Pistons vs. Magic Free Pick November 7, 2018

SATURDAY NIGHT NBA NO-BRAINER

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a tough spot, playing on no rest following a 113-107 home win over the Utah Jazz on Friday. 76ers are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 road games and 0-4 ATS in their last four games playing on no rest.

The Charlotte Hornets on the other hand have had plenty of rest and time to mull over an embarrassing 113-89 loss to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night.

Philly has defeated Charlotte in a couple of close games this season so expect to see a fired up home team looking to make up for it with a blowout in this contest. 

8* play on Charlotte Hornets. 

SUPER EARLY OHIO STATE @ MARYLAND ATS ANNIHILATOR

The Maryland Terrapins took a 34-32 loss at Indiana last week and did not only lose the game but also their starting quarterback Kasim Hill (ACL) for the season. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes on the other hand are off a 26-6 rout of the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium.

The only reason not to like Ohio State in this spot would be that it's off a big win over Michigan State and has Michigan on deck next week, but I expect OSU to want to keep the momentum going and roll to an easy victory here. 

8* play on Ohio State. 

CFB NO-BRAINER 

The Texas A&M Aggies avoided a three-game slide with a come from behind triumph over Ole Miss last week. Here they'll take on a UAB side which has won eight straight games and ranks fourth in the FBS in scoring defense, but I think that says more about the strength of the schedule (or lack thereof) than how good the Blazers are. Southern Miss gave them a scare last week as UAB won by a field goal in overtime as a 13.5-point favorite. 

Texas A&M is 5-1 ATS as a favorite this season. Blazers are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games on grass. Aggies are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games on grass.

8* play on Texas A&M. 

GAME OF THE WEEK (CFB) TOTAL

Two red hot teams with explosive offenses will clash at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando Saturday night, and I expect to see plenty of fireworks on both ends of the field. 

UCF Knights are perfect 9-0 on the season and amassed 500 yards of total offense in a 35-24 triumph over Navy last week. They rank third in the nation in total offense at 543 yards per game and put a 51-23 beating on the Bearcats last year. 

Cincinnati is 9-1 on the season and can lean on one of the best defenses in the country, but this will without a doubt be the biggest test yet, and in front of a national television audience at that. 

Keep in mind that the Bearcats allowed three touchdown passes in a 35-23 win over South Florida last week and over is 7-1 in Knights last eight home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

10* play on OVER. 

GAME OF THE WEEK (CFB)

The Virginia Cavaliers have won four of their last five games, but they've failed to cover the spread in each of their last two. Here they'll face a Georgia Tech team which is 5-1 SU and ATS through its last six games, winning and covering all games when closing as a favorite. 

Virginia relies on its defense, but it gave up 253 rushing yards in a 23-13 loss to Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Georgia Tech leads the nation in rushing offense at 362.4 yards per game, and while it has already clinched a bowl berth I still think the Yellow Jackets will be fired up for this one. 

"We still have a lot to play for," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson told reporters after Saturday’s 27-21 victory over Miami. "We are playing a lot better now than we were playing earlier in the year. We kind of dug ourselves out of the big hole we dug ourselves in." They surely don't want to risk losing the momentum, so I like the home team to win in an impressive fashion.

10* play on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.