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<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals get back to playing against National League competition as these NL Central squads pair up at Busch Stadium on Thursday night. The Pirates just got done playing the White Sox in interleague play and the Cardinals wrapped up a set against the Detroit Tigers.</p>



<p>The Cardinals are favored in the -150 range at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/us/">Bookmaker Sportsbook</a> with a total of 9 for this series lid-lifter to kick off the four-game set. Chad Kuhl will go for the Pirates and the Redbirds will roll with Carlos Martinez in hopes of getting back on track after falling two games under .500 for the first time since April 21.</p>



<h2 id="h-pittsburgh-pirates"><strong><u>Pittsburgh Pirates</u></strong></h2>



<p>It looks to be a long, grueling rebuild in the Steel City. The Pirates don’t have a ton of high-end prospects in the system, as some weak drafts and a key graduation to the big leagues have the system looking pretty bare. Ke’Bryan Hayes looks to be a legit big leaguer, but it will be a long waiting game for guys like Quinn Priester, Liover Peguero, and Oneil Cruz.</p>



<p>The Pirates are last in most offensive categories this season. They entered play on Wednesday last in slugging percentage and wOBA and didn’t do much against Dylan Cease and the White Sox bullpen to improve upon those numbers. The Pirates have only hit 52 home runs in 72 games. That simply won’t get it done. Not in today’s MLB.</p>



<p>PNC Park is pretty widely known as a bad offensive park, though a bad offense will also make for a bad offensive park. Well, the road hasn’t been any kinder to the Pirates, who are actually worse offensively across the board away from home. That would seem to be bad going to Busch Stadium, another park that suppresses offense. When your claim to fame on the road is “only better than the Rockies”, that is not good.</p>



<p>You automatically think the worst when a starting pitcher was part of an 11-10 game, but it wasn’t Chad Kuhl’s fault. Kuhl, who has a 5.66 ERA with a 5.88 FIP in his 35 innings of work, only allowed one run on four hits over his six innings. It was the Pirates bullpen, a group that has seen some big spin rate decreases since the foreign substance crackdown, that had a major meltdown.</p>



<p>There is a stat at FanGraphs called Game Score Version 2. The baseline for an average start is a Game Score of 50. Kuhl only has two “above average” starts on the season, but his last one was his best one. I guess that says something about the Indians offense. He’s walked 22 and struck out 27 in 35 innings.</p>



<h2 id="h-st-louis-cardinals"><strong><u>St. Louis Cardinals</u></strong></h2>



<p>The Cardinals fell to 6-14 in the month of June with their loss to the Tigers on Wednesday. They’ve now been outscored 100-58 in the month. It has been as ugly as it seems. The loss of Jack Flaherty to injury seems to have reverberated across the rest of the roster, as the Cardinals have scored fewer than three runs per game and have given up five runs per game. Nothing seems to be going right for this team and there appear to be a lot of guys playing hurt, physically or mentally.</p>



<p>Carlos Martinez does not seem healthy. The 29-year-old right-hander has a 6.62 ERA with a 4.51 FIP in his 68 innings of work. Martinez will make his 14th start here in hopes of improving upon a ghastly 55% LOB%. Martinez has not been able to get out of innings and it has driven up his ERA in a big way.</p>



<p>He hasn’t given himself much margin for error with a 15.6% K% on the season. He’s also allowed a career-worst Hard Hit% of 44.7%. C-Mart has also had issues maintaining his velocity throughout some of his starts this season. The command and control have both been poor and he is showing the Cardinals that maybe he’d be better back in a relief capacity.</p>



<p>Martinez and the pitchers are hardly the only issues. St. Louis has been freefalling on offense. The Cardinals went into Wednesday’s game ranked 27th in wOBA and didn’t do much to fix that. The idea of having Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt and still being a bottom-five offense is ludicrous, but it is also a reality.</p>



<p>Over the last 30 days, the Cardinals have the worst offense in baseball by wOBA and the third-worst by wRC+. Busch Stadium doesn’t help, but the problems run a lot deeper than that.</p>



<h2 id="h-pirates-vs-cardinals-free-pick"><strong><u>Pirates vs. Cardinals Free Pick</u></strong></h2>



<p><br>So how do we possibly pick something in this game? The Pirates are awful. The Cardinals are playing at a Pirates-esque level of late. We have a total of 8.5 in a dreadful hitter’s park. What do we do? Well, the Pirates are at least battling right now. The Cardinals have just rolled over and died it seems. With that in mind, how about we give the Pirates a look tonight?</p>



<p><strong>Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates</strong></p>

