Mike Lundin – Sports Handicapper

GAME OF THE WEEK (NBA): MIKE'S TOP RATED TOTAL

Both teams have been involved in relatively low-scoring contests lately with under is 9-2 in Spurs last 11 overall and 8-2 in Rockets last 10 overall.

This contest is important for both teams as San Antonio is in a dogfight with the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 5 seed in the West, so it will most certainly be motivated to bounce back from a 110-105 loss to Miami. The Spurs had won nine in a row prior to that setback and have produced a 104.1 defensive rating over the past 10 games. "Defense -- and understanding that's what's going to take us to get to the next level and beyond," Mills said in explaining the Spurs' recent run. 

The Rockets are fighting to hold off Portland for the No. 3 seed in the conference and will also be looking to bounce back from a defeat after taking a 126-125 OT loss at Memphis last time out. They had won eight of nine prior to that setback while never allowing more than 106 points. 

We can also note that under is 5-1 in the last six meetings overall and 12-3 in the last 15 meetings in Houston. The Rockets won the last meeting 108-101 with a total closing at 217.5 points, and I think this game will stay under the total as well. 

10* play on UNDER. 

COLGATE VS. TENNESSEE ATS ANNIHILATOR

The Tennessee Volunteers are a well deserved favorite here in this NCAA Tournament first round matchup with the Colgate Raiders, but I think the underdog is spotted too many points to pass up on.

Colgate will enter Nationwide Arena steaming hot and high on confidence following 11 straight wins, including a 94-80 triumph over Bucknell in the Patriot League title game last Wednesday. 

Tennessee is without a doubt a Final Four contender, but it will also know the road there is quite long and there's no reason to waste more energy than needed to just get past its first round opponent. 

The Raiders on the other hand will have nothing to lose and will without a doubt give maximum effort throughout the whole game, opening for a backdoor cover. 

8* play on Colgate Raiders. 

OREGON VS. WISCONSIN BOOKIE BLASTER

The Wisconsin Badgers look like a bad matchup for the Oregon Ducks here in this first round of the South Region contest in San Jose, California Sunday afternoon. 

The Oregon Ducks are coming off eight straight victories after winning their final four games of the regular season followed by a perfect 4-0 run in four days, including a 68-48 rout of top-seeded Washington to claim the PAC-12 Conference Tournament. 

They did however close as favorites in all but one of those games, but here they're an underdog against a Wisconsin side that had won four on the bounce before coming up short in a 67-55 loss to Michigan State in the semifinal round of the Big 10 Tournament on Saturday. 

I think that setback will make the Badgers even more motivated for this contest while Oregon is coming in overrated by the bookies and the public and "due" for a bad game. Wisconsin is far from an offensive juggernaut, but it is one of the stingiest defensive teams in the nation which is a great asset for tournament basketball. 

8* play on Wisconsin Badgers. 

SUPER EARLY NCAA TOURNEY BANKROLL BUILDER

The Ole Miss Rebels enter this NCAA Tourney matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners as losers of four of their last five games, but that straight up record is a bit deceiving. The Rebels played a tough schedule and were 4-1 ATS in those five games and a solid 13-6 ATS as favorites on the season. 

Here they'll face an Oklahoma team that is 2-4 ATS through its last six games and lost straight up as a 6.5-point favorite against WVU in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday. The Sooners are just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 NCAA Tournament games.

The Rebels will have a clear advantage on the charity stripe in this matchup, entering Friday ranked fifth nationally at 78.3%, while the Sooners are 235th at 69.1%. With this expected to a close game free throws could easily play a huge part down the stretch. 

8* play on Ole Miss Rebels.