Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#751) Tennessee Volunteers | ATS | . 

Although Tennessee hasn't been as impressive as I would have expected through 19 games, I still firmly believe that this team is going to challenge some of the best of the best when the season gets interesting later in the year. The Vols are a hungry defensive side that jumps all over the glass and will hunt down offensive boards on misses. 

Georgia plays very fast and that did not help it on Saturday against Texas. I know that was a road game and difficult spot for the Bulldogs with Tennessee on deck (this game.) But, the Bulldogs did not play well whatsoever and if they keep that up, they'll get demolished in this one too. Given current form, I've got the Vols. 

Burns' Prediction: 84-78 Tennessee.

(#543) Los Angeles Lakers | ATS | . 

Coming into this game, I've really liked what I've seen from Los Angeles in recent games. Luka Doncic looks like the MVP if he keeps this up and I don't expect him to cool off against Cleveland on Wednesday. The Lakers got smacked both times against Cleveland last year, and LeBron is going to want to make sure that it doesn't happen this season., 

Unluckily for Cleveland, the Cavs will be without both Garland & Mobley this evening. I believe that Mobley's non-presence more-so will hurt the Cavs in this one as the Lakers love playing a physical brand of offensive basketball. Expect an outright win for the Lakers on Wednesday evening in Ohio. 

Burns' Prediction: 116-105 Lakers.

(#306504) Eastern Kentucky Colonels | ATS | . 

Austin Peay has had an excellent start to the campaign which is why it's got some respect on this point spread for being a road team. The Governors have been lighting up teams left right and centre in ASUN play so far. As impressive as that sounds, I still haven't been too impressed. 1-3 ATS over their past four games, they also lost their most recent away game. Austin Peay doesn't shoot the ball all that well considering the great record. 

Eastern Kentucky, on the other hand, is a scrappy team that loves to hound the offensive glass. The Colonels shoot a ton of three pointers and average 11.4 3pt makes per game. When these teams met back on the 15th @Austin Peay, it was only a two point contest and turnovers ended up being the difference. I expect EKU to be calmer at home and settle into this game earlier. That should ultimately help get the job done. ML is an option but I'll lay the point here. 

Burns' Prediction: 78-70 EKU.

(#689) La Salle Explorers @ (#690) Fordham Rams | UNDER | . 

While this total is fairly low, I'm expecting a very slow and hard fought contest on Wednesday evening in New York, New York. Fordham's the favorite in this game, as the oddsmakers are expecting it to win. The Rams have failed to reach more than 65 points in three consecutive games now. Even though I wouldn't be shocked if they were within the 65-70 range on Wednesday, the defensive effort should help keep this one below the number. 

Just like Fordham, La Salle is one of the slowest playing teams in the country. As a matter of fact, both of these teams rank in the bottom 50 of the country in KenPom's adjusted tempo rankings. The Explorers have not had too much success scoring the ball on the road this year. They are averaging 62.9 PPG in eight road games played all season while scoring 60 or less in four of those games. I've got the "under" in this one on Wednesday. 

Burns' Prediction: 66-57 Fordham.

(#224341) FC Bayern Munich @ (#224342) PSV Eindhoven | OVER | . 

Coming off its first loss of the Bundesliga season, I believe that Bayern Munich is going to want to make amends on Wednesday in this Champions League matchup. The German giants have been nearly unstoppable all season long with their electrifying attacking play. Averaging 3.9 goals per game combined with their opponents in this year's UCL campaign so far, I believe that there's even more motivation to score a bunch themselves. 

PSV Eindhoven's attack has also been excellent this season. Playing in the Eredivisie, the competition is much weaker. But, PSV still has scored 61 in 20 matches, which is more than three goals per game. I expect PSV to crack the defense of Bayern in this one, and contribute to the scoring of an expected high scoring affair. 

In the end, expect tons of action on both sides of the pitch. Bayern has some injuries on the back line so that could shake some things up. But, I simply don't see these two teams combining for less than four goals on Wednesday. Hammer the "over." 

Burns' Prediction: 4-1 Bayern Munich. 

(#224341) FC Bayern Munich | 3-WAY ML | . 

While I do love the "over" in this matchup, I also love Bayern Munich as a side. Bayern lost its most recent match against FC Augsburg in what was a highly contested matchup. That, in fact, was its first suffered loss of the campaign. Now, back in the UCL, it's very important to claim another win and bring the momentum into the knockout rounds. Clinching a top 2 spot in the league phase will guarantee playing at home in the return leg of the knockout rounds. 

On the other hand, PSV has been very leaky at the back in the Champions League. The Dutch side has conceded three goals in consecutive UCL matches and have lost each of those games. Expect Bayern, maybe the most prolific offensive team in the world, to exploit that on Wednesday afternoon. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-1 Bayern.