Pirates vs. Cardinals Free Pick 06/24/21

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<p>Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Billikens and Ramblers. The game is starting at 8:00 ET on NBCS, and it's hosted by the Ramblers at Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, IL. Get ready to place your bets! This Atlantic 10 conference matchup has an over/under of 147 points, and Loyola Chicago is favored to win by -9.5 at home vs. Saint Louis.</p><h3>SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS VS LOYOLA CHICAGO RAMBLERS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Saint Louis Billikens +9.5</p><p>This game will be played at Joseph J. Gentile Arena at 8:00 ET on Tuesday, January 30th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 73-71 in favor of the Ramblers.</li><li>Even though we have Loyola Chicago winning straight-up, we like Saint Louis at +9.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 147 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.</li></ul><h3>Will the Billikens Come Through as Road Underdogs?</h3><p>After losing their last game to Massachusetts by a score of 84-73, Saint Louis is now 8-12 overall and 1-6 in Atlantic 10 play. On the road, the Billikens have gone just 1-6 this season, and they have lost their last six road games.</p>

<p>So far, Saint Louis has been the underdog in 13 of their 20 games, and they have gone just 3-10 in those games. On the season, they have been the underdog in six straight games.</p><p>As the underdog, Saint Louis has gone 6-7 vs. the spread this season. On the road, their ATS mark is 3-4 and their last 10 road ATS record is 3-7. Overall, the Billikens are 8-11 vs. the spread this year.</p><p>This season, the over/under record for Saint Louis games is 11-7-1. So far, the average scoring total in their games is 148.9 points. Today's over/under line of 147 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (146.9). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 1-1-1 and the average scoring total is 149 points.</p><p>In their recent game, the Billikens' offense concluded with 73 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 72.5 points per contest. Gibson Jimerson is leading the team in scoring at 15.3 points per contest. Terremce Hargrove Jr. has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 12.8 going into the game.</p><p>As they prepare for the upcoming game, Saint Louis is focused on shoring up their defense, as they are currently allowing an average of 77.4 points per game (275th). Saint Louis' three-point defense is currently 171st in the country at 8.2 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 44.8% of their shots vs. Saint Louis.</p><h3>Will Loyola Chicago Find a Way to Win at Home?</h3><p>Through 20 games this season, Loyola Chicago has a record of 13-7, including a mark of 8-4 at home. As the favorite, the Ramblers are 8-3, and their average scoring margin at home is +6.0.</p>

<p>In their most recent game, Loyola Chicago lost to VCU, 74-67. Over their last 10 home games, the Ramblers have gone 8-2.</p><p>As the favorite this season, Loyola Chicago has gone just 4-7 vs. the spread, and they are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as the favorite. At home this year, the Ramblers are just 4-8 vs. the spread, and they are 3-6 ATS in their last 10 home games.</p><p>On the season, the over/under record for Loyola Chicago sits at 7-11-1. So far, the average scoring total in their games is 138.7 points compared to an average over/under line of 143.1, resulting in an average margin of -4.4 points. Today's over/under line of 147 is higher than the average scoring total in their games this year and over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1.</p><p>In their recent matchup, the Loyola Chicago offense ended with 67 points against VCU. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 41.7% and made 4 threes. Leading the team in scoring was Demilade Adelekun with 14 points. Jayden Dawson also added 12 points for the Ramblers.</p><p>At present, the Ramblers' defense is nationally ranked 86th, allowing 67.6 points per game. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.2 threes per game vs. Saint Louis. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 34.0%.</p>

Saint Louis Billikens vs Loyola Chicago Ramblers Betting Pick & Prediction 1/30/24

Major League Baseball (MLB) might not be the most popular sport in the world to wager on, but it still presents a really good betting option. MLB betting comes in many different forms, and this is a season that presents plenty of betting opportunities as well.

Major League Baseball was founded all the way back in 1876, but the league has obviously gone through some major changes since that time. Most of the major rules are still in place, but the way that the game is played is now much different.

There are currently 30 teams in MLB, and every team plays 162 games during the regular season. MLB games typically start at the end of March, or early April, and the World Series wraps up during the first week of November.

MLB teams are split up into leagues and divisions, but there is now more crossover games than ever before. The American League and National League now operate under the same basic rules, and that keeps things similar regardless of what league you are looking at.

Knowing the best MLB betting sites &amp; sportsbooks is also important if you plan to bet on MLB, and this article will explore that as well. By the time you are done reading this article, you should be ready to bet on baseball.
<h2 id="h-where-to-bet-on-major-league-baseball" class="wp-block-heading">WHERE TO BET ON MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL</h2>
Here is a look at some of the best MLB sportsbooks that are out there in the industry:

Best MLB Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

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Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers Betting Pick & Prediction 10/27/24

New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Pick & Prediction 10/20/24

New York Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 10/19/24

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Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets Betting Pick & Prediction 10/18/24

A smaller college hoops card is on the docket for Monday as we look to repeat last week’s successes with the spotlight games. UNLV and Nevada went over 142 in a blowout win for the Wolf Pack to round out a good week with six winners in seven picks. It’s been a nice run cherry picking these spotlight games. Hopefully you’ve been along for the ride.

