Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#697) Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles @ (#698) Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles | UNDER | . 

Coming off consecutive defeats, while scoring only 120 combined points in those two games, I believe that Tennessee Tech is going to be lacking confidence for this one. The Golden Eagles already play at a lesser than average pace and have one of the worst offenses in the country // 289th in offensive efficiency via. KenPom. 

On the other hand, Southern Indiana's offense is even worse. Coming in at 361st out of 365 teams in the nation, that's pretty abysmal. The Screaming Eagles did win the first matchup of these two sides back in January. The past three meetings have all gone "under" with scored of 125, 143 and 132. Expect another "under" on Saturday. 

Burns' Prediction: 67-62 USI.

(#755) Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | ATS | . 

Earlier this season, the Rainbow Warriors absolutely dominated the Matadors. I know that the game was played in Hawaii which is a daunting task for any team. But, this is going to be a similar result on Saturday in my books. Hawaii's been excellent throughout this season and CSU Northridge is not as good as its record suggests. Winning four consecutive games is as high as this season gets for the Matadors. While CSUN plays fast, & so does Hawaii - meaning it should be even in terms of pace. I expect the Rainbow Warriors' defense to be the difference. 

Burns' Prediction: 79-68 Hawaii.

(#306607) Central Connecticut Blue Devils | ATS | . 

Entering the season, I believed that this Central Connecticut State team was going to be the team to beat in the NEC just like last year. While the Blue Devils are up there in the standings, the gap between them and LIU is definitely quite big. However, getting the #2 seed in the conference tournament is going to be key. Winning today is a must though. 

Fairleigh Dickinson had its run in the March Madness a few years ago. However, the Knights just aren't at the same level anymore. Teams from the Northeast Conference don't get respected much. But, in conference play, it's been a struggle. Both teams have won three consecutive games. CCSU's got a great 7-7 record in away games, with a 10-4 ATS record. I'll grab the point. 

Burns' Prediction: 75-63 CCSU.

(#680) UNC Wilmington Seahawks | ATS | . 

Hofstra managed to hang on against me on Thursday against Charleston. I still wasn't too impressed with the Pride. I firmly believe that Hofstra is overrated and won't be going too far in the CAA Conference Tournament next month. Despite winning four consecutive contests, the Pride had lost five straight before then. 

Looking at the other side of things, UNCW has the best record in the CAA by far and looks to extend the lead this afternoon. With a loss, there would be some concern on not getting the #1 seed in the tournament. But, a win here should be enough for the Seahawks to solidify it. Yes, William & Mary had UNC Wilmington's number over those two games. But, the Seahawks have been flawless in conference other than those two games. Lay the couple of points - or play ML. Either works. 

Burns' Prediction: 74-62 UNCW.

(#641) Southern Methodist Mustangs | ATS | . 

On the road, oddsmakers believe that this is going to be a tough game for SMU. I don't think so. The Mustangs have played outstanding basketball all year long and even though they haven't gotten some of the results that they would have liked in ACC play this season, I do believe that SMU is one of the best teams in this conference. It's won consecutive games and both in style. 

Syracuse brings in a 14-11 record into Saturday's contest. Unlike SMU, I have not been impressed with what I've seen from the Orange, especially recently. They've lost six of their most recent eight contests and played a crazy double-OT contest mid-week against Cal which probably has sucked a bit of energy out of the team, despite the win. 

This will be the only meeting of these sides in the regular season and probably of the season. The Mustangs are significantly better offensively with the #15 ranked offensive efficiency via. KenPom's rankings opposed to #79 from Syracuse. Expect SMU to keep rolling and come out on top once again on Saturday. 

Burns' Prediction: 85-72 SMU.

(#202437) FC Bayern Munich | ATS | . 

After having a bit of a "rough" patch in the season, Bayern looks to be fully back in form entering this weekends matchup. The defending German champs have outscored their opponent seven goals to one. Bayern Munich has scored 79 goals in 21 Bundesliga games this year. That's an absurd 3.76 per game. 

If we shift gears to its opponent, Werder Bremen just isn't very good. Averaging nearly a defeat in half of its Bundesliga matchups in 2025-26, there isn't much hope for the home side to win this game. Werder lost in the first matchup this season 4-0. I don't see why this one shouldn't be a similar result as Bayern can relax without a UCL game this week. 

Burns' Prediction: 5-0 Bayern.