Big Al McMordie Sports Picks & Handicapper Review

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over St Louis.  The Leafs were shut out, 2-0, by Arizona in their last game.  But we will jump on Toronto off that defeat, as they are 9-1 on the road vs. Western Conference foes this season.  And they are also playing this game with revenge from a 3-goal loss, at home, to St Louis earlier this season.  That bodes well for Toronto, as it is 27-11 its last 38 when playing with revenge from a same-season defeat.  Finally, St Louis comes into this game off a blowout win over Minnesota, but it is a soft 7-16 at home off a win by 3+ goals.  Take the Leafs.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9 pm, our selection is on the Clemson Tigers minus the points over Florida State.  The Tigers have dropped back to back games to Miami and Louisville -- each by a single point -- while Florida State is off seven straight wins (and four straight covers).  The knee-jerk reaction might be to play on the underdog Seminoles, given how hot they are.  But consider that, over the past 29 seasons, ACC Conference home teams have cashed 64% in conference games, if they were favored off back to back losses, and they were playing an opponent off 3 SU/ATS wins!  Take Florida State.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the Anaheim Ducks.  The Wild got blanked in their last game by the red-hot St. Blues (who have now won 10 straight).  They will go "down in class" tonight, and face a Ducks team mired in a horrible season.  The Ducks have suffered recent injuries to all three of their goaltenders -- Josh Gibson, Ryan Miller, and Chad Johnson.  Miller has recovered from his knee injury and appears to be the only veteran goalie who is available at this point so he will likely get the start tonight over rookie Kevin Boyle.  Anaheim is just 11-19 on the road this season, with 18 of those 19 losses coming in regulation.  And it's 2-12 its last 14 away from home.  Additionally, this is a revenge situation for the Wild as they were blanked here at Xcel Energy Center by the Ducks back on January 17, 3-0.  And that defeat was despite the fact that the Wild out-shot the Ducks by a whopping 37-23 in that game.  Finally, the fact that the Wild were blown out by the hottest team in the league on Sunday may not be a bad thing for tonight, given that Minny is 23-7 (+ 15 games on the money line) in its last 30 immediately following a blowout loss by three or more goals.  Take the Wild.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7 pm, our selection is on the Ohio U. Bobcats + the points over Buffalo.  The Bobcats lost, 87-80, as a 5.5-point road underdog against Central Michigan, on Saturday.  But off that defeat, we'll grab the points with Ohio, as it's a super 67-40-1 ATS off a conference road defeat, including 31-12-1 ATS when playing with revenge.  Take Ohio.

At 7 pm, our selection is on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons + the points over Notre Dame.  The Demon Deacons were blown out, 95-57, by North Carolina on Saturday.  But we'll look for them to bounce back in South Bend tonight against a Notre Dame team with a 10-15 ATS record.  For technical support, we note that ACC Conference underdogs, off losses by 25 (or more) points, are 42-14 ATS vs. foes with a losing point spread record.  Moreover, Notre Dame is a poor 12-28 ATS as a double-digit home favorite vs. foes off a SU/ATS loss.  Take Wake Forest.

At 8 pm, our selection is on the Bradley Braves + the points over Drake.  The Braves lost earlier this year by 17 points, 69-52, to Drake.  We'll take the Braves in this rematch, as Missouri Valley Conference underdogs have gone 127-91, 58% ATS, when playing with revenge from a 17-point (or worse) defeat to a conference foe earlier in the season.  Take Bradley.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7 pm, our selection is on the Vanderbilt Commodores + the points over Tennessee, as it falls into 558-419, 411-247 and 191-90 ATS systems of mine.  The Volunteers were ranked #1 going into their showdown last Saturday vs. Kentucky.  They didn't play like a #1-ranked team, and were blown out by the Wildcats.  Tennessee is now ranked #5, and don't be surprised if they stumble once again -- this time vs. their cross-state rival, Vanderbilt.  Tennessee already defeated the Commodores, 88-83, as a 9.5-point road favorite.  They're favored by much more tonight, here at home.  And we'll grab the double-digits, as Vanderbilt is 37-22 ATS in the regular season when playing with same-season revenge against an SEC Conference foe with a winning conference record.  Take the Commodores.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.