Choices are pretty limited for Monday, as we’ve got day basketball in a few conferences and then the late board is mostly made up of SWAC games. There are some bigger matchups, but our focus falls in the AAC with a battle between UCF and Memphis.

The Tigers are -9 with a total of 133 at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/bookmaker"><strong>Bookmaker Sportsbook</strong></a> and you can check this one out on ESPN+ if you so desire.
<h3><strong><u>UCF Knights</u></strong></h3>
It’s been a tough season for the Knights and head coach Johnny Dawkins. Every game has been a struggle in some way, shape, or form. Of course, that’s what happens when you’ve played the third-toughest schedule in the country according to Bart Torvik. Ken Pomeroy ranks the slate seventh in his rankings.

Torvik has the UCF schedule down for the third-toughest in AAC play so far and it has led to a lackluster 2-6 start. UCF won the conference opener over Cincinnati and then beat an East Carolina team that has hit a myriad of COVID issues lately back on January 27. Otherwise, UCF has lost six AAC games, including Saturday’s defeat at Wichita State in overtime.

This is a better team than the stats and record would indicate, but still a team with major problems. The Knights are 10th in 2P% defense in conference play. They’ve turned the ball over too much on offense to expose those defensive shortcomings even more. UCF only got in three non-conference games. They scored really nice wins over Auburn and Florida State and got blown out by Michigan. For whatever reason, conference play has been something of a disaster.

The AAC is a solid conference with a good amount of depth, but UCF should have had better showings against South Florida and Temple in those road losses. That was during a stretch when the team couldn’t score. During the five-game losing streak that featured those two games, UCF scored .853, .915, .848, .895, and .994 points per possession. Consistent scoring has been a problem.

But, UCF could be a positive regression candidate. The Knights are only shooting 56.1% on close twos, so they’ve had issues finishing their bunnies and putbacks. This isn’t a very tall team, which is part of the reason why they’ve struggled at the rim. On the plus side, the Knights have seen a little bit of improvement recently, including a good offensive performance in the Wichita loss with 1.031 PPP.
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<h3><strong><u>Memphis</u></strong><strong><u> Tigers</u></strong></h3>
Memphis has some offensive shortfalls as well. The Tigers, like the Knights, have struggled at the rim, finishing off just 57.4% of their close twos. Recently, Memphis has taken to finding solace beyond the arc. Over the last four games, the Tigers are shooting 48.8% from three with 41 makes on 84 attempts. They shot 45% from 3 against SMU last time out and still managed to lose the game.

That will be the key matchup in this game. Memphis is a defense-first team. Up until the SMU games last week, Memphis had allowed .980, .810, .873, .910, .746, and .720 points per possession in conference games against Tulane, Tulsa, USF, Tulsa, Wichita State, and East Carolina.

Memphis can go into prolonged offensive droughts, as they lost both Tulsa games during that aforementioned stretch, despite playing well defensively. Interestingly enough, Memphis is still first in the AAC in eFG% through eight games. The Tigers are awful at the free throw line at 57.2% and have turned it over on more than 24% of their possessions in conference games.

The Tigers are fourth in Block% in the nation. They are third in adjusted defensive efficiency overall per Torvik and 11th in eFG% defense. Points are hard to come by against them. If they could ever get the offensive side figured out, Penny Hardaway’s squad would be extremely dangerous.
<h3><strong><u>Pick &amp; Analysis</u></strong></h3>
The AAC isn’t blessed with talented offensive teams. It is a whistle-happy conference, though, so foul shots and free throw attempts sometimes bump up the scores. Only four teams in the conference rank in the top 100 in adjusted offensive efficiency. UCF is one of them, albeit barely.

SMU is a far better offensive team than UCF, but the Mustangs were able to do something no other AAC team had done against Memphis and that was score over a point per possession. Western Kentucky was the only one to do it in non-conference.

I would expect Memphis’s recent three-point spike to come back to earth. This will be more of a traditional game for them, in which they play good defense and struggle to get margin in my opinion. I’ll take the nine points with UCF, especially with a Memphis team that shoots 61.2% at the free throw line.
<h4><strong>Pick: UCF +9</strong></h4>
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UCF at Memphis College Basketball Free Pick & Prediction 2/1/21

<p>Wednesday’s MLB card features a couple of doubleheaders and there were some blanks on the overnight lines with pitching changes and other adjustments. It will be a long day on the diamond with games from 12:10 p.m. ET all the way until 10:10 p.m. ET.</p>



<p>One of those late games features the New York Yankees on the road against the Seattle Mariners. It will be Domingo German for the visiting favorites and Yusei Kikuchi for the host Mariners in one of the two starts after the 10 p.m. hour on the East Coast. It remains to be seen if Yankees fans will be willing to stay up and watch this one, but their Bronx Bombers are -120 at <a href="https://www.bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/bovada/"><strong>Bovada Sportsbook</strong></a> with a total of 8.5.</p>



