Wednesday is hump day, but at least we got over it with our best bet getting back on track.
We had Providence + 8 at Xavier and the Friars got off to a nice start and ended up holding on for the outright upset. We did lose our secondary play on an NHL First-Period Over parlay, so those continue to cool off.
Let’s recap the rest of Wednesday’s betting action and try to get a winning streak going. College basketball was good to us last night, so let’s stick to the hardwood, plus we’ll update our picks for the NFL conference championship games.
Wednesday’s recaps
NBA: Faves went 8-2 SU and ATS Wednesday, including the Suns (-1) winning 105-97 at the Jazz. The upsets were by the Cavaliers (+ 4 in 115-99 home win vs. the Bucks) and the Clippers (+ 1 in 111-102 win at the Magic). Unders went 5-4-1 with the push in the Clippers-Magic (213) game.
CBB: No. 17 Providence beat No. 21 Xavier 65-62, but it was actually an upset as the Friars were 8-point road underdogs despite the higher ranking. The only other Top 25 team to lose Wednesday was No. 25 Davidson in 70-68 home loss vs. VCU, which closed as a 3.5-point road dog.
NHL: Avalanche (-175) rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Bruins 4-3 in OT late Wednesday. Faves went 3-2 with the upsets by the Sharks (+ 190 in 4-1 win at the Capitals) and the Blackhawks (-105 in 8-5 win at the Red Wings). Overs went 3-1-1 on the night with the push in the Flames' 6-0 win at the Blue Jackets with a betting total of 6 goals.
Thursday’s Takes (and NFL picks for Sunday)
Minnesota + 6.5 vs. Ohio State: The Golden Gophers were + 7 at some books overnight, so shop around for the best number. The Buckeyes are ranked No, 17 in the country, but is another case of a live home dog getting points in a game that should be closer to pick-’em. Minnesota has been overachieving most of the season as they’re 10-5 against the spread, including 7-0 ATS when getting 6.5 or more points. Some of the players are different, but Minnesota is also 4-0 ATS the past two years vs. Ohio State with three outright upsets. The Golden Gophers should also be getting back point guard E.J. Stephens.
NFL Sunday
Note: for reasons why I like both underdogs, check out Point Spread Weekly or our VSiN NFL Best Bet file later in the week at VSiN.com. In this case, we’re more interested in when to bet as the market moves during the weekend and into the weekend.
Bengals + 7 at Chiefs: We love the Bengals + 7, but we’ve already seen BetMGM go to 7.5 (though -120 on Bengals + 7.5) and some other indicators that this line is heading higher, so we advise waiting to get the hook.
49ers + 3.5 at 49ers: Likewise, we’re OK taking + 3.5 with the 49ers even if we would have to lay -120 to get it, but more books have gone to 3.5-flat (-110 both ways).
Good luck today (and every day!).