoisting up 58 or fewer field goal attempts in all seven games to date, the Hawkeyes have made good on 26 more field goals in five of those seven contests. I look for them to make good on enough of their scoring opportunities to take the Spartans down-to-the-wire at the very least on Tuesday. Take Iowa (10*).

My selection is on New York minus the points over Boston at 8:10 pm et on Tuesday.

Both of these teams are streaking ATS-wise. The Knicks come off four straight wins both SU and ATS while the Celtics have won three of their last four contests, also going a perfect 4-0 ATS over that stretch. The difference is, the Knicks are firing on all cylinders at both ends of the floor. They've connected on 44 or more field goals in three of their last four games and have held four straight opponents to 37 made field goals or less. Meanwhile, the Celtics have knocked down 40 or fewer field goals in two of their last three games and have been reached for more than 40 made field goals in four of their last five contests. The Knicks took the first meeting between these two teams this season and I'll call for them to make it two in a row in this series on Tuesday. Take New York (8*).

Tuesday NHL Free play. My selection is on Detroit over Boston at 7:05 pm et on Tuesday.

We're being asked to lay a steep price to back the Red Wings in this quick revenge spot against the Bruins, but I believe it's warranted. Detroit has now lost four games in a row so it's getting pretty close to desperation time on Tuesday. Note that Boston is just 6-7 on the road this season, where it has been outscored by an average margin of 0.5 goals. While the B's did outlast the Wings in a shootout on Saturday, they haven't delivered consecutive wins over their last nine contests. They'll surely have one eye on a return home for a two-game homestand that begins on Thursday against St. Louis. Meanwhile, the Wings need to notch a victory and end their slide ahead of their longest road trip of the season that starts on Thursday in Columbus. Take Detroit.