Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#786) Houston Cougars | ATS | . 

Notre Dame didn't find too much success in its opening game of the tournament against Kansas. I know that the Fighting Irish returned the favour and beat Rutgers yesterday afternoon. However, I believe that the Scarlett Knights are probably the worst team in the field of 18. Having said that, ND will be in for it on Wednesday against a hungry Houston team out of revenge. 

The Cougars lost last night and went ice cold for most of the 2nd half. I don't see that happening here this afternoon. The Cougars will play with way too much defensive intensity that ND won't know what hit it. Hammer Houston to bounce back from that loss. 

Burns' Prediction: 84-60 Houston.

(#306600) UNC Wilmington Seahawks | ATS | . 

After finally winning its first game of the season, Southeastern Louisiana has a bit of confidence entering Wednesday's contest. However, back on the road, I don't think that it'll last too long. The Lions picked a very difficult opening schedule and although it might help them in the long run, it's not going to help playing continuous games on the road in non-conference play. It's simply just going to tire the team out. 

UNC Wilmington cannot be taken lightly either. The Seahawks were fantastic last season and expect more of the same in 2025-26. They are ranked among the top 100 most efficient offenses in the country via. KenPom and should have no problem running up the score in this game. Playing at home, I'll lay the points. 

Burns' Prediction: 85-59 UNCW.

(#759) Virginia Commonwealth | ATS | . 

I know that VCU already has suffered a pair of defeats this season. But, I'm still very high on this team's capabilities. Through five games, the Rams have five double digit scorers. That's huge for a team that plays so many guys. Not to mention that they've got one of the best defenses in the country, something USF cannot say whatsoever. 

Talking about the Bulls, they too have a couple of losses. However, unlike VCU, USF lost its last game and gave up more than 100 points in that game against Oklahoma State. Don't get me wrong, both of the losses for each of these teams have been on the road. But, given how many points USF has allowed to the better teams that it's played up until this point, I believe that VCU is going to be able to shut South Florida down in the clutch and emerge victorious. 

Burns' Prediction: 94-80 VCU.

(#527) Detroit Pistons @ (#528) Boston Celtics | UNDER | . 

Detroit is on an unthinkable run at the moment given the circumstances. I mean, the Pistons were without Cade Cunningham as well as Jaden Ivey for the majority of the beginning of this run and now have the two back in the team which makes them even scarier. However, the run obviously will come to an end eventually it's just a matter of when. This evening, Detroit will face the best defensive team in the East via. points allowed per game. 

That's right, the Celtics have been dominant on the defensive side of the ball, allowing only 110.0 PPG despite losing nearly half of their games. That's pretty remarkable. I do believe that the Celtics have a great chance in winning this game since they are at home. But, Detroit's defense has been great too this season and I absolutely love the "under" on Wednesday late afternoon. 

Burns' Prediction: 115-108 Celtics.

(#224249) Bayern Munich @ (#224250) Arsenal FC. | OVER | . 

Bayern Munich's ability in front of goal has been simply out of this world so far this season. Scoring 14 goals through four UCL games is excellent in its own right and having 41 goals for in 11 Bundesliga matches is maybe even more impressive. Don't get me wrong, it will be up against probably the best defense that it's seen all season long on Wednesday. But, I still expect Bayern to be able to crack through and put at least a couple of goals on the board. 

Arsenal, on the other hand, is coming off one of its best offensive performances of the year as well scoring four goals in the North London Derby during the week. The Gunners are without Gabriel Magalhães once again this evening so that could cause some havoc in the back. But, given the form of the Arsenal attack, especially Eberechi Eze, I believe that it will find the back of the net as well on Wednesday. 

Burns' Prediction: 3-1 Bayern Munich.

(#29) Boston Bruins | ML | . 

Despite being the underdog in this contest, I do believe that the Bruins are better than people are giving them credit for. So far this season, Boston's dealt with plenty of injuries and still have a bunch. But, Elias Lindholm returned over the weekend and he's a massive addition back to this lineup as he was a huge force early on that got Boston up and running. 

For New York, it's actually had a tougher time winning games at home this season than on the road. The Islanders are a tricky team to figure out as Sorokin is an outstanding goaltender on his day, but can be shaky at times as well. When these teams have played since December of 2007 (over the past 19 years) Boston has won seven of the past 12 games against NYI that it's been an underdog. That record improves to 6-3 when playing in New York State. 

That being said, I believe that there's plenty of value that we're getting here on two teams that have played very similar hockey so far this season. The Bruins are in it to prove a point this season not needing their main guys of the past. I believe that they can cause some damage. Give me Boston here. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-2 Bruins.