Sports Handicapper Sean Murphy's Picks & Predictions

My selection is on Hofstra plus the points over Columbia at 7 pm et on Wednesday.

Something has to give as Hofstra enters this game on a five-game ATS winning streak while Columbia has rattled off three straight ATS victories and owns a 6-0-1 ATS mark on the campaign. All records aren't created equally and the visiting Pride have faced the more difficult schedule by most metrics. Note that Hofstra has held all eight of its opponents to 27 or fewer made field goals this season and enters on a tear having limited its last three foes to just 23, 18 and 21 successful field goal attempts. Columbia on the other hand has allowed three of its last seven opponents to connect on 28 or more field goals. Last time out, the Lions stymied the opposition to the tune of an 18-for-71 shooting performance but that opponent was little known Sarah Lawrence. Take Hofstra (8*).

My selection is on Southern Illinois plus the points over High Point at 7 pm et on Wednesday.

We'll grab all the points we can get with Southern Illinois on Wednesday as it looks to end a three-game ATS slide. The Salukis are an even 4-4 on the season but they've faced a more difficult schedule (by most metrics) compared to 7-1 High Point. The Panthers are off to a terrific start and their current four-game winning streak has been a direct result of their red hot shooting (53% or better from the field in three of those four contests). At the same time, High Point has proven vulnerable defensively, and that's been the case against all of its more difficult opponents this season, allowing 29, 26 and 27 made field goals over its last three contests. Southern Illinois has proven to be a tough out in the early going this season, with a pesky offense that has connected on 28 or more field goals in all but one of its eight games. Take Southern Illinois (8*).

Wednesday NBA Free play. My selection is on Los Angeles plus the points over Atlanta at 7:40 pm et on Wednesday.

The Clippers are reeling, sporting an ugly 5-16 record on the season and riding a five-game SU and ATS losing streak. We'll take the contrarian route on Wednesday, however, and back them catching points as they continue their five-game road trip in Atlanta. The Hawks are in a bit of a letdown spot from a betting perspective as they return home following a 1-1 road trip that saw them cover the spread in both games. In fact, Atlanta has reeled off three straight ATS victories. This will mark the Hawks fourth game in the last six nights, in three different cities. I look for the Clips to take this one down to the wire at the very least as they look to avenge an earlier 105-102 home loss against the Hawks. Take Los Angeles.

My selection is on Houston minus the points over Sacramento at 8:10 pm et on Wednesday.

We won with the Kings in their 'upset' victory in Denver back on November 22nd. They followed that up with another outright win as a double-digit underdog at home against Minnesota two nights later. It's been all downhill from there, however, as they enter Wednesday's matchup in Houston on a three-game SU and ATS slide. It's worth noting that their current ATS losing skid isn't close to approaching their season-high which lasted six games in mid-November. We actually cashed a ticket fading the Rockets two nights ago as they dropped a 133-125 decision on the road against a revenge-minded Jazz squad after disposing of them by 28 points a night earlier. We'll go the other way and back Houston here, however, as it returns home and looks to improve to a perfect 6-0 ATS when coming off an ATS defeat this season. Take Houston (8*).

My selection is on San Jose +1.5 goals over Washington at 10:05 pm et on Wednesday.

While I don't make a habit of it, from time-to-time I will reach into this price range for a high-percentage situation and I think we're well-positioned to cash with the Sharks on the puck-line on Wednesday. San Jose comes off a 6-3 win over Utah on Monday while Washington skated to a 3-1 victory in Los Angeles last night, marking its fifth straight win. Note that the Sharks are 18-4 over their last 22 games when factoring in the +1.5 puck-line. The Capitals are in uncharted territory right now as they've rattled off three straight wins by two goals or more, a season-high (their previous season-high streak of that nature lasted only two games). It's not as if the Caps have been overwhelming the opposition on this road trip. In fact, they've fired a grand total of just 44 shots on goal over their last two games. Take San Jose +1.5 goals (8*).