Matt Fargo – Sports Handicapper

This is a play on the LONG BEACH ST. 49ERS as part of our CBB Thursday Triple Play. Long Beach St. has turned around its season, at least temporarily, as it has won four straight games to improve to 4-1 in the conference which puts it just a game out of first place. The 49ers offense has improved considerably as they are now ranked No. 118 in scoring and No. 166 in shooting which is big facing a really good defense. Long Beach St. is 8-1 ATS in its last nine road games against conference opponents over the last two seasons. The Highlanders have won three in a row and are also 4-1 in the conference and while the defense is strong, the offense remains weak as they are No. 325 in the country in scoring and No. 274 in scoring. In what could be a low scoring game, a decent underdog is the play in a pivotal game. UC-Riverside is 4-15 ATS in its last 19 games off a road win by 10 points or more. Here, we play against teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .800 off three or more consecutive road wins, playing a team with a winning percentage between .400 and .499. This situation is 30-9 ATS (76.9 percent) since 1997. 9* (851) Long Beach St. 49ers

This is a play on the EAST CAROLINA PIRATES as part of our CBB Thursday Triple Play. East Carolina has been a pleasant surprise this season but it has gone south of late. The Pirates have lost two straight games and four of their last five including a 79-36 loss against Houston over the weekend, their worst performance of the season but that is giving us good value tonight. They are 2-4 in the conference and one of those wins did come against Memphis so the matchup is there. The Pirates are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games after scoring less than 50 points in their previous game. Memphis is a tough team to read. After three straight losses, head coach Penny Hardaway went off on the media and they did bounce back with a win at Tulsa but it was just by two points and having one of the top recruiting classes coming in has not paid off. Memphis is 3-12 ATS as a favorite this season. Here, we play on road underdogs of 10 to 19.5 points off a loss by 20 points or more to a conference rival going up against an opponent off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. This situation is 104-59 ATS (63.8 percent) since 1997. 9* (835) East Carolina Pirates

This is a play on the NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES as part of our CBB Thursday Triple Play. Northeastern has been a real disappointment this season as it was pegged as a possible contender and now sits at 0-8 in the conference. The Huskies have failed to cover their last five games and as a contrarian, this is a great time to jump on them. They have struggled on both sides but have not been over-dominated and that should be the case again here playing a team that has come out of nowhere. Northeastern is 25-12 ATS in its last 37 road games after failing to cover 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread. UNC-Wilmington has won nine straight games and covered its last eight and sits atop the CAA with a 6-0 record. They are below average in everything though, ranked No. 329 in shooting and No. 249 in shooting defense. The Seahawks are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Here, we play on road teams revenging a straight up loss as a favorite going up against an opponent off three or more consecutive upset wins as an underdog. This situation is 25-6 ATS (80.6 percent) since 1997. 9* (765) Northeastern Huskies