<h2 id="h-new-york-yankees"><strong><u>New York Yankees</u></strong></h2>



<p>Sometimes getting away from it all can help. The New York media is relentless when it comes to sports coverage and all of the talking heads want to know what is wrong with the Yankees this season. Perhaps getting a long way away from the chatter was helpful in a 12-1 rout on Tuesday night against former Yankees farmhand Justus Sheffield.</p>



<p>It was big to see an offensive explosion from New York, especially in challenging hitting conditions like T-Mobile Park. It is one of the worst offensive venues in baseball, especially for a team that has had plenty of offensive struggles this season. The Yankees don’t pay any attention to details. They don’t get runners in from third. They don’t take extra bases. They don’t do a lot of things well.</p>



<p>But, they did a lot of things well on Tuesday and started out the road trip on a high note. We’ll see if they can carry that over. The line swung in New York’s favor last night, as the Mariners are a big regression candidate by the alternate standings metrics and the Yankees still grade better than they’ve played.</p>



<p>Domingo German gets the ball in this one. German has a 4.50 ERA with a 4.76 FIP on the season. He has really hit the skids recently, as he has allowed 18 runs in his last 15.1 innings of work. German’s K% has fallen dramatically and he has allowed a lot of hard contact lately that has found holes.</p>



<p>German should, at least in theory, be a decent fit at T-Mobile Park, given that his biggest issue this season has been the 15 home runs that he has allowed. He’s struck out 68 and walked 19 in 76 innings, but lately, he’s had all sorts of issues and also hasn’t been inducing ground balls to mitigate the mediocre command.</p>



<h2 id="h-seattle-mariners"><strong><u>Seattle Mariners</u></strong></h2>



<p>Why are the Mariners a regression candidate? Well, for starters, this is the league’s worst offense at home with a .286 wOBA. That number is 10 points lower than any other team. The Mariners have adopted a fly ball-heavy philosophy, which would be great if their home park factor wasn’t so bad and if the baseball hadn’t been deadened this year.</p>



<p>Seattle is 45-41 with a -53 run differential. According to Pythagorean Win-Loss, which is a standings metric based on run differential, the Mariners are eight wins better than they should be. According to BaseRuns, an alternate standings metric that looks at all outcomes in a context-neutral environment and then creates a run differential, the Mariners are six wins better than they should be.</p>



<p>Seattle has been one of the most opportunistic offenses in baseball with runners in scoring position. The Mariners are third in wOBA with RISP and are running a league-high .344 BABIP in that split. That seems unlikely to continue. Seattle also has the best record in one-run games in baseball at 19-7. That is the most wins of any team in one-run games and makes up over 42% of their wins.</p>



<p>Yusei Kikuchi has a 3.18 ERA, but a 4.28 FIP, so he has some regression signs in his profile as well. Kikuchi has given up 15 HR in 93.1 innings of work. He has a .221 BABIP against because home runs are not balls in play and an 82.9% LOB%, so those are his two primary areas of concern. Given that he has a 41.5% Hard Hit%, it looks like more batted balls should find holes as we go forward here.</p>



<h2 id="h-yankees-vs-mariners-free-pick"><strong><u>Yankees vs. Mariners Free Pick</u></strong></h2>



<p>People are betting against the Yankees a bit here, likely due to the recent returns for German, which have not been good. There are a lot of regression signs for Kikuchi and the Mariners, but the quant crowd and the modelers that shape the MLB market are aware of all of these things.</p>



<p>For the Mariners to win this game in their preferred environment, a low-scoring game would be the best path to success. With that in mind, the under is the play.</p>



<p><strong>Pick: Under 8.5</strong></p>

Yankees vs. Mariners Free Pick & Prediction 07/07/21

<p>The Huskies and Wolf Pack are set to face off at 10:00 ET on MWN. The Wolf Pack will host the game at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, NV. The odds for this non-conference game currently have Nevada as the -7.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 153.5 points.</p><h3>WASHINGTON HUSKIES VS NEVADA WOLF PACK BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Nevada Wolf Pack -7.5</p><p>This game will be played at Lawlor Events Center at 10:00 ET on Saturday, November 9th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE NEVADA WOLF PACK:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 78-69 in favor of the Wolf Pack.</li><li>Not only will Nevada pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -7.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 153.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 147 points.</li></ul><h3>Can the Huskies Pull Out the Win as Road Underdogs?</h3><h3>Washington Huskies Recent Game/Games</h3> 

<p>Washington opened their season with a 79-73 win over UC Davis on Tuesday, November 5th. Playing at home, the Huskies were -15.5 favorites going into the game but didn’t cover the spread.</p> 

