Happy New Year fellow hoops-fanatics!  I hope your 2018 was a profitable one, and more importantly, here’s to making sure 2019 is as well!

Conference play gets cranking up today with a bevy of interesting games.  The Big East sees Xavier trying to put a tough early non-con in the rear view mirror with a visit from Seton Hall and Georgetown heads to Butler.  For X and Butler, two perennial tourney teams over the past decade, every win is going to count if they want to keep that trend progressing.

The Big Ten has a big one tonight as well as RANKED Nebraska (don’t get to type that every season) heads to 10-3 Maryland.  It may not leap off the paper to casual fans, but I’m very interested in seeing how this contest unfolds.

The ACC has three of its teams playing one last non-con tuneup.  None are appointment television by any stretch, but the North Carolina vs. Harvard game is the subject of my premium pick and is easily my favorite wager of the day…

The Big Twelve has eight of its ten teams in action with all four games featured on ESPN networks, highlighted by the MUST SEE game of the week; Oklahoma trying to prove their early 11-1 record merits more respect than a #23 national ranking by winning in The Phog against #5 Kansas (who should be a little perturbed after a rare home loss, to Arizona State, no less.)  This one should be fun.

The SEC gets the day off to bask in some well-earned football glory…

TODAY’S FREE PICKS:

Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks -8

We’ve all seen this movie before; upstart team heads to Kansas full of confidence and eager to show the Big Twelve title doesn’t HAVE to remain the sole dominion of the Jayhawks.  Said team leaves KU with a demoralizing loss and a resounding reminder that the title DOES in face reside perpetually in Lawrence.

I think we are in for yet another sequel tonight.

Oklahoma has gotten off to an excellent start and has a good shot of being an NCAA TOrnament team.  Kansas has been one of the four best teams in the country and just got caught Christmas vacationing in their last home game.  The wake-up call could prove valuable to Bill Self, who will certainly have the attention of his squad as they open conference play tonight.

Oklahoma is a gaudy 10-1 ATS this season; easily the best in the nation, and owns a +5.7 ppg ATS margin.  Kansas is a mere 6-6 ATS with a -2.1ppg margin.  But let’s be frank – that mark is largely a function of expectations.  OU was expected to do little.  KU is expected to be flawless.  It influences the lines and the results.  Oklahoma has a lot of wins over teams having down years; USC, Notre Dame, Wichita State – all have been below expectations.  The Florida win is a solid one, but also a team that struggled a bit early in the non-con slate. The one loss OU took was against the lone team still ranked; Wisconsin, and they got blasted by 17.

Meanwhile, Kansas has wins over Michigan State, Marquette, Villanova and Tennessee.  And now they get to head HOME, fresh off an embarrassing defeat, on a national ESPN game.  I think the Jayhawks come out sharp and focused and jump all over Oklahoma.  Eight points is a substantial laydown, but I think KU wins by double digits and controls the game throughout.  Sometimes it is wise to zig when the public zags.  The ATS trends overwhelmingly favor Oklahoma, but I’ve seen KU bounce back in spots like this so many times over the last ten years.  It’s hard to bet against them doing the same ole, same ole tonight.

MY PICK:  KANSAS JAYHAWKS -8

 

Georgetown Hoyas at Butler Bulldogs -8.5

Both teams have been miserable ATS this season.  Butler enters 5-8 ATS and Georgetown is a Big East worst 4-9 ATS.  Both have some ugly spots on the resume.  G’Town took a recent 8-point home loss to SMU and Butler was emasculated over the Holiday, losing 77-43 to Florida.  Oddly, they beat Florida early in the season on a neutral floor.

Yet, despite some evidence Butler is rather pedestrian this season, they open conference play as huge 8.5 point favorites tonight at Hinkle.  Georgetown has looked good in their two lone true road games, winning by 8 at Illinois and losing 72-71 at Syracuse most recently.  They aren’t a likely Tourney team this year but have been steadily climbing back to respectability this season.  I don’t think they win tonight, but I love them with the points.  I don’t see Butler blowing many people out this season as they retool and reload.  Look for a close game, which makes 8 ½ points pretty attractive.

MY PICK:  GEORGETOWN HOYAS +8.5

 

BONUS PICKS:

My three favorite leans of the day are Maryland at home laying just a point against Nebraska, UCF taking care of business at home against Temple eating the 6.5 and a really underrated Texas Tech team going into Morgantown and knocking off a down West Virginia squad.

Good luck today – I hope our New Year is full of winners galore!