Monday, Feb. 29, 9 p.m. (ET) ESPN

Pointspread: Kansas -2

Total Line: 141.5

Kansas at Texas Game Matchup Overview

The Kansas Jayhawks have already clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a straight-up 13-3 record in conference play. They come into their final road game of the regular season with a SU nine game winning streak. Kansas failed to cover as a 13.5-point home favorite in this past Saturday’s 67-58 victory over Texas Tech, but it was just the first time it lost against the spread during this nine-game run. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of its last 10 games when it comes to college basketball picks and predictions.

Senior forward Perry Ellis leads a group of four Jayhawks scoring in double-figures with 16.1 points per game. He is shooting 51.4 percent from the field and pulling down 6.1 rebounds a game. Junior guard Frank Mason III is the second leading scorer with 13.6 PPG and he has now exceeded that average in each of his last five starts. Kansas is tied for 16^th in the nation in scoring with 81.6 PPG and it is hitting 48.9 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three-point range.

The Longhorns improved to 10-6 SU in Big 12 play with Saturday’s stunning 76-63 upset against Oklahoma as 2.5-point home underdogs on BetAnySports’ closing betting line. This followed a tight 71-70 victory over Kansas State as one-point road underdogs on Feb. 22. The total stayed UNDER 146 in the win at home against Oklahoma and it has stayed UNDER in four of their last six home games.

Texas is averaging 72.6 points behind a trio of players scoring at least 11 points a game. Junior guard Isaiah Taylor is the Longhorns’ leading scorer with 15.5 PPG and he also leads the team in assists with five a game. The team as a whole is shooting 43.8 percent from the field and it is pulling down an average of 34.9 rebounds. At the other end of the court, they are holding opposing teams to 67.8 points a game.

Kansas at Texas College Basketball Game Predictions & picks

The Jayhawks won the first meeting this season 76-67, but they could not cover as 12.5-point home favorites on BetAnySports’ betting line. Given the much tighter spread for this game on the road. Bet this game at BetAnySports sportsbook.

Friday night’s NBA Picks matchup between LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors gives us a sneak preview of a possible Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Ranked #1 and 2 in the East right now, the Raptors trail the Cavaliers by just 3 games.

This will be the third and final regular season matchup between the Cavaliers and Raptors, each having won a game thus far. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have led the way in points and minutes for the Raptors in the previous two games and will need to do so again for Toronto to have a chance to win the series.

View NBA Odds & Lines Here

Why the Toronto Raptors Need This Win:

The Raptors need to build their confidence down the stretch and prove that they belong with the in the championship conversation with the perennial contenders. A second-half win and taking the season series against the Cavaliers will give them something to build on as they prepare for a playoff run.

Why the Cleveland Cavaliers Need This Win:

The Cavs have only a 3-game lead over the Raptors in the East and having a better head to head win/loss record gives them a tie-breaker should the playoff race come down to the wire. There will be a lot of pressure on this Cavs team in their second season together and they need to start stacking the cards in their favor to take a little of the edge off.

Will LeBron James and Kyrie Irving get it done? Or will Kyle Lowry and company start to take hold of the East?

Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls          

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. (ET) ESPN

Pointspread: Chicago -2

Total Line: 211 

Washington at Chicago Game Matchup Overview

The Washington Wizards head into the United Center with a 3-1 record both straight-up and against the spread in four games since the All-Star break following Tuesday’s 109-89 romp over New Orleans as five-point home favorites on GTbets closing NBA betting odds. The total stayed UNDER 217.5 points and it has now stayed UNDER in four of their last five games.

Marcin Gortat led all scorers on Tuesday night with 21 points and John Wall posted a triple-double (16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists), but the big story with the Wizards lately has been a shutdown defense that has held opposing teams to 89 points or less in their last three wins. On the year, Washington is averaging 102.6 points per game, but it is allowing an average of 104.6 points, which is ranked 24^th in the NBA.

The Bulls have won their last two games both SU and ATS following an extended eight-game slide in which they went 1-7 SU with a 2-6 record ATS. The total went OVER VietBet’s 210-point line in this past Sunday’s 126-115 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers with Chicago closing as a seven-point home favorite. The Bulls are 18-10 SU at home this season with an 11-17 record ATS. They are just 12-19 ATS when closing as favorites.

Chicago’s leading scorer Jimmy Butler with 22.4 PPG remains out of the lineup with a knee injury, but the Bulls got some much needed offense from both Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol in the win against the Lakers. These two combined for 45 points with E’Twaun Moore adding another 24 points to the winning cause. Rose has now scored 24 points or more in his last three games. 

Washington at Chicago NBA Game Pick & Prediction

Head-to-head in this Eastern Conference clash, the Wizards have covered ATS in nine of their last 10 road games against the Bulls with the total going OVER in seven of the last eight games played in Chicago.

The entire college basketball season leads up to about a month of great play called March Madness. here is our March Madness preview.

March Madness is approaching and by no means has any team locked their position within the coveted field of 68.

Selection Sunday will happen on March 13^th to let the nation know the final 68 teams and when they play and against whom they will be playing.  This is where fans get excited and disappointed all at the same time. Having said that it will be time to make your 2016 March Madness picks

This season the brackets are looking as confusing as ever.  Right now Joe Lunardi has the 4 No. 1 seeds as Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.  That can change with just one game though.

Villanova is the strongest as far as record is concerned.  They have been the No. 1 team in the nation for a good amount of time now.   Kansas is an up and down team along with North Carolina.  The other No. 1 seed, Oklahoma, has arguably the best player in the nation in Buddy Hield.