<p>Washington led 37-33 at halftime and scored 42 points in the 2nd half while allowing 40. The total points for the game were 152, which went over the pre-game O/U line of 147.5.</p><p>In their latest game, the Huskies put up 79 points, shooting 45.2% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 46.8%, with a strong 54.2% inside the arc, but they struggled from deep, hitting just 2 of 14 threes (14.3%).</p> <p>At the free-throw line, Washington connected on only 55.3% of their attempts, going 21 for 38. Ty Johnson led the way with 35 points, while Great Osobor contributed 15 points and 17 rebounds. The Huskies also grabbed 12 offensive boards and dished out 13 assists.</p><p>Washington's defense gave up 73 points, with the opposing team shooting 45% from the field. They allowed 26 two-point baskets on 48 attempts, a 54% success rate.</p> <p>From beyond the arc, Washington held their opponent to just 2 made threes on 14 attempts, a 14% shooting percentage. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 38 times, where they made 21 free throws, shooting 55%.</p><h3>Does Nevada Stand a Chance at Home?</h3><h3>Nevada Wolf Pack Recent Game/Games</h3> 

<p>Nevada opened their season with a 91-75 win over Sam Houston on Monday. Playing at home, the Wolf Pack were -10.5 point favorites and covered the spread. The total points for the game reached 166, surpassing the O/U line of 144.5.</p> 

<p>Nevada led 37-34 at halftime before pulling away in the 2nd half, scoring 54 points while allowing 41.</p><p>Nevada's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 91 points while shooting 56.6% from the field. They knocked down 45.5% of their threes, hitting 10 of 22 attempts, and their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 66%.</p> <p>Kobe Sanders and Nick Davidson led the way, with Sanders scoring 27 points and adding 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Davidson was highly efficient, shooting 8 of 10 from the field and finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds.</p><p>Nevada's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 75 points on 56% shooting from the field. They allowed 64% shooting on two-pointers, with the opposing team making 20 of 31 attempts.</p> <p>From beyond the arc, Nevada's opponents shot 45%, hitting 10 of 22 three-point attempts. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 31 times, where they made 21 free throws.</p>

Washington Huskies vs Nevada Wolf Pack NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/9/24

<p>Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Bears and Spartans. The game is starting at 7:30 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Spartans at Echols Hall in Norfolk, VA. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under for this Mid-Eastern conference contest is set at 147 points, with Norfolk State being favored by -12.5 at home against Morgan State.</p><h3>MORGAN STATE BEARS VS NORFOLK STATE SPARTANS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Morgan State Bears +12.5</p><p>This game will be played at Echols Hall at 7:30 ET on Monday, January 29th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE MORGAN STATE BEARS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Spartans.</li><li>Even though we have Norfolk State winning straight-up, we like Morgan State at +12.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 147 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.</li></ul><h3>Do the Bears Have What it Takes in Norfolk?</h3><p>Despite being 2-13 as an underdog this season, Morgan State enters this game as a 12.5-point underdog. The Bears are 6-14 overall and 2-2 in Mid-Eastern Conference play. They have won two straight games, including their most recent contest against Howard, 85-79.</p>

<p>On the road, Morgan State has gone 1-11 this season, and their average scoring margin in those games is -18.2. Over their last 10 road games, the Bears have gone just 1-9. For the season, they are 4-12 in non-conference games.</p><p>As the underdog this season, Morgan State has an ATS record of 6-8-1. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, they are 5-5 vs. the spread.</p><p>On the season, the over/under record for Morgan State games is 10-7 and today's over/under line of 147 is very close to the average over/under line in their games this year (147.8). So far, 10 of their games have finished with more points than today's over/under line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average scoring total of 161 points.</p><p>Coming off their recent game, the Morgan State offense tallied 85 points in a matchup against Howard. Their field goal percentage for the game was 54.4%, and they made 6 threes. Wynston Tabbs is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 15.3 as they approach today's matchup. In addition, Will Thomas brings a PPG average of 11.5 into the game.</p><p>Currently, the Bears' defense holds the 289th rank in the nation, allowing 79.0 points per game. In their previous game vs. Howard, the Bison finished with a field goal percentage of 54% and a total of 79 points vs. Morgan State.</p><h3>Pressure Builds for Norfolk State as Home Favorites</h3><p>At home this season, Norfolk State is 4-1, and they have won their last three games at home. Over their last 10 home games, they are 9-1.</p>

