Kings vs Thunder Free Pick February 23, 2019

COLLEGE BASKETBALL BOOKIE BLA$TER

I think the total for Sunday's matchup between the Duquesne Dukes and the Fordham Rams looks a little light. 

Note that Fordham has allowed 70+ points in two of its last three games while Duquesne has put up 70+ in three straight games (80+ in the last two). 

While the Rams are a low-scoring team and were held to fewer than 50 points in a 79-49 loss at Davidson last time out, note that they're 4-1-1 to the over in their last 6 games after scoring less than 50 points in their previous game. Duquesne took an 83-80 loss to St. Bonaventure last time out and Over is 7-2-1 in the Dukes last 10 games following a straight up loss. 

8* play on OVER. 

SUNDAY NIGHT NHL TOTAL BOOKIE BREAKER *TOP PLAY*

The Columbus Blue Jackets took a 3-1 loss to the NY Rangers Friday night. Four of their last five have gone under the total, and I predict a tight low-scoring affair when they visit the New Jersey Devils Sunday night.

The Devils took a 5-2 loss to Carolina last time out, but that was with Louis Domingue in net. Mackenzie Blackwood will be back in net for this one, and he's been red hot this month with two shutouts and just one goal allowed in three starts. As for Columbus, its netminder Elvis Merzlikins has held opponents to a total of six goals in his last five starts. 

Under is 7-1 in Devils last 8 Sunday games. Under is 5-1 in Blue Jackets last 6 Sunday games.

10* play on UNDER. 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON NHL BANKROLL BUILDER

The Vancouver Canucks have been sneaky good this season and enter Sunday top of the Pacific Division. The Nucks have picked up the majority of their points at home (19-6-3 at Rogers Arena) and they're 8-1 in their last nine games as a home favorite. 

I think they'll pick up a rather comfortable win here against the Anaheim Ducks who are 11-16-4 on the road and coming into this contest off back-to-back losses after getting shut out in a 6-0 loss to Calgary Thursday night. Vancouver has had an additional day of rest since defeating Chicago 3-0 Wednesday night and it is 5-0 in its last five games playing on three or more days rest.

8* play on Vancouver Canucks. 

MIKE'S IOWA @ MINNESOTA FREE PICK

**18-4 (82%) FREE PICKS YTD** 

The No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes are an underdog when visiting the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in Big Ten action Sunday afternoon, and I'm happy to take the points in the ranked team in this matchup. 

The Hawkeyes won the first meeting of the season 72-52 as a 5-point favorite back in December. They've split their last six games after taking an 89-77 loss at Indiana last time out, and we can note that Iowa is 6-1 SU and ATS following a loss this season. 

As for the Golden Gophers, they've lost three of their last four and failed to cover the spread in all losses. While they've been dominant at home all season, I think the Gophers will struggle to contain Iowa's explosive offense which ranks 22nd in the nation for points per game.

Free pick on Iowa. 

Mike is an ASTONISHING 18-8 L26 NCAAB premium pick releases despite taking one on the chin on Saturday. As of the publication of this free pick, Mike's premium pick card for Sunday card includes a SUPER EARLY TOP RATED CBB PLAY OF THE DAY and a SUNDAY NIGHT NHL MONEYLINE MASSACRE and his XFL SIDE OF THE WEEK. More picks might be added later, so make sure you maximize your value with an all-sports premium pick subscription. 

SUPER EARLY TOP RATED CBB PLAY OF THE DAY

The No. 16 Villanova Wildcats look like a solid road favorite in this non-league contest at Temple on Sunday. Nova is 0-3-1 ATS in its last four games, but at least it snapped an 0-3 SU skid with a 72-71 win against Marquette last time out. 

Getting a break from the Big East schedule could be just what the team needs, and here it'll face an Owls side that might feel a bit too good about itself after winning three of four. I'm not convinced the Owls will be ready for what Nova will throw at them. 

The Wildcats are 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) as road favorites on the season and the favorite is 12-2 ATS in the last 14 head-to-head meetings with Temple. 

10* play on Villanova. 

SUNDAY NIGHT NHL MONEYLINE MASSACRE

The Winnipeg Jets are 4-2-1 over their last six games. They're coming off back-to-back home losses to NY Rangers and San Jose but are still 8-3 in their last 11 games as a home favorite. Here they'll host a Chicago Blackhawks team that headed into Saturday's matchup with the Flames off five straight defeats. The Hawks have lost seven of the last nine matchups with the Jets, and playing on no rest won't do the Hawks any favors in this one. I fully expect the home team to skate away with this game. 

8* play on Winnipeg Jets. 

GAME OF THE WEEK (XFL): MIKE'S TOP RATED WEEK 2 SIDE 

The Houston Roughnecks opened the season with 37-17 comeback rout of the Los Angeles Wildcats. They dominated both sides of the ball and quarterback P.J. Walker led an offense that totaled 315 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per play. A total of 17,815 fans showed up to help the team overcome an early eight-point deficit, and we can expect a bigger and rowdier home town crowd carrying the home team in this one. 

While the St. Louis BattleHawks won 15-9 on the road at Dallas Renegades in their season premiere, I think they'll struggle to keep up with Houston's explosive offense. Houston has proved it can play defense as well as offense as it held Los Angeles scoreless in the second half while recording a total of five sacks in the victory. 

10* play on Houston Roughnecks.