Will Rogers Handicapping Review & Free Picks Page

My 8* CENTER-ICE REPORT is on the Seattle Kraken at 10:30 EST. Montreal is 31-27-6 after last night's 4-2 win at Vancouver, but now I believe fatigue will be a major issue for the Habs in the second game of the back-to-back scenario. With two nights off before a home game vs. Florida, would anyone fault the visitors if they got caught "looking ahead" here?! Seattle will look to take advantage of that possibility while also bouncing back from a poor 1-3 stretch, as the Kraken most recently fell 4-2 in the Nation's capital. But with two nights off to rest and prepare, Seattle looks poised to try and duplicate its big 8-2 win at Montreal back in late October. Either way, I think Montreal comes in tired and Seattle takes advantage. Lay the price, Kraken roll!

My 8* SLAM-DUNK is on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 EST. Because I envision this game being decided by whichever team has its hands on the ball last, I'm going to grab the points in this one. The Thunder had won seven in a row before their most recent 140-127 loss to the Nuggets. They beat the Celtics 105-92 at home back in January. They have a game in Detroit after this. After losing two in a row to close out February, the Celtics enter having won five in a row. Jason Tatum and the home side are on the road for two straight after this, in Miami and Brooklyn, respectively. A great test for the Thunder here. A great regular season record won't mean anything if they go out in the first round. They lost to the Bucks in the Play-In Tournament, but they've already beaten the Celtics once this year. I believe they can do it again, but the official call for this pick is to grab as many points as you can with the Thunder.

My 10* BIG WEST TOURNAMENT GAME OF THE YEAR is on Cal State Bakersfield at 9:00 EST. Cal State Bakersfield finished 14-18 and No. 8 in the Big West, while UC Santa Barbara was 19-12 and No. 5. The bottom line here is that the recent form of the Roadrunners has me convinced that they not only are going to cover with the spread here, but also could potentially steal this game outright. Cal State Bakersfield closed the season with a 76-64 win over Hawaii as a 2.5-point favorite. The Roadrunners rank second in the conference in three-point percentage, and that's going to come into play and be a key deciding factor in this Conference Tournament game in my opinion. The Gauchos backed their way into the tournament by losing their last two games. These teams played twice this year and UC Santa Barbara won and covered and each, but now here in the Conference Tournament, the value has finally swung the other way in my opinion. It appears to me that this game will be decided by whichever team has its hands on the ball last. So because of that, I'm grabbing the points. Cal State Bakersfield rolls!

My 10* A-10 TOURNEY GAME OF THE YEAR is on Davidson at 11:30 AM EASTERN. I'm going with Davidson to win and cover here on Wednesday morning. The Wildcats backed their way into the Conference Tournament with four straight losses and finished 16-15 overall. But, they did beat Richmond 71-60 on February 8th, and 72-66 on January 25th to sweep the season series. While the old saying goes that it's difficult to beat a team three times in one year, I really like Davidson to bounce back in this opening matchup and post a third straight victory in this series. The Spiders are terrible. They finished 10-21 and they also enter the Conference Tournament having lost four in a row. The "better" team is more prepared to bounce back in this spot, and that's exactly what I'm expecting. This has been a difficult matchup all year for Richmond and nothing will change here in the Conference Tournament. Lay the points, Davidson rolls!

My 10* CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GAME OF THE MONTH is on Aston Villa at 4:00 EST. Aston Villa plays with revenge here following a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge on November 6th. Since then, though Aston Villa has won three in a row, posting three straight "clean sheets." There's no reason not to think that it won't carry that momentum over into this revenge scenario in these teams' second leg of their last-16 tie. Club Brugge is making a rare venture into the KO rounds, and I think its "luck" has run out. Villa looks great, and it now has a chance to become the first team to reach the Quarterfinals in their debut season since Atalanta did it back in 2019. Finally, note that Aston Villa is unbeaten in 15 home games. I like Aston Villa to continue its stellar play and avenge the earlier loss. Lay the price with confidence.