<p>Overall, the Spartans have a record of 13-8, and they have won their last two games. So far, they are 3-1 in Mid-Eastern Conference play.</p><p>As the favorite this season, Norfolk State has gone just 2-2 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Spartans have an ATS record of 5-5. At home, their ATS mark is 2-3 this year, and over their last three home games, they are 1-1 vs. the spread.</p><p>Today's over/under line of 147 is higher than the average over/under line in Norfolk State's games this season (138.5). So far, 12 of their games have finished with more points than today's OU line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 0-2 and the average scoring total is 147 points.</p><p>In their recent matchup, the Norfolk State offense ended with 68 points against Coppin State. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 47.8% and made 0 threes. Jamarii Thomas is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today's matchup with an average of 17. Meanwhile, Allen Betrand also brings a PPG average of 11 into the game.</p><p>The Spartans' defense is presently ranked 77th nationally, allowing an average of 67.2 points per contest. In today's game vs. Morgan State, the Norfolk State defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Norfolk State made 24 free-throws vs. the Spartans.</p>

Morgan State Bears vs Norfolk State Spartans Betting Pick & Prediction 1/29/24

<p>The Broncos and Dons are set to face off at 10:30 ET on ESPN+. The Dons will host the game at War Memorial Gymnasium in San Francisco, CA. In this non-conference matchup, Boise State is favored by -3.5 against San Francisco. The over/under for the game is 148 points.</p><h3>BOISE STATE BRONCOS VS SAN FRANCISCO DONS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: San Francisco Dons +3.5</p><p>This game will be played at War Memorial Gymnasium at 10:30 ET on Saturday, November 9th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE SAN FRANCISCO DONS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-71 in favor of the Dons.</li><li>Not only will San Francisco pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +3.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 148 points, and we like the under with a projected 146 points.</li></ul><h3>Do the Broncos Stand a Chance in San Francisco?</h3><h3>Boise State Broncos Recent Game/Games</h3> 

<p>Boise State opened their season with a commanding 87-43 win over Oakland at home on Wednesday. The Broncos, who were -16.5 favorites, easily covered the spread. The game’s total points fell short of the 142.5 O/U line, with the teams combining for 130 points.</p> 

<p>Boise State dominated from the start, leading 48-18 at halftime. They continued their strong play in the second half, outscoring Oakland 39-25.</p><p>Boise State put up 87 points in their last game, shooting 53.2% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 61.3%, and they hit 85.7% of their free throws, going 12-for-14 from the line.</p> <p>The Broncos dished out 23 assists and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. O'Mar Stanley and Dylan Anderson both shot 85.7% from the field, with Stanley hitting 2-for-2 from three-point range. Andrew Meadow also contributed, hitting 3-of-6 from deep.</p><p>Despite Boise State’s defensive struggles, they managed to hold their opponent to 43 points. The Broncos allowed their opponent to shoot 53% from the field, with 33 made baskets on 62 attempts.</p> <p>Boise State gave up 57% shooting on two-point attempts, with their opponent hitting 24 of 42. From beyond the arc, the opponent shot 45%, making 9 of 20 threes. The Broncos also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 14 times, where they converted 12 for 85%.</p><h3>Will the Dons Defense Show Up at Home?</h3><h3>San Francisco Dons Recent Game/Games</h3> 

<p>The Dons picked up an 86-78 win over Cal Poly on Tuesday, November 5th. Playing at home, San Francisco entered the game as heavy favorites, with a -21 point spread, but didn’t cover. The game’s total points went over the pre-game line of 153.5, finishing at 164.</p> 

<p>San Francisco led 39-35 at halftime and scored 47 points in the 2nd half while allowing 43. Although they got the win, the Dons’ inability to cover the spread might be a concern moving forward.</p><p>San Francisco put up 86 points in their last game, shooting 45.2% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 51.6%, with a strong showing inside, hitting 61.8% of their two-point attempts. From beyond the arc, they struggled, connecting on just 25% of their threes, going 7 for 28.</p> <p>At the free-throw line, the Dons were solid, making 23 of 28 for 82.1%. Tyrone Riley IV led the way with 26 points, hitting 3 of 9 from deep. Malik Thomas added 23 points, while Jarred Hyder and Owen Koonce each knocked down 4 threes, with Koonce shooting 44.4% from long range.</p><p>San Francisco's defense gave up 78 points, allowing their opponent to shoot 45% from the field with 28 made baskets on 62 attempts. Inside the arc, they struggled to contain the two-point shooting, where their opponent hit 21 of 34 shots, a 61% success rate.</p> <p>From three-point range, the Dons held their opponent to 25% shooting, with just 7 made threes on 28 attempts. However, they sent them to the free-throw line 28 times, where they converted 23 free throws, shooting 82%. San Francisco also allowed 8 offensive rebounds.</p>

Boise State Broncos vs San Francisco Dons NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/9/24

<p>The San Francisco Giants have been disrespected a lot for being a first-place team. On Tuesday night, they’ll be on the road as an underdog against the Los Angeles Angels, barring a significant swing in the line. It will be the 30th time this season in 73 games that the Giants are a pup. They’re 17-12 in those games to this point.</p>