Beyond the No. 1 seeds the bracket gets a little sticky.  He currently has Dayton as the No. 4 seed who has lost their last 2 conference games.  I assume they go from sure in to maybe a bubble team.

I see Lunardi has Purdue as a No. 5 seed.  There is always at least 1 No. 12 seed upset a No. 5 seed every year and that would be the one I am targeting this season.

A scary team that I think is better than what Lunardi has on the board is Indiana.  He has the Hoosiers as a No. 6 seed.   I could see them making a run to at least the Sweet 16 if that happens.

Lunardi’s bubble teams are interesting as well.  He has the last four in being Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Butler, and Alabama.  These teams all are okay and could pull some major upsets.  I would look for Gonzaga to be a Cinderella story this season despite their preseason rank.

Coining the term March Madness feels appropriate.  The craziness that happens in March cannot be duplicated by any other sport.

The unofficial 2^nd Half of the NBA season has begun. This time of year teams begin positioning themselves for the playoffs. They will also begin building momentum. It also separates the contenders from the pretenders, the boys from the men. With less than 30 games left in the regular season, teams will be ramping it up, locking down and fighting to the end for a spot in the postseason. While other teams are gearing up for a deep playoff run with the hopes of hoisting the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. But, right now one team could possibly be on the verge of making history and could break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls regular season record of 72 victories. That team is the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors have the best overall record in the NBA at 49-5. They have already eclipsed the Bulls first half win total before the All-Star break. Steph Curry is having another MVP year, and is the odds-on favorite to win it for the 2^nd year in a row. Klay Thompson is coming off his Three-Point Shooting title during All-Star weekend as he dethroned Curry to win it. Draymond Green made his first All Star Game appearance this season as he leads the league in triple-doubles. They are on currently on road trip, and they will try to continue their march towards history as they take their talents to South Beach Wednesday night in NBA against the spread picks.

On the other hand, the Miami Heat currently sit 4^th in the East. But, they have been hit hard by the injury bug in the worst way. All Star forward Chris Bosh will miss the remainder of the season due to another blood clot. He was sidelined last season with a blood clot in his lungs. Bosh’s health issues are starting to become a huge concern for the Heat. But, the Heat still have Dwayne Wade on the team. Although, he may not be the same player he was earlier in his career, but Wade can still carry a team to the postseason and make some noise. They are also anchored by a star big man in the making. Center Hassan Whiteside seemed to come out of nowhere last season, and he has stretched it out more this season. Whiteside is averaging 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 block shots per game. He can average a double-double almost every night. So, will Golden State continue towards history or will the Heat halt those plans?     

The 2015-16 NBA season resumes play on Friday Night after a memorable All-Star break. The timing was perfect as many of the teams around the NBA have been dealing with key injuries as well as fatigue to some of their key stars. This break allowed those players nearly a week off unless they took part in All-Star Weekend.

While a few teams tip off the second half on Thursday Night, most of the NBA gets back to work on Friday Night. That includes a few key NBA matchups that should be not only entertaining but exciting to watch. That includes the Golden State Warriors traveling to take on the Portland Trailblazers as well as the Boston Celtics traveling to Utah to take on the Jazz.

For us the game of the night features the Indiana Pacers traveling to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder. This contest is one of few on Friday Night that features two teams with a winning record as the Pacers come in sitting at 28-25 while the Thunder have been red hot to start the season playing to a 40-14 record.

Now neither of these teams were able to get much rest for their super stars as Paul George represented the Eastern Conference for the Pacers while the Thunder sent Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant to power the Western Conference. Westbrook’s big night including 31 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists earned him his second straight All-Star MVP award. In the loss George added a game high 41 points just missing the All-Star game record 42 points set by Wilt Chamberlain.

The Pacers will have their hands full on Friday Night against one of the best teams in the NBA. Since the calendar has flipped to 2016, the Thunder have only lost four games while running off winning streaks of five and seven games over that stretch of play. That success revolves around their big two as Durant has averaged nearly 27 points a game this season while Westbrook adds another 24.

If the Pacers want to win this game they will need Paul George to play like an MVP.

Previous Meeting: This will be the first of two meetings between these two clubs this season with the second meeting coming on March 19^th, 2016. Last season these two clubs split the meetings with both home teams picking up the win. On February 24^th, 2015 the Thunder rolled to a 105-92 while the Pacers picked up a double digit win 116-104 in April.

In that contest despite scoring a game high 54 points the Thunder could not find a way to take over the lead. That being said the Thunder were without Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka in that loss. On the other side Paul George was just getting back to the floor as C.J. Miles carried the load posting 30 points while three other Pacers scored in double digits.

Betting Trends: As we start to look at this game it is slated to be one of the higher scoring contests with an over/under line at 215 points. Along with the high over/under line the Thunder are favorites by nine points at home. Straight up pick would lean towards the Thunder as they have played to a 25-5 record at home but against the spread this season they are just 15-15 while the Pacers are 13-14 on the road.

Along with that neither of these teams have played well against the spread leading up to this matchup as the have each picked up just three wins each over their past 13 contests with a line.

Looking a little deeper might help us decide on which of these teams to go with as the Thunder are 7-2 against the spread in their last nine home games while the Pacers are just 2-6 on the road. The Pacers have also struggled against the Northwest Division this season going just 1-6 against the spread. For us the over line might be the better option as the Thunder have covered the over in six of their last eight home games while the Pacers have covered the over in six of their last eight games.

Can Paul George build on his big performance in the All-Star Game to carry the Pacers or will the two headed monster of Durant/Westbrook be to much NBA basketball picks?