<p>The Angels are a .500 team, trying as hard as possible to get back into the AL West race, but they already trail by eight games. We’ll see if they can get over .500 and get some positive momentum rolling for the week in this game against the Giants. Los Angeles is the favorite in the -125 range at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betus/">BetUS</a> with a total of 8.5 that is showing 9 at some other <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/us/">sportsbooks</a>.</p>



<h2 id="h-san-francisco-giants"><strong><u>San Francisco Giants</u></strong></h2>



<p>It is crazy that there are a lot of people still sleeping on the Giants. San Francisco is now third in position player fWAR according to FanGraphs and boasts a top-five offense by wOBA. Remember that Oracle Park is not exactly known as a hitter’s haven and wOBA does not adjust for park factors. wRC+ does and the Giants are a top-five offense in that metric as well.</p>



<p>This is a really good team and one that got even better recently with the return of Mike Yastrzemski to the lineup. His dramatic grand slam last week gave the Giants a happy highlight and was also an indication of what he can bring to the table for an offense that was already playing well without him. By wOBA, the Giants are effectively on the Dodgers’ level, just to give you a frame of reference on how strong this group is.</p>



<p>San Francisco draws a lefty today in Andrew Heaney and ranks 12th in wOBA in that split. One thing that the Giants rely on against southpaws is the free pass. Their 11.7% BB% is the best in baseball against left-handed pitchers. Heaney, though, only has 20 walks in 62.2 innings of work, so the Giants may have to hit themselves on base.</p>



<p>Anthony DeSclafani gets the call today for the Giants. He’s got a 3.01 ERA with a 3.51 FIP in his 80.2 innings of work. There are a few regression signs in the profile, like a .241 BABIP and a 76.6% LOB% with a below average strikeout rate, but DeSclafani has been able to navigate around hard contact with a solid defensive team behind him and by limiting the opposition to just eight home runs.</p>



<p>DeSclafani actually allowed 10 runs in 2.2 innings in his May 23 start against the Dodgers. We can’t magically remove outings from the ledger, but if we take that one away, he actually has only allowed 17 earned runs in 13 starts covering 78 innings. That would be a 1.96 ERA.</p>



<h2 id="h-los-angeles-angels"><strong><u>Los Angeles Angels</u></strong></h2>



<p>The Angels offense has been quite a marvel this season. Mike Trout has not played in a while due to injury and Anthony Rendon is not having the type of season that we are used to seeing. Despite all of that, the Angels actually rank sixth in wOBA and have had a really nice season on that side. They’re doing it with quality contact, as the Angels have one of the lower walk rates in baseball at 7.4%. They’ve just been aggressive in the strike zone and have hit a lot of balls hard. Their .257 average ranks in the top five and they’ve hit for more power than expected.</p>



<p>Shohei Ohtani leads the charge with his .415 wOBA and 168 wRC+. He’s having a huge season on the mound and in the batter’s box and keeps doing things that we haven’t seen since Babe Ruth. Jared Walsh has also been a huge upgrade to the lineup with his 18 home runs and a .391 wOBA. Even Justin Upton has had a renaissance this season as an above average bat.</p>



<p>It is crazy to see a guy like Rendon with a .230/.305/.348 slash, but to see the Angels performing as well as they have offensively. If Rendon ever gets it going, this offense could really make a huge push when Trout returns from the IL. That should happen sometime next month.</p>



<p>Andrew Heaney goes into this start with a 4.45 ERA and a 3.64 FIP. The southpaw has struck out 75 and only has 20 walks in 62.2 innings of work. Heaney has allowed nine homers, but the rest of his peripherals look just fine and his HR/FB% isn’t that bad as a guy that tilts more towards the fly ball side of the spectrum. The Angels haven’t gotten great starting pitching this season, which is why they’re a .500 team through 72 games despite a top-five offense.</p>



<p>The bullpen has also been rather poor. The Angels pen has a 4.83 ERA with a 4.56 FIP heading into this one. The Giants bullpen has a 3.46 ERA with a 4.14 FIP, so that unit is a regression candidate, but that still looks like an upgrade to the Angels pen.</p>



<h2 id="h-giants-vs-angels-free-pick"><strong><u>Giants vs. Angels Free Pick</u></strong></h2>



<p>The Angels have been able to pad their stats and their record against bad teams. Los Angeles is 17-7 against teams with a losing record and 19-29 against teams that don’t have more losses than wins. The Giants have also feasted on poor teams with a 33-14 record against teams under .500 and a 13-12 record against teams .500 or better, most of those being the Dodgers and Padres.</p>



<p>This game looks like a lot more of a toss-up to me than the line would suggest, so the plus-money price with the Giants is where I’m going in this game.</p>



<p><strong>Pick: San Francisco Giants</strong></p>

Giants vs. Angels Free Pick & Prediction 06/22/21

<p>Tip-off for tonight's Western Conference matchup between the Pelicans and Kings is set for 10:00 ET at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento (-114) is currently favored by 1 point and has an overall record of 45-34. New Orleans is 47-32 and has won two straight games.</p>

<p>This game will be shown on TNT. The over/under line for this game is currently sitting at 218.5 points.</p><h3>NEW ORLEANS PELICANS VS SACRAMENTO KINGS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: New Orleans Pelicans +1</p><p>This game will be played at Golden 1 Center at 10:00 ET on Thursday, April 11th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE NEW ORLEANS PELICANS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 113-111 in favor of the Pelicans.</li><li>Our projections have Zion Williamson finishing with Zion Williamson points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.</li><li>From the field, we have the Pelicans finishing with a field goal percentage of 48.2% and knocking down 13 threes.</li></ul><h3>Can the Pelicans Pull Out the Win as Road Underdogs?</h3><p>New Orleans has an overall record of 47-32, which is good for 6th place in the Western Conference. In their division, they are 2nd behind the Rockets. As the Pelicans have a record of 28-21 against the West and 19-11 against the East.</p>

<p>On the road, the Pelicans are 26-14 this season and have won four straight games. Their straight-up road record is 21-18, and they are 21-18 against the spread on the road.</p>

<p>Against the spread this season, the Pelicans are 41-37, and they have covered in their last four road games. As the underdog, their ATS record is 18-12, and they are 16-14 straight-up as the underdog.</p>

<p>The Pelicans have won two straight games, with their most recent victory coming against the Trail Blazers (110-100). In that game, the O/U line was 214, and New Orleans was favored by 14.5 points.</p>

<p>This season, the Pelicans have an O/U record of 34-45, and their games have averaged 225.3 points per game. In their last two games, the final score has been lower than the O/U line.</p><p>On the season, the Pelicans are 13th in the NBA in scoring at 114.9 points per game. However, they have scored less than the NBA scoring average in 53.2% of their games. In their last 12 games, they have scored below their season average.</p>

<p>When it comes to shooting, the Pelicans are 10th in field goal percentage at 48%. They are also 10th in true shooting percentage. In terms of three-point shooting, they are 21st in made threes per game and 25th in three-point attempts.</p>

<p>When it comes to getting to the free-throw line, the Pelicans are 8th in attempts and 11th in made free throws. They are also 18th in pace at 97.2 possessions per game.</p><p>So far, the Pelicans defense is giving up 110.4 points per contest, which has them sitting 8th in the NBA. One thing to note, is they have given up more points than their season average in three straight matchups. On two point field goal attempts, the Pelicans' defensive unit is allowing a field goal percentage of 55.3% and allowing 34.8% from beyond the arc.</p><h3>Will Sacramento Come Through as Home Favorites?</h3><p>In their last game, the Kings lost to the Thunder by a score of 112-105. The O/U line for that game was 227.5, and Sacramento was getting 5.5 points as the underdog.</p>

<p>This season, the Kings have an O/U record of 36-42-1, and their games have averaged 231.6 points per game. Today's O/U line is set at 218.5, and Sacramento has hit the under in their last three games.</p>

<p>Sacramento is currently 8th in the Western Conference with a record of 45-34. In the Pacific Division, they are in 3rd place. Against other Western Conference teams, the Kings are 29-20 compared to 16-14 in non-conference games.</p>

<p>At home, the Kings are 23-15 this season, and they are favored by 1 point in today's game. As the favorite, Sacramento has gone 34-19 this season, and they have covered the spread in three straight games.</p>

<p>This season, the Kings have an ATS record of 40-39, going 24-17 on the road and 16-22 at home. In their games, the average scoring margin vs. the spread is +1.8 points per game at home and +1.2 points per game on the road.</p><p>At home this season, the Kings are averaging 118.7 points per game, which is 9th in the NBA. Overall, Sacramento is 9th in the league in scoring at 116.5 points per game. They have outscored the NBA scoring average in 57% of their games.</p>

<p>When it comes to pace, the Kings are 14th in the league at 99.1 possessions per game. In terms of field goal percentage, Sacramento is 15th in the NBA at 47%. From three-point range, the Kings are 4th in the league in made threes per game at 14.4.</p>

<p>So far this season, Sacramento has made 56% of their two-point attempts, which is 9th in the NBA. In terms of offensive rebounds, the Kings are 10th in the league at 10.9 per game. When it comes to assists, Sacramento is 7th in the NBA at 28.4 per game.</p><p>At this time, the Kings' defense is positioned 17th in the NBA, permitting 115.1 points per game. The Kings defense is coming off a game in which they held the Thunder offense to just 34.4% shooting. Overall, they gave up 112 points to Oklahoma City.</p>

New Orleans Pelicans vs Sacramento Kings Betting Pick & Prediction 4/